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OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION IN THE MALE GRAY SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM (MONODELPHIS DOMESTICA)

Hall, Jessica Alaina
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1339712071

Abstract Details

2012, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology.
Chemical signals represent the primary mode of communication in mammals, and scent marking is often the most obvious manifestation of this signaling. Male gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica) scent mark with 5 different areas on their bodies (head, chest, flank, hip, and rump). The significance of these areas of the body in scent marking is not known. Opossums nuzzle scent marks and thereby access chemical signals, thus, the frequency of nuzzling provides an indication of an animal’s interest in an odor source. The olfactory behavior of male opossums in response to odors from males and anestrous and estrous females was examined. Nine adult males (15-28 months old) were placed individually into the center (18x32cm) chamber of a behavioral arena (77x32x15cm), which featured 2 large side chambers, each with a 2x3 grid of 6 scent posts (mounted 7ml vials), which were divided from the center chamber by 2 plastic partitions, each with a closeable doorway (8x8cm). Seven behavioral experiments were completed to determine: 1) if males avoid areas scent marked by other males, 2) if males over mark the scent marks of other males, 3) if the source of conspecific odors or scent marks, i.e., other males, anestrous females, or estrous females, affects male nuzzling and scent marking frequency, and 4) if males scent mark with different body parts when in the presence of different conspecific odors. Male opossums did not avoid side chambers containing scent marks of another male, and males did not over mark the scent marks of other males. The highest nuzzling frequency was displayed by males in arenas containing odors of conspecifics, with highest frequency (P>0.05) in arenas conditioned with odors of estrous females. Scent marking by males was highest in clean arenas, with arenas conditioned with estrous female odors eliciting the fewest scent marks (P<0.05). The chest was used most frequently to scent mark in clean arenas, as well as in arenas conditioned with conspecific odors. Males did not scent mark with the hip or rump in arenas conditioned by anestrous or estrous females, indicating that scent marking with the hip and rump may be reserved for male-male communication. The lack of over marking and avoidance of areas marked by males other males suggests a low level of competitive scent marking behavior in male opossums, which is in accord with the purported nomadic nature of the species. Mean plasma testosterone concentrations did not differ in samples drawn from males prior to pairing with an estrous female (1.65¿¿¿¿0.43) and those drawn 8-16 hrs following copulation (1.27¿¿¿¿0.39), which suggests that male copulatory behavior is not associated with a sustained rise in circulating testosterone levels.
John D. Harder, PhD (Advisor)
W. Mitch Masters, PhD (Committee Member)
Joseph S. Ottobre, PhD (Committee Member)
70 p.
Behavioral Sciences
Animal Communication; Pheromones; Behavior; Mammal; Marsupial; Gray Short-tailed Opossum; Monodelphis domestica; Opossum

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hall, J. A. (2012). OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION IN THE MALE GRAY SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM (MONODELPHIS DOMESTICA) [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1339712071

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hall, Jessica. OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION IN THE MALE GRAY SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM (MONODELPHIS DOMESTICA). 2012. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1339712071.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hall, Jessica. "OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION IN THE MALE GRAY SHORT-TAILED OPOSSUM (MONODELPHIS DOMESTICA)." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1339712071

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1339712071
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.