Becker Elizabeth A, Castelli Frank R, Yohn Christine N, Spencer Lindsey, Marler Catherine A
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States; Department of Psychology, Saint Joseph's University 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States.
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madison, WI 53706, United States.
Behav Processes. 2018 Jan;146:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.10.011. Epub 2017 Oct 31.
Species comparisons indicate that scent-marking may differ as a function of mating system and co-housing with the opposite sex ("pairing"). We previously demonstrated that pairing may decrease male solicitation to unfamiliar females in the monogamous Peromyscus californicus but not in the non-monogamous P. leucopus. Whether urine scent-marking of females changes following pairing and whether scent-marking of paired males varies in response to scent-marks of their cagemate versus those of an unfamiliar female has not been examined. Therefore, we tested P. californicus and P. leucopus for within and between species differences in urine scent-marking of: 1) paired and non-paired females in an unscented arena, and 2) paired males in response to their female cagemate's or an unfamiliar female's scent-marks (counter-marking). Consistent with previous findings, P. californicus of both sexes deposited more urine scent-marks and covered greater surface area than P. leucopus. In both species, female scent-marking did not differ according to pairing status and male counter-marking did not differ in response to the scent-marks of their female cagemate versus an unfamiliar female. More females of both species and more P. leucopus, but not P. californicus, males scent-marked more around the perimeter than centrally. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.
物种比较表明，气味标记可能因交配系统以及与异性同居（“配对”）情况的不同而有所差异。我们之前证明，在一夫一妻制的加州白足鼠中，配对可能会减少雄性对陌生雌性的求偶行为，但在非一夫一妻制的白足鼠中则不会。雌性尿液气味标记在配对后是否会发生变化，以及配对雄性对同笼雌性与陌生雌性的气味标记的反标记是否存在差异，这些都尚未得到研究。因此，我们对白足鼠和加州白足鼠进行了测试，以探究以下方面在物种内和物种间的尿液气味标记差异：1）在无气味环境中的配对和未配对雌性；2）配对雄性对其同笼雌性或陌生雌性的气味标记的反标记。与之前的研究结果一致，两性的加州白足鼠比白足鼠留下更多的尿液气味标记，覆盖的表面积也更大。在这两个物种中，雌性的气味标记不因配对状态而有所不同，雄性的反标记对其同笼雌性与陌生雌性的气味标记也没有差异。两个物种的更多雌性以及更多的白足鼠雄性（但不是加州白足鼠雄性）在周边区域的气味标记比在中心区域更多。我们对这些发现的潜在解释进行了讨论。
