Differences in behavior help to explain lemming coexistence

Author:

Morris Douglas W1,Dupuch Angélique2,Moses MaryJane3,Busniuk Kaylee4,Otterman Helen5

Affiliation:

1. Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

2. Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Ripon, Québec, Canada

3. Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

4. Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

5. Faculty of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Abstract Collared (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) and brown (Lemmus trimucronatus) lemmings coexist in tundra habitats across much of the middle and lower Canadian arctic. Their coexistence, and response to predation risk, appears mediated by behavior. We analyzed field-collected videos of open-field tests to assess potential differences in innate behaviors between the two species. Collared lemmings were less active and exhibited less exploratory behavior than did brown lemmings, which were more active under cover than in the open. Similar behaviors scaling along axes of activity and curiosity were revealed by principal components analysis. Each axis defined different aspects of brown lemming personality, but repeated testing of the same individuals yielded a striking dependence of their behavioral response on open-field treatments. Even so, the differences between species in behavior correlate well with their habitat preferences that resolve competition and govern their coexistence.

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Subject

Nature and Landscape Conservation,Genetics,Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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