Snake scent application in Spermophilus squirrel species: Is there a pattern?

Jamie Nakawatase Life Science 1, Demo 1, University of California, Los Angeles 5 October 2011 Introduction: Animals will often use resources produced by other animal species to their advantage (Clucas et al. 2008). It is important to study animal behavior across multiple species in order to find commonalities among different groups and learn about interactions among various animals. With this in mind, we can hypothesize the reasons for snake scent application (SSA) among the Spermophilus squirrel species, Beecheyi and Variegatus. A number of testable hypotheses can explain squirrel behavior regarding SSA: SSA is utilized as a means of protection from predators, SSA is used by squirrels for mating, and SSA allows squirrels to ward off other animals competing for limited space. Following the hypothesis that ground squirrels employ SSA as protection from predation, we expect to observe snake scent application on all body regions, rather than application to one specific location more heavily than the others. For the purpose of this study, a null hypothesis declares that snake scent application is a random behavior (with respect to body regions) exhibited by these squirrels. Methods: In order to observe SSA behavior among the ground squirrel species, we watched eight videos (four of S. beecheyi, four of S. variegatus) of squirrels chewing and applying snake skin to their bodies (Life Science Core, UCLA. 2008-11). To collect data, we tallied the frequency of applications on the following body regions: flank, head, front leg, hind leg, and tail (refer to Tables 1-3). Aside from application frequencies, my group did not record any other measurable data on SSA behavior

among these ground squirrels. Results: Following data collection, we interpreted our results. All pertinent data regarding SSA frequency can be found in Tables 1-2. Additionally, Table 3 lists the combined frequencies of application on the various body regions of both species. In order to verify or reject the null hypothesis, we utilized the statistical chi-square test. In this method, a chisquare value is determined by comparing expected and observed behaviors of SSA among the squirrel species (Life Science Core, UCLA. 2008-11). After obtaining a chi-square value for each data set (refer to Table 4 for a sample calculation), we compared it to our critical value of 9.488, found on the table (page 10 in lab manual) using a degrees of freedom of 4 and standard probability value of 0.05. Table 5, Table 6, and Table 7 list indicative values for determining the validity of our null hypothesis. As shown, all chi-square values are significantly higher than our critical value. Thus, for all three data sets, the null hypothesis can be rejected, and we cannot conclude that snake scent application is a random behavior. Table 1: Spermophilus Beecheyi SSA Frequency Observation Flank Head Front Hind Tail Leg Leg Squirrel 7 0 1 8 9 1 Squirrel 2 0 2 5 7 2 Squirrel 8 0 1 1 0 3 Squirrel 13 0 9 6 3 4 Total 30 0 13 20 19

Table 2: Spermophilus Variegatus SSA Frequency Observations Flank Head Front Hind Tail Leg Leg Squirrel 10 0 4 3 4 1 Squirrel 5 0 0 5 5 2 Squirrel 5 0 0 1 4 3 Squirrel 3 0 3 1 3 4 Total 23 0 7 10 16 Table 3: Combined-Species SSA Flank Head Front Leg Total 53 0 20 Frequency Observations Hind Tail Total Leg 30 35 138

Table 4: Sample Chi-Square Calculations for CombinedSpecies Data Flank Head Front Hind Tail Total Leg Leg Expect 27.6 27.6 27.6 27.6 27.6 138 ed Obser 53 0 20 30 35 138 ved O-E 25.4 -27.6 -7.6 2.4 7.4

(O-E)2 645.1 761.7 57.76

5.76

54.76

(OE)2E

23.38

27.6

2.09

0.21

1.98

55.26

Table 5: Significant Values in Evaluation of Null Hypothesis for S. beecheyi Chi-Square Critical Value Degrees of Freedom 29.58 9.488 4 Table 6: Significant Values in Evaluation of Null Hypothesis for S. variegatus Chi-Square Critical Value Degrees of Freedom 27.40 9.488 4 Table 7: Significant Values in Evaluation of Null Hypothesis for Combined Species Chi-Square Critical Value Degrees of Freedom 55.26 9.488 4 Discussion: In a similar study, Barbara Clucas et al. compared SSA frequencies among different sex and age groups of the same squirrel species. While there was no clear pattern differences between the species, juvenile and adult female squirrels tended to apply snake skin to their bodies more frequently than did adult males (Clucas et al. 2008). Clucas et al. used

this observation to support one hypothesis that squirrels apply snake scent to their bodies in order to fend against predators (Clucas et al. 2008). However, our hypothesis that SSA is used as a means of protection from predators cannot be supported by evidence from our experiment alone. We predicted that snake scent application would be performed on all body regions if this hypothesis was true. As shown, no application to the head was observed, while the flank greatly outnumbered the other areas in terms of frequency. This coincides with our results showing that the null hypothesis of random SSA behavior cannot be supported. Thus, we might reconsider our hypothesis. It is possible that SSA is used by squirrels in a more environment-dependent situation because most application was done on the flank in both species. In a future study on this behavior, it would be beneficial to investigate additional factors such as the squirrels habitats. Finally, this study found no major differences in application patterns between S. beecheyi and S. variegatus. While behavior appears similar for the two species, a single study cannot be conclusive about all squirrel species. As mentioned, a more acceptable study would investigate a number of distinguished factors such as squirrel habitats, sex, age, and even additional known behaviors that may be helpful in explaining the behaviors at test. References: Clucas, B., M.P. Rowe, D.H. Owings, and P.C. Arrowood. 2008. Snake scent application in ground squirrels, Spermophilus spp.: a novel form of antipredator behaviour? Animal Behaviour 75: 299-307. Life Science Core, UCLA. 2008-11. Life Science 1 Evolution Ecology and Biodiversity Demonstration Manual. Edition 8.1. UC Regents, Berkeley, CA.