Browsing by Author "Mariën, Joachim"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Does exploratory behavior or activity in a wild mouse explain susceptibility to virus infection?(Oxford university press., 2017-09) Makundi, Rhodes H.; Massawe, Apia W; Leirs, Herwig; Hughes, Nelika K; Broecke, Bram V; Borremans, Benny; Mariën, JoachimExploration and activity are often described as trade-offs between the fitness benefits of gathering information and resources, and the potential costs of increasing exposure to predators and para- sites. More exploratory individuals are predicted to have higher rates of parasitism, but this relationship has rarely been examined for virus infections in wild populations. Here, we used the multimammate mouse Mastomys natalensis to investigate the relationship between exploration, activity, and infection with Morogoro virus (MORV). We characterized individual exploratory behav- ior (open field and novel object tests) and activity (trap diversity), and quantified the relationship between these traits and infection status using linear regression. We found that M. natalensis expresses consistent individual differences, or personality types, in exploratory behavior (repeat- ability of 0.30, 95% CI: 0.21–0.36). In addition, we found a significant contrasting effect of age on ex- ploration and activity where juveniles display higher exploration levels than adults, but lower field- activity. There was however no statistical evidence for a behavioral syndrome between these 2 traits. Contrary to our expectations, we found no correlation between MORV infection status and exploratory behavior or activity, which suggests that these behaviors may not increase exposure probability to MORV infection. This would further imply that variation in viral infection between individuals is not affected by between-individual variation in exploration and activity.Item Relationships between seasonal changes in diet of Multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) and its breeding patterns in semi-arid areas in Tanzania(Cogent food and agriculture, 2018-09) Makundi, Rhodes H; Isabirye, Moses; Kifumba, David; Mdangi, Mashaka E; Nakiyemba, Alice; Leirs, Herwig; Belmain, Steven R; Mulungu, Loth S; Massawe, Apia W; Tarimo, , Akwilin J. P; Kimaro, Didas N; Mariën, Joachim; Mlyashimbi, Emmanuel C. MThe diet and breeding patterns of Mastomys natalensis in semi-arid areas of Isimani division, Iringa region, Tanzania were investigated in maize fields and fallow land. The aim was to investigate the influence of diet on breeding patterns of M. natalensis. Removal trapping was used to capture rodents and analyse diet categories while Capture-mark-release trapping was used to investigate breeding patterns of female M. natalensis. Mastomys natalensis comprised 94% of the total capture, and the remaining 6% comprised of six other species. Statistical analysis of food preferences indicated that both vegetative materials and seeds were significantly higher in the overall diet of M. natalensis compared with other food materials. Significant differences in the proportions of vegetative materials and seeds were found between seasons (dry, wet), but not between habitats (fallow, maize). There was a clear seasonal pattern in the proportion of reproductively active females with peaks in April and troughs in October. The proportion of vegetative materials was highest during the wet season and correlated positively with reproductive activity, suggesting that vegetative materials contain certain compounds (e.g. 6-MBOA) that trigger reproductive activity in M. natalensis. The breeding activity of M. natalensis in semi-arid areas might, thus, be reduced by limiting access to fresh vegetative food (e.g. young sprouting grass).