RUI: Comparison of Mechanisms of Sociality in Solitary Rodents

关于邻居识别的信息是理解社会单位内发生的行为互动的基本信息。然而，大多数关于熟悉度在哺乳动物社会组织中的作用的研究都是在社会性哺乳动物身上进行的。尽管大多数哺乳动物在一生的大部分时间里都是作为单独的个体生活，但对独居物种的关注很少。兰德尔博士的研究将考察熟悉度在间隔、配偶选择和亲属识别中在两种独居的沙漠啮齿动物的社会组织中的作用：旗尾啮齿动物(-Dipodomys spectabilis-)和Merriam‘s(-D)。Merriami-)袋鼠。已知年龄、性别和关系的动物将在野外的一个大型便携式围栏中配对，它们的互动将被记录下来并进行比较。兰德尔博士还将使用无线电发射器追踪动物，以确定它们在交配前和交配期间的间隔关系，并将继续详细观察这两个物种的交配行为。此外，实验室还计划进行一些研究，以检验袋鼠是否能从气味标记过程中沉积的气味中识别出彼此。从这个项目获得的信息应该有助于促进对导致社会性发展的步骤的基本了解，因为社会性在哺乳动物群落中已经演变。

Information about neighbor recognition is basic to an understanding of the behavioral interactions that occur within a social unit. Most studies on the role of familiarity in mammalian social organizations, however, have been done on social mammals. Little attention has been given to solitary species, although most mammals live as solitary individuals during most of their lives. Dr. Randall's research will examine the role of familiarity in spacing, mate selection, and kin recognition in the social organization of two species of solitary, desert rodent: the bannertail (-Dipodomys spectabilis-) and Merriam's (-D. merriami-) kangaroo rat. Animals of known age, sex, and relationships will be paired in a large portable enclosure in the field, and their interactions will be documented and compared. Dr. Randall will also track animals with radio-transmitters to determine their spacing relationships before and during mating, and will continue detailed observations of both species' mating behavior. In addition, a number of studies in the laboratory are planned to examine whether the kangaroo rats could recognize each other from odors deposited during scent-marking. The information obtained from this project should help in promoting a basic understanding of the steps that lead to the development of sociality as it has evolved in mammalian communities.