Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reversed sexual size dimorphism in microtines: Are females larger than males or are males smaller than females?

  • Papers
  • Published:
Evolutionary Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

We analysed sexual size dimorphism for 21 populations of microtine rodents. Female to male size ratio varied considerably among populations from females significantly larger than males (ratio=1.18) to males larger than females (ratio=0.78). In a multiple regression analysis female to male home range size ratio explained 94% of the total variation in body size dimorphism and was the only one of eight independent variables that was selected in a stepwise regression procedure. When females are the larger sex, males have home range sizes much larger than females. We suggest that the relationship between home range size ratio and body weight size dimorphism reflects different selection pressures on males and females in competition for resources and mates.

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

  • Aitchinson, C. W. (1987a) Review of winter trophic relations of soricine shrews.Mammal Rev. 17, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aitchinson, C. W. (1987b) Winter energy requirements of soricine shrews.Mammal Rev. 17, 25–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banfield, A. W. F. (1974)The mammals of Canada. pp. 438. Toronto: Univ. Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batzli, G. O. (1985) Nutrition. (R. H. Tamarin, ed.)Biology of New World Microtus. pp. 779–811. Sp. Publ. No. 8.Am. Soc. Mamm.

  • Bergsted, B. (1966) Home range and movements of the rodent speciesClethrionomys glareolus (Schreber),Apodenus flavicolis (Melchoir) andApodemus sylvaticus (Linne) in southern Sweden.Oikos 17, 150–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen, S. (1987) Demography ofClethrionomys gapperi in different habitats.Can. J. Zool. 65, 277–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen, S. (in press). Food choice and diet of wood lemmings,Myopus schisticolor. Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

  • Bondrup-Nielsen, S. and Karlsson, F. (1985) Movements and spatial patterns in populations ofClethrionomys species, A review.Ann Zool. Fennici 22, 385–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen, S. and Ims, R. A. (1988) Demography during a population crash of the wood lemming,Myopus schisticolor.Can. J. Zool. 67, 2442–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bondrup-Nielsen, S., Ims, R. A., Fredriksson, R. and Fredga, K. (in press). Demography of the wood lemmingMyopus schisticolor Biol. J. Linn. Soc.

  • Chitty, H. and Chitty, D. (1962) Body weight in relation to population phase inMicrotus agrestis. Symp. Theriologicum. Berno, 1962, pp. 77–86.

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H. and Harvey, P. H. (1983) The functional significance of variation in body size among mammals. (J. K. Eisenberg and D. G. Kleiman, eds)Advances in the study of mammalian behavior. pp. 632–63. Spec. Publ. No. 7.Amer. Soc. Mamm.

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H. and Iason, G. R. (1986) Sex ratio variation in mammals.Quart. Rev. Biol. 61, 339–74.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crawley, M. C. (1969) Movements and home-ranges ofClethrionomys glareolus Schreber andApodemus sylvaticus L. in north-east England.Oikos 20, 310–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, N. B. and Houston, A. I. (1984) Territory economics. (J. R. Krebs and N. B. Davies, eds)Behavioural Ecology, An evolutionary approach. pp. 148–69. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewsbury, D. A., Baumgardner, D. J., Evans, R. L. and Webster, D. G. (1980) Sexual dimorphism for body mass in 13 taxa of muroid rodents under laboratory conditions.J. Mamm. 61, 146–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, J. F. (1981)The mammalian radiation,. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, W. A. (1985)Clethrionomys gapperi, Is there a peak syndrome?Ann. Zool. Fennici 22, 243–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Getz, L. L. (1985) Habitats. (R. H. Tamarin, ed.)Biology of New World Microtus. pp. 286–309. Sp. Publ. No. 8.Am. Soc. Mamm.

  • Grodzinski, W. (1985) Ecological energetics of bank voles and wood mice (J. R. Flowerdew, J. Gurnell and J. H. W. Gipps, eds)The ecology of woodland rodents, bank voles and wood mice. pp. 169–92.Symp. Zool. Soc. Lond. No. 55, London.

  • Hansson, L. (1985)Clethrionomys food, generic, specific and regional characteristics.Ann. Zool. Fennici 22, 315–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Healing, T. D. (1984) Factors affecting the population dynamics of the Skomer vole.Clethrionomys glareolus skomerensis. Unpubl Ph.D. thesis, London University.

  • Heske, E. J. (1987) Spatial structuring and dispersal in a high density population of the California voleMicrotus californicus.Holarct Ecol. 10, 137–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A. (1987a) Responses in spatial organization and behaviour to manipulation of the food resource in the voleClethrionomys rufocanus.J. Anim. Ecol. 56, 585–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A. (1987b) Determinants of competitive success inClethrionomys rufocanus.Ecology 68, 1812–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A. (1987c) Male spacing systems in microtine rodents.Am. Nat. 130, 475–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A. (1988) Spatial clumping of sexually receptive females induces space sharing among male voles.Nature 335, 541–3.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A. (1990) Mate detection success of maleClethrionomys rufocanus in relation to the spatial distribution of sexually receptive females.Evol. Ecol. 4, 57–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ims, R. A., Bondrup-Nielsen, S. and Stenseth, N. C. (1988) Temporal patterns of breeding events in small rodent populations.Oikos 52, 178–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, S. L. and Turner, B. N. (1976) Small mammal radioecology, natural reproductive patterns of seven species.Atomic Energy of Canada Report. Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment, Pinawa, Manitoba, AECL-5393, 53 pp.

