THE INFLUENCE OF -HORMONE-LIKE PLANT SUBSTANCES ON MAMMALIAN PHYSIOLOGY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS

摘要

Field and laboratory procedures were employed to investigate the influence of hormone-like plant substances on reproductive physiology and population dynamics in Microtus montanus. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that the pineal gland is involved in the pathway eliciting reproductive responses to plant substances in the diet. Experiments with ovariectomized and sham operated 17-day old females demonstrated that the active plant factors are not estrogenic in nature. Data from confined and natural populations demonstrated that reproductive activity may be cued by plant signals at any time of the year, conferring great flexibility to the reproductive strategy of the species, doubtless selected for by the highly unpredictable environments inhabited by Microtus montanus.