Traffic noise was tested as a stress factor in an open-field study of urban and non-urban populations of two species belonging to the genus Apodemus: the striped field mouse and the yellow-necked mouse. The striped field mouse has inhabited green areas in cities for years, whereas the yellow-necked mouse was first observed in such areas relatively recently. Behavioral reactions to noise in the urban population of striped field mice were the same as the reactions observed in the non-urban population of the species. As for the yellow-necked mouse, behavior in response to noise in the non-urban population differed from that observed in the urban population. We see such differences as being related to the fact that striped field mice, which have inhabited urban areas for many generations, form a stable population in urban areas, and specific individuals are adapted to urban conditions. Yellow-necked mice, in turn, form no stable urban population and the individuals found in cities are most probably migrants, not adapted to urban conditions, which is the reason why their reaction to noise differs from the typical response.
References
[1]
Werner, P. (2011) The Ecology of Urban Areas and Their Functions for Species Diversity. Landscape and Ecological Engineering, 7, 231-240.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-011-0153-4
[2]
O’Leary, R. and Jones, D.N. (2006) The Use of Supplementary Foods by Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen: Implications for Wildlife Feeding in Suburban Environments. Austral Ecology, 31, 208-216.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01583.x
[3]
Møller, A.P., Diaz, M., Flensted-Jensen, E., Grim, T., Ibáñez-Álamo, J.D., Jokimäki, J., Mänd, R., Markó, G. and Tryjanowski, P. (2012) High Urban Population Density of Birds Reflects Their Timing of Urbanization. Oecologia, 170, 867-875.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2355-3
[4]
Munshi-South, J. and Kharchenko, K. (2010) Rapid, Pervasive Genetic Differentiation of Urban White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) Populations in New York City. Molecular Ecology, 19, 4242-4254.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04816.x
[5]
Ditchkoff, S.S., Saalfeld, S.T. and Gibson, C.J. (2006) Animal Behavior in Urban Ecosystems: Modifications Due to Human-Induced Stress. Urban Ecosyst, 9, 5-12.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-006-3262-3
[6]
Warren, P.S., Katti, M., Ermann, M. and Brazel, A. (2006) Urban Bioacoustics: It’s Not Just Noise. Animal Behaviour, 71, 491-502.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.07.014
[7]
Barber, J.R., Crooks, K.R. and Fristrup, K.M. (2010) The Costs of Chronic Noise Exposure for Terrestrial Organisms. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 25, 180-189.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.08.002
[8]
de Kloet, E.R. (2013) Functional Profile of the Binary Brain Corticosteroid Receptor System: Mediating, Multitasking, Coordinating, Integrating. European Journal of Pharmacology, 719, 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.04.053
[9]
Myers, B., McKlveen, J.M. and Herman, J.P. (2014) Glucocorticoid Actions on Synapses, Circuits, and Behavior: Implications for the Energetics of Stress. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 35, 180-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.12.003
[10]
Korte, S.M. (2001) Corticosteroids in Relation to Fear, Anxiety and Psychopathology. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 25, 117-142.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7634(01)00002-1
[11]
Walecki, A. (1881) Fauna zwierzat ssacych Warszawy i jej stosunek do fauny calego kraju. Pamietnik Fizjograficzny, 1, 268-291. (In Polish)
[12]
Suminski, S.M. (1922) Fauna of Warsaw. Ziemia, 12, 328-335. (In Polish)
[13]
Andrzejewski, R., Babinska-Werka, J., Gliwicz, J. and Goszczynski, J. (1978) Synurbization Processes in Population of Apodemus agrarius I. Characteristics of Populations in an Urbanization Gradient. Acta Theriologica, 23, 341-358.
https://doi.org/10.4098/AT.arch.78-24
[14]
Gliwicz, J. (1980) Ecological Aspects of Synurbization of Striped Field Mouse, Apodemus agrarius (Pall.). Wiadomosci Ekologiczne, 262, 117-124.
[15]
Liro, A. (1985) Variation in Weights of Body and Internal Organs of the Field Mouse in Gradient of Urban Habitats. Acta Theriologica, 30, 359-377.
https://doi.org/10.4098/AT.arch.85-26
[16]
Gortat, T., Rutkowski, R., Gryczynska-Siemiatkowska, A., Kozakiewicz, A. and Kozakiewicz, M. (2013) Genetic Structure in Urban and Rural Populations of Apodemus agrarius in Poland. Mammalian Biology, 78, 171-177.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2012.07.155
[17]
Gortat, T., Rutkowski, R., Gryczynska, A., Pieniazek, A., Kozakiewicz, A. and Kozakiewicz, M. (2015) Anthropopressure Gradients and the Population Genetic Structure of Apodemus agrarius. Conservation Genetics, 16, 649-659.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-014-0690-0
[18]
Pucek, Z. (1984) Keys to Vertebrates of Poland: Mammals. PWN, Warszawa, 357.
