Efficiency of delayed reproduction in Mus spicilegus.

Abstract

To cope with seasonally varying ecological constraints, some mammals temporally suppress breeding or delay their first reproduction. In field conditions, mound-building mice (Mus spicilegus) born in spring begin to reproduce when 2-3 months old, whereas individuals born at the end of summer delay their first reproduction for 6-8 months until the following spring. In order to test age effects on reproductive performance in M. spicilegus, sexually naïve mice were paired when 2-3 months old or at 6-8 months of age, and surveyed for reproduction. We show here that under laboratory conditions the aging of these mice does not impair their reproductive efficiency. Thus, the hypothesis of a lower reproductive potential in these relatively aged females seems to be contradicted. More surprisingly, the latency from pairing to the first reproduction was greater in the 2-3-month-old adults than in the delayed reproducers (6-8-month-old mice). Mound-building mice that are old enough to have overwintered do not suffer significant reproductive declines, but appear to reproduce as well and more quickly than younger first-time breeders.