Spatial learning abilities in males and females of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum

MASTRANGELO, M; SCHLEICH, C.E.; ZENUTO, R.R.

ETHOLOGY ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE

Año: 2010 vol. 22 p. 101 - 108

0394-9370

Few studies have focused on sex differences in spatial learning in subterraneanrodents. Ctenomys talarum inhabits complex burrow systems, with males occupying larger areas than females. We assessed spatial learning ability by measuringthe capacity of C. talarum individuals to solve appetitive radial or longitudinal spatial tasks during the non-reproductive season. We found that, regardless of sex differencesin home-range size, males and females performed similarly in both tasks,rapidly improving their spatial performance after the initial trials and maintainingan accurate performance during subsequent trials. Our results show that sex differencesin home-range sizes may not always lead to the evolution of sexually dimorphicspatial abilities.