Is water really a barrier for the house mouse? A comparative study of two mouse subspecies

0383943 - ÚBO 2013 RIV CZ eng J - Journal Article
Hiadlovská, Zuzana - Strnadová, Markéta - Macholán, Miloš - Vošlajerová Bímová, Barbora
Is water really a barrier for the house mouse? A comparative study of two mouse subspecies.
Folia zoologica. Roč. 61, 3-4 (2012), s. 319-329. ISSN 0139-7893. E-ISSN 1573-1189
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/0640; GA ČR GAP506/11/1792
Institutional support: RVO:68081766 ; RVO:67985904
Keywords : dispersal * Mus musculus domesticus * Mus musculus musculus * swimming * water barrier
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology; EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology (UZFG-Y)
Impact factor: 0.494, year: 2012

House mice are believed to be, unlike rats, only reluctant swimmers. If water is a barrier to mouse dispersal water bodies and streams can have a substantial impact on the genetic structure of populations. Previous studies revealed influence of rivers on the position and structure of the European hybrid zone between two house mouse subspecies, Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus. In this study, we used a simple motivation experiment to test the disposition of both wild and inbred mice representing the subspecies to overcome a water barrier. As the more dispersing sex, males were chosen for the experiment. Mice were tested under two air/water temperature regimes, 20 °C and 10 °C. Contrary to a common belief tested animals entered water rather easily, often even engaging in repeated swimming. We found significant differences in scored behavioural parameters between the subspecies. Under the 20 °C regime, both wild and inbred domesticus males entered and crossed the water earlier and more often swam even when satiated. Strikingly, under the 10°C regime, the results were rather equivocal but with the opposite tendencies, with musculus males being more willing to swim. We discuss implications of these findings for the hybrid zone dynamics.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0213728