Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) exhibit behavioral, morphological, and neuroe... more Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) exhibit behavioral, morphological, and neuroendocrinological traits associated with monogamy and are considered a model system to examine the biological foundations of monogamy in mammals. We examined allelic polymorphism at microsatellite loci to assess mating exclusivity in wild prairie voles sampled in east-central Illinois and found evidence of multiple paternity in five of nine litters (56%) analyzed. Thus, a female in this socially monogamous mammal with extensive mechanisms for pair bonding does not always mate solely with its partner and raises the paradox of why some pair-bonded females mate multiply.
Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) exhibit behavioral, morphological, and neuroe... more Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) exhibit behavioral, morphological, and neuroendocrinological traits associated with monogamy and are considered a model system to examine the biological foundations of monogamy in mammals. We examined allelic polymorphism at microsatellite loci to assess mating exclusivity in wild prairie voles sampled in east-central Illinois and found evidence of multiple paternity in five of nine litters (56%) analyzed. Thus, a female in this socially monogamous mammal with extensive mechanisms for pair bonding does not always mate solely with its partner and raises the paradox of why some pair-bonded females mate multiply.
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