Ferkin Michael H
Department of Biology, Ellington Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
Behav Processes. 2006 Nov 1;73(3):266-71. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.06.005. Epub 2006 Jun 21.
Many hypotheses have been put forth to account for differences in the amount of time that animals engage self-grooming when exposed to conspecifics or their odors, but most ignore the possibility that self-grooming may be associated with olfactory communication between groomers and conspecifics. As yet, we do not know the function of self-grooming and why animals do so when they encounter the odors of conspecifics. The present experiment tests the hypothesis that the amount of time that a meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, self-grooms is affected by the reproductive state of the odor donor and its own reproductive state. The findings support the hypothesis. Male voles spent more time self-grooming when they were exposed to bedding scented by female voles in postpartum estrus (PPE) compared to that of female voles in other reproductive states and female mice. PPE female voles spent more time self-grooming when they were exposed to bedding scented by testosterone-treated male voles than either to that of gonadectomized male voles and male mice. PPE female voles spent more time than OVX+E and more time than OVX females self-grooming when they were exposed to bedding scented by testosterone-treated male voles. GX+T male voles spent more time than GX male voles self-grooming when they were exposed to bedding scented by PPE female voles. The results suggest that individuals self-groom more in the presence of an odor of a highly receptive potential mate than that of a less receptive mate.
人们已经提出了许多假设来解释动物在接触同种个体或其气味时进行自我梳理的时间差异，但大多数假设都忽略了自我梳理可能与梳理者和同种个体之间的嗅觉交流有关的可能性。到目前为止，我们还不知道自我梳理的功能，也不知道动物在遇到同种个体的气味时为什么会这样做。本实验检验了一个假设，即草原田鼠（Microtus pennsylvanicus）自我梳理的时间受气味供体的生殖状态及其自身生殖状态的影响。研究结果支持了这一假设。与处于其他生殖状态的雌性田鼠和雌性小鼠相比，雄性田鼠在接触产后发情期（PPE）雌性田鼠的垫料时，会花更多时间进行自我梳理。与接触去势雄性田鼠和雄性小鼠的垫料相比，PPE雌性田鼠在接触经睾酮处理的雄性田鼠的垫料时，会花更多时间进行自我梳理。与接触经睾酮处理的雄性田鼠的垫料时相比，PPE雌性田鼠自我梳理的时间比卵巢切除加雌激素（OVX+E）的雌性田鼠多，也比卵巢切除（OVX）的雌性田鼠多。与接触PPE雌性田鼠的垫料时相比，去势加睾酮（GX+T）雄性田鼠自我梳理的时间比去势（GX）雄性田鼠多。结果表明，与接受性较低的配偶的气味相比，个体在有接受性高的潜在配偶的气味时会更多地进行自我梳理。
