1
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Zepeda JA, Bautista A, Féron C, Martínez-Gómez M, Robles-Guerrero F, Reyes Meza V, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Patterns and predictors of inter-litter differences in rabbit pup locomotor activity, based on an automatized quantification method. Physiol Behav 2023; 261:114089. [PMID: 36657652 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Individual-level sibling interactions in the litter huddle have been studied extensively, especially in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). However, little is known about inter-litter differences in pup activity patterns during early postnatal life, in particular regarding the drivers of such variation. In our study on 2-3-day-old rabbit pups, we predicted lower locomotor activity in litters with lower mean body masses on the day of birth (starting body mass) and with lower daily milk intake per pup, possibly constituting a behavioral strategy of pups to cope with associated energetic constraints. For an automatized assessment of pup locomotor activity in the litter huddle, we successfully developed and validated a method based on the quantification of dissimilarities between consecutive frames of video footage. Using this method, we could confirm a U-shaped time course of litter-level locomotor activity, with maximum values shortly before and after the once-daily nursing typical for the rabbit. As predicted, between-litter variation in mean starting body mass and in daily milk intake affected the degree of locomotor activity in the litter huddle, in an interactive way. That is, in litters with heavier starting body masses, pup locomotor activity was greater in pups with an initially higher milk intake, suggesting that only pups with better body condition and a higher energy intake could afford higher levels of activity. This interaction was exclusively apparent during the middle phase of the 24 h inter-nursing interval, when litter activity was low. Shortly before nursing, when pups show higher levels of locomotor behavior in anticipation of the mother's arrival, and shortly after nursing when the pups were more active possibly due to adjustments of their positions in the huddle, activity levels were decoupled from pups' starting body mass and previous milk intake. Our findings highlight the importance of pup body mass and daily energy intake, two parameters known to be related to maternal characteristics, in shaping inter-litter differences in pup locomotor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alfredo Zepeda
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Preparatoria Alfonso Calderon Moreno, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Christophe Féron
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Franco Robles-Guerrero
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Verónica Reyes Meza
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée UR 4443 (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France.
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2
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Martínez-Álvarez V, Segura-Alegría B, Rodríguez-Torres EE, Porras MG, Aguirre-Benítez E, González Del Pliego M, Hudson R, Quiroz-González S, Melo AI, Jiménez-Estrada I. Mother and sibling interactions during the preweaning period influence myelination and impulse propagation of the sensory sural nerve in the adult rat. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22316. [PMID: 36282737 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
To investigate whether mother and sibling interactions during the preweaning period influence the histological and electrophysiological characteristics of the sensory sural nerve (SUn) in the adult rat, litters composed of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 male pups (P) were formed and the pups routinely weighed until postnatal day 60 (PND60). At PND9, 3P and 6P litters showed greater body weight than pups without siblings or from 9P or 12P litters, and such differences in weight were maintained until adulthood. Analysis of maternal licking at PND8 and 9 showed that pups from large litters received fewer licks than pups from small size litters. At PND60, SUn of rats from 6P and 9P litters had greater compound action potential (CAP) amplitude and a higher proportion of axons with large myelin thickness than nerves from rats of 1P, 3P, or 12P litters. SUn of heaviest rats from 9P and 12P litters had greater CAP area and myelination than the lightest rats from the same litters. We propose that a complex interplay of sensory, social, and nutritional factors arising from mother and littermate interactions during the preweaning period influence myelination and the propagation of action potentials in the SUn of adult rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Martínez-Álvarez
- Depto. Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, CINVESTAV, IPN, Mexico City, Mexico.,Depto. Biología, FES-Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Angel I Melo
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV- Laboratorio Tlaxcala, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico City, Mexico
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3
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Fernández Y, Arteaga L, Zepeda JA, Rödel HG, Hudson R, Bautista A. Stable individual differences in the frequency of chin‐marking behavior across development in the domestic rabbit. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yesenia Fernández
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - Lourdes Arteaga
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
| | - José Alfredo Zepeda
- Preparatoria Alfonso Calderon Moreno Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Puebla Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée (LEEC) Université Sorbonne Paris Nord Villetaneuse France
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Laboratorio de Psicobiología del Desarrollo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad de Mexico Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala Mexico
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4
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Wilson SP, Prescott TJ. Scaffolding layered control architectures through constraint closure: insights into brain evolution and development. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200519. [PMID: 34957842 PMCID: PMC8710877 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional organization of the mammalian brain can be considered to form a layered control architecture, but how this complex system has emerged through evolution and is constructed during development remains a puzzle. Here we consider brain organization through the framework of constraint closure, viewed as a general characteristic of living systems, that they are composed of multiple sub-systems that constrain each other at different timescales. We do so by developing a new formalism for constraint closure, inspired by a previous model showing how within-lifetime dynamics can constrain between-lifetime dynamics, and we demonstrate how this interaction can be generalized to multi-layered systems. Through this model, we consider brain organization in the context of two major examples of constraint closure-physiological regulation and visual orienting. Our analysis draws attention to the capacity of layered brain architectures to scaffold themselves across multiple timescales, including the ability of cortical processes to constrain the evolution of sub-cortical processes, and of the latter to constrain the space in which cortical systems self-organize and refine themselves. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart P. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tony J. Prescott
