Abstract
Background: Rodents, a globally distributed and diverse taxonomic group, have been the subjects of countless studies emulating risky situations. In controlled laboratory experiments the majority of focus has been on captive-bred rodents, whereas far less attention has been paid to their wild counterparts. Understanding how wild species respond to novel situations with associated risk can provide valuable information toward the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis; if their behaviors are associated with a fast-slow continuum of life history. Additionally, whether wild populations of rodents embody adaptive capacity and behavioral repertoires, illustrated by habituation and variation in behavioral traits, respectively. Results: In this comparative study, we examined multiple behavioral responses of three native rodent species Mus caroli, Apodemus agrarius, Rattus losea, and one invasive, Rattus exulans, exposed to an unfamiliar microenvironment and novel cue from an allopatric predator, the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). All animals were captured and tested in a laboratory setting in Hualien County, Eastern Taiwan and subject to two consecutive nights of experimental trials. Behavioral responses to a novel situation during the first trial differed between species following the predictions of the pace-of-life syndrome; smaller species investing more time in non-defensive behaviors compared to the larger species. More specifically, the smaller species M. caroli and A. agrarius allocated more time to exploration and foraging, whereas the larger rat species R. exulans and R. losea spent more time motionless or concealing. During the second trial, leopard cat cues did not elicit antipredator behaviors, but rather, rodents were found to have opposing responses with increased non-defensive behaviors, specifically foraging efforts. Conclusions: Our results suggest that these four species do largely adhere to the pace-of-life syndrome with the two smaller mice species demonstrating increased boldness in a novel context compared to the larger rat species. Also, the wild populations of rodents in Eastern Taiwan may be naïve to leopard cats. Finally, the rodents in our study demonstrated habituation to the microenvironment, indicating they possess adaptive capacity.