Committee Chair

Hayes, Loren D.

Committee Member

Aborn, David A.; Maldonado-Chaparro, Adriana

Department

Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

We report results of a longitudinal study on the influence of social organization during different seasons on male reproductive success in the common degu (Octodon degus), a caviomorph rodent endemic to Chile. Male social organization was variable across years and seasons. The best fit model for male reproductive success included autumn-winter social organization unit type, year, spring group ID, and autumn-winter group ID. During the autumn-winter, male reproductive success was greatest in female/male pairs (FM) and was lowest for solitary male units (M) and units containing one female and multiple males (FMM). Spring male social organization did not have an impact on male reproductive success. This suggests certain social organization types are reproductively costly to male degus during the mating season (autumn-winter) but not offspring care (spring). Our study highlights the importance of social organization as a core component of a social system when studying male reproductive success.

Acknowledgments

I would like to first thank my advisor, Dr. Loren Hayes, and my thesis committee members, Dr. David Aborn and Dr. Adriana Maldonado Chaparro. Their guidance has been invaluable throughout this process. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Luis Ebensperger, his lab members at the Universidad Católica de Chile, the IRES students before me, and my lab mates at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, without whom this project would not exist. I would like to thank Dr. Carolyn Bauer for guidance in writing my Graduate Research Fellowship Program proposal and the National Science Foundation, who made it possible for me to complete this degree through receiving their generous fellowship. Finally, I would like to thank my loved ones, including my family and life-long friends, without you I could not have done this.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

12-2023

Subject

Degus--Reproduction

Keyword

reproductive success; social organization; degu; rodent; sociality; IVSO

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xi, 43 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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