Spacing behaviour in Akodon azarae (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae).

BONATTO FLORENCIA; STEINMANN ANDREA; PRIOTTO JOSÉ

Mendoza

Congreso; The 10 th International Mammalogical Congress; 2009

&lt;!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Helvetica-Narrow; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Arial Narrow"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --&gt; Akodon azarae is one of the most abundant small rodent species in the agro-ecosystems of southern Córdoba, Argentina. We provide information about size and intra and inter-sexual home-range overlap, and suggest a social system. The study was carried out between December 2008 and February 2009 through three trapping sessions, in four 0.25ha enclosures (4 independent populations) at the beginning of the breeding period using CMR method in a 6x10 grid. To estimate the home-range area and overlap degree we used the minimum convex polygon and Batzli and Henttonen methods respectively. To analyse home-range size in relation to sex and trapping session a two factor ANCOVA was used. Population abundance was used as covariate. Intra and inter-sexual home range overlap (males/males; females/females; males/females) was examined using the Friedman non-parametric test. 69 and 75 home-ranges of reproductively active males and females respectively were estimated. Significant differences in home-range size were observed in relation to sex and trapping session (P<0.05). Home range size of males was always larger than that of females (65% higher), and this was more evident in the third trapping session (when almost 100% of females were sucking or pregnant). Significant differences in intra and inter-sexual overlap degree were observed (P<0.05). Intra-male and intra-female overlap was lower than 10%. Males overlap their home-ranges over 3 o 4 females, and registered an inter-sexual overlap mean value of 23%. Home-range overlap suggests that both males and females are territorial, thus we suggest a polygynous social system.