[19]
Babinska-Werka, J. and Malinowska, B. (2008) Synurbization of the Yellow-Necked Mouse A. flavicollis in Warsaw. In: Indykiewicz, P., Jerzak, L. and Barczak, T., Eds., Fauna of Cities. Preservation of Biodiversity in Cities, ATR, Bydgoszcz, 144-150. (In Polish with English Abstract)
[20]
Gortat, T., Rutkowski, R., Gryczynska, A., Kozakiewicz, A. and Kozakiewicz, M. (2016) The Spatial Genetic Structure of the Yellow-Necked Mouse in an Urban Environment—A Recent Invader vs. a Closely Related Permanent Inhabitant. Urban Ecosystems, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-016-0620-7
[21]
Frynta, D. (1994) Exploratory Behaviour in 12 Palaearctic Mice Species (Rodentia: Muridae): A Comparative Study Using “Free Exploration” Tests. Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 57, 173-182.
[22]
R Core Team (2016) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. https://www.R-project.org/
[23]
Pohlert, T. (2014) The Pairwise Multiple Comparison of Mean Ranks Package (PMCMR). R Package. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=PMCMR
[24]
Larsson, F., Winblad, B. and Mohammed, A.H. (2002) Psychological Stress and Environmental Adaptation in Enriched vs. Impoverished Housed Rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 73, 193-207.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0091-3057(02)00782-7
[25]
Brenes, J.C., Padilla, M. and Fornaguera, J. (2009) A Detailed Analysis of Open-Field Habituation and Behavioral and Neurochemical Antidepressant-Like Effects in Postweaning Enriched Rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 197, 125-137.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2008.08.014
[26]
Montiglio, P.O., Garant, D., Thomas, D. and Réale, D. (2010) Individual Variation in Temporal Activity Patterns in Open-Field Tests. Animal Behaviour, 80, 905-912.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.08.014
[27]
Perals, D., Griffin, A.S., Bartomeus, I. and Sol, D. (2017) Revisiting the Open-Field Test: What Does It Really Tell Us about Animal Personality? Animal Behaviour, 123, 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.10.006
[28]
Prut, L. and Belzung, C. (2003) The Open Field as a Paradigm to Measure the Effects of Drugs on Anxiety-Like Behaviors: A Review. European Journal of Pharmacology, 463, 3-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2999(03)01272-X
[29]
Ennaceur, A. (2014) Tests of Unconditioned Anxiety—Pitfalls and Disappointments. Physiology and Behavior, 135, 55-71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.05.032
[30]
Komorowska, J. and Pisula, W. (2003) Does Changing Levels of Stress Affect the Characteristics of Grooming Behavior in Rats? Joanna. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 16, 237-246.
[31]
Estanislau, C. (2012) Cues to the Usefulness of Grooming Behavior in the Evaluation of Anxiety in the Elevated Plus-Maze. Psychology and Neuroscience, 5, 105-112. https://doi.org/10.3922/j.psns.2012.1.14
[32]
Veloso, A.W.N., Filgueiras, G.B., Lorenzo, P. and Estanislau, C. (2016) Modulation of Grooming Behavior in Rats by Different Test Situations. Psychology and Neuroscience, 9, 91-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/pne0000038
[33]
Courtin, J., Bienvenu, T.C.M., Einarsson, E. and Herry, C. (2013) Medial Prefrontal Cortex Neuronal Circuits in Fear Behavior. Neuroscience, 240, 219-242.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.001
[34]
Pieniazek, A., Sokól, M. and Kozakiewicz, M. (2017) Ecological Characteristics of Two Closely Related Rodent Species in Urban Environment—Permanent Inhabitant vs Newcomer. Natural Resources, 8. (To be published)
[35]
Rabasa, C., Gagliano, H., Pastor-Ciurana, J., Fuentes, S., Belda, X., Nadal, R. and Armario, A. (2015) Adaptation of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to Daily Repeated Stress Does Not Follow the Rules of Habituation: A New Perspective. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 56, 35-49.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.06.013
[36]
Frynta, D. (1992) “Open Field” Behaviour in Seven Mice Species (Muridae: Apodemus, Mus). In: Horácek, I. and Vohralík, V., Eds., Prague Studies in Mammalogy, Karolinum-Charles University Press, Praha, 31-38.
[37]
Eilam, D. (2003) Open-Field Behavior Withstands Drastic Changes in Arena Size. Behavioural Brain Research, 142, 53-62.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4328(02)00382-0
