In socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), mating induces three primary types of behavior; namely, partner preference, selective aggression toward conspecific strangers, and bi-parental care, making this rodent an ideal model system to study sociality and underlying neurochemical mechanisms associated with monogamous mating strategies. Here, we highlight species differences in...

Rodents usually respond to the presence of owls by reducing overall activity, in particular foraging. In this study, a playback of recorded tawny owl, Strix aluco, calls was sufficient to induce a marked effect in the social (Gunther's) vole, Microtus socialis. Some of the voles exposed to owl calls reduced their activity ('freeze' pattern) unlike control voles exposed to a human voice. Other v...

Microtus cabrerae Thomas, 1906, or Cabrera’s vole, is a medium-sized arvicoline, and one of the largest Microtus species. M. cabrerae is an Iberoccitane endemic, which is currently restricted to the Iberian Peninsula, where it presents a highly fragmented distribution. The species is the sole extant representative of the anagenetic Iberomys lineage with origin in the early Pleistocene. M. cabre...

Peak populations of many species of lemmings and voles contain adults 20-30% larger than adults found in low populations (the Chitty effect). What is the adaptive advantage of being large? We try to answer this question by analyzing the survival rates of largeand small-size adults of 4 Microtus species. Two alternative hypotheses are proposed to explain the adaptive value of large size. Large a...

Pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were studied in a commercial apple orchard in the Hudson Valley of New York during April and May 1981. Selected voles were given miniature radiotransmitters and then tracked before and after herbicide application. A total of eight pine and meadow voles were tracked throughout the experimental period. H0m.e range size dec...

Under natural conditions the vole (Microtus agrestis) breeds in the spring and summer but not in the autumn and winter. This seasonal change was attributed by Baker & Ranson (1933) to the influence of hours of sunshine, and in the laboratory it has been shown that photoperiod affects the growth ofgonads and maintenance of their activity (Baker & Ranson, 1932; Clarke & Kennedy, 1967; Breed & Cla...