Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Copulatory behaviour of the bank voleMyodes glareolus: matings with one and two males do not make a difference

  • Published:
Acta Theriologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In promiscuous species in which females mate with more than one male during oestrus, males may increase their sperm expenditure or change their copulatory behaviour in response to the risk of sperm competition. I used an experimental approach to investigate the pattern of copulatory behaviour of the bank voleMyodes glareolus Schreber, 1780 depending on whether the female mated with one or two males. The work showed that the copulatory period of the bank vole lasted about 80 minutes and consisted of 4–5 ejaculatory series, with multiple intromissions preceding ejaculation. There were no significant changes in number of intromissions across the first four ejaculatory series, but I did find a relationship between number of intromissions and first ejaculation latency; also, ejaculation latencies grew shorter as the ejaculatory series proceeded. Litter size did not differ significantly between females that mated with one male and those mating with two, nor did the reproductive success of males that mated with the same female. Mating with an oestrus female appears to be advantageous for bank vole males even if they mate as the second one, and the risk of sperm competition did not trigger changes in male copulatory behaviour. The similar durations of the copulatory period and patterns of change of ejaculation latencies during copulations with one and two males point to the role of the female in temporal copulatory behaviour of the bank vole.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler N. T., Resko J. A. and Goy R. W. 1970. The effect of copulatory behaviour on hormonal change in the female rat prior to implantation. Physiology and Behavior 5: 1003–1007. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(70)90155-1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berteaux D., Bêty J., Rengifo E. and Bergeron J.-M. 1999. Multiple paternity in meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus): investigating the role of the female. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 45: 283–291. doi: 10. 1007/s002650050563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birkhead T. R. and Møller A. P. 1998. Sperm competition and sexual selection. Academic Press, San Diego: 1–826.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borkowska A., Borowski Z. and Krysiuk K. 2009. Multiple paternity in free-living root voles. Behavioural Processes 82: 211–213. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2009.05.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • delBarco-Trillo J. and Ferkin M. H. 2004. Male mammals respond to a risk of sperm competition conveyed by odours of conspecific males. Nature 431: 446–449. doi: 10.1038/ nature02845

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • delBarco-Trillo J. and Ferkin M. H. 2007. Risk of sperm competition does not influence copulatory behavior in the promiscuous meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Journal of Ethology 25: 139–145. doi: 10.1007/ s10164-006-0008-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewsbury D. A. 1972. Patterns of copulatory behaviour in male mammals. Quarterly Review of Biology 47: 1–33. doi: 10.1086/407097

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elgar M. A., Champion de Crespigny F. E. and Ramamurthy S. 2003. Male copulatory behaviour and the risk of sperm competition. Animal Behaviour 66: 211–216. doi: 10.1006/anbe.2003.2189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erskine M. S. 1989. Solicitation behavior in the estrous female rat: a review. Hormones and Behavior 23: 473–502. doi: 10.1016/0018-506X(89)90037-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ginsberg J. R. and Rubenstein D. I. 1990. Sperm competition and variation in zebra mating behaviour. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 26: 427–434. doi: 10.1007/ BF00170901

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoogland J. 1998. Why do female Gunnison’s prairie dogs copulate with more than one male? Animal Behaviour 55: 351–359. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1997.0575

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horne T. J. and Ylönen H. 1996. Female bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) prefer dominant males; but what if there is no choice? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 38: 401–405. doi: 10.1007/s002650050257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huck U. W., Tonias B. A. and Lisk R. D. 1989. The effectiveness of competitive male inseminations in golden hamster,Mesocricetus auratus, depends on an interaction of mating order, time delay between males, and the time of mating relative to ovulation. Animal Behaviour 37: 674–680. doi: 10.1016/0003-3472(89)90046-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter F. M., Petrie M., Otronen M., Birkhead T. R. and Møller A. P. 1993. Why females copulate repeatedly with one male? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 8: 21–26. doi: 10.1016/0169-5347(93)90126-A

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ims R. A. 1987. Male spacing systems in Microtine rodents. The American Naturalist 130: 475–484. doi: 10.1086/ 284725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jennions M. D. and Petrie M. 2000. Why do females mate multiply? A review of the genetic benefits. Biological Reviews 75: 21–64. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-185X.1999.tb00040.x

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klemme I., Eccard J. A. and Ylönen H. 2007. Why do female bank voles,Clethrionomys glareolus, mate multiply? Animal Behaviour 73: 623–628. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav. 2006.07.010

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozakiewicz M., Chołuj A. and Kozakiewicz A. 2007. Longdistance movements of individuals in a free-living bank vole population: an important element of male breeding strategy. Acta Theriologica 52: 339–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozakiewicz M., Chołuj A., Kozakiewicz A. and Sokół M. 2009. Familiarity and female choice in the bank vole — do females prefer strangers? Acta Theriologica 54: 157–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraaijeveld-Smit F. J. L., Ward S. J., Temple-Smith P. D. and Peatkau D. 2002. Factors influencing paternity success inAntechinus agilis: last-male sperm precedence, timing of mating and genetic compatibility. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 15: 100–107. doi: 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2002.00367.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruczek M. 1997. Male rank and female choice in the bank vole,Clethrionomys glareolus. Behavioural Processes 40: 171–176. doi: 10.1016/S0376-6357(97)00785-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews M. and Adler N. T. 1977. Facilitative and inhibitory influences of reproductive behaviour on sperm transport in rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 91: 727–741. doi: 10.1037/h0077364

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milligan S. R. 1979. The copulatory pattern of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) and speculation on the role of penile spines. Journal of Zoology 188: 279–283. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1979.tb03405.x

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker G. A. 1990. Sperm competition games: sneaks and extra-pair copulations. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 242: 127–133. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1990.0115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ratkiewicz M. and Borkowska A. 2000. Multiple paternity in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus): field and experiment data. Mammalian Biology 65: 6–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon N. G., Keane B., Knoch L. R. and Hogan P. J. 2004. Multiple paternity in socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Canadian Journal of Zoology 82: 1667–1671. doi: 10.1139/z04-142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stockley P. and Preston B. T. 2004. Sperm competition and diversity in rodent copulatory behaviour. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 17: 1048–1057. doi: 10.1111/j. 1420-9101.2004.00742.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Toner J. P., Attas A. I. and Adler N. T. 1987. Transcervical sperm transport in the rat: the roles pre-ejaculatory behaviour and copulatory plug fit. Physiology and Behavior 39: 371–375. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(87)90237-X

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Świerkowa 20B, 15-950, Białystok, Poland

    Anetta Borkowska

Authors
  1. Anetta Borkowska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anetta Borkowska.

Additional information

Associate editor was Andrzej Zalewski.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Borkowska, A. Copulatory behaviour of the bank voleMyodes glareolus: matings with one and two males do not make a difference. Acta Theriol 55, 343–349 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193237

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03193237

Key words

Search

Navigation