Shapiro Lawrence E, Dewsbury Donald A
NIMH Lab of Clinical Science, Poolesville, MD.
J Comp Psychol. 1990 Sep;104(3):268-274. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.104.3.268.
Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and montane voles (M. montanus) display marked differences in social organization in the field. Trios of 1 male and 2 females were studied in a large enclosure for a 10-day period. Prairie voles spent 59% of the observation time in side-by-side contact, whereas montane voles spent only 7% of the time in contact. Vaginal smears indicated female-female suppression of estrus in prairie voles; female montane voles appeared to cycle in the presence of males. Male prairie voles preferentially paired and nested with 1 of the females, and vaginal estrus generally followed pair formation by 2 days. Male montane voles did not spend time preferentially with either female, even after mating. These results suggest that the contrasting mating systems of these species result from differences in the propensity for affiliative behavior and social bonding rather than from mate availability or female receptivity.
草原田鼠（Microtus ochrogaster）和山地田鼠（M. montanus）在野外的社会组织表现出显著差异。在一个大围栏中，对由1只雄性和2只雌性组成的三人组进行了为期10天的研究。草原田鼠在并排接触中花费了59%的观察时间，而山地田鼠仅花费7%的时间进行接触。阴道涂片显示，草原田鼠中雌性对雌性的发情具有抑制作用；雌性山地田鼠在有雄性存在时似乎会正常发情周期。雄性草原田鼠优先与其中一只雌性交配并筑巢，阴道发情通常在配对形成后2天出现。雄性山地田鼠即使在交配后也不会优先与任何一只雌性交配。这些结果表明，这些物种截然不同的交配系统是由亲和行为和社会联系倾向的差异导致的，而不是由配偶可得性或雌性接受性导致的。
