Spatial and Behavioural Interactions of Apodemus agrarius in Breeding Season

• Main Authors: Gou-En Yen, 嚴國恩
• Other Authors: Hai-Yin Wu
• Format: Others
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/e6zmr3

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 自然資源與環境學系 === 100 === Small mammal’s reproducative strategies may affect their space use patterns and behavioural interactions. Neighbour-stranger discrimination may increase reproductive success. To discern the mating system of striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), Iinvestigate the spatial and behavioural interactions among adult mice during the breeding seasons of 2010-2011. I live trapped and marked mice in two grassland plots of 1 ha to assess their home-range use. I video taped the bavioural interactions between mice by 10-min dyadic encounter test in neutral arena. Sex ratio of the mice captured in two plots were biased toward male. Home ranges of males were larger than those of females, both showed no difference in stages of varying sex ratio. Home ranges of females were relatively exclusive to other females, while those of males was overlapped with multiple males. The degree of home-range overlap among males was higher when male to female sex ratio was higher. Home range of either sex overlapped with multiple mice of the opposite sex. In dyadic encounter tests, mice showed high level of self-oriented behaviors. Among opponent-oriented behaviors categories, there were more amicable and introductory interactions then agonistic behaviors. Male was more agonistic towards neighbours than strangers. Behavioral responses of femals toward opponentt were irrespective of sex and familiarity. In addition, males tended to sniff neighbouring females. Two males tried to mate with its opponent of neighbouring females during the test. The results suggest a promiscuous social mating system with nasty neighbor effect among males in A. agrarius .