Are juvenile female golden mantle ground squirrels dispersing from their natal burrow due to high-stress levels?

Abstract

Many mammals disperse from the area they were born in. Dispersal is done to avoid inbreeding, resources, and mate competition. Dispersal in mammals tends to be male-biased as juvenile males are the ones that often leave their natal burrow, and females do not. The cost of dispersal is expensive as mammals would need to fight for new territory and compete for resources. Females, on the other hand, either stay in their natal burrows or disperse. Females are either kicked out by their mothers or dispersed voluntarily. Many factors contribute to female juvenile dispersal. For instance, avoiding kin competition, resource, and inbreeding. There is also the physiology associated with dispersal in juveniles. Glucocorticoids help regulate energy balances in animals. And cortisol, a stress hormone that could determine if a female juvenile will disperse away from stressful conditions. Stress could also be associated with weight gain as bigger juvenile females tend to disperse while smaller females did not. In this study, we will look at stress's effects on Golden mantle ground squirrels. It will be conducted in the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, located in the East River valley of Gunnison, Colorado.

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