  • Kalela, O. and Oksala, T. (1966) Sex ratio in the wood lemmingMyopus schisticolor (Lilljeb.), in nature and captivity.Annales Universitatis Turkuensis II. Biologica-Geographica 37, 5–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, B. L. (1985) Reproductive patterns. (R. H. Tamarin, ed.)Biology of New World Microtus. pp. 725–811. Sp. Publ. No. 8.Am. Soc. Mamm.

  • Kleiman, D. G. (1977) Monogamy in mammals.Quart. Rev. Biol. 52, 39–69.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koshkina, T. V. (1961) Nye data om lemmen (Lemmus lemmus) næringsvaner.Bull. Mosk. Obsch. Ispyt. Prirody. Otd. Biol. Vol. 66(6). Translated to Norwegian from Russian by Jadwiga Weber.

  • Lindstedt, S. L., Miller, B. J. and Buskirk, S. W. (1986) Home range, time and body size in mammals.Ecology 67, 413–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison, D. M. (1985) Activity rhythms and spacing. (R. H. Tamarin, ed.)Biology of New World Microtus. pp. 373–419. Sp. Publ. No. 8.Am. Soc. Mamm.

  • Myllymäki, A. (1977) Demographic mechanisms in the fluctuating populations of the field voleMicrotus agrestis.Oikos 29, 468–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostfeld, R. S. (1985) Limiting resources and territoriality in microtine rodents.Am. Nat. 126, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostfeld, R. S. (1986) Territoriality and mating systems of California voles.J. Anim. Ecol. 55, 691–706.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, R. H. (1983)The ecological implications of body size. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pucek, M. (1983) Habitat of the population (K. Petrusewicz, ed.)Ecology of the bank vole.Acta Theriol. pp. 31–9., vol. 28. Suppl. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ralls, K. (1976) Mammals in which females are larger than males.Quart. Rev. Biol. 51, 245–76.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ralls, K. (1977) Sexual dimorphism in mammals: avian models and unanswered questions.Am. Nat. 111, 917–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, M. J. (1986) Sexual dimorphism in body size: are large species more dimorphic?J. Theor. Biol. 121, 163–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, M. (1988) Scaling of home range size, body size, metabolic needs and ecology.Trends Ecol. Evol. 3, 85–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, R. K. and Gaines, M. S. (1978) The reproductive cycle ofMicrotus ochrogaster in eastern Kansas.Ecol. Monogr. 48, 21–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shine, R. (1988) The evolution of large body size in females: a critique of Darwin's ‘fecundity advantage’ model.Am. Nat. 131, 124–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stenseth, N. C. and Framstad, E. (1980) Reproductive effort and optimal reproductive rates in small rodents.Oikos 34, 23–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stenseth, N. C., Gustafsson, T. O., Hansson, L. and Ugland, K. I. (1985) On the evolution of reproductive rates in microtine rodents.Ecology 66, 1795–808.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taitt, M. J. and Krebs, C. J. (1985) Population dynamics and cycles. (R. H. Tamarin, ed.)Biology of New World Microtus. pp. 567–620. Sp. Publ. No. 8.Am. Soc. Mamm.

  • Tast, J. (1966) The root vole,Microtus oeconomus (Pallas), as an inhabitant of seasonally flooded land.Ann. Zool. Fenn. 3, 127–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viitala, J. (1977) Social organization in cyclic subaretic populations of the volesClethrionomys rufocanus (Sund.) andMicrotus agrestis (L.).Ann. Zool. Fenn. 14, 53–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viitala, J. (1987) Social organization ofClethrionomys rutilus (Pall.) at Kilpisjärvi, Finnish Lapland.Ann. Zool. Fenn. 24, 267–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrangham, R. W. (1980) An ecological model of female-bonded primate groups.Behav. 75, 262–300.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Søren Bondrup-Nielsen

    Present address: Department of Biology, Acadia University, B0P 1X0, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1050, N-0316, Oslo 3, Norway

    Søren Bondrup-Nielsen & Rolf Anker Ims

Authors
  1. Søren Bondrup-Nielsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rolf Anker Ims
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bondrup-Nielsen, S., Ims, R.A. Reversed sexual size dimorphism in microtines: Are females larger than males or are males smaller than females?. Evol Ecol 4, 261–272 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214334

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214334

Keywords

Search

Navigation