Scatter hoarding by kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami) and pilferage from their caches
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چکیده
1045-2249/92/14.00 © 1992 International Society for Behavioral Ecology We observed radio-implanted Merriam's kangaroo rats disposing of 10-g bonanzas of rolled oats in 48 trials in the field. The principal determinant of the initial disposition of discovered food was apparently its distance from the day burrow: food found within about 10m was mainly larder hoarded, whereas food encountered farther afield was usually dispersed immediately in shallow caches. Cache sites were newly dug for the purpose and not reused; most caches were nearer the current day burrow than was the food source, but a few were placed far from both the cacher's day burrow and its habitual nocturnal range. An experiment with artificial caches indicated that security from discovery increases with spacing and with proximity to perennial shrubs. Nine kangaroo rats cached dyed food, and fecal dye traces revealed extensive pilferage from five of them, by both conspecifics and other rodent species. Limited evidence indicates that food encountered nearer home and initially larder hoarded was more secure from pilferage than food initially scattered, and yet kangaroo rats were observed to scatter caches soon after initial larder hoarding. A kangaroo rat whose dyed stores escaped pilferage fed from them at intervals for at least 12 days. Even cachers who incurred pilferage made as much, or more, use of their caches as any thief, suggesting that scattering caches may be a defense against catastrophic losses. [Behav Ecol 3:102-111 (1992)]
منابع مشابه
Benefits of Small-sized Caches for Scatter-hoarding Rodents: Influence of Cache Size, Depth, and Soil Moisture
Some granivorous rodents scatter hoard; they bury seeds in shallow pits throughout their territory. These buried caches can represent food stores for the hoarders, food for competitors, or a means of seed dispersal and propagation for plants. Large numbers of seeds may be buried in many caches throughout an area; thus, fate of caches has important consequences for granivores, other animals, and...
متن کاملCache decision making: the effects of competition on cache decisions in Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami).
Caching food is an economic, decision-making process that requires animals to take many factors into account, including the risk of pilferage. However, little is known about how food-storing animals determine the risk of pilferage. In this study, the authors examined the effect of a dominant competitor species on the caching and behavior of Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami). The autho...
متن کاملScatter hoarding by kangaroo rats
© 1992 International Society for Behavioral Ecology We observed radio-implanted Merriam's kangaroo rats disposing of 10-g bonanzas of rolled oats in 48 trials in the field. The principal determinant of the initial disposition of discovered food was apparently its distance from the day burrow: food found within about 10m was mainly larder hoarded, whereas food encountered farther afield was usua...
متن کاملSex and species differences in spatial memory in food-storing kangaroo rats
Scatter-hoarding birds show superior performance in many spatial memory tasks and appear to relocate sites using different cues than nonscatter hoarders. However, there have not been similar studies of cue use and memory for locations by mammals that differ in their reliance on scatter hoards for survival. Here we report differences in spatial memory in two species of kangaroo rats that are pre...
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تاریخ انتشار 2008