Negus N C, Berger P J
Science. 1977 Jun 10;196(4295):1230-1. doi: 10.1126/science.323977.
A nonbreeding winter population of Microtus montanus was given limited supplements of fresh green wheatgrass over a 2-week period. The population was sampled at the end of the feeding period and compared to an adjacent population receiving no grass supplements. All of the experimental females were pregnant, while animals from the control area remained in nonbreeding condition. Replication of the experiment during the next winter produced similar results. The data suggest that Microtus montanus cues reproductive effort from chemical signals in the plant food resources.
在为期两周的时间里，给一群非繁殖期的蒙塔努斯田鼠提供了有限的新鲜绿色小麦草补充食物。在喂食期结束时对该种群进行了采样，并与相邻未接受草补充食物的种群进行了比较。所有实验雌性田鼠都怀孕了，而来自对照区域的田鼠仍处于非繁殖状态。次年冬天重复该实验也得到了类似结果。数据表明，蒙塔努斯田鼠从植物食物资源中的化学信号感知繁殖努力。
