Rodent Societies: An Ecological & Evolutionary Perspective

Table 11.1

Literature using rodents relevant to Trivers and Willard’s (1973) hypothesis for facultative adjustment of parental investment

Consistent

Litter size

Bias other

Facultative

Timing of

Type of

Reference

Taxa

with T-W?

a

adjustment?

Sex-ratio bias?

than sex ratio?

adjustment?

b

condition

study

Assumptions

c

Rivers and Crawford

Mus musculus

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not tested

No

Preconception to

Manipulative

—

(1974)

postnatal

McClure (1981)

Neotoma floridana

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes (weight)

No

Postnatal

Manipulative

1(yes)

Gosling (1986)

Myocastor coypus

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Preconception /

Descriptive

1(yes), 2(yes)

prenatal

Labov et al. (1986)

Mesocricetus

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes (weight)

No

Prenatal to

Manipulative

1(yes)

auratus

postnatal

Meikle and Drickamer

Mus musculus

Ambiguous

No

Yes (but significant

No (tested for)

No

Preconception /

Manipulative

1(no)

(1986)

in opposite direc-

prenatal

tion for some treatments)

McShea and Maddison

Microtus pennsyl-

Yes

No

Yes

Yes (weight)

No

Preconception to

Descriptive

—

(1986)

vanicus

postnatal

Armitage (1987)

Marmota flavi-

No

No

No (except as a

Not tested

No

Preconception to

Descriptive /

—

ventris

function of mater-

postnatal

manipulative

nal age)

Wright et al. (1988)

Mus musculus

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes (weight)

No

Preconception /

Manipulative

1(yes)

prenatal

König (1989b)

Mus domesticus

Not considered

Yes

No

Not tested

No

Postnatal

Manipulative

1(yes)

Krackow and Hoeck

Mus musculus

Yes

Yes

Yes (male biased

Not tested

No

Preconception /

Descriptive

—

(1989)

for 2nd litters

prenatal

only)

Clark et al. (1990)

Meriones unguicu-

Ye s

N o

d

No

Yes (time nursing,

No

Prenatal

Manipulative

—

latus

but differences were among rather than within litters)

Clark et al. (1991)

Meriones unguicu-

Yes

No

No

Yes (weight)

No

Postnatal

Manipulative

1(yes)

latus