Social categories in families of Mongolian gerbils.

Mongolian gerbils are a species of rodent in Asia living in families, although aggression occurs within these social units. The aim of this study was to determine the causes for the surge of intrafamily aggression and to characterize different types of animals. Due to behavioral measures, animals were assigned to distinct social categories and the consequences of social stress were analyzed on an individual level. Four families established from founder pairs were kept for up to 2.5 years in large enclosures. Social interactions within each family were recorded for at least 5 days per week throughout the long-term experiment and fecal samples were collected weekly for the determination of corticosterone concentration. Moreover, adrenals were weighed and histologically analyzed. Two main causes for the outbreak of aggression were distinguished: changes in family structure and female competition for reproduction. As a result of these aggression periods, it was possible to divide animals into social categories: (1) integrated family members (IFM), (2) founder pair animals (FPA) and (3) expelled family members (EFM). Integrated animals had the lightest adrenal glands [related to the fat-free mass (FFM)] and lowest corticosterone level in aggression periods. Founder animals were never attacked by other members, reproduced successfully and displayed the highest stress level in most of the measured parameters. EFM were attacked and excluded mainly by the founder females. Their stress level was intermediate.