Abstract
The common spiny mice Acomys dimidiatus and golden spiny mice Acomys russatus coexist in the extreme warm and dry parts of the Rift Valley in Israel. However, they are temporally segregated in that the former is nocturnal. whereas the latter is diurnal. Daily rhythms of physiological and behavioral variables in A. russatus responded to semiochemical signals released by A. dimidiatus (in the urine and feces). Both species feed upon the same food items but at different times of the 24-hr cycle. The main aim of the present study was to test under field conditions the foraging response of A. russatus to odors of different ages released by A. dimidiatus. Various feeding and behavioral variables were compared in three groups of A. russatus. The results show that fresh semiochemical signals released by A. dimidiatus decrease the feeding efficiency and increase the rate of smelling from a distance in A. russatus. These results support the idea that temporal segregation between the two coexisting species is at least partly through semiochemicals present in the urine and feces.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1953-1961 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Chemical Ecology |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments—This project was financed by the Israeli Ministry of Sciences and the Belgian “Commisariat Général aux Relations Internationales de la Communauté Franc¸aise de Belgique” (CGRI). A. Dobly benefited from a FRIA grant from Belgian government (“Fonds pour la formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture”). We thank all the people at Ein-Gedi for the use of their facilities. We also thank Allina Neuman for her help.
Keywords
- Acomys
- Arid environment
- Feeding behavior
- Heterospecific chemical signals
- Spiny mouse
- Urine and feces
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Biochemistry