Effect of adults on juvenile reproduction of Calomys venustus (Muridae: Sigmodontinae)

PRIOTTO J, PROVENSAL C, POLOP J

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY

Blackwell publishing

Año: 2006 vol. 31 p. 859 - 868

1442-9985

We tested the hypothesis that adult overwintering Calomys venustus inhibit maturation and reproduction in young-of-the-year from the first cohort. The study was carried out in four 0.25-ha enclosures (two control and two experimental), each situated on natural pasture. This study was conducted between August 1997 and March 1999 and had two parts: removal of overwintering male (ROM) and removal of overwintering female (ROF). For the ROM treatment overwintering males were removed immediately after the first cohort of juveniles (C1) were born, in the ROF treatment overwintering females were removed after the C1 were weaned. Weekly censuses were taken for three successive days over six weeks. The sexual maturation and reproductive condition of juveniles were compared between treatments (overwintering male or female removal) using repeated-measures ANOVA. The repeated measures factor was the age of juveniles. Removal of overwintering males and females did not affect sexual maturation of juveniles, however overwintering males influenced the onset of reproductive activity of juvenile females at the beginning of the breeding period.