| Several studies have examined individual mating behaviors of wild peromyscine rodents. Many of these studies were short term and were limited to a single population in a single breeding season, so it is not clear to what extent mating behaviors vary within these populations over time. Therefore, I assessed mating behavior over four years (2003-2006) in short season populations of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) from the Kananaskis Valley in Alberta Canada. In addition, I examined variation in home range size, home range overlap, and frequency of multiple mating within populations over time with respect to population density. I found that spatial behaviors varied over time but patterns of genetic mates did not. Behavioral changes did not correlate with changes in population density. My results suggest that male and female spatial behaviors and patterns of genetic mates may be more influenced by resource availability and mate choice than mate availability. |
