Ecological Mechanisms of the Formation of Biological Rhythms in Hibernators of the Family Sciuridae in Northeastern Siberia

A mechanism of the formation of biological rhythms in hibernators at cold temperatures is proposed. Certain ecophysiological characteristics have been studied in three hibernating species: the ground squirrels Citellus undulatus Pallas, 1778 and C. parryi Richardson, 1825 and the chipmunk Tamias sibiricus Laxmann, 1769. The changes in body temperature and the temperature of litter in wintering nests during hibernation seasons have been studied. The dependences of metabolic rate on ambient temperature and the size and species of animals have been studied.     

Weight comparisons and litter size manipulation in Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) show evidence of costs of reproduction

I studied reproductive costs in the female Columbian ground squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) using individually marked animals. I compared weight changes during the active season and over winter, and mortality for females that did and did not wean young. Females raising young were heavier at emergence in that spring than unsuccessful ones. Females that did not raise young gained more weight during summer, were heavier than successful females at the time of entry into hibernation, and were heavier emerging from hibernation the following spring. Over-winter mortality was higher for females that reared young compared to reproductively unsuccessful females. A food supplementation experiment showed that energy-rich food can accelerate individuals’ weight gain. Interactions between litter size, birth weight, weight at emergence from the natal burrow, survival of young to yearling age, and maternal fitness were also studied. Litter sizes were experimentally manipulated to evaluate how females cope with costs of rearing one additional young. Birth weight of juveniles was positively correlated with survival to emergence from the natal burrow and with survival to yearling age. Partial litter loss was higher in experimentally enlarged litters than in either experimentally decreased or control litters. Total litter loss, survival of adult females or the probability of weaning young the following year were not affected by the litter size manipulation. Females appear to adjust the size of their litter before birth, and to some extent during lactation, to their ability to wean young. Received: 20 January 2000 / Received in revised form: 12 March 2000 / Accepted: 18 March 2000     

Juvenile Dispersal in the Colonies of Spermophilus majorand S. suslicus Ground Squirrels

Natural dispersal of young animals was studied in the colonies of Spermophilus major and S. suslicus ground squirrels in the Volga region. On the basis of data obtained, this process was modeled taking into account the spatial–ethological structure of the colonies. In both species, male dispersal was more active, whereas the degree of natal philopatry was higher in females. The results of the study do not confirm the aggression concept of juvenile dispersal and indicate that its causes are related to hereditary behavioral tendencies. These results are compared with data on juvenile dispersal in other species of the genus Spermophilus.     

Effects of Tracking by Armored Vehicles on Townsend's Ground Squirrels in the Orchard Training Area, Idaho, USA

Spermophilus townsendii ) prey. These changes could occur directly or as a result of changes in the vegetation available as food and cover for the ground squirrels. We assessed the effects of long-term tracking by armored vehicles by comparing 9-ha areas in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) -dominated shrubsteppe and bluegrass (Poa secunda) -dominated grasslands subjected to low-intensity tracking for ∼50 years with others that had not been tracked. We did not detect any effect on ground squirrel population dynamics associated with long-term tracking. Although densities of adults and juveniles tended to be higher in the areas exposed to such tracking, we attribute this difference to other factors that varied spatially. To determine short-term (two-year) effects, we experimentally tracked two sagebrush and two grassland sites with an M-1 tank after animals had begun their inactive season. In the following two active seasons we monitored squirrel demography and behavior and vegetative characteristics on the experimentally tracked sites and compared the results with control sites. Although we experimentally tracked ∼33% of the surface of each of four sites where ground squirrel densities were assessed, the tracking had a detectable effect only on some herbaceous perennials and did not influence ground squirrel densities or behavior significantly during the subsequent two active seasons. We conclude that tracking after the start of the inactive season is likely to influence ground squirrel demography or behavior only if vegetation cover is substantially changed by decreasing coverage of preferred food plants or increasing the coverage of annual grasses and forbs that are succulent for only a short time each year.     

人工林赤腹松鼠危害的空间分布格局

2009年8月和12月,采用样方调查法,对四川省洪雅县柳杉(Crypotomeria fortunei)和杉木(Cunninghami lanceolata)人工混交林的赤腹松鼠(Callosciurus erythraeus)危害进行了调查和分析.共调查了142个10 m×10 m的样方,采用坐标记录法,记录样方内每株林木的坐标值、树种、胸径、冠幅、株下草本盖度、树冠交叠度、是否邻近林窗及其它非生物生境因子(小路、公路、溪水、悬崖)、受害(2 mo以内,以痕迹开始发黑区分)程度共9个参数,共收集3 560株林木数据.分别采用方差均值法和最近邻体法对受害株在研究区和样方尺度上的空间格局进行分析,并在样方尺度上探究植株受害程度与生境因子的关系.结果显示,在研究区尺度上赤腹松鼠危害呈聚集分布,在样方尺度上则以随机分布为主.植株受害程度与其株下草本盖度呈正相关(P=0.007),与树冠交叠度也呈现出正相关(P=0.029),而与其它因子没有显著性的相关性(P>0.05).因此认为赤腹松鼠对人工林林木的危害在研究区尺度上是与其生活环境需求相关的,如食物资源、隐蔽条件等;在对林木株的危害选择上则是随机的,但林木株受害的程度与其株下的草本盖度和树冠的交叠度呈现出显著的正相关关系.图2表5参30     

Body Weight Dynamics in Hibernating Ground Squirrels (Citellus undulatus jacutensisBrandt, 1848)

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Influence of Body Weight and Size on the Mode of Wintering in Hibernators of the Family Sciuridae in Northeastern Russia

Energy expenditures in the Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus jacutensis Ognev, 1935) and long-tailed ground squirrel Citellus undulates jacutensis Brandt, 1843 during hibernation were compared. Energy expenditures were assessed by analyzing changes in body weight and gas exchange rate. The animals were weighed either monthly throughout the winter (26 ground squirrels and 9 chipmunks) or continuously (four to six times a day) in five ground squirrels (395 h) and three chipmunks (696 h). At a constant ambient temperature, the body weight of animals in both species decreased almost linearly during the day. The decrease in the body weight of hibernating grounds squirrels and chipmunks over a single short hibernation cycle was also approximated by a linear function, irrespective of species, age, and sex.