How to explore a new environment: exploratory tactics of the black rat (Rattus rattus).

ABSTRACT: The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a unique model for studying exploratory tactics due to its enormous colonizing potential. Considerable behavioral variability and consistent interindividual differences might help populations inhabit new environments and persist there even under intense pressure. Additionally, the affinity of the black rat for climbing might be another advantage, widening their potential niche. In this study, we describe the exploratory tactics of the black rats when introduced to a novel environment. In the first experiment, we tested 12 rats and calculated repeatability of their behaviors across 12 sessions of an enriched open-field test. We concluded that climbing is a highly repeatable behavior that serves as an important source of interindividual variability. In

SUBMITTER: Stolhoferova I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11255999 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature