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PubMed1985

Stimulus requirements for prolactin and LH secretion in incubating ring doves.

To study the regulation of prolactin secretion and incubation behavior during breeding, stimuli available during the prehatching period were manipulated, and plasma prolactin and LH and pituitary prolactin concentrations were assayed. Four groups were compared: (a) nest and eggs removed (b) eggs replaced with infertile eggs, (c) eggs replaced with infertile eggs and partners separated, and (d) unmanipulated controls. The increase in prolactin secretion that normally occurs at the end of incubation was reversed when the nest and eggs were removed but was unaffected by the absence of the mate. Prolactin secretion was not maintained in males sitting beyond the normal incubation period (on infertile eggs), while it was maintained in females but only in the presence of the mate. In the control birds, the increase in plasma prolactin was accompanied by an increase in pituitary content; while in the manipulated groups, an inhibition of prolactin secretion was associated with a transient increase in pituitary content. Plasma LH levels were low in control birds during the time of high prolactin secretion, and in all groups where the disruption of normal breeding stimuli caused an early fall in prolactin, there was a concomitant increase in LH secretion. In animals which had been separated from their mates and provided with a nest bowl and eggs, continuous observations of incubation behavior were made and plasma was sampled every third day. Parallel changes in prolactin and sitting behavior occurred in some of the animals, while others continued to incubate after prolactin had declined. In no instance did an animal which maintained high prolactin show a decline in incubation. This suggests that prolactin can serve to maintain incubation, while incubation does not necessarily stimulate prolactin secretion at this phase of the breeding cycle.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Antiphonal duetting and sex hormones in the tropical bush shrike Laniarius funebris (HARTLAUB).

We investigated changes in antiphonal duetting with phases of reproduction and circulating levels of luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and estradiol in slate-colored boubous (Laniarius funebris) breeding in aviaries. Frequency of overall male singing did not vary with reproductive phase while frequencies of female singing and female vocal responses to male song were reduced during incubation and feeding of nestlings. This resulted in significant changes in frequency of duetting. Males sang the sexual song type M1 more often during courtship and nest building than during the nestlings phase. Their territorial song types M2 and M4 did not vary with breeding phase. Females were less responsive to M1 during incubation and to M2 during the nest building and nestlings than during the courtship phase. Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone increased in males from the prebreeding to the courtship phase. While testosterone decreased already during nest building and remained low during subsequent phases of reproduction, luteinizing hormone decreased during incubation and feeding of nestlings. Female luteinizing hormone levels were highest during nest building. Female estradiol levels decreased from nest building to incubation and increased again during subsequent nest building. Female testosterone levels were low but not basal and did not vary with phase. Neither the overall male and female singing frequencies nor the frequencies of male song types were correlated with hormonal state. However, female participation in territorial duets M4 correlated positively with their testosterone levels. It is suggested that in this monogamous, duetting species with prolonged pairbonds behavioral cues between the mates are more important than the hormonal state in control of male and female singing.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Brood size affects behavior, interclutch interval, LH levels, and weight in ring dove (Streptopelia risoria) breeding pairs.

This study examines the effects of experimental manipulation of brood size (one or two squabs) on the behavior, interclutch interval, plasma LH concentrations, and weights of ring dove parents. Twelve dove pairs were observed, sampled, and weighed over a cycle with one and a cycle with two squabs. Before hatch, no parameter showed any difference between pairs which would subsequently have one or have two squabs. After hatch, males and females having one squab fed less, while males showed more perch-, bow-, and nest-cooing over the 2 weeks after hatch. Females also showed more nest-cooing with one squab and a shorter interclutch interval. For both sexes the plasma LH concentrations were higher when rearing a single squab, showed a lesser decrease after hatch, and increased more rapidly. Both sexes also showed a smaller weight loss when rearing a single squab. The results show that the intricate relationships between behavior, physiology, and reproduction in the ring dove are tuned to brood size and emphasize the latter factor as an important and meaningful variable in the doves' reproductive cycle.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Maternal responsiveness to infant Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) ultrasonic vocalizations during the maternal behavior cycle and after steroid and experiential induction regimens.

When removed from the nest and placed in a cool environment, Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) pups emit ultrasonic vocalizations that can elicit maternal search behavior. The authors examined the behavior of pregnant dams, mothers, and virgin females during exposure to a pup that was either warm and silent or cool and vocalizing. Results indicate potentiated maternal reactions to a vocalizing pup: Mothers approached and maintained proximal orientation to a vocalizing pup far more than did virgin females. Elevated levels of proximal orientation appeared within hours of birth, increased during the 1st week postpartum, and declined by the time of weaning. Estrogen plus progesterone administration facilitated virgin females' proximal orientation toward vocalizing pups, whereas prolonged exposure to pups in the absence of hormones was without effect, suggesting that the ontogeny of the maternal response is regulated, at least in part, by maternal hormones.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Communal nesting patterns in mice implicate MHC genes in kin recognition.

