Long-term field studies on rodents
Résumé
Long-term studies on rodents have been conducted for longer periods (up to 70 years) and more generations (up
to 88 generations) than for most other mammalian taxa. These studies have been instrumental in furthering our
understanding of ecophysiology, social systems, and population and community processes. Studies on African
striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) revealed that basal blood glucose levels span a far greater homeostatic range
than previously thought. Studies on American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) demonstrated how
endocrine pathways underlying phenotypic plasticity allow individuals to respond to different environments.
Long-term studies on African striped mice, marmots (Marmota), tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis), and degus
(Octodon degus) revealed that ecological constraints on dispersal are drivers of group formation in some species
but not others. Social flexibility, when the social system of an entire population can change due to individuals
changing their social tactics, has been demonstrated in striped mice. Long-term studies on prairie voles (Microtus
ochrogaster) found that males and females often live in pairs, leading to subsequent studies of the neural
mechanisms underlying social monogamy. Long-term studies on other arvicoline rodents contributed more to
our understanding of the factors influencing population dynamics than studies on any other mammalian order.
While food availability and predation have been identified as factors influencing population dynamics, no single
factor alone drives population dynamics in any species. We encourage researchers to incorporate manipulative
experiments into long-term studies and to take integrative approaches to inform cross-disciplinary theory.