کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
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2193549 | 1098384 | 2014 | 4 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
Concurrent gestation and lactation is costly and rodent females may manage their reproductive effort by adjusting the length of the inter-litter latency. In this study, we attempted to build a model of this phenomenon as a function of maternal condition and energetic investment (measured as the litter size and weight) in the mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus. We analysed the distributions of two successive inter-litter latencies using linear models. These distributions revealed a high inter-individual variability in latencies (22–38 d). Our results showed that none of the parameters reflecting female investment could explain this variability. The only link revealed by our analyses was a significant positive correlation between two successive inter-litter latencies. These results suggested that other parameters were involved in the regulation of inter-litter latencies. We propose that paternal care, which has a direct effect on inter-litter latency, may play a major role by allowing females to save energy or through differential allocation. In addition, genetic characteristics of the females and the prenatal environment of the female should also be considered.
Journal: Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde - Volume 79, Issue 3, April 2014, Pages 221–224