ENVIRONMENT, BEHAVIOR, AND REPRODUCTION

拟议研究的总体目标是开发更多的 啮齿动物季节性繁殖调控综合模型。 更具体地说，这项建议的目标有两个：(1) 更准确地说，识别单独或协同作用的外部线索 用光周期调节雄性鹿鼠和草原的季节性繁殖 以及(2)确定季节性的相对成本和收益 生殖静止。建议使用多个析因实验来 研究四个环境因素(光周期、 温度、食物质量和食物数量)对生殖功能的影响。 以往关于控制啮齿动物季节性繁殖的研究主要是 关注光周期(日长)对繁殖的影响 在保持在温和实验室环境温度下的动物中 Libitum获得食物和水。然而，相当少数的鹿 小鼠和草原田鼠对抑制光周期没有反应；这些 动物在野外表现出季节性的繁殖模式。来自这些网站的数据 和其他农业有害生物(如黄腹田鼠、白纹伊蚊、白纹伊蚊)。 Pinetorum)支持这样的论点，即日长提示可能是不够的 或在调节季节性繁殖方面意义微乎其微 小巧机会主义的饲养者。一些单独的鹿鼠抑制了 在环境温度较低时繁殖，而其他老鼠则 只有在食物摄入量减少的情况下才会受到影响。冬季繁殖的啮齿动物会 似乎比繁殖安静的动物更有优势 可能的繁殖成功。维护一定会有成本 冬季的生殖系统。提出了几项实验，以 评估小型啮齿动物冬季繁殖的成本和收益。 外在因素和社会因素对代谢率的影响 将对温度调节行为进行评估。拟议的研究将 提供数据，以便更全面地了解监管机构的层次结构 外在的暗示。 这些研究将提供季节性的新概念视角。 正在繁殖的啮齿动物。使用自然选择的啮齿动物种群， 而不是高度近亲繁殖的物种和操纵几个 环境因素，而不是传统的一两个因素，应该允许 关于季节性污染控制的新的、与生态相关的声明 繁殖。

The general goal of the proposed studies is to develop a more comprehensive model of the regulation of seasonal breeding in rodents. More specifically, the goals of this proposal are two-fold: (1) to identity more precisely the external cues that act alone or in concert with photoperiod to regulate seasonal breeding male deer mice and prairie voles, and (2) to ascertain the relative costs and benefits of seasonal reproductive quiescence. A number of factorial experiments are proposed to study the interactive effects of four environmental factors (photoperiod, temperature, food quality, and food quantity) on reproductive function. Previous studies on the control of rodent seasonal breeding have primarily focused upon the role of photoperiod (day length) influences upon breeding in animals maintained in mild laboratory ambient temperatures with ad libitum access to food and water. However, a substantial minority of deer mice and prairie voles fail to respond to inhibitory photoperiods; these animals display seasonal breeding patterns in the field. Data from these and other agricultural pest species (e.g., Microtus ochrogaster, M. pinetorum) support the contention that day length cues may be insufficient or of minimal significance in the regulation of seasonal reproduction in small, opportunistic breeders. Some individual deer mice inhibit reproduction when ambient temperatures are low, whereas other mice are affected only if food intake is reduced. Winter breeding rodents would appear to have an advantage over reproductively quiescent animals in terms of possible breeding successes. There must be costs to maintaining the reproductive system during the winter. Several experiments are proposed to evaluate the costs and benefits of winter reproduction in small rodents. The effects of extrinsic and social factors on metabolic rates and thermoregulatory behavior will be assessed. The proposed studies will provide data to understand more completely the hierarchy of regulatory extrinsic cues. These studies will provide new conceptual perspectives of seasonally breeding rodents. The use of naturally selected populations of rodents, rather than highly inbred species and the manipulation of several environmental factors, instead of the traditional one or two, should allow new, ecologically relevant statements about the control of seasonal reproduction.