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Olazábal DE, Pillay N, Sandberg N, Hartman KJ. Description and comparison of brain distribution of oxytocin receptors in Rhabdomys pumillio and Rhabdomys dilectus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 335:114224. [PMID: 36702289 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) distribution in the brain has been associated with different reproductive and social strategies of species. Rhabdomys pumilio (R. pumilio) and Rhabdomys dilectus (R. dilectus) are two sister rodent species that live in large/medium (but flexible) or small (mostly solitary) social groups respectively. In this study, we describe and compare the distribution of OXTR in these two species. OXTR binding in the brain of R. pumilio (8 females and 5 males) and R. dilectus (8 females and 5 males) adults was determined using autoradiography. Our results revealed significant differences in the nucleus accumbens, diagonal band, medial preoptic area, lateral habenula, superior colliculus, periaqueductal area and anterior paraventricular nucleus (higher in R. dilectus), and the dorsal lateral septum and anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (higher in R. pumilio). OXTR density in other brain regions, such as the amygdala nuclei and hippocampus, did not differ between the two species. Sex differences were found in the medial preoptic area and ventral region of the lateral septum in R. pumilio (OXTR density higher in males) and in the anterior paraventricular thalamic nucleus, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and basolateral amygdala of R. dilectus (OXTR density higher in females). A sex difference in the density of OXTR was also found in the posterior region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, where it was higher in males than in females of both species. This study shows species-specific brain distribution of OXTR in R. pumilio and R. dilectus that are unique, but with similarities with other polygynous or promiscuous rodent species that live in variable size groups, such as R. norvergicus, C. sociabilis, S. teguina and M. musculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Olazábal
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Udelar, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - N Pillay
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - N Sandberg
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Udelar, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - K-J Hartman
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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2
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Rogers FD, Peña CJ, Mallarino R. African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) as a neurobehavioral model for male parental care. Horm Behav 2023; 152:105364. [PMID: 37087766 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is diversely demonstrated across the animal kingdom, such that active practitioners and repertoires of parental behavior vary dramatically between and within taxa. For mammals, maternal care is ubiquitous while paternal and alloparental care are rare. The African striped mouse, a rodent species in the family Muridae, demonstrates maternal, paternal, and alloparental care. Because socio-environmental factors can considerably influence the development of their social behavior, including that of paternal and alloparental care, African striped mice are considered socially flexible. Here, we highlight African striped mice as a new model for the neurobiological study of male parental care. We first provide essential background information on the species' natural ecological setting and reproductive behavior, as well as the species-relevant interaction between ecology and reproduction. We then introduce the nature of maternal, paternal, and alloparental care in the species. Lastly, we provide a review of existing developmental and neurobiological perspectives and highlight potential avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Forrest Dylan Rogers
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Washington Rd., Princeton, NJ 08544, United States of America; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, 119 Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Rd., Princeton, NJ 08544, United States of America.
