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Social organization and nest co-occupancy in Peromyscus californicus, a monogamous rodent

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Summary

Home ranges, social organization, and nest co-occupancy of Peromyscus californicus were studied using radiotelemetry at the Hastings Natural History Reservation, California. Mated pairs were ascertained by the transfer of fluorescent pigments from lactating females to putative fathers. Mated pairs had largely overlapping home ranges that were not statistically distinguishable, whereas adjacent adults had mostly exclusive, statistically distinguishable home ranges. There was no difference in the mean home range of males and females, but mated females tended to have smaller ranges than their mate. Home range size was extremely variable (range: 150–3788 m2) and averaged 1161 m2 across all individuals. Male home range size was inversely correlated with population density, suggestive of a social influence on home range. Putative fathers spent comparable amounts of time to females in the nest — presumably caring for the young — which supports previous laboratory reports of paternal care in this species. All data collected in this study are consistent with previous suggestions that P. californicus live in semi-permanent family groups and are monogamous.

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  1. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA

    David O. Ribble & Marco Salvioni

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  1. David O. Ribble
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  2. Marco Salvioni
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Ribble, D.O., Salvioni, M. Social organization and nest co-occupancy in Peromyscus californicus, a monogamous rodent. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26, 9–15 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174020

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174020

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