Abstract
It has been suggested that the prenatal environment is an important proximal cause of natal dispersal in grey-sided voles Clethrionomys rufocanus and that it could be responsible for inter-individual variability in space use and dispersal tendency. Females born to male-biased litters are exposed to testosterone produced in utero by their brothers and this induces a partial behavioural masculinization. These females are less sociable and have the greatest tendency to disperse. The dispersal tendency of female Townsend's voles, Microtus townsendii, as measured in natural population by natal dispersal distances or by the proportion of females from a litter recruited near their natal area was not related to sex ratio. Similar results obtained with meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus indicate that prenatal environment is not the main proximal cause of natal dispersal in Microtus.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 353-356 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Oikos |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 1994 |
Keywords
- GRAY-SIDED VOLES
- CLETHRIONOMYS-RUFOCANUS
- MICROTUS-PENNSYLVANICUS
- MEADOW VOLES
- SPACE USE
- POPULATIONS
- POSITION
- KINSHIP
- FIELD