| | - Catherine Jensen Peña
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Washington Rd., Princeton, NJ 08544, United States of America
| | - Ricardo Mallarino
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, 119 Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Rd., Princeton, NJ 08544, United States of America
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3
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McMahon EK, Farhan S, Cavigelli SA. How do we characterize temperament? Broad testing of temperament across time and contexts in low-variable conditions. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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4
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O'Brien SL, Irian CG, Bentley GE, Lacey EA. Sex, not social behavior, predicts fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in a facultatively social rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus). Horm Behav 2022; 141:105152. [PMID: 35286897 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Social relationships may influence circulating glucocorticoid levels, particularly in group-living species in which individuals regularly engage in interactions with conspecifics. The effects of such interactions appear to vary, with greater social contact being associated with increased glucocorticoid concentrations in some species but decreased concentrations in others. These distinct responses raise intriguing questions regarding relationships among social behavior, individual phenotypes, and glucocorticoid physiology. To explore such relationships in a free-living mammal with a dynamic social organization, we quantified variation in baseline glucocorticoids in a population of highland tuco-tucos (Ctenomys opimus) from Jujuy Province, Argentina. These subterranean rodents are facultatively social, with lone and group-living individuals regularly occurring within the same population. To assess potential endocrine correlates of this behavioral variability, we examined differences in baseline fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCm) concentrations as a function of social group size and composition as well as several metrics of social behavior derived from social network analyses. Despite marked variability in social relationships among the 37 (12 male, 25 female) free-living tuco-tucos sampled, none of the measures of social behavior examined were significant predictors of variation in fGCm concentrations. In contrast, individual variation in glucocorticoid metabolites was best explained by sex, with males having higher fGCm concentrations than females. These analyses provide the first characterization of the glucocorticoid physiology of highland tuco-tucos and underscore the potential importance of intrinsic phenotypic factors (e.g., sex) in shaping glucocorticoid variation in free-living mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L O'Brien
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Christian G Irian
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - George E Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Eileen A Lacey
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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5
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Rimbach R, Hartman KJ, Currin C, Schradin C, Pillay N. Females of solitary- and group-living sister species of African striped mice show a similar social structure following experimentally imposed group-living. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03144-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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6
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Moran NP, Caspers BA, Chakarov N, Ernst UR, Fricke C, Kurtz J, Lilie ND, Lo LK, Müller C, R R, Takola E, Trimmer PC, van Benthem KJ, Winternitz J, Wittmann MJ. Shifts between cooperation and antagonism driven by individual variation: a systematic synthesis review. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P. Moran
- Centre for Ocean Life DTU‐Aqua, Technical Univ. of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld Univ. Bielefeld Germany
| | | | | | - Ulrich R. Ernst
- Inst. for Evolution and Biodiversity, Univ. of Münster Münster Germany
- Apicultural State Inst., Univ. of Hohenheim Stuttgart Germany
| | - Claudia Fricke
- Inst. for Evolution and Biodiversity, Univ. of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Joachim Kurtz
- Inst. for Evolution and Biodiversity, Univ. of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Navina D. Lilie
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld Univ. Bielefeld Germany
- Dept of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld Univ. Bielefeld Germany
| | - Lai Ka Lo
- Inst. for Evolution and Biodiversity, Univ. of Münster Münster Germany
| | | | - Reshma R
- Inst. for Evolution and Biodiversity, Univ. of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Elina Takola
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena Jena Germany
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7
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Chu B, Ji C, Zhou J, Zhou Y, Hua L. Why does the plateau zokor ( Myospalax fontanieri: Rodentia: Spalacidae) move on the ground in summer in the eastern Qilian Mountains? J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Subterranean rodents spend most of their lives in underground burrow systems, and most studies to date on their morphological, behavioral, and physiological, adaptations have been based on their whole-life existence in subterranean ecotopes. However, a few studies have reported that some subterranean rodents exhibit aboveground activity under particular circumstances, and the results of these studies help zoologists to better understand the adaptations of subterranean rodents coping both with belowground and aboveground environments. These studies, however, do not include direct observations of the aboveground activity of these rodents. Moreover, studies into the factors that influence the movement of these subterranean rodents outside of their burrow systems are relatively scarce. Here, we report the aboveground activity pattern of plateau zokor (Myospalax fontanieri) based on videos and photographs captured by infrared cameras combined with radiotracking technology in the eastern Qilian Mountains, northwest