Fitness consequences of group living in the degu Octodon degus, a plural breeder rodent with communal care

Hayes, Loren D.; Chesh, Adrian S.; Castro, Rodrigo A.; Tolhuysen, Liliana Ortiz; Burger, Joseph R.; Bhattacharjee, Joydeep; Ebensperger, Luis A.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.03.022

Cited by 76 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…However, field and laboratory studies have revealed that direct fitness either decreases or does not change with increasing group size in degus (Hayes et al 2009). Thus, potential benefits thought to help degus from group living do not translate into fitness gains in current day populations.…”

Section: Uses Of the Degu As An Animal Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Octodon degus (Molina 1782): A Model in Comparative Biology and Biomedicine

Ardiles

Ewer

Acosta

et al. 2013

Cold Spring Harb Protoc

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One major goal of integrative and comparative biology is to understand and explain the interaction between the performance and behavior of animals in their natural environment. The Caviomorph, Octodon degus, is a native rodent species from Chile, and represents a unique model to study physiological and behavioral traits, including cognitive and sensory abilities. Degus live in colonies and have a well-structured social organization, with a mostly diurnal–crepuscular circadian activity pattern. More notable is the fact that in captivity, they reproduce and live for between 5 and 7 years and exhibit hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases (including Alzheimer's disease), diabetes, and cancer.

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Section: Uses Of the Degu As An Animal Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Octodon degus (Molina 1782): A Model in Comparative Biology and Biomedicine

Ardiles

Ewer

Acosta

et al. 2013

Cold Spring Harb Protoc

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“…Food availability at burrow systems, distance to cover, and density of burrow openings were not correlated with per capita fitness or pup survival. Postweaning survivorship of pups was not correlated with either social group size or number of females per group (Hayes et al 2009). So, it is likely that other factors explain variation in fitness in degus.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Degus ( Octodon degus ) are highly social caviomorph rodents that live in groups consisting of kin and unrelated individuals including several males and reproductive females, which frequently use the same burrow systems (Ebensperger et al 2004; Hayes et al 2009). Burrow systems are extensive, involving numerous burrow openings (Hayes et al 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Sociality, exotic ectoparasites, and fitness in the plural breeding rodent Octodon degus

Burger

Chesh

Muñoz

et al. 2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Social animals are susceptible to high infection levels by contact-transmitted parasites due to increased conspecific interaction. Exotic parasites are known to have adverse consequences on native hosts. We examined the relationship between social group size and exotic ectoparasite loads, and adult infection levels with per capita fitness and offspring survival in the plural breeding rodent Octodon degus in central Chile. Degus at our site were almost entirely infected by two exotic ectoparasites: the fleas Leptopsylla segnis and Xenopsylla cheopis. Neither group size nor number of females per group predicted the abundance of either exotic flea species. The per capita number of pups (per capita fitness) that emerged from burrow systems used by known social groups was negatively correlated with abundance of L. segnis but not X. cheopis. On adults, X. cheopis abundance was three times greater than L. segnis but was not significantly correlated with per capita fitness. In females, L. segnis abundance was negatively correlated with peak body mass during pregnancy. Adult ectoparasite load was not correlated with offspring survival. Based on these results, we hypothesize that high infection levels of L. segnis result in decreased reproductive fitness of adult female degus but are not a cost of sociality because parasite loads are not predicted by social group size. Further work is needed to experimentally test this hypothesis and to determine if L. segnis serves as a vector for a deleterious pathogen. Lastly, the lack of native ectoparasites may explain why a previous study at our site determined that behavioral adaptations needed to cope with high ectoparasite burdens (e.g., grooming) are not extensive in degus; they simply have not had the coevolutionary time needed for selection of these behaviors.

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“…Groups form as a result of philopatry and the movement of adults between social units [52], resulting in groups that lack strong kin structure [53,54]. Initial short-term studies of 2-3 years suggested that group living resulted in direct fitness costs to females [51,55], an extreme cost given that degus are ecologically semelparous [56]. However, analyses of an 8-year dataset suggested that the relationship between per capita direct fitness and group size is positive under conditions of low mean food but not conditions of high mean food [29].…”

Section: Social Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecological value of long-term studies of birds and mammals in Central America, South America and Antarctica

Taig-Johnston

Strom

Nowak

et al. 2017

Rev. Chil. de Hist. Nat.

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This review covers long-term ecological studies in Central America, South America, and Antarctica that include at least 10 years of data on both terrestrial and marine mammals as well as birds. Specifically, we compiled long-term research on social systems, population ecology, and community ecology. Long-term research is necessary to understand decadal trends and dynamics that would otherwise go unnoticed in short-term studies. This review highlights the impact of ecological conditions as well as territoriality and conflict on social organization and structure, the role that environmental perturbations and climate change have on populations, and how interaction between biotic and abiotic factors influence entire ecological communities. It especially highlights the need for additional long-term studies to assess climate change trends and the ecological changes that will follow.

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Fitness consequences of group living in the degu Octodon degus, a plural breeder rodent with communal care

Cited by 76 publications

References 63 publications

Octodon degus (Molina 1782): A Model in Comparative Biology and Biomedicine

Octodon degus (Molina 1782): A Model in Comparative Biology and Biomedicine

Sociality, exotic ectoparasites, and fitness in the plural breeding rodent Octodon degus

The ecological value of long-term studies of birds and mammals in Central America, South America and Antarctica

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