Water in the Diet of the Great Basin Pocket Mouse
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 137B
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Water, Diet, Arid Organisms
Abstract
The Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus) is an inhabitant of arid regions that can obtain all its water needs from food sources (mainly seeds) instead of from drinking water. I tested the hypothesis that the Great Basin pocket mouse prefers seeds with higher water content. I compared preferences of a captive pocket mouse for different seed types with varying water content as well as dried seeds versus pre-moistened seeds. Six different dried seed types were tested in two groups of similar sized seeds: Millet, Milo, Flax (Group 1, small seeds); and Sunflower, Wheat, and Cracked Corn (Group 2, large seeds). Each group was offered to the pocket mouse twice a day for two weeks. Among the smaller dry seeds, the pocket mouse preferred millet over milo, and did not select any flaxseed. Among the larger seeds, the pocket mouse preferred wheat, which was the seed type with the highest water content. In a second experiment, a control (dry) seed mixture (equal parts of all six seed types) and an experimentally moistened group (same seed mixture) were offered to the pocket mouse. The pocket mouse preferred dried seeds over pre-moistened seeds. These results suggest that the pocket mouse prefers dried seeds over rehydrated seeds. The dry seeds preferred by the mouse had 8 to 12 percent water (by weight), and may have provided some water through metabolic breakdown of lipids.
Recommended Citation
Skewis, Robin, "Water in the Diet of the Great Basin Pocket Mouse" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 97.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/97
Department/Program
Biological Sciences
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
Water in the Diet of the Great Basin Pocket Mouse
SURC 137B
The Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus) is an inhabitant of arid regions that can obtain all its water needs from food sources (mainly seeds) instead of from drinking water. I tested the hypothesis that the Great Basin pocket mouse prefers seeds with higher water content. I compared preferences of a captive pocket mouse for different seed types with varying water content as well as dried seeds versus pre-moistened seeds. Six different dried seed types were tested in two groups of similar sized seeds: Millet, Milo, Flax (Group 1, small seeds); and Sunflower, Wheat, and Cracked Corn (Group 2, large seeds). Each group was offered to the pocket mouse twice a day for two weeks. Among the smaller dry seeds, the pocket mouse preferred millet over milo, and did not select any flaxseed. Among the larger seeds, the pocket mouse preferred wheat, which was the seed type with the highest water content. In a second experiment, a control (dry) seed mixture (equal parts of all six seed types) and an experimentally moistened group (same seed mixture) were offered to the pocket mouse. The pocket mouse preferred dried seeds over pre-moistened seeds. These results suggest that the pocket mouse prefers dried seeds over rehydrated seeds. The dry seeds preferred by the mouse had 8 to 12 percent water (by weight), and may have provided some water through metabolic breakdown of lipids.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Kristina Ernest