Abstract
Unoccupied beaver (Castor canadensis) sites in New York State were for two years experimentally scented with a mixture of beaver castoreum and anal gland secretion. These sites were colonized less often than unscented control sites. The beaver is the first mammal to have been shown experimentally to use intraspecific odor cues when settling in vacant habitat. Territorial pheromones may be useful as repellents for beaver or other rodents.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aleksiuk, M. 1968. Scent mound communication, territoriality, and population regulation in the beaver.J. Mammal. 49:759–762.
Berk, J. Van Den, andMuller-Schwarze, D. 1984. Responses of wild muskrats (Ondatrazibethicus L.) to scented traps.J. Chem. Ecol. 10:1411–1415.
Bollinger, K.S., Hododon, H.E., andKennelly, J.J. 1983. Factors affecting weight and volume of castor and anal glands of beaver (Castor canadensis).Acta Zool. Fenn. 174:115–116.
Butler, R.G., andButler, L.A. 1979. Towards a functional interpretation of scent marking in the beaver (Castor canadensis).Behav. Neural Biol. 26:442–454.
Collins, T.C. 1976. Population characteristics and habitat relationships of beavers,Castor canadensis, in northwest Wyoming. PhD thesis. University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.
Ewer, R.F. 1968. Ethology of Mammals. Plenum, New York. 418 pp.
Gronneberg, T.O. 1979. Analysis of a wax ester fraction from the anal gland secretion of beaver (Castor fiber) by chemical ionization mass spectrometry.Chem. Scr. 13:56.
Hodgdon, H.E. 1978. Social dynamics and behavior within an unexploited beaver (Castor canadensis) population. PhD Thesis. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 292 pp.
Krebs, J.R. 1976. Bird Song and Territorial Defense.New Sci. 70:534–536.
Larson, J.S., andGunson, J.R. 1983. Status of the beaver in North America.Acta Zool. Fenn. 174:91–93.
Lederer, E. 1949. Chemistry and biochemistry of some mammalian secretions and excretions.J. Chem. Soc. (London) 1949, Part III, 2115–2125.
Libby, W.L. 1957. Observations on beaver movements in Alaska.J. Mammal. 38:269.
Muller-Schwarze, D., andHeckman, S. 1980. The social role of scent marking in beaver (Castor canadensis).J. Chem. Ecol. 6:81–95.
Muller-Schwarze, D., Heckman, S. andStagge, B. 1983. Behavior of a free-ranging beaver (Castor canadensis) at scent marks.Acta Zool. Fenn. 174:111–113.
Muller-Schwarze, D., Morehouse, L., Corradi, R., Zhao, Cheng-Hua, andSilverstein, R.M. 1986. Odor images: Responses of beaver to castoreum fractions, pp. 561–570,in D. Duvall, D. Muller-Schwarze, and R. M. Silverstein (eds.). Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, Vol. IV: Ecology, Evolution, and Comparative Biology. Plenum, New York.
Mykytowycz, R., Hesterman, E.R., Gambale, S., andDudzinsky, M.L. 1976. A comparison of the effectiveness of the odors of rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus, in enhancing territorial confidence.J. Chem. Ecol. 2:13–24.
Nordstrom, W.R. 1972. Comparison of trapped and untrapped beaver populations in New Branswick. MS thesis. University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. 104 pp.
Parsons, G. 1978. Effect of four-year closure of trapping season for beaver in Fulton County.N.Y. Fish Game J. 25(1):23–30.
Peterson, R.P., andPayne, N.F. 1986. Productivity, size, age, and sex structure of nuisance beaver colonies in Wisconsin.J. Wildl. Manage. 50(2):265–268.
Svendsen, G.E. 1980. Patterns of scent-mounding in a population of beaver (Castor canadensis).J. Chem. Ecol. 6:133–148.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gregory Welsh, R., Muller-Schwarze, D. Experimental habitat scenting inhibits colonization by beaver,Castor canadensis . J Chem Ecol 15, 887–893 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01015184
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01015184