China. In addition, the potential factors that influence the aboveground activity of plateau zokor, including temperature, humidity, food, dispersal, and mating, were studied in 2015 and 2016. We found that, of the 16 zokors with radiocollars, five females moved aboveground during the day and night in June and July 2015, with the frequency of their aboveground activity being higher during the day than that at night. Temperature, humidity, mating, and dispersal, had no effects on aboveground plateau zokor movement. However, results of a binary logistic regression indicated that the crude fat contents of aboveground and belowground plants were positively and negatively correlated with the aboveground activity of these zokors, respectively. We infer that plateau zokor move on the ground to forage for plants with higher fat content and that changes in available nutrients might serve as potential cues that affect the surface activity of plateau zokor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chu
- College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chengpeng Ji
- College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jianwei Zhou
- College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yanshan Zhou
- College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou, China
| | - Limin Hua
- College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou, China
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8
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Hill DL, Pillay N, Schradin C. Glucocorticoid levels predict subsequent social tactic in females of a facultatively social mammal. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Davina L. Hill
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Neville Pillay
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Carsten Schradin
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa
- Université de StrasbourgCNRSIPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
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9
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Zhao X, Castelli FR, Wang R, Auger AP, Marler CA. Testosterone-related behavioral and neural mechanisms associated with location preferences: A model for territorial establishment. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104709. [PMID: 32007517 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Territoriality is an adaptive behavioral trait that is important for animal's fitness and there still remains much to learn about the proximate mechanisms underlying the development of territoriality. We speculate that the formation of a conditioned place preference (CPP), an increased time allocation to the environment where a rewarding experience occurred, contributes to territoriality. Testosterone (T) plays an important role in modulating territorial behaviors and T pulses can induce a CPP. We confirmed previous findings in California mice (Peromyscus californicus) that T pulses can induce a CPP in singly-housed, but not group-housed males. Housing singly may be similar enough to dispersal in nature to initiate similar hormonal and neuroanatomical changes needed for the development of territoriality. We further revealed that T pulses interact with the single housing experience and appear to enhance the motivation to be aggressive towards a stimulus male. On a neural level, being singly housed upregulated levels of androgen receptors in the preoptic area, which positively correlated with the strength of the CPP. We speculate that this change in androgen sensitivity in the preoptic area is characteristic of males that have dispersed, making them more sensitive to T pulses. Also, single housing increased markers of synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens, ventral and dorsal hippocampus, neural changes that may be associated with dispersal, reproduction and territory establishment. These behavioral and neural changes may reflect the life history transition from residing in the natal territory to dispersing and establishing a new territory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Frank R Castelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Ruyi Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Anthony P Auger
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Catherine A Marler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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10
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Carlitz EHD, Runge JN, König B, Winkler L, Kirschbaum C, Gao W, Lindholm AK. Steroid hormones in hair reveal sexual maturity and competition in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Sci Rep 2019; 9:16925. [PMID: 31729421 PMCID: PMC6858357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53362-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Endocrine data from wild populations provide important insight into social systems. However, obtaining samples for traditional methods involves capture and restraint of animals, and/or pain, which can influence the animal’s stress level, and thereby undesirable release of hormones. Here, we measured corticosterone, testosterone and progesterone in the hair of 482 wild-derived house mice that experienced sexual competition while living under semi-natural conditions. We tested whether sex, age, weight and indicators of sexual maturity, reproduction and social conflicts predict hormone concentrations measured in hair (sampling at endpoint). We show that body weight, sex and age significantly predict cumulative testosterone and progesterone levels, allowing the differentiation between subadults and adults in both sexes. Corticosterone was only slightly elevated in older males compared to older females and increased with the level of visible injuries or scars. Testosterone in males positively correlated with body weight, age, testes size, and sperm number. Progesterone in females significantly increased with age, body weight, and the number of embryos implanted throughout life, but not with the number of litters when controlled for age and weight. Our results highlight the biological validity of hair steroid measurements and provide important insight into reproductive competition in wild house mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther H D Carlitz
- Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Jan-Niklas Runge