House mice (Mus musculus domesticus) form communal nests and appear to nurse each other's pups indiscriminately. Communal nesting probably functions to reduce infanticide, but it also makes females vulnerable to exploitation if nursing partners fail to provide their fair share of care. Kinship theory predicts that females will preferentially form communal nests with relatives to minimize exploitation and further increase inclusive fitness. Here we provide evidence from seminatural populations that females prefer communal nesting partners that share allelic forms of major histocompatibility complex genes. Such behaviour would lead to the selection of close relatives as communal nesting partners. Although criteria for the demonstration of kin recognition are currently embroiled in controversy, this is the first vertebrate study to meet Grafen's restrictive requirements: discrimination is based on genetic similarity at highly polymorphic loci, incidental correlations due to relatedness are experimentally controlled, and strong reasons exist for expecting the assayed behaviour to be kin-selected.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Nesting material and number of females per cage: effects on mouse productivity in BALB/c, C57BL/6J, DBA/2 and NIH/S mice.

Two different materials-aspen wood-wool and paper towel-were compared as nesting material for three inbred mouse strains (BALB/c, C57BL/6J and DBA/2) housed in barrier conditions. In addition, the effect of varying the number of females per cage (one to three per cage) of these three strains and with NIH/S outbred mouse stock was studied. The number of litters, litter size and neonatal mortality were determined, as well as age, sex and weight of weanlings. The type of nesting material did not affect the characteristics monitored. In all strains, the number of weanlings per female was greatest in singly-housed females. In terms of the number of weanlings per cage, two females per cage gave the best result. In DBA/2 mice, neonatal mortality increased when several females were caged together.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Preferences for cocaine- or pup-associated chambers differentiates otherwise behaviorally identical postpartum maternal rats.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Our previous work uncovered a differential preference of maternal female rats for cues associated with pups versus cues associated with cocaine at three different postpartum time points. Our current study examines the preference for these cues in conjunction with an assessment of the capacity to express the maternal behavior at one of these time points. We examined dams at day 10 postpartum using a procedure that included two additional controls, and a complete assessment of the expression of maternal behavior and locomotor activity. METHODS: A conditioned place-preference procedure was used to determine the preference for cocaine- or pup-associated cues. The two controls were (1) a preconditioning test to verify no initial chamber preference and (2) a separate control group of postpartum day-10 dams exposed to chambers and cues but not to unconditioned stimuli. The expression of maternal behavior was determined by measurement of maternal nest building, retrieval of pups to the nest, grooming, crouching over pups, nursing, and maternal aggression. Locomotor activity was measured with an automated apparatus. RESULTS: Dams conditioned with cocaine or pups showed a preference for either the cocaine-associated chamber or the pup-associated chamber, confirming the existence of two similar-sized preference groups at this time point. Regardless of preference, dams had equal and robust expression of maternal behavior and similar locomotor capacity. The pre-conditioning test showed no initial chamber preferences and did not alter the conditioned preference response. The use of unconditioned stimuli in the place-preference conditioning procedure was effective and necessary for the preference response. CONCLUSION: Our current study has revealed that differences in the motivational state of the maternal dam emerge even while the expression of maternal behavior is constant and substantial. The data suggest that the difference in preference is a very specific appetitive response that is not linked to expression of maternal behavior or locomotor capacity.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Decreases in nestlet shredding of mice by serotonin uptake inhibitors: comparison with marble burying.

