In mammalian cross-species hybrids, parameters of voice calls, produced by vocal fold vibrations, are intermediate between parental species. Inheritance of ultrasonic calls, produced by whistle mechanism, is unstudied for hybrids. We examined 4000 pup ultrasonic isolation-induced calls for peak power of call fundamental frequency and for call duration in 4-8-day-old captive hamsters of four Study Groups: pure Phodopus sungorus; pure P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe tested the winter immunity enhancement hypothesis (WIEH) on male desert hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) kept under long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) photoperiods. We assumed that under SD in a laboratory, the adaptive humoral immune responsiveness to the antigenic challenge would be enhanced due to the lack of winter physical stressors and food shortages and/or because of the action of an endogenous winter bolstering mechanism, while under LD the immune responsiveness would be suppressed by the activity of the reproductive system. The results support the WIEH in part.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAndrogen-dependent male sexual traits (STs) as well as immunocompetence are theoretically assumed to be key indicators of a male's quality for the mate-choosing female. We studied mate choice by sexually motivated (SM) females of Campbell's dwarf hamsters. Females chose between 2 tethered male siblings that differed in expression of STs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe studied the relationship between female mate choice and male-male competition in Campbell's dwarf hamster. Sexually motivated (SM) females chose between two tethered male siblings that differed in expression of sexual traits. Males were unrelated to the female and able to contact and copulate with her.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper we report the results of testosterone manipulation in the blood of male Campbell dwarf hamsters Phodopus campbelli Thomas, 1905 through castration, followed by testosterone treatment. Under these conditions, we studied antibody production rates in response to injection with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). It was shown that castration induced a dramatic decrease in blood testosterone but had no effect on the humoral response to SRBC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesert hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) are the least known species in the genus Phodopus with respect to ecology and physiology, and deserve scientific attention, particularly because of their small body size. Here, the responses of energy metabolism and reproductive function to short photoperiods in desert hamsters were investigated. Male and female desert hamsters were acclimated to either long day (LD) (L:D 16:8 h) or short day (SD) photoperiods (L:D 8:16 h) for three months, and then the females were transferred back to an LD photoperiod for a further five months, while at the end of the SD acclimation the males were killed and measurements were taken for serum leptin as well as molecular markers for thermogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have studied morphological and physiological traits of even-young males of Campbell dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli Thomas, 1905) born at the end of summer ("fall males") and at the end of winter ("spring males") in a vivarium with constant 14-hour day length (14D:10N). After removal from parental cages at the age of one month, males were kept in isolation under the same light conditions. The results obained signify the statistical difference between "fall" and "spring" males in resting metabolic rate, morphological traits associated with sexual activity, some endocrine and immunologic characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiparental Campbell's hamster (Phodopus campbelli) were used for testing the hypothesis that secretions of father-male specific skin glands (midventral gland and additional sacculi) may promote juveniles survival in mother's absence. For the hypothesis testing, juveniles at age 7 or 8 days were left either with father or with mother till day 30, and their survival and growth rate were compared. Amongst males, there were 26 surgically operated specimens (with midventral gland and sacculi removed, group OP, rearing 128 juveniles) and 37 sham operated specimens (group SHAM, rearing 189 juveniles).
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