An experimental examination of the consequences of communal versus solitary breeding on maternal condition and the early postnatal growth and survival of degu, Octodon degus, pups
An experimental examination of the consequences of communal versus solitary breeding on maternal condition and the early postnatal growth and survival of degu, Octodon degus, pups
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DOI：
10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.06.004
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发表时间：
2007-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Leon, Cecilia
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ebensperger, Luis A.;Hurtado, Maria Jose;Leon, Cecilia
许多啮齿动物物种的个体都参与群体生活，在这种生活中，它们共享一个活动区域，一个巢穴（或巢穴），并且与群体成员的互动比与其他此类群体的个体更频繁。当社会群体的成员在共同的巢穴中养育后代时，他们可能会进行集体繁殖。我们在实验室条件下进行了一项实验研究，以探讨雌性戴格斯在出生后早期对后代进行投资的成本和收益。特别是，我们研究了女性养育他们的窝在第二个哺乳期（相关或不相关）女性（“共同繁殖”）的存在下产生的后代的质量和数量与哺乳期女性在非繁殖（相关或不相关）女性（“奇异繁殖”）的存在下产生的后代，和孤独的女性的后代。还检查了母亲的身体状况（哺乳期间的体重损失）。我们研究了70名女性的degus和他们的窝，和13个额外的nonbreeding女性，在恒定的条件下，成人密度，巢的可用性，有限的食物供应和育种经验的科目。幼崽的数量，质量的幼崽，和身体状况的母亲共同繁殖没有不同的那些奇异和孤独的繁殖女性。当考虑繁殖雌性的亲属关系时，也得到了类似的结果。当研究群体内个体的繁殖性能时，我们发现成本和收益并不平等。在前一窝的存在下出生的窝仔的断奶仔猪较小，比没有其他年轻人在场时出生的窝仔的断奶仔猪数量少。两者合计，我们的研究结果表明，女性degus获得没有明显的生殖优势，从出生后早期养育他们的后代。此外，一部分女性似乎要支付净成本。(c)2006年，动物行为研究协会。由爱思唯尔有限公司出版。保留所有权利。
Individuals of numerous rodent species engage in group living, in which they share an area of activity, a nest (or den), and interact more frequently with group members than with individuals from other such groups. Members of social groups may engage in communal breeding when they rear their young together in a common nest. We conducted an experimental study under laboratory conditions to explore the costs and benefits linked to early postnatal investment in offspring by female degus. In particular, we examined the quality and quantity of offspring produced by females rearing their litters in the presence of a second lactating (related or unrelated) female ('communally breeding') with offspring produced by lactating females in the presence of a nonbreeding (related or unrelated) female ('singularly breeding'), and the offspring of solitary females. The physical condition of mothers (mass lost through lactation) was also examined. We studied 70 female degus and their litters, and 13 additional nonbreeding females, under constant conditions of adult density, nest availability, restricted food availability and breeding experience of subjects. The number of pups, the mass of pups, and the physical condition of mothers breeding communally did not differ from those of singularly and solitarily breeding females. Similar results were obtained when kinship of breeding females was considered. When reproductive performance of individuals within communally breeding groups was examined, we found that costs and benefits were not shared equally. Weanlings of litters born in the presence of a previous litter were smaller and less numerous than weanlings of litters born when no other young were present. Taken together, our results show that female degus derive no apparent reproductive benefits from early postnatal rearing of their offspring. Moreover, a proportion of females seem to pay a net cost. (c) 2006 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.