Pre-implantation Pregnancy Disruption in Female Meadow Voles Microtus pennsylvanicus (Rodentia: Muridae): Male Competition or Female Mate Choice?

摘要: I investigated alternative hypotheses concerning the functions of pre-implantation male-induced pregnancy disruption in meadow voles. Disruptions may be viewed as: 1. Postcopulatory male competition; 2. A mechanism for postcopulatory mate choice by females; and 3. means benefitting females terminating investment litters that harmed new males. Female voles were paired with a second 3 d after mating their first mate. Behavioural interactions between female each compared disrupted or retained sired male. Whether they females' mates, males siring showed similar high levels approach moderately aggression, behaviour differed from other mates. Disrupted huddled sooner mates than original pregnancies, tended to approached them. These results suggest influence whether occurs amount contact initiate male, thus facilitate females. This did not enhance reproductive success: pup survival was same occurred, living pups had (after disruption) spent as much time them unrelated (females disrupt).