Communal burrowing in the hystricognath rodent, <i>Octodon degus</i>

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dc.contributor.authorEbensperger, LA
dc.contributor.authorBozinovic, F
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-21T01:31:29Z
dc.date.available2025-01-21T01:31:29Z
dc.date.issued2000
dc.description.abstractWe examined the hypothesis that a main benefit of group-living in the semifossorial rodent, Octodon degus (Rodentia: Octodontidae), is to decrease individual cost of burrow construction. We contrasted the digging behavior of groups of three same-sex, adult-sized individuals with that of solitary degus. The behavior of singles and trios was recorded inside a large terrarium partially filled with natural soil and under controlled conditions of food, light, and temperature. The observation that degus in groups do not decrease their burrowing time or frequency of digging compared with solitary diggers does not support the hypothesis that communal burrowing is a primary cause of degu sociality. On the other hand, the observation that degus in groups removed significantly more soil per capita than solitary digging degus, and that grouped individuals coordinated their digging - group members burrowed mostly in the same sites and formed digging chains -, suggests that social burrowing may potentially reduce the cost of burrow construction in the long term. We suggest that such longterm benefits will be a consequence rather than a cause of degu group-living.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.eissn1432-0762
dc.identifier.issn0340-5443
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/97075
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000087073500010
dc.issue.numero5
dc.language.isoen
dc.pagina.final369
dc.pagina.inicio365
dc.revistaBehavioral ecology and sociobiology
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectdegu
dc.subjectcooperation
dc.subjectdigging
dc.subjectgroup-living
dc.subjectrodent sociality
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.titleCommunal burrowing in the hystricognath rodent, <i>Octodon degus</i>
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen47
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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