干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

A field experiment was conducted to try to stimulate breeding activity in Tatera leucogaster during the dry season, at a time when they are normally reproductively quiescent. There were six treatment groups. One group was left untreated and a second provided with water; two other groups were provided sham-treated seeds, one with and the other without water; and the remaining two groups were provided 6-MBOA treated seeds, one with and the other without water. The experiment was conducted for 21 days after which 230 animals were trapped and dissected to assess their reproductive response. A complete set of treatments was conducted in both mixed woodland and Combretum bush. There were significant differences in response in the two habitats and so treatment effects were compared independently for each habitat and sex. Body mass increased in animals provided with supplemental food with the largest increase occurring in the Combretum. The body mass of seed-supplemented animals was similar in the two habitats, but animals not provided with supplementary food were considerably lighter in Combretum. This suggests that more food is naturally available in mixed woodland compared to Combretum. Supplementary food significantly increased the weights of the ovaries, testes, and seminal vesicles in Combretum, but no such effects were observed in mixed woodland because animals were maturing in all treatment groups. Supplemental water significantly increased the mass of the uterus in animals from both habitats. These results suggest that both food and water are important factors promoting the maturation and recrudescence of the reproductive organs but are insufficient to promote actual breeding at the time of the experiment. The effects of 6-MBOA were equivocal. There appeared to be an enhanced reproductive response in the treatment group provided water and 6-MBOA treated seeds, but it was not possible to test the significance of this because there was only a single replicate in each habitat.