Sexual Dimorphism of the Protein Level in Urine of Muridae Rodents: Relation to Population Numbers
G. G. NAZAROVA, L. P. PROSKURNYAK, O. F. POTAPOVA
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of RAS, 630091, Novosibirsk, Frunze str., 11
Keywords: грызуны, численность популяций, хемокоммуникация, белок мочи, половой диморфизм, rodents, population numbers, chemocommunication, urine protein, sexual dimorphism
Abstract
The results of the comparative study conducted on water voles, steppe lemming, and Campbell hamster supplemented with published data on seven other Muridae rodent species revealed positive relation between the extent of sexual dimorphism estimated by protein level in urine and typical of each species population abundance and amplitude of its variation. In species with usually low population numbers the ratio of protein in urine of males to that of females comprised 0.9, in species with relative stable population numbers - 3.4, and in species with periodical high amplitude fluctuation of population numbers - 8.3.
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