Observations of the foraging behavior and activity patterns of the Korean wood mouse, Apodemus peninsulae, in China, using infra-red cameras

Apodemus peninsulae, a dominant rodent species in temperature forests of northeastern China, is a model animal to explore the ecological functions of reciprocal coevolution of animals and plants. From August to October 2016, 24 infra-red cameras were installed to study the feeding behavior and activity patterns of A. peninsulae in its natural environment. By analyzing 5618 video records, we found that feeding behavior, followed by motor and sentinel behaviors, was their main activity. In the behavior spectra, motor behavior (creep, walk, and skip), feeding behavior (forage, feeding, transport, hoarding, and clean), and sentinel behavior (alert, flee, banishment, and coexistence) accounted for 57.96%, 40.36%, and 1.68% of their behavior, respectively. The peak of feeding behavior occurred between 18:00 and 23:00, and feeding behavior frequency, duration, and activity rhythms differ among August to October. Furthermore, activity was the greatest after sunset and before sunrise, indicating a nocturnal lifestyle; however, from August to October, the start time of the activity was earlier, and the end time was later than usual. On average, mice spent 21.6 ± 11.6 times/night feeding, with a duration of 63.58 ± 98.36 s; while they spent less time in foraging, 39.05 ± 51.63 s. We found a significant difference in feeding and foraging frequency, with mice spending on average 10.84 ± 9.85 times/night and 9.23 ± 11.17 times/night, respectively. Our results show that feeding and foraging behavior is also influenced by light intensity, suggesting a preference for crepuscular periods of the day. Infra-red cameras are very useful in detecting activity patterns of animals that are not easily observable; these cameras are able to capture a large amount of valuable information for research into ecological functions.

New data on distribution of basic phylogenetic lines of the Korean field mice Apodemus Peninsulae in the East of Russia

On basis of the variability data of the cytochrome b sites (992 bp), the authors analyzed a distribution of the Apodemus peninsulae phylogenetic lines in the Russian Far East and Transbaikal unexplored regions. Where studied 42 individuals from 9 localities. All species of the Apodemus peninsulae from the considered localities were assigned to the 2 phylogenetic lines of «Korea» and «Amur». It was shown that the «Korea» haplotype species are common in the southern Altai and eastern Transbaikalia, and that they inhabit the northern regions of Transbaikalia (Taksimo vicinity) as well. An assumption was made that the «Amur» group formation took place in the middle and / or lower Amur area.