Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 310-317).

Captive multi-mammate mice, Mastomys natalensis, were paired and kept on one of three treatment diets (low, medium and high protein) in order to assess differential maternal investment in the sexes, and sex-specific resource allocation of offspring. The influence of maternal dietary protein content on maternal reproductive performance, sex-specific body composition of pups and pup growth from birth to weaning was determined. Mothers on the high protein diet were larger than those on the lower protein diets, and produced more male than female offspring. Mothers on the lower protein diets did not produce sex-biased litters. Maternal dietary protein intake did not significantly influence litter size or the interval between litters. Litters produced by mothers on the medium (15%) protein diet were significantly larger than those produced by mothers on the low (10%) protein diet. There were no sex-specific differences in body size or body tissue composition of pups at birth of at weaning within each treatment group. At weaning, pups in the 20% protein treatment group had proportionately greater amounts of lean tissue and less body lipid reserves than pups in the 10% protein treatment group. Pups in the 20% protein treatment group were also larger, and had faster growth rates, than those in the 10% protein treatment group. Weaned pups in the 15% protein treatment group had the fastest growth rates and greatest energetic contents of all of the treatment groups. These results suggest that larger mothers on the high (20%) protein diet show differential investment in the sexes, not by allocating more resources to individuals of that sex, but by producing more male than female offspring. Maternal dietary protein intake did not appear to influence the reproductive output of mothers, but did affect pup mass, growth rates and body composition which would have implications for their future success and survival. / Dissertation (MSc (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 12, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-67)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2007. / Title from title page screen, viewed on July 16, 2008. Dissertation Committee: Sabine S. Loew (chair), Angelo P. Capparella, William L. Perry, John M. Bates, Julian C. Kerbis Peterhans. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-99) and abstract. Also available in print.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 / Social systems describe the social organisation, mating system and social interactions of a species, and are revealing of the nature of how animals live and the underlying mechanisms of living alone or in groups. The social system of the African woodland dormice Graphiurus murinus has not been documented. The aim of my study was to investigate sociality, the mechanisms promoting sociality, and to G. murinus along the continuum of sociality in respect of rodents. Investigations on nest sharing in free-living woodland dormice showed that sleeping associations were common in females than males but changed seasonally (females all year round; males in breeding and winter seasons), reflecting the reproductive and thermoregulatory needs. The social structure of these sleeping associations was assessed using association indices and social network analysis. Woodland dormice exhibited a web of relationships between sex and age groups, with adult female groups and juvenile groups forming strong and exclusive relationships, while male groups showed ephemeral and weak relationships. In staged dyadic encounters of same sex dyads in captivity, females were amicable and tolerated unfamiliar females, whereas males displayed low tolerance and aggression towards unfamiliar. The three-chamber paradigm tests for sociability and social preferences revealed that both adult males and females had an intrinsic motivation to be social. However, this motivation differed by sex, with females showing a greater affinity for both strangers and unfamiliar females, whereas males showed an affinity for familiar males. Observations of huddling in female dyads revealed that, under decreasing Ta, females huddled together and combined nest material, thus changing the local microclimate and the insulation capacities of nests. In addition, long-associations were maintained even after Ta was increased, revealing that thermal challenges might promote group formation and enhance familiarity amongst females. Both my field and laboratory data suggest that woodland dormice form small seasonally transient sleeping associations. In females, limited aggression, tolerance, and nest sharing and construction under low temperatures could also lead to prolonged group-living. In males, aggression towards unfamiliar males, possibly maintains intra-sexual territoriality, yet familiarity creates tolerance, leading to group-living. Group-living in this arboreal rodent is mediated by the apparently phylogenetically constrained energetic demands of thermoregulation, coupled with an inherent need to associate with conspecifics. The level of familiarity between conspecifics or the presence of social partners facilitates group formation and is shaped by prevailing ecological conditions. / MT 2017