Search results for "myodes glareolus"

Infanticide and Population Growth in the Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus): The Effect of Male Turnover and Density

2011

One major intrinsic factor affecting recruitment of young into a population is infanticide, the killing of conspecific young by adult males. It occurs in most mammal species, like our study species the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), and is widely accepted as an adaptive behavior, which may increase male fitness via nutritional gain, decreased competition, or an increased access to mates. A turnover of males in a population increases the risk of infanticide owing to a disruption of social structures. In a controlled field study, we tested the effects of total male turnover and density on juvenile recruitment and female space use in experimental bank vole populations. Juvenile recruitment decl…

Data from: Maintenance costs of male dominance and sexually antagonistic selection in the wild

2019

1. Variation in dominance status determines male mating and reproductive success, but natural selection for male dominance can be detrimental or antagonistic for female performance, and ultimately their fitness. Attaining and maintaining a high dominance status in a population of competing individuals is physiologically costly for males. But how male dominance status is mediated by maintenance energetics is currently not well understood, nor are the correlational effects of male energetics on his sisters recognized. 2. We conducted laboratory and field experiments on rodent populations to test whether selective breeding for male dominance status (dominant vs. subordinate breeding lines) ant…

Epigenetic mechanisms behind phenotypic changes in different population densities in bank voles (Myodes glareolus)

2017

Metsämyyrän (Myodes glareolus) fenotyyppisten muutosten epigeneettiset mekanismit eri populaatiotiheyksissä. Epigeneettisilla mekanismeilla on perustava rooli normaalissa geeniekspression aktiivisuudessa ja ne voidaan nähdä molekulaaristen prosessien systeeminä, joka reagoi ympäristötekijöihin ja säätelee geenisäätelyä muuttamatta alkuperäistä DNA-sekvenssiä. DNA-metylaatio on eniten tutkittu epigeneettinen mekanismi jolla on tärkeä rooli geenien säätelyssä normaalin solujen kehityksen aikana. Metylaatio ilmenee tyypillisesti CpG-dinukleotideissa, joissa metyyliryhmä kiinnittyy 5’-sytosiiniin (C) jota seuraava emäs on guaniini (G). Tämä voi estää näihin CpG-paikkoihin liittyvien geenien ilm…

Genetic diversity in the wild : cyclic population dynamics and population isolation

2013

Secondhand horror: effects of direct and indirect predator cues on behavior and reproduction of the bank vole

2019

Risk recognition by prey is of paramount importance within the evolutionary arms race between predator and prey. Prey species are able to detect direct predator cues like odors and adjust their behavior appropriately. The question arises whether an indirect predation cue, such as the odor of scared individuals, can be detected by conspecifics and subsequently affects recipient behavior. Parents may also transfer their experience with predators to their offspring. In two experiments, we assessed how direct and indirect predation cues affect bank vole (Myodes glareolus) foraging behavior, reproduction, and pup fitness. Weasel (Mustela nivalis) odor served as the direct cue, whereas the odor o…

Exposure to Chemical Cues from Predator-Exposed Conspecifics Increases Reproduction in a Wild Rodent

2018

Abstract Predation involves more than just predators consuming prey. Indirect effects, such as fear responses caused by predator presence, can have consequences for prey life history. Laboratory experiments have shown that some rodents can recognize fear in conspecifics via alarm pheromones. Individuals exposed to alarm pheromones can exhibit behavioural alterations that are similar to those displayed by predator-exposed individuals. Yet the ecological and evolutionary significance of alarm pheromones in wild mammals remains unclear. We investigated how alarm pheromones affect the behaviour and fitness of wild bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in outdoor enclosures. Specifically, we compared th…

Frequency-dependent selection and environmental heterogeneity as selective mechanisms in wild populations

2010

Interactive effects of past and present environments on overwintering success - A reciprocal transplant experiment

2012

Life-history traits are influenced by environmental factors throughout the lifespan of an individual. The relative importance of past versus present environment on individual fitness, therefore, is a relevant question in populations that face the challenge of temporally varying environment. We studied the interacting effects of past and present density on body mass, condition, and survival in enclosure populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) using a reciprocal transplant design. In connection with the cyclic dynamics of natural vole populations, our hypothesis was that individuals born in low-density enclosures would do better overwintering in low-density enclosures than in high-den…

Interactive effects of past and present environments on overwintering success-a reciprocal transplant experiment.

2011

Life-history traits are influenced by environmental factors throughout the lifespan of an individual. The relative importance of past versus present environment on individual fitness, therefore, is a relevant question in populations that face the challenge of temporally varying environment. We studied the interacting effects of past and present density on body mass, condition, and survival in enclosure populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) using a reciprocal transplant design. In connection with the cyclic dynamics of natural vole populations, our hypothesis was that individuals born in low-density enclosures would do better overwintering in low-density enclosures than in high-den…

Data from: Age-related effects of chronic hantavirus infection on female host fecundity

2016

1. Pathogens often cause detrimental effects to their hosts and, consequently, may influence host population dynamics that may, in turn, feed back to pathogen transmission dynamics. Understanding fitness effects of pathogens upon animal host populations can help to predict the risks that zoonotic pathogens pose to humans. 2. Here we determine whether chronic infection by Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) affects important fitness-related traits, namely the probability of breeding, reproductive effort and mother and offspring condition, in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). Using 9 years empirical data in a PUUV endemic area in Central Finland, we found differences between reproductive characteristic…