DAILY ACTIVITY PATTERNS IN FREE-LIVING TUCO-TUCOS (RODENTIA: CTENOMYIDAE) FROM ANILLACO, LA RIOJA PROVINCE, ARGENTINA PATRÓN DE ACTIVIDAD DIARIA EN TUCO-TUCOS DE VIDA LIBRE (RODENTIA: CTENOMYIDAE), DE ANILLACO, PROVINCIA DE LA RIOJA, ARGENTINA

AMAYA, JUAN P.; LOPEZ, PABLO M.; CUELLO, PABLO A.; LACEY, EILEEN A.; VALENTINUZZI, VERÓNICA S.

MASTOZOOLOGí­A NEOTROPICAL

UNIDAD DE ZOOLOGÍA Y ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL, INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE INVESTIGACIÓN DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS, CRICYT, CONICET

Año: 2022 vol. 29

0327-9383

Daily activity patterns are a fundamental component of a species’ biology and have implications for numerous elements of organismal function. Because these patterns may be affected by environmental conditions, the setting in which activity data are collected is critical. Although the daily activity patterns of the Velasco tuco-tuco (Ctenomys famosus) have been studied extensively in the laboratory and in semi-natural enclosures, no information on activity is available for free-living members of this species. To characterize activity by these subterranean rodents in their natural environment, we used radiotelemetry to record the locations of 17 adults at hourly intervals for 72 consecutive hours. These data revealed a tendency for members of the study population to be diurnal, with individuals changing locations more often, traveling farther between radio fixes, using larger areas, and spending less time in putative nests during daylight hours. Diurnality index values calculated for these animals also suggested greater daytime activity. Although diurnal behavior has been reported for free-living populations of several other ctenomyid species monitored by radiotelemetry, the strength of this tendency appears to vary, raising interesting questions about the factors that determine daily activity patterns in the genus Ctenomys.