Hurst JL, Gray SJ, Davey P, Young D, Corbishley J, Dawson C
Behaviour and Ecology Research Group, Department of Life Science, University of Nottingham
Anim Behav. 1997 Oct;54(4):941-53. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1997.0515.
When animals defend territories that are large and structurally complex, scent marks alone are unlikely to be reliable signals of a resident's dominance and competitors should require initial proof through direct interaction. This was tested using freshly captured Mus spretus which occupy large non-overlapping ranges in grassland but are strongly attracted to substrate odours from unfamiliar competitors. Choice tests measured time spent investigating and chewing to gain access to paired nestboxes when the entrances were blocked with mesh. Experiment 1 established that mice of both sexes were more strongly attracted to their own odour than to a clean site. Experiment 2 examined choice between the subject's own odour and that of an unfamiliar same-sex competitor both before and after meeting the competitor in a neutral (clean) arena. Prior to interaction, males exerted much effort to gain access to both their own and their unfamiliar competitor's odour. Once relative dominance had been established through agonistic interaction, subordinates avoided their dominant competitor's odour in favour of their own while dominants continued to be attracted to both. There was little aggressive competition between unfamiliar females and relative status did not affect their attraction to a competitor's odour. Females tended to be more attracted to a competitor's odour than to their own prior to interaction but showed less attraction to a competitor's odour post-interaction. A third experiment showed that the odour of an unfamiliar male was more attractive than that from an unfamiliar female, especially to males. The consequences of these responses for maintaining spatial dispersion in this species are discussed.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
当动物保卫的领地面积大且结构复杂时，仅靠气味标记不太可能成为常住者优势地位的可靠信号，竞争者需要通过直接互动来获得初步证据。这一观点通过对新捕获的地中海小家鼠进行测试得到验证，这种小家鼠在草原上占据大片不重叠的区域，但会被来自陌生竞争者的底物气味强烈吸引。选择测试测量了在入口被网堵住时，动物为进入配对的巢箱而进行调查和啃咬所花费的时间。实验1证实，雌雄小鼠对自身气味的吸引力都比对干净场地的吸引力更强。实验2研究了在中性（干净）场地与陌生同性竞争者相遇前后，受试小鼠在自身气味和陌生竞争者气味之间的选择。在互动之前，雄性小鼠会花费大量精力去接触自身和陌生竞争者的气味。通过争斗互动确立相对优势地位后，从属者会避开占主导地位的竞争者的气味而选择自己的气味，而主导者则继续被两者吸引。陌生雌性之间几乎没有激烈竞争，相对地位也不影响它们对竞争者气味的吸引力。在互动之前，雌性往往对竞争者的气味比对自己的气味更感兴趣，但在互动之后，对竞争者气味的兴趣降低。第三个实验表明，陌生雄性的气味比陌生雌性的气味更具吸引力，尤其是对雄性而言。文中讨论了这些反应对维持该物种空间分散的影响。版权所有1997动物行为研究协会1997动物行为研究协会
