scholarly journals When to Cheat: Modeling Dynamics of Paternity and Promiscuity in Socially Monogamous Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Author(s):  
Marissa A. Rice ◽  
Luis F. Restrepo ◽  
Alexander G. Ophir
2011 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie T. Parker ◽  
Natalia Rodriguez ◽  
Basirat Lawal ◽  
Christine J. Delevan ◽  
Maryam Bamshad

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (10) ◽  
pp. 1667-1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy G Solomon ◽  
Brian Keane ◽  
Lana R Knoch ◽  
Paula J Hogan

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) exhibit behavioral, morphological, and neuroendocrinological traits associated with monogamy and are considered a model system to examine the biological foundations of monogamy in mammals. We examined allelic polymorphism at microsatellite loci to assess mating exclusivity in wild prairie voles sampled in east-central Illinois and found evidence of multiple paternity in five of nine litters (56%) analyzed. Thus, a female in this socially monogamous mammal with extensive mechanisms for pair bonding does not always mate solely with its partner and raises the paradox of why some pair-bonded females mate multiply.


Behaviour ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
pp. 1147-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Mech ◽  
Aimee Dunlap ◽  
Karen Hodges ◽  
Jerry Wolff

AbstractPromiscuous mating is common in female rodents; however what role the female plays in this choice of mates is not clear. Also, whether MMM occurs in the reportedly socially monogamous prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster, and what role mate-guarding plays in deterring MMM is not known. We conducted two experiments to determine if female prairie voles that were not mate-guarded would copulate with multiple males during a given oestrous period. In experiment 1 using females that were unpaired, we allowed females to choose among three males that were tethered and unable to interact with one another, thus eliminating male-male competition and mate guarding. MMM occurred in 55% of 47 trials. Females mated most often with males with whom they spent the most time, thus social preference was a good predictor of sexual preference. The tendency to mate with multiple males increased over time, thus the length of time a male mate guards can affect paternity. In experiment 2 with females that had been paired with a male and were in post-partum oestrus, 5 of 12 (42%) females mated with more than one male and 3 of 12 (25%) females deserted their paired mate and paired with a new novel male. Thus multi-male mating was similar for paired and unpaired females. Our results suggest that female prairie voles that are not mate-guarded will mate with multiple partners.


Neuroscience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 369 ◽  
pp. 292-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.D. Guoynes ◽  
T.C. Simmons ◽  
G.M. Downing ◽  
S. Jacob ◽  
M. Solomon ◽  
...  

Mammalia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Keane ◽  
Phillip J. Long ◽  
Yasmeen Fleifil ◽  
Nancy G. Solomon

AbstractBehavioral changes that reduce the risk of predation in response to predator-derived odor cues are widespread among mammalian taxa and have received a great deal of attention. Although voles of the genus Microtus are staples in the diet of many mammalian predators, including domestic cats (Felis catus), there are no previous studies on vole space utilization and activity levels in response to odor cues from domestic cats. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate responses of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) living in semi-natural habitats to odor cues from domestic cat excreta. Contrary to expectations, neither adult males or females showed significant changes in space use or willingness to enter traps in response to cat odors. One hypothesis to explain our results are that prairie voles have not co-evolved with domestic cats long enough to respond to their odors. Other possible explanations include whether levels of odors in the environment were sufficient to trigger a response or that the perceived risk of predation from odor cues alone did not outweigh relative costs of changing space use and activity levels. Future studies should consider multiple factors when determining what cues are sufficient to elicit antipredatory behavior.


1995 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Moffatt ◽  
Jonathan M. Gerber ◽  
Joan M.C. Blom ◽  
Lance J. Kriegsfeld ◽  
Randy J. Nelson

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