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Barbara König
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lennart Winkler
- Department of Applied Zoology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Clemens Kirschbaum
- Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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11
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Vuarin P, Pillay N, Schradin C. Elevated basal corticosterone levels increase disappearance risk of light but not heavy individuals in a long-term monitored rodent population. Horm Behav 2019; 113:95-102. [PMID: 31077709 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
According to the cort-fitness hypothesis, glucocorticoid levels correlate negatively with fitness. However, field studies found mixed support for this hypothesis, potentially because the association between glucocorticoids and fitness might depend on prevailing environmental conditions. Based on the long-term monitoring of a natural rodent population, we tested whether individuals with elevated corticosterone levels were more likely to disappear, accounting for individual condition and among-year variation in food availability, population density and predation pressure. We used basal corticosterone levels measured at the onset of the pre-breeding season in 331 African striped mice from six generations. While basal corticosterone levels were highly repeatable within individuals, between-individual variation was large. Survival analysis revealed that disappearance risk over the pre-breeding season increased with elevated basal corticosterone levels for light but not for heavy individuals. High levels of corticosterone may be more deleterious to smaller individuals (i.e. through allostatic overload), eventually increasing their mortality risk, and disappearance would represent actual death. An alternative non-exclusive explanation could be that high levels of corticosterone selectively trigger dispersal in light individuals, and disappearance would rather reflect their departure from the population. Although environmental conditions varied considerably among generations, none of the interactions between corticosterone and environmental variables were significant. Disappearance probability was positively correlated with both predation pressure and with food availability, a factor favoring dispersal. In sum, elevated basal corticosterone levels increased disappearance in light striped mice, either directly via reduced survival prospects and/or indirectly via dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Vuarin
- University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, South Africa
| | - Neville Pillay
- University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, South Africa
| | - Carsten Schradin
- University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, South Africa; Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
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12
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13
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Vera F, Zenuto R, Antenucci CD. Expanding the actions of cortisol and corticosterone in wild vertebrates: A necessary step to overcome the emerging challenges. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 246:337-353. [PMID: 28109824 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a review of scientific articles published between 2000 and 2014 and evaluated how frequently various aspects of cortisol and corticosterone (CORT) actions have been considered in studies on wild vertebrates. Results show that (1) the notion that CORT are stress-responsive hormones is central in our theoretical frameworks and it is reflected by the fact that several articles refer to CORT as "stress hormones". (2) The large majority of studies do not contemplate the possibility of decrease and no change in CORT levels in response to chronic stressors. (3) Our ideas about CORT actions on energy balance are slanted towards the mobilization of energy, though there are several studies considering -and empirically addressing- CORT's orexigenic actions, particularly in birds. (4) The roles of CORT in mineral-water balance, though widely documented in the biomedical area, are virtually ignored in the literature about wild vertebrates, with the exception of studies in fish. (5) Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) independent regulation of CORT secretion is also very scarcely considered. (6) The preparative, permissive, suppressive and stimulatory actions of CORT, as described by Sapolsky et al. (2000), are not currently considered by the large majority of authors. We include an extension of the Preparative Hypothesis, proposing that the priming effects of baseline and stress-induced CORT levels increase the threshold of severity necessary for subsequent stimuli to become stressors. Studies on animal ecology and conservation require integration with novel aspects of CORT actions and perspectives developed in other research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Vera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Roxana Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - C Daniel Antenucci
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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14
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Trade-offs between reproduction and health in free-ranging African striped mice. J Comp Physiol B 2017; 187:625-637. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1054-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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15