Methods for detection of anxiolytic-like behavioral effects of serotonin uptake inhibitors are limited. The present study introduces a new quantitative method that permits dose-effect analysis of these compounds. Male NIH Swiss mice were given 60-min access to a piece of cotton gauze and the amount of material not torn into nesting material was weighed. Other groups of mice were individually placed in containers with 20 marbles resting on top of sawdust bedding. The number of marbles buried (2/3) by sawdust after 30 min was counted. Mice were first placed on a 6-rpm rotorod and the number of mice falling off twice in 2 min was measured. Serotonin uptake inhibitors (clomipramine, citalopram, fluoxetine, and venlafaxine) dose-dependently suppressed nestlet shredding and marble burying at doses that were generally without effect on rotorod performance. The amine-based antidepressant agents imipramine and desipramine as well as the selective norepinephrine transport inhibitor nisoxetine produced similar qualitative effects on these behaviors. Anxiolytics (chlordiazepoxide, bretazenil, buspirone, and pentobarbital) produced effects in the nestlet assay that were similar to those reported using another anxiolytic assay in mice (punished responding), whereas these compounds were not active at non-motor-impairing doses in the marble burying assay. The antipsychotic agents chlorpromazine and risperidone generally demonstrated suppression of nestlet shredding and marble burying at doses that impaired rotorod performance. Although d-amphetamine suppressed nestlet shredding and marble burying at doses without effect on the rotorod, d-amphetamine but not fluoxetine stimulated locomotor activity. Both nestlet shredding and marble burying behaviors were generally consistent across five consecutive experimental sessions and fluoxetine did not produce any systematic trends over repeated testing. The methods should have utility in defining pharmacological effects of these compounds in vivo. Moreover, these data may be useful in the context of other behavioral effects when assessing the relevance of a compound for its potential therapeutic potential as an anxiolytic (nestlet shredding) or as an anti-obsessive-compulsive disorder agent (marble burying).

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Male 11-ketotestosterone levels change as a result of being watched in Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens.

This study investigated the effects of nesting status and the presence of an audience on 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) levels in male Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. Prior studies have demonstrated that both nesting status, an indicator of territory-holding power and reproductive state, and the sex of a conspecific audience lead to differences in male behavior during aggressive encounters. Since behavioral changes have already been demonstrated, we chose to investigate whether 11KT levels were also influenced by nesting status and audience presence as 11KT both stimulates, and is stimulated by, reproductive and aggressive behaviors in male teleosts. Male 11KT levels were measured from water samples taken from containers holding fish both before and after interaction. Males interacted under three treatment conditions: no audience, female audience, and male audience. Within these treatments were two nest paradigms: both males had nests or neither male had a nest. 11KT levels varied depending on nesting status and audience type. In general, 11KT levels were lower in interacting males when a female audience was present or when males had nests. Overall, 11KT showed increases or decreases as aggression increased or decreased, as shown by already established behavioral findings [see Dzieweczynski T.L., Green T.M., Earley R.L., Rowland W.J., 2005. Audience effect is context dependent in Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. Behav. Ecol. 16, 1025-1030; Doutrelant, C., McGregor, P.K., Oliveira, R.F., 2001. Effect of an audience on intrasexual communication in male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). Behav. Ecol. 12, 283-286.]. Our results suggest that 11KT levels are influenced by reproductive status, as indicated by nest ownership, and audience presence and are most likely modulated by territorial behavior and social environment.

Aggression↗

PubMed1981

Sensory influences on homing of stunted rat pups.

The effects of 2 methods of restricting food intake--large-litter rearing and rotation between lactating and nonlactating females--on sensory factors involved in homing to the nest by rat pups were examined. Homing was observed in the unaltered home cage, when olfactory cues were altered and when visual cues were altered. Stunted animals homed less in the unaltered cage than did well-nourished controls as a result of a maturational delay. Prior to eye opening, stunted animals showed greater disruption of homing when olfactory cues were altered and after eye opening they showed greater disruption when visual cues were altered. These effects could reflect decreased sensitivity, an inability to use alternate cues, or behavioral disruption by novel stimulation. Nonnutritional factors were also found to affect homing as the 2 well-nourished groups differed in their behaviors. These differences appeared to be due to animals reared in small litters maturing more slowly than animals rotated between females.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Social influences on parental and nonparental responses toward pups in virgin female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Pair-bonded prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are biparental after the birth of pups. However, whereas most adult virgin males are parental, most virgin females are not. In 6 experiments, influences on the parental behavior of virgin female prairie voles were examined. It was found that (a) young virgin females were more maternal than older females, (b) the postweaning sex ratio of cage-mates did not affect females' responses to pups, (c) females raised to adulthood with their parents and younger siblings present were highly parental, (d) 48-hr exposure to pups beginning at weaning increased some aspects of later maternal responding, (e) rearing to adulthood with the parents even in the absence of younger siblings also increased females' maternal responding, and (f) the increase was seen only if both parents were present. Continued parental presence promotes alloparental behavior, possibly important if daughters do not disperse from the natal nest.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Ant-dipping among the chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, and some comparisons with other sites.

