title: Reproductive activation of virgin female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by paired and unpaired males.
abstract: Virgin female Microtus ochrogaster were exposed to paired and unpaired unfamiliar adult males in semi-natural arenas. Although females were reproductively activated by both types of males, more than twice as many were activated by unpaired (51.6%) as by paired (18.2%) males. Our results suggest that, in natural populations of prairie voles, the proportion of philopatric females becoming reproductive is related to the abundance of unpaired males within the population.
authors.affiliation: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Getz