Abstract
We examined the applicability of radiotelemetry to studies of acorn dispersal by Apodemus mice and compared its efficiency with the of this spool-and-line method. Installation of a transmitter (2.2 g) onto acorns did not interfere with the transporting and feeding behavior of the mice. We were able to detect all transmitter-installed acorns and follow the daily changes in the sites in which they were hoarded, while we missed 59% of the spool-tied acorns due to mice breaking the threads. Mice carried transmitter-installed acorns farther than spool-tied ones. The radiotelemetry method is superior to the spool-and-line method and useful for the study of hoarding behavior in rodents.
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Soné, K., Kohno, A. Application of radiotelemetry to the survey of acorn dispersal by Apodemus mice. Ecol. Res. 11, 187–192 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02347684
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02347684