Yu Honghao, Yue Pengpeng, Sun Ping, Zhao Xinquan
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining Road #23, Xining, China.
Behav Processes. 2010 Mar;83(3):292-8. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.01.012. Epub 2010 Feb 1.
Sniffing is one-way animals collect chemical signals, and many males self-groom when they encounter the odor of opposite-sex conspecifics. We tested the hypothesis that sexual chemical signals from females can induce self-grooming behavior in male root voles (Microtus oeconomus Pallas). Specifically, we investigated the sniffing pattern of male root voles in response to odors from the head, trunk, and tail areas of lactating and non-lactating females. The self-grooming behavior of males in response to female individual odorant stimuli was documented, and the relationship between self-grooming and sniffing of odors from the head, trunk, and tails areas were analyzed. Sniffing pattern results showed that males are most interested in odors from the head area, and more interested in odors from the tail as compared to the trunk area. Males displayed different sniffing and self-grooming behaviors when they were exposed to odors from lactating females as compared to non-lactating females. Males also spent more time sniffing and engaged in more sniffing behaviors in response to odors from the lactating females' tail area as compared to the same odors from non-lactating females. Similarly, males spent more time self-grooming and engaged in more self-grooming behaviors in the presence of individual odors from lactating females as compared to individual odors from non-lactating females. Partial correlation analyses revealed that the frequency of self-grooming was significantly correlated with the frequency of tail area sniffs. Results from this experiment suggest that sexual attractiveness of lactating females is stronger than that of non-lactating females. Furthermore, the partial correlation analysis demonstrated that self-grooming in males is induced by odors from the tail area of females. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that sexual chemical signals from females can induce self-grooming behavior in male root voles. Self-grooming may also reflect the groomer's sexual motivation and facilitate sexual interactions.
嗅闻是动物收集化学信号的一种方式，许多雄性动物在遇到异性同种个体的气味时会进行自我梳理。我们检验了这样一个假设：雌性动物的性化学信号能够诱发雄性根田鼠（Microtus oeconomus Pallas）的自我梳理行为。具体而言，我们研究了雄性根田鼠对哺乳期和非哺乳期雌性动物头部、躯干和尾部区域气味的嗅闻模式。记录了雄性动物对雌性个体气味刺激的自我梳理行为，并分析了自我梳理与对头部、躯干和尾部区域气味嗅闻之间的关系。嗅闻模式结果表明，雄性动物对来自头部区域的气味最感兴趣，与躯干区域的气味相比，对来自尾部的气味更感兴趣。与接触非哺乳期雌性动物的气味相比，雄性动物在接触哺乳期雌性动物的气味时表现出不同的嗅闻和自我梳理行为。与来自非哺乳期雌性动物的相同气味相比，雄性动物对来自哺乳期雌性动物尾部区域的气味也会花费更多时间嗅闻，且嗅闻行为更多。同样，与来自非哺乳期雌性动物的个体气味相比，在有来自哺乳期雌性动物的个体气味时，雄性动物会花费更多时间进行自我梳理，且自我梳理行为更多。偏相关分析表明，自我梳理的频率与对尾部区域嗅闻的频率显著相关。该实验结果表明，哺乳期雌性动物的性吸引力强于非哺乳期雌性动物。此外，偏相关分析表明，雄性动物的自我梳理是由雌性动物尾部区域的气味诱发的。总体而言，这些结果支持了这样一个假设：雌性动物的性化学信号能够诱发雄性根田鼠的自我梳理行为。自我梳理也可能反映了梳理者的性动机并促进性行为。
