Life History Cost/Benefit Trade-offs in Cynomys gunnisoni

甘尼森的草原土拨鼠（Cynomys gunnisoni）以前是 是美国西部生态系统的重要组成部分 是金雕游隼的常见猎物 郊狼山猫獾和黑脚雪貂 拍摄 中毒使这些动物濒临灭绝， 70年代初。 关于它们的生殖和 种群生物学 拟议的研究将审查 甘尼森草原土拨鼠的自然历史和种群生物学 生活在自然条件下的石化森林国家公园 在亚利桑那州 近亲繁殖通常产生劣等后代。 像其他 动物，甘尼森的草原土拨鼠避免极端近亲繁殖， 亲戚，如父母、子女和兄弟姐妹。 他们是否也 避免与更远的亲属交配，如第一和第二 表亲 通过直接观察 已知的家谱，中度近亲繁殖的频率， 甘尼森的草原土拨鼠以及这种近亲繁殖是否会产生 劣等后代将被识别。 公共哺乳，哺乳另一只母的 在自然条件下生活的哺乳动物中是罕见的。 试图理解利他主义的明显案例，如社区 护理对进化和 行为生态学家 甘尼森草原的公共护理 狗发生在三个不同的背景下，影响超过 占青少年的10%。 近因和根本原因 还将调查社区护理频率高的情况。

Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) formerly were an important part of the ecosystem of the western United States, serving as common prey for golden eagles, peregrine falcons, coyotes, bobcats, badgers, and black-footed ferrets. Shooting and poisoning brought these animals to the brink of extinction in the early 1970's. Little is known about their reproductive and population biology. The proposed research will examine the natural history and population biology of Gunnison's prairie dogs living under natural conditions at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Inbreeding usually produces inferior offspring. Like other animals, Gunnison's prairie dogs avoid extreme inbreeding with relatives such as parents, offspring, and siblings. Do they also avoid mating with more distant kin such as first and second cousins? By directly observing copulations of individuals of known genealogies, the frequency of moderate inbreeding among Gunnison's prairie dogs and whether such inbreeding yields inferior offspring will be identified. Communal nursing, the suckling of another female's offspring, is rare among mammals living under natural conditions. Trying to understand apparent cases of altruism such as communal nursing poses one of the greatest challenges to evolutionary and behavioral ecologists. Communal nursing among Gunnison's prairie dogs occurs in three different contexts, and affects more than 10% of all juveniles. The proximate and ultimate causes for this high frequency of communal nursing will also be investigated.