Ecology and social behavior of the Brandt's vole: A generalized review

Abstract

The present review is a compilation of the published data on the ecology and social behavior of Brandt's voles. Field studies provide evidence that these diurnal rodents live in extended family groups, breed seasonally and display a variable mating system ranging from monogamy to polygyny and perhaps to promiscuity, depending on population density, spatial distribution of females, and composition of the family groups. Inbreeding avoidance is not characteristic of the Brandt's vole. A typical feature of the space use system of the species is territoriality characterized by a locus-dependent dominance in relations between neighboring family groups. Aggressive interactions are extremely rare in the family groups which social organization may be defined as consistent relationships with a weakly expressed hierarchy based on agonistic interactions combined with some elements of an age-related hierarchy. Brandt's voles are highly cooperative in defending their territories, digging burrows and underground tunnels, maintaining nests, hoarding food, protecting food stores, and raising young. Cooperation and kinship appear to enhance the survival of family groups of this species under the extreme climatic conditions of Central Asia.