caa a22 4500 605541957 CHVBK 20210128100919.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20151101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10071-015-0892-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10071-015-0892-y Seasonal variation in attention and spatial performance in a wild population of the African striped mouse ( Rhabdomys pumilio ) [Elektronische Daten] [Audrey Maille, Neville Pillay, Carsten Schradin] Cognitive flexibility describes the reversible changes of cognition in response to environmental changes. Although various environmental factors such as temperature, photoperiod and rainfall change seasonally, seasonal variation in cognitive performance has been reported in merely a few birds and mammals. We assessed whether cognitive performance in a wild population of African striped mice Rhabdomys pumilio, from the Succulent Karoo semidesert of South Africa, differed between summer and winter. In order to measure cognitive performance, striped mice were trapped in the field, tested under laboratory conditions at our research station and returned to the field within 5h. We measured attention and spatial memory using the standardized orientation response test and the Barnes maze test. Males tested during summer oriented faster toward a predator-stimulus but made more errors and took longer to locate a shelter than males tested during winter. In contrast, females' performance did not differ between the two seasons. We discuss how the faster orientation in males during winter might be the consequence of lower temperatures and/or prolonged food restriction. We suggest that the enhancement of spatial performance during winter might be due to a greater motivation for future dispersal in male striped mice, as spring represents the breeding season. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2015 Cognitive flexibility nationallicence Seasonality nationallicence Orientation response nationallicence Spatial memory nationallicence Sex differences nationallicence Maille Audrey UMR 7178, CNRS, 67087, Strasbourg, France aut Pillay Neville School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa aut Schradin Carsten UMR 7178, CNRS, 67087, Strasbourg, France aut Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/6(2015-11-01), 1231-1242 1435-9448 18:6<1231 2015 18 10071 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0892-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-015-0892-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Maille Audrey UMR 7178, CNRS, 67087, Strasbourg, France aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pillay Neville School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schradin Carsten UMR 7178, CNRS, 67087, Strasbourg, France aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Animal Cognition Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18/6(2015-11-01), 1231-1242 1435-9448 18:6<1231 2015 18 10071