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Scheiber IBR, Weiß BM, Kingma SA, Komdeur J. The importance of the altricial - precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds - a review. Front Zool 2017; 14:3. [PMID: 28115975 PMCID: PMC5242088 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0185-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Various types of long-term stable relationships that individuals uphold, including cooperation and competition between group members, define social complexity in vertebrates. Numerous life history, physiological and cognitive traits have been shown to affect, or to be affected by, such social relationships. As such, differences in developmental modes, i.e. the ‘altricial-precocial’ spectrum, may play an important role in understanding the interspecific variation in occurrence of social interactions, but to what extent this is the case is unclear because the role of the developmental mode has not been studied directly in across-species studies of sociality. In other words, although there are studies on the effects of developmental mode on brain size, on the effects of brain size on cognition, and on the effects of cognition on social complexity, there are no studies directly investigating the link between developmental mode and social complexity. This is surprising because developmental differences play a significant role in the evolution of, for example, brain size, which is in turn considered an essential building block with respect to social complexity. Here, we compiled an overview of studies on various aspects of the complexity of social systems in altricial and precocial mammals and birds. Although systematic studies are scarce and do not allow for a quantitative comparison, we show that several forms of social relationships and cognitive abilities occur in species along the entire developmental spectrum. Based on the existing evidence it seems that differences in developmental modes play a minor role in whether or not individuals or species are able to meet the cognitive capabilities and requirements for maintaining complex social relationships. Given the scarcity of comparative studies and potential subtle differences, however, we suggest that future studies should consider developmental differences to determine whether our finding is general or whether some of the vast variation in social complexity across species can be explained by developmental mode. This would allow a more detailed assessment of the relative importance of developmental mode in the evolution of vertebrate social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella B R Scheiber
- The University of Groningen, Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Brigitte M Weiß
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, University of Leipzig, Faculty of Bioscience, Pharmacy and Psychology, Institute of Biology, Talstraße 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sjouke A Kingma
- The University of Groningen, Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- The University of Groningen, Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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16
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Schoepf I, Pillay N, Schradin C. The pathophysiology of survival in harsh environments. J Comp Physiol B 2016; 187:183-201. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1020-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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17
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18
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Hill DL, Pillay N, Schradin C. Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: Solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders. Horm Behav 2015; 71:1-9. [PMID: 25828632 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), where members of the same sex and population show distinct reproductive phenotypes governed by decision-rules, have been well-documented in males of many species, but are less well understood in females. The relative plasticity hypothesis (RPH) predicts that switches between plastic ARTs are mediated by changes in steroid hormones. This has received much support in males, but little is known about the endocrine control of female ARTs. Here, using a free-living population of African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) over five breeding seasons, we tested whether females following different tactics differed in corticosterone and testosterone levels, as reported for male striped mice using ARTs, and in progesterone and oestrogen, which are important in female reproduction. Female striped mice employ three ARTs: communal breeders give birth in a shared nest and provide alloparental care, returners leave the group temporarily to give birth, and solitary breeders leave to give birth and do not return. We expected communal breeders and returners to have higher corticosterone, owing to the social stress of group-living, and lower testosterone than solitary breeders, which must defend territories alone. Solitary breeders had lower corticosterone than returners and communal breeders, as predicted, but testosterone and progesterone did not differ between ARTs. Oestrogen levels were higher in returners (measured before leaving the group) than in communal and solitary breeders, consistent with a modulatory role. Our study demonstrates hormonal differences between females following (or about to follow) different tactics, and provides the first support for the RPH in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davina L Hill
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Neville Pillay
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Carsten Schradin
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa; Université de Strasbourg, IPHC-DEPE, 23 rue Becquerel 67087 Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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Giacomini ACVV, de Abreu MS, Koakoski G, Idalêncio R, Kalichak F, Oliveira TA, da Rosa JGS, Gusso D, Piato AL, Barcellos LJG. My stress, our stress: Blunted cortisol response to stress in isolated housed zebrafish. Physiol Behav 2015; 139:182-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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20
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Personality, body condition and breeding experience drive sociality in a facultatively social bird. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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21
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Bercovitch FB, Berry PSM. The composition and function of all-male herds of Thornicroft's giraffe,Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti, in Zambia. Afr J Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fred B. Bercovitch
- Primate Research Institute and Wildlife Research Center; Kyoto University; Inuyama Aichi 484-8506 Japan
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation; 26 Grasmere Rd Surrey CR8 1DU UK
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22
