PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a unique model for studying exploratory tactics due to its enormous colonizing potential. Considerable behavioral variability and consistent interindividual differences might help populations inhabit new environments and persist there even under intense pressure. Additionally, the affinity of the black rat for climbing might be another advantage, widening their potential niche. In this study, we describe the exploratory tactics of the black rats when introduced to a novel environment. In the first experiment, we tested 12 rats and calculated repeatability of their behaviors across 12 sessions of an enriched open-field test. We concluded that climbing is a highly repeatable behavior that serves as an important source of interindividual variability. In the second experiment, we tested 24 black rats in a unique L-shaped arena. Each rat was tested twice. We found that the majority of rats distributed their activity evenly, exploring each part of the apparatus for a similar amount of time, thus maximizing their chances of finding resources. Nevertheless, these \"even\" explorers still greatly differed in their level of activity, orderliness and affinity for climbing, generating large variability. In contrast, the minority of rats concentrated their activity only on a section of the new environment and were therefore characterized as selective explorers. Overall, we concluded that a combination of such exploratory tactics as well as a bias for even explorers enables black rats to quickly colonize new environments and persist there even under unfavorable conditions.
摘要：
黑鼠（Rattusrattus）具有巨大的殖民潜力，是研究探索策略的独特模型。相当大的行为变异性和一致的个体间差异可能有助于人群居住在新的环境中，即使在巨大的压力下也会持续存在。此外,黑鼠攀爬的亲和力可能是另一个优势，扩大他们的潜在利基。在这项研究中,我们描述了黑鼠被引入新环境时的探索策略。在第一个实验中,我们测试了12只大鼠,并计算了它们在12个丰富的野外试验中行为的可重复性.我们得出的结论是，攀爬是一种高度可重复的行为，是个体差异的重要来源。在第二个实验中,我们在一个独特的L形竞技场测试了24只黑鼠。每只大鼠测试两次。我们发现大多数老鼠的活动分布均匀，在相似的时间内探索设备的每个部分，从而最大限度地提高他们找到资源的机会。然而，这些“甚至”探险家的活动水平仍然存在很大差异，攀登的秩序和亲和力，产生很大的可变性。相比之下,少数老鼠只将活动集中在新环境的一部分，因此被称为选择性探险家。总的来说,我们得出的结论是，这种探索策略的结合以及对探险者的偏见使黑鼠能够迅速定殖新的环境，即使在不利条件下也能持续存在。
