The Effect of Aggression on Dispersal and Related Statistics in Microtus Ochrogaster Populations in Eastern Kansas
TL;DRAbstract
In this study we tested the hypothesis that aggression is a stimulus for dispersal in the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster. A population of prairie voles was established in each of two 1-ha enclosures equipped with exit traps; live trapping ensued for 20 months. Sixty percent of subadult males captured were implanted either with testosterone capsules to increase their aggressiveness (treatment enclosure) or with oil capsule shams (control enclosure). Wounding of males in the treatment enclosure was significantly higher than in the control enclosure. Dispersal rates from the treatment population were three times higher than in the control population, but these differences were not statistically significant. From these results we suggest that aggression by males is a proximate stimulus for dispersal.
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In this study we tested the hypothesis that aggression is a stimulus for dispersal in the prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster. A population of prairie voles was established in each of two 1-ha enclosures equipped with exit traps; live trapping ensued for 20 months. Sixty percent of subadult males captured were implanted either with testosterone capsules to increase their aggressiveness (treatment enclosure) or with oil capsule shams (control enclosure). Wounding of males in the treatment enclosure was significantly higher than in the control enclosure. Dispersal rates from the treatment population were three times higher than in the control population, but these differences were not statistically significant. From these results we suggest that aggression by males is a proximate stimulus for dispersal.
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