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Raynaud J, Schradin C. Experimental increase of testosterone increases boldness and decreases anxiety in male African striped mouse helpers. Physiol Behav 2014; 129:57-63. [PMID: 24534177 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Males of many species can adjust their behaviors to environmental conditions by changing reproductive tactics. Testosterone surges in adult breeding males typically inhibit the expression of paternal care while facilitating the expression of aggression during environmental changes. Similarly, in non-breeding philopatric males of cooperatively breeding species, up-regulation of testosterone may inhibit alloparental care while facilitating dispersal, i.e. males might become bolder and more explorative. We tested this hypothesis in philopatric male African striped mice, Rhabdomys pumilio. Striped mouse males can either remain in their natal groups providing alloparental care or they can disperse seeking mating opportunities. Compared to philopatric males, dispersed males typically show higher testosterone levels and lower corticosterone levels, and more aggression toward pups and same sex conspecifics. We experimentally increased the testosterone levels of the philopatric males kept in their family groups when pups were present. Testosterone-treated males did not differ significantly from control males in alloparental care and in aggression toward same-sex conspecifics. Compared to the control males, testosterone treated males were bolder, more active, and less anxious; they also showed lower corticosterone levels. The philopatric males were sensitive to our testosterone treatment for dispersal- and anxiety-like behavior but insensitive for social behaviors. Our results suggest a role of testosterone in dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Raynaud
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Carsten Schradin
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Université de Strasbourg, IPHC-DEPE, France; CNRS, UMR7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
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23
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Sociality and oxytocin and vasopressin in the brain of male and female dominant and subordinate mandarin voles. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2013; 200:149-59. [PMID: 24292210 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-013-0870-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2013] [Revised: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The dominant-subordinate hierarchy in animals often needs to be established via agonistic encounters and consequently affects reproduction and survival. Differences in brain neuropeptides and sociality among dominant and subordinate males and females remain poorly understood. Here we explore neuropeptide levels and sociality during agonistic encounter tests in mandarin voles. We found that dominant mandarin voles engaged in higher levels of approaching, investigating, self-grooming and exploring behavior than subordinates. Dominant males habituated better to a stimulus vole than dominant females. Dominant males displayed significantly less oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei and more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei, supraoptic nuclei, and the lateral and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Dominant females displayed significantly more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Sex differences were found in the level of oxytocin and vasopressin. These results indicate that distinct parameters related to central nervous oxytocin and vasopressin are associated with behaviors during agonistic encounters in a sex-specific manner in mandarin voles.
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Woodruff JA, Lacey EA, Bentley GE, Kriegsfeld LJ. Effects of social environment on baseline glucocorticoid levels in a communally breeding rodent, the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis). Horm Behav 2013; 64:566-72. [PMID: 23928366 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2013] [Revised: 07/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The social environment in which an animal lives can profoundly impact its physiology, including glucocorticoid (GC) responses to external stressors. In social, group-living species, individuals may face stressors arising from regular interactions with conspecifics as well as those associated with basic life history needs such as acquiring food or shelter. To explore the relative contributions of these two types of stressors on glucocorticoid physiology in a communally breeding mammal, we characterized baseline GC levels in female colonial tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis), which are subterranean rodents endemic to southwestern Argentina. Long-term field studies have revealed that while about half of all yearling female C. sociabilis live and breed alone, the remainder live and breed within their natal group. We assessed the effects of this intraspecific variation in social environment on GC physiology by comparing concentrations of baseline fecal corticosterone metabolite (fCM) for (1) lone and group-living yearling females in a free-living population of C. sociabilis and (2) captive yearling female C. sociabilis that had been experimentally assigned to live alone or with conspecifics. In both cases, lone females displayed significantly higher mean baseline fCM concentrations. Data from free-living animals indicated that this outcome arose from differences in circadian patterns of GC production. fCM concentrations for group-living animals declined in the afternoon while fCM in lone individuals did not. These findings suggest that for C. sociabilis, stressors associated with basic life history functions present greater challenges than those arising from interactions with conspecifics. Our study is one of the first to examine GC levels in a plural-breeding mammal in which the effects of group-living are not confounded by differences in reproductive or dominance status, thereby generating important insights into the endocrine consequences of group-living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Woodruff
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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