SEASONAL-CHANGES IN URINARY ODORS AND IN RESPONSES TO THEM BY BLIND SUBTERRANEAN MOLE-RATS

Breeding and nonbreeding season male and female mole rats from two chr omosomal species of the Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies were tested in a tunnel T-maze to assess their responses to urine collected from bree ding- and nonbreeding season male and female conspecific and heterospe cific donors. The results indicate that S. ehrenbergi mole rat urine c ontains species-, sex-, and season-specific chemosensory cues and that male and female mole rats change their responses to these chemosensor y cues depending upon the season. During the nonbreeding season, mole rats avoid conspecific and heterospecific urine of both sexes. In cont rast, during the breeding season, mole rats do not avoid conspecific u rine and males do not avoid heterospecific urine. These changes in res ponses to the chemosensory cues in urine are adaptive to their seasona l life underground because they could help the animals avoid aggressiv e encounters during the nonbreeding season and facilitate their approa ching potential mates and competitors during the breeding season. The results suggest that chemical communication could play a role in socia l encounters, reproduction; and species isolation in the S, ehrenbergi superspecies.