scholarly journals Alternative Mating Tactics in Socially Monogamous Prairie Voles, Microtus ochrogaster

Author(s):  
Stephen M. Shuster ◽  
Regina M. Willen ◽  
Brian Keane ◽  
Nancy G. Solomon
2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 339-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry O. Wolff ◽  
Alexander G. Ophir ◽  
Steven M. Phelps

At least two hypotheses have been proposed for why animals should breed synchronously: (1) to swamp predators and reduce the probability of offspring being killed and (2) to promote monogamy when paternal care is important for offspring survival. Thus prey and monogamous species are likely candidates for synchronous breeding. We conducted an experiment to determine if a prey species, the monogamously breeding prairie vole ( Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)), breeds synchronously. We conducted eight replicates in which we placed six nulliparous females and six adult males in semi-natural enclosures for 18–21 days to determine if they bred synchronously. The time of conception ranged from 2 to 18 days within replicates with no indication of breeding synchrony within any of the populations. Thus neither predator avoidance nor paternal care models were supported for prairie voles. We conclude that rodents in general are not good models for breeding synchrony and that females use alternative mating tactics to enhance their lifetime reproductive success. We discuss our results in the context of the prairie vole mating system.


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.


1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Stockley ◽  
Jeremy B. Searle ◽  
David W. Macdonald ◽  
Catherine S. Jones

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

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