Does Stress Explain Variation in Marmot Parenting Behavior or Pup Survival?

Abstract

Raising offspring is one of the most important roles of mothers in many species. We studied maternal care in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) and how it is affected by stress. Stress helps these rodents survive hazardous situations. To study this, we observed the marmots at The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, USA. We recorded their alarm calling rates, social interaction rates, and vigilant behavior. We measured stress levels by analyzing the fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in feces that were collected from the marmots when they had been trapped. We found significant relationships between stress levels of female reproductive marmots and over-winter pup survival as well as between litter size and over- summer pup survival. Higher glucocorticoid levels, which signify higher stress levels, were indicative of lower over-winter pup survival and lower pup survival into the next year. Larger litter sizes were associated with lower summer survival rates. Stress is an important factor in the ability for mothers to raise their offspring into adulthood, sustaining her lineage.

Local Knowledge Graph (14 entities)

Related Works

Items connected by shared entities, co-authorship, citations, or semantic similarity.

References (26)

12 in Knowledge Hub, 14 external