We present a detailed study of ant-dipping among the wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of Bossou, in southeastern Guinea, West Africa. Observations suggest a strong influence of prey (Dorylusspp.) characteristics, including aggressiveness and/or gregariousness, on tool length and technique employed by the chimpanzees. Bossou chimpanzees exhibit two ant-dipping techniques: 1) direct mouthing, and 2) pull-through. In addition, they were observed dipping for several species of Dorylus ants, classed into two categories: Red and Black. Tool length was longer when dipping in higher-risk contexts, i.e., at the ants' nest site or on Black ants. The pull-through technique was almost exclusively associated with dipping at the nest site. This latter technique was associated with tools over 50 cm long, whereas direct mouthing was the only technique observed with tools < 50 cm long. Our experimental findings, together with our observations on the behavior of the chimpanzees, suggest that at the nest, the pull-through technique was a more efficient technique than direct mouthing. We review our results in the context of ant-dipping observed at two other long-term chimpanzee study sites, i.e., Gombe (Tanzania) and Taï (Côte d'Ivoire), where differences in tool length, technique used, and focal Dorylus ant species have been reported. Finally, we urge similar detailed studies of this tool-use behavior in both Gombe and Taï to shed further light upon our results and their implications.

Aggression↗

PubMed1988

Changes in plasma levels of prolactin and estradiol, nutrient intake, and time spent nesting during the incubation phase of broodiness in the Chabo hen (Japanese bantam).

The plasma concentrations of prolactin (PRL) and estradiol, time spent nesting, consumption of feed and water, body weight, and hematocrit were measured during egg laying, incubating, and brooding of the chicks in a Japanese strain of dwarf bantam hen, Chabo. Plasma levels of PRL increased before incubation, were maintained at high levels during incubation, and decreased rapidly at the onset of hatching the young. The concentration of estradiol decreased before incubation and was maintained at low levels when circulating levels of PRL were high. During incubation, hens spent greater than 95% of the day on the nest, reduced their daily intake of feed and water by 63 and 78%, respectively, and decreased their body weight by 19% by the end of incubation. Thus, Chabo hens show a mode of incubation behavior similar to that reported in larger chickens. The temporal changes between nutrient intake and plasma levels of PRL at the start and end of incubation behavior suggested that changes in nutrient intake may not cause changes in the concentration of PRL, whereas the association between increased levels of PRL and decreased levels of estradiol suggested that they may be causally associated. Plasma levels of PRL also appeared to be associated with time spent on the nest.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Increased egg production by active immunization against vasoactive intestinal peptide in the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a hypothalamic prolactin (PRL)-releasing factor in the turkey. The hypothesis in the present study was that active immunization of turkeys with VIP would neutralize endogenous VIP, decrease circulating PRI, and consequently prevent the expression of incubation behavior. Large white female turkeys were divided into three experimental groups comprising untreated controls, control turkeys immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and turkeys immunized with synthetic chicken VIP conjugate (KLH-cVIP). Each turkey received four injections at 4-wk intervals, starting on the day of photostimulation. The immune response, measured by the percentage binding of monoiodinated chicken VIP (cVIP) to plasma at a dilution of 1:1000, averaged 11.8 +/- 2.5% during the reproductive life cycle. Immunization against KLH-cVIP prevented the normal increases of PRL that are associated with the photo-induced reproductive cycle. Over a 21-wk period beginning at photostimulation, KLH-cVIP-immunized birds exhibited a maximal plasma PRL level of 82.2 +/- 29.5 ng/ml, compared to 367.7 +/- 66.6 ng/ml and 227.5 +/- 51.7 ng/ml for non- and KLH-immunized turkeys, respectively. The total number of nest visits per hen during the 147-day experimental period decreased from 320.0 +/- 48.2 in the nonimmunized controls to 180.7 +/- 53.7 and 149.4 +/- 13.1 visits in KLH- and KLH-cVIP conjugate-immunized turkeys. Turkeys that showed an immune response to KLH-cVIP immunization did not exhibit incubation behavior, whereas 54% and 33% of non- and KLH-immunized hens incubated their eggs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Quantitative trait loci for maternal performance for offspring survival in mice.

