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Reproduction and urine marking in laboratory groups of female common voles Microtus arvalis

par Heise, Sigrid ;Rozenfeld, Francine
Référence Journal of chemical ecology, 25, 7, page (1671-1685)
Publication Publié, 1999

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

In laboratory groups of common voles, Microtus arvalis, consisting of one mother, two of her daughters and one male, mainly the mother reproduced. The three females spent most of the time in close body contact. By using a modified method of coloring the urine of the three females by nonmetabolizable, nontoxic dyes, we found that mothers display a higher urine marking intensity than their daughters, and urine marks from the mother were distributed more frequently than those from the daughters. The results suggest that both pheromonal and behavioral mechanisms are involved in the regulation of reproduction in matriarchal groups of common voles.