Baby meadow vole, taken near Rochester, WA.
A paper by Pierce et al. (2005) titled Food-deprivation-induced changes in sexual behavior of meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus addresses one small aspect of the complex conditions which determine vole reproduction. The research found that short-term food availability has an impact on reproduction of meadow voles.
The researches basically withheld food from male and female voles and observed the changes in sexual behavior. The females were more sensitive to brief (6-12 hr) and moderate (18-24 hr) pauses in food than the males. Females must expend more resources on carrying babies than males do with expending semen so it makes sense that females are more sensitive to a decrease in important resources such as food.
Sources
Pierce, A. Ferkin, M. Williams, T. 2005. Food-deprivation-induced changes in sexual behavior of meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus. Animal behaviour 70(2): 339-348.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
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