Maternal performance refers to the effect that the environment provided by mothers has on their offspring's phenotypes, such as offspring survival and growth. Variations in maternal behavior and physiology are responsible for variations in maternal performance, which in turn affects offspring survival. In our study we found females that failed to nurture their offspring and showed abnormal maternal behaviors. The genetic architecture of maternal performance for offspring survival was investigated in 241 females of an F(2) intercross of the SM/J and LG/J inbred mouse strains. Using interval-mapping methods we found two quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting maternal performance at D2Mit17 + 6 cM and D7Mit21 + 2 cM on chromosomes 2 and 7, respectively. In a two-way genome-wide epistasis scan we found 15 epistatic interactions involving 23 QTL distributed across all chromosomes except 12, 16, and 17. These loci form several small sets of interacting QTL, suggesting a complex set of mechanisms operating to determine maternal performance for offspring survival. Taken all together and correcting for the large number of significant factors, QTL and their interactions explain almost 35% of the phenotypic variation for maternal performance for offspring survival in this cross. This study allowed the identification of many possible candidate genes, as well as the relative size of gene effects and patterns of gene action affecting maternal performance in mice. Detailed behavior observation of mothers from later generations suggests that offspring survival in the first week is related to maternal success in building nests, grooming their pups, providing milk, and/or manifesting aggressive behavior against intruders.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

The role of nest-building activity of gonadotrophin secretions and the reproductive success of ring doves (Streptopelia risoria).

This study was undertaken to investigate the intricate relations between prelaying nest-building activity and preovulatory hormonal changes, and the effects of these events on breeding success. Pairs of ring doves were allowed to go through a complete breeding cycle under four conditions of nest-building opportunity. Nest were self-made, pre-made, pre-made and covered, or removed daily to generate various levels of building activity. Behavioral and hormonal changes were observed throughout the cycle. Blood levels of gonadotrophins were monitored by daily measurements with the method or radioimmunoassay. A depression of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) typically was associated with every preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone (LH); an LH surge not accompanied by a FSH dip was not followed by ovulation. Moreover, the FSH depression was significantly correlated with the level of nest-building activity. These findings led to the proposal that nest-building activity stimulated preovulatory FSH change and, hence, ovulation. The constructed nest in turn appeared to promote incubation behavior. These results are discussed in the context of breeding success.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Aromatase inhibition reduces specifically one display of the ring dove courtship behavior.

The courtship behavior of the male ring dove (Streptopelia risoria) combines aggressive displays (chasing, bowing) and nest-oriented displays (nest soliciting). Aggressive displays depend on circulating testosterone, whereas nest soliciting is estrogen-dependent and appears to depend on the aromatization of androgen into estrogen within the brain. The present work tested the hypothesis that aromatase specifically modulates the nest soliciting display in intact male ring doves. Males were tested for courtship behavior with receptive females before and after being implanted with micro-osmotic pumps containing Fadrozole, a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor, or saline. Fadrozole at the higher dose reduced estrogen-dependent nest soliciting but did not affect androgen-dependent chasing and bowing. These results support the hypothesis that aromatase modulates nest soliciting in male ring doves, and provide further evidence for separate hormonal control of different courtship displays in this species.

Androgens↗

PubMed2004

Designing mouse behavioral tasks relevant to autistic-like behaviors.

The importance of genetic factors in autism has prompted the development of mutant mouse models to advance our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying autistic behaviors. Mouse models of human neuropsychiatric diseases are designed to optimize (1) face validity, i.e., resemblance to the human symptoms; (2) construct validity, i.e., similarity to the underlying causes of the disease; and (3) predictive validity, i.e., expected responses to treatments that are effective in the human disease. There is a growing need for mouse behavioral tasks with all three types of validity for modeling the symptoms of autism. We are in the process of designing a set of tasks with face validity for the defining features of autism: deficits in appropriate reciprocal social interactions, deficits in verbal social communication, and high levels of ritualistic repetitive behaviors. Social approach is tested in an automated three-chambered apparatus that offers the subject a choice between a familiar environment, a novel environment, and a novel environment containing a stranger mouse. Preference for social novelty is tested in the same apparatus, with a choice between the start chamber, the chamber containing a familiar mouse, and the chamber containing a stranger mouse. Social communication is evaluated by measuring the ultrasonic distress vocalizations emitted by infant mouse pups and the parental response of retrieving the pup to the nest. Resistance to change in ritualistic repetitive behaviors is modeled by forcing a change in habit, including reversal of the spatial location of a reinforcer in a T-maze task and in the Morris water maze. Mouse behavioral tasks that may model additional features of autism are discussed, including tasks relevant to anxiety, seizures, sleep disturbances, and sensory hypersensitivity. Applications of these tests include (1) behavioral phenotyping of transgenic and knockout mice with mutations in genes relevant to autism, (2) characterization of mutant mice derived from random chemical mutagenesis, (3) DNA microarray analyses of genes in inbred strains of mice that differ in social interaction, social communication and resistance to change in habit, and (4) evaluation of proposed therapeutics for the treatment of autism.

Animal Communication↗