Short Communication
No evidence for avoidance of black rat scent by the presumably less competitive Natal multimammate mouse in a choice experiment
DOI:
10.1080/15627020.2017.1307139
Author(s):
Laura N CuypersEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Wim L CuypersEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Amélie Gildemyn-BlommeEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Laura AbrahamEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Senne AertbeliënEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Apia W MassawePest Management Centre, Tanzania, Benny BorremansEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Sophie GryseelsEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium, Herwig LeirsEvolutionary Ecology Group, Belgium,
Abstract
In Africa, indigenous multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis) only appear to live commensally in houses when invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) are absent, yet little is known about the underlying mechanism. Avoidance through smell may cause the absence of M. natalensis from areas occupied by R. rattus, but this hypothesis has not yet been tested. We conducted a Y-maze choice experiment where 15 M. natalensis were offered a choice between corridors containing conspecific scent, R. rattus scent and a control scent. Residence time in the R. rattus corridor was greater than that in the control corridor but equal to that in the M. natalensis corridor, suggesting that multimammate mice do not actively avoid the scent of their invasive competitor.
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