Reproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens ; Rodentia : Spalacidae) from Tanzania : the importance of rainfall

dc.contributor.authorKatandukila, Jestina Venance
dc.contributor.authorFaulkes, Christopher G.
dc.contributor.authorChimimba, Christian Timothy
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.emailjestina@zoology.up.ac.zaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2014-11-04T06:45:57Z
dc.date.issued2013-12
dc.description.abstractThe East African root rat, Tachyoryctes splendens (Rüppell, 1835) is a solitary subterranean rodent mole. The present study investigated breeding patterns in both sexes of T. splendens from data collected at monthly intervals over an entire calendar year. The study focused on the analyses from post mortem examination of males and females to assess the presence of foetuses, gonadal histology, reproductive tract morphometrics, measurement of gonadal steroids (plasma progesterone and oestradiol-17β in females and testosterone in males) and field observations (i.e., the presence of infants, juveniles, sub-adults and lactating females). The objective of this study was to assess if the reproductive biology of the root rat reflected the bimodal pattern of rainfall that is characteristic of East Africa. Rainfall has been suggested to trigger breeding in many subterranean rodents and as a consequence, this study aimed to assess the relationship between rainfall and reproductive characteristics of T. splendens. Peaks in mean gonadal mass, increases in concentration of reproductive hormones and the presence of Graafian follicles and corpora lutea in the ovaries of females, and testes mass, seminiferous tubule diameter and testosterone titre mirrored the annual peaks of precipitation at the study area. Together with field observations of the temporal occurrence of pregnancies, infants, juveniles and sub-adults, the data show that T. spendens cues its breeding with the patterns of rainfall, such that offspring are born in the latter half of each rainy season, from April to July and November to December.en_US
dc.description.librarianhb2014en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipUniversity of Dar es Salaam [UDSM–World Bank Fund (C1B1) ], Tanzania.South African Department of Science and Technology (DST)/National Research Foundation (NRF) SARChI Chair for Mammal Behavioural Ecology and Physiology, University of Pretoria.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1469-7998en_US
dc.identifier.citationKatandukila, JV, Faulkes, CG, Chimimba, CT & Bennettt, NC 2013, 'Reproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens ; Rodentia : Spalacidae) from Tanzania : the importance of rainfall', Journal of Zoology, vol. 291, no. 4, pp. 258-268.en_US
dc.identifier.issn0952-8369 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1469-7998 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1111/jzo.12067
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/42475
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rights© 2013 The Zoological Society of London. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article : Reproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens ; Rodentia : Spalacidae) from Tanzania : the importance of rainfall, Journal of Zoology, vol. 291, no. 4, pp.258-268, 2013, doi : 10.1111/jzo.12067. The definite version is available at : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1469-7998.en_US
dc.subjectTachyoryctes splendensen_US
dc.subjectSolitaryen_US
dc.subjectHormonesen_US
dc.subjectHistologyen_US
dc.subjectRainfallen_US
dc.subjectRadioimmunoassayen_US
dc.subjectTanzaniaen_US
dc.subjectEast Africaen_US
dc.titleReproduction in the East African root rat (Tachyoryctes splendens ; Rodentia : Spalacidae) from Tanzania : the importance of rainfallen_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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