TY  - JOUR
A1  - Liesenjohann, Monique
A1  - Liesenjohann, Thilo
A1  - Trebaticka, Lenka
A1  - Haapakoski, Marko
A1  - Sundell, Janne
A1  - Ylonen, Hannu
A1  - Eccard, Jana
T1  - From interference to predation type and effects of direct interspecific interactions of small mammals
JF  - Behavioral ecology and sociobiology
N2  - Indirect exploitative competition, direct interference and predation are important interactions affecting species coexistence. These interaction types may overlap and vary with the season and life-history state of individuals. We studied effects of competition and potential nest predation by common shrews (Sorex araneus) on lactating bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in two seasons. The species coexist and may interact aggressively. Additionally, shrews can prey on nestling voles. We studied bank vole mothers' spatial and temporal adaptations to shrew presence during summer and autumn. Further, we focused on fitness costs, e.g. decreased offspring survival, which bank voles may experience in the presence of shrews. In summer, interference with shrews decreased the voles' home ranges and they spent more time outside the nest, but there were no effects on offspring survival. In autumn, we found decreased offspring survival in enclosures with shrews, potentially due to nest predation by shrews or by increased competition between species. Our results indicate a shift between interaction types depending on seasonal constraints. In summer, voles and shrews seem to interact mainly by interference, whereas resource competition and/or nest predation by shrews gain importance in autumn. Different food availability, changing environmental conditions and the energetic constraints in voles and shrews later in the year may be the reasons for the varying combinations of interaction types and their increasing effects on the inclusive fitness of bank voles. Our study provides evidence for the need of studies combining life history with behavioural measurements and seasonal constraints.
KW  - Nest predation
KW  - Interspecific interaction
KW  - Coexistence
KW  - Interference
KW  - Small mammals
KW  - Voles
KW  - Shrews
Y1  - 2011
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-011-1217-z
SN  - 0340-5443
VL  - 65
IS  - 11
SP  - 2079
EP  - 2089
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Liesenjohann, Monique
A1  - Liesenjohann, Thilo
A1  - Palme, Rupert
A1  - Eccard, Jana
T1  - Differential behavioural and endocrine responses of common voles (Microtus arvalis) to nest predators and resource competitors
JF  - BMC ecology
N2  - Background: Adaptive behavioural strategies promoting co-occurrence of competing species are known to result from a sympatric evolutionary past. Strategies should be different for indirect resource competition (exploitation, e.g., foraging and avoidance behaviour) than for direct interspecific interference (e.g., aggression, vigilance, and nest guarding). We studied the effects of resource competition and nest predation in sympatric small mammal species using semi-fossorial voles and shrews, which prey on vole offspring during their sensitive nestling phase. Experiments were conducted in caged outdoor enclosures. Focus common vole mothers (Microtus arvalis) were either caged with a greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) as a potential nest predator, with an herbivorous field vole (Microtus agrestis) as a heterospecific resource competitor, or with a conspecific resource competitor.
 Results: We studied behavioural adaptations of vole mothers during pregnancy, parturition, and early lactation, specifically modifications of the burrow architecture and activity at burrow entrances. Further, we measured pre- and postpartum faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs) of mothers to test for elevated stress hormone levels. Only in the presence of the nest predator were prepartum FCMs elevated, but we found no loss of vole nestlings and no differences in nestling body weight in the presence of the nest predator or the heterospecific resource competitor. Although the presence of both the shrew and the field vole induced prepartum modifications to the burrow architecture, only nest predators caused an increase in vigilance time at burrow entrances during the sensitive nestling phase.
 Conclusion: Voles displayed an adequate behavioural response for both resource competitors and nest predators. They modified burrow architecture to improve nest guarding and increased their vigilance at burrow entrances to enhance offspring survival chances. Our study revealed differential behavioural adaptations to resource competitors and nest predators.
KW  - Behavioural adaptations
KW  - Small mammals
KW  - Interspecific interactions
KW  - Nest predation
KW  - Stress response
KW  - Faecal corticosterone metabolites
KW  - Burrow system
KW  - Shrews
KW  - Voles
Y1  - 2013
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-13-33
SN  - 1472-6785
VL  - 13
IS  - 17
PB  - BioMed Central
CY  - London
ER  -