Meadow vole

Ferkin M., Sorokin E. and Johnston R.E. (1997). Effect of prolactin on the attractiveness of male odors to females in Meadow Voles independance and additive effects with testosterone. Horn Behav 31, 55-63. 

Ferkin M.H. and Johnston R.E. (1995). Meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, use multiple sources of scent for sex recognition. Anim Behav 49, 37-44. 

Meek L., Lee T Rogers E. and Hernandez R. (1994). Effect of vomeronasal organ removal on behavioral estrus and mating latency in female meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Biol Reprod 51, 400-404. 

Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus Collected from fields near Oxford, Ohio, receiving sewage sludge for 4 years at yearly rate of 8960 kg sludge/ha Liver ... 

Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus, whole Applied July 21, 1988 and 0.01 after 21 days Residues were variable 0.07 mg/kg FW 1... 

Meadow vole, Microtus pennsyivanicus 0.92 mg/kg BW House mouse, Mus musculus LD50 5... 

Creeping vole, Microtus oregonr, 6.51 Gy, single acute dose Meadow vole, Microtus pennsyivanicus single brief exposure LD50, 30 days after exposure sensitivity may be associated with low chromosome complement 26... 

Storey, A.E. (1986) Influence of sires on male-induced pregnancy disruptions in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) differs with stage of pregnancy. J. Comp. Psychol. 100, 15-20. 

Ferkin, M.H., Sorokin, E.S., Johnston, R.E. and Lee, CJ. (1997) Attractiveness of scents varies with protein content of the diet in meadow voles. Anim. Behav. 53, 133-141. 

Pierce, A.A. and Ferkin, M.H. (2005) Re-feeding and the restoration of odor attractivity, odor preference, and sexual receptivity in food-deprived female meadow voles. Physiol. Behav. 84, 553-561. 

Much of the current data show that individuals spend different amounts of time self-grooming when they encounter particular opposite-sex conspecifics or their odors (Ferkin 2005, 2006 Ferkin and Leonard 2005). Thus, it is likely that an individual s age will also influence the amount of self-grooming. For instance, a study on meadow voles indicated that 12-13 mo old males spent more time than 2-3 and 8-9 mo old males investigating the scent marks of female conspecifics (Ferkin 1999). This study also found that and 8-9 mo-old female voles spent more time investigating the scent marks of 12-13 mo-old males than those of 8-9 mo-old and 2-3 mo-old males younger males (Ferkin 1999). These findings suggest that older male voles may be more interested in and attractive to females as compared... 

The voles used in these experiments were housed singly for three-four weeks before being used as a scent donor or subject. Meadow voles born and reared under a long photoperiod reach sexual maturity by 50 d old (Nadeau 1985), and are sexually receptive and readily mate with sexually receptive opposite-sex conspecifics (delBarco-Trillo and Ferkin 2004 Pierce, Ferkin and Williams 2005). Male and female subjects and scent donors were sexually naive and not familiar with one another. Female voles do not undergo estrous cycles, rather they are induced into estrous and ovulation (Keller 1985). 

We measured the amount of time that 2-3, 8-9 and 12-13 mo old male and female meadow voles spent self-grooming when exposed to an 8 g piece of cotton nesting material scented by opposite-sex conspecifics that were either 2-3, 8-9 or 12-13 mo old. There were 12 different male and female subjects and 16 different opposite-sex scent donors used for each odor condition. Each subject underwent three selfgrooming tests, one test for each of the three age classes of scent donors. The order of the three tests was random. Subjects were not used as scent donors and vice versa. Scent donors and subjects were similar in size to one another (within 7 g) and were not related or familiar to one another. 

Fig. 27.1 The amount of time that male meadow voles self-groomed in response to the odors of 2-3 mo old, 8-9 mo old, and 12-13 mo old female conspecifics. Histograms capped with different letters are statistically different (P < 0.05)...

Ferkin, M. H. (1999) Attractiveness of opposite-sex odor and responses to it vary with age and sex in meadow voles (Microtus permsylvanicus). J. Chem. Ecol. 4, 757-769. 

Ferkin, M. H. (2005) Self-grooming in meadow voles. In R. T. Mason, M. P. LeMaster, and D. Muller-Schwarze (Eds.), Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, Vol. 10, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 64-69. 

Leonard, S. T., Alizadeh-Naderi, R., Stokes, K., and Ferkin, M. H. (2005) The role of prolactin and testosterone in mediating seasonal differences in the self-grooming behavior of male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus. Physiol. Behav. 85 461 —468. 

Paz-y-Mino C. G, Leonard, S.T., Ferkin, M.H., and Trimble, J.F. (2002) Self-grooming and sibling recognition in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and prairie voles (M. ochrogaster). Anim. Behav. 63, 331-338. 

Bamshad, M., Novak, M. A., and De Vries, G. J. 1993. Species and sex differences in vasopressin innervation of sexually naive and parental prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster and meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvani-cus. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 5 247-255. 

F erkin and Johnston (1995 a) aged anogenital area scent and odor from the posterolateral region in meadow voles Micmtuspennsylvanicus) for 15 minutes to 30 days. Males preferred female to male anogenital odor if it was 10 days old or less. Females preferred male to female anogenital odor if its age was 25 days or less. Both sexes preferred posterolateral odor of males to that of females if it was up to 1 day of age. In a second experiment, both sexes preferred fresh odors from either source over the same scents that were older. In conclusion, information about sex may get lost with the age of the scent mark. 

To discriminate diet-dependent odors can be vital in the context of reproductive behavior. Supporting the hypothesis that animals discriminate and prefer potential mates that are in good nutritional condition, Ferkin et ah (1997) showed that meadow voles preferred odors of members of their own species that are on a high-protein diet (Table 3.2). 

Meadow vole Anal gland, urine, feces Protein, 9,15 or 25% Mate choice voles with high-protein diet preferred... 

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