Activity patterns in relation to body mass and ambient temperature among overwintering cotton rats (<i>Sigmodon hispidus</i>)

We examined mass-specific activity patterns among overwintering cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in northeastern Kansas. We livetrapped animals for a 24-h period, checking traps every 2 h. Trapping occurred every 2 weeks for 5 months. We estimated probability of capture for each mass class, time class, and date, then tested for differences in probability of capture (i.e., activity levels) using a General Linear Model with temperature as a covariate. Large cotton rats were significantly less active than small and intermediate-sized cotton rats. Activity of small cotton rats increased with decreasing temperature, whereas larger cotton rats were less responsive to temperature. Finally, activity levels of large and small cotton rats did not vary significantly with time of day, but intermediate-sized cotton rats were significantly less likely to be captured during the night than at dusk.

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The effect of maternal mass on litter size and offspring survival in the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z95-015 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 133-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Michael T. Campbell ◽

Norman A. Slade

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Litter Size ◽

Growing Season ◽

Litter Production ◽

Sigmodon Hispidus ◽

Offspring Survival ◽

Cotton Rat ◽

Pregnant Females ◽

Cotton Rats ◽

Selection For

We tested the proposition that maternal body mass affects litter production and recruitment in the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) in Kansas. We also addressed hypotheses about why cotton rats in Kansas are larger and more fecund than conspecifics in Texas. We livetrapped cotton rats on both control and food-supplemented grids. Pregnant females were briefly confined until parturition; their pups were weighed and toe-clipped, then mother and young were returned to the site of capture. Subsequent trapping revealed survival of the offspring, i.e., ability of mothers to recruit pups into the population. Heavier mothers on both sets of grids gave birth to larger, heavier litters and had more pups survive to recruitment. The percentage of pups surviving was not related to maternal mass or to pup mass, so the increased recruitment resulted primarily from heavier mothers' having more rather than heavier pups. Mothers on the supplemented grids bore larger and heavier litters than their same-mass counterparts on the control grids. Despite their larger litters, lighter (ca. 100 g) mothers on the supplemented grids recruited fewer pups than their same-mass counterparts on control grids. Because heavier female cotton rats are more fecund, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that cotton rats in Kansas are larger than in those in Texas because of selection for increased litter size in Kansas. Seasonality in Kansas restricts the number of breeding opportunities and provides a nutrient pulse that supports rapid reproduction in the growing season.

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Mesocarnivores affect hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) body mass

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51168-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gail Morris ◽

L. Mike Conner

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Adult Male ◽

Significant Trend ◽

Sigmodon Hispidus ◽

Male Body ◽

Adult Males ◽

Mammalian Predators ◽

Cotton Rats ◽

Ecological Influence ◽

Different Characteristics

Abstract Predator communities are changing worldwide: large carnivores are declining while mesocarnivores (medium-sized mammalian predators) are increasing in number and ecological influence. Predator choice of prey is not random and different predators select prey with different characteristics. Changes in predator communities can change predation patterns experienced by prey. Little is known about how mesocarnivore communities influence prey morphology. We used 14 years of mark-recapture data to investigate how mesocarnivore exclusion affected body mass of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). Finding adult male cotton rats were 9% heavier with mesocarnivore exclusion, we developed hypotheses to explain this observation. Greater adult male body mass in exclosures resulted from: (1) a non-significant trend of increased survival of large males, (2) faster juvenile male growth during the fall and a similar non-significant trend among adult males, and (3) spatial partitioning by size among males. Taxa-specific predation rates (i.e., rates of predation by snakes, raptors, or mesocarnivores) did not differ among male body mass classes. Mesocarnivores disproportionately preyed on large females while raptors targeted small females, but female body mass was not influenced by mesocarnivore exclusion. Changes in predator communities can result in multiple small effects that collectively result in large differences in prey morphology.

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Resistance of Cotton Rats, Sigmodon hispidus, to Primary Infection by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science ◽

10.1292/jvms.64.423 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 423-426 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hendra WIBAWA ◽

Deni NOVIANA ◽

Kimiyuki TSUCHIYA ◽

Fadjar SATRIJA ◽

Yoichiro HORII

Keyword(s):

Primary Infection ◽

Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽

Sigmodon Hispidus ◽

Cotton Rats

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Errata: Development of Insulation in Neonatal Cotton Rats (Sigmodon hispidus)

Physiological Zoology ◽

10.1086/physzool.57.5.30163953 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 579-579

Keyword(s):

Sigmodon Hispidus ◽

Cotton Rats

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Trade-Off between Foraging Activity and Infestation by Nest Parasites in the Primitively Eusocial BeeHalictus scabiosae

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2010/707501 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrea Lienhard ◽

Lea Mirwald ◽

Thomas Hötzl ◽

Ilse Kranner ◽

Gerald Kastberger

Keyword(s):

Ambient Temperature ◽

Time Windows ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Small Time ◽

Foraging Activity ◽

Morning Temperature ◽

Eastern Austria ◽

Halictine Bees ◽

Primitively Eusocial ◽

Match Factor

Diurnal activities ofHalictus scabiosaebees and their nest parasites (major bee-flies, cuckoo wasps, ichneumon wasps,Sphecodesbees, and velvet ants) were investigated at a study site with 159 nests in Eastern Austria. Foraging activity correlated with ambient temperature only before midday and decreased in the afternoon. The activity of nest-infesting parasites increased during the day and correlated with ambient temperature. The match factorfmbetween the ratios of the foraging activities ofH. scabiosaeand the ratios of aspects of morning temperature was assessed on three consecutive days with different weather. The activity patterns of halictine bees and their nest parasites differed: the parasites exhibited only small time windows in which their activities were synchronised with those of their hosts. The bees exhibited an anticyclic behaviour and collected food in times of low parasite pressure and decreased foraging activity when parasite pressure increased.

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