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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5
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Szenczi P, González D, Martínez-Byer S, Rödel HG, Hudson R, Bánszegi O. Motivation matters: lighter littermates of the domestic cat compete more successfully for meat at weaning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03079-0] [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]
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6
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Lapp HE, Mueller I, Moore CL. Limited bedding and nesting material changes indices of cellular metabolism and behavioral thermal regulation in Long-Evans rats during the first two weeks of life. Physiol Behav 2020; 222:112957. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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7
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Kraus S, Trillmich F, Guenther A. Within-Family Environment and Cross-Fostering Stress Affect Behavior and Physiology in Wild Cavies ( Cavia aperea). Front Psychol 2020; 11:178. [PMID: 32116966 PMCID: PMC7026460 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Stability of personality traits is well-documented for a wide variety of animals. However, previous results also suggest that behavioral phenotypes are plastic during early ontogeny and can be adaptively shaped to the social environment. In cavies (Cavia aperea), it has already been documented that the size at birth relative to siblings (size rank) greatly influences various behavioral and physiological traits that last at least until independence. The aim of the current study was (1) to investigate if behavioral and physiological differences between pups of the same litter persist until after independence and influence development long-lasting, (2) to determine the potential plasticity in response to changes in the early within-family environment by cross-fostering pups either to the same, a lower, or a higher size rank in a foster-family. We measured three behavioral traits (number of interactions with a novel object, distance moved in an open field, struggle docility) and two physiological traits (resting metabolic rate and basal cortisol levels). We predicted that cross-fostering into a litter where pups occupy the same size rank would not change the expression of traits. Cross-fostering to a different size rank should not influence the expression of traits if repeatability measures indicate low plasticity. Alternatively, if the traits are plastic, animals should adjust trait expression to fit with the size rank occupied in the foster litter. Initial differences in struggle docility, distance moved in an open field and in baseline cortisol concentration between pups of different size-ranks did not remain stable beyond independence. In addition, we found remarkable plasticity of the measured traits in response to cross-fostering to the same, a smaller or larger size-rank, suggesting that differences between pups are more the result of social constraints leading to adaptive shaping of individual phenotypes within a family. We also found a significant influence of the cross-fostering procedure itself. Cross-fostered individuals were less bold, grew slower and showed elevated resting metabolic rates. This finding suggests a cautious interpretation of previous cross-fostering studies and stresses the need for proper control groups to reliably separate the effect of cross-fostering per se from those induced by an experimental treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kraus
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Fritz Trillmich
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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8
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Hope SF, Kennamer RA, Grimaudo AT, Hallagan JJ, Hopkins WA. Incubation Temperature Affects Duckling Body Size and Food Consumption Despite No Effect on Associated Feeding Behaviors. Integr Org Biol 2020; 2:obaa003. [PMID: 33791547 PMCID: PMC7671149 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental conditions can have consequences for offspring fitness. For example, small changes (<1°C) in average avian incubation temperature have large effects on important post-hatch offspring phenotypes, including growth rate, thermoregulation, and behavior. Furthermore, average incubation temperatures differ among eggs within the same nest, to the extent (i.e., >1°C) that differences in offspring phenotypes within broods should result. A potential consequence of within-nest incubation temperature variation is inequality in behaviors that could cause differences in resource acquisition within broods. To investigate this, we incubated wood duck (Aix sponsa) eggs at one of two ecologically-relevant incubation temperatures (35°C or 36°C), formed mixed-incubation temperature broods after ducklings hatched, and conducted trials to measure duckling behaviors associated with acquisition of heat (one trial) or food (three trials). Contrary to our predictions, we found no effect of incubation temperature on duckling behaviors (e.g., time spent occupying heat source, frequency of feeding bouts). However, we found evidence that ducklings incubated at the higher temperature consumed more food during the 1-h feeding trials, and grew faster in body mass and structural size (culmen and tarsus) throughout the study, than those incubated at the lower temperature. Apparent food consumption during the trials was positively related to culmen length, suggesting that differences in food consumption may be driven by structural size. This could result in positive feedback, which would amplify size differences between offspring incubated at different temperatures. Thus, our study identifies incubation temperature as a mechanism by which fitness-related phenotypic differences can be generated and even amplified within avian broods.
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Affiliation(s)
- S F Hope
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - R A Kennamer
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - A T Grimaudo
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - J J Hallagan
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - W A Hopkins
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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9
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Zepeda JA, Rödel HG, Monclús R, Hudson R, Bautista A. Sibling differences in litter huddle position contribute to overall variation in weaning mass in a small mammal. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2777-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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10
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The birth weight of rabbits: Influencing factors and effect on behavioural, productive and reproductive traits: A review. Livest Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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11
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Pérez Manrique L, Hudson R, Bánszegi O, Szenczi P. Individual differences in behavior and heart rate variability across the preweaning period in the domestic horse in response to an ecologically relevant stressor. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112652. [PMID: 31419447 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The study of individual differences in behavior and physiology has attracted considerable interest among behavioral biologists. Important questions include how early in life such differences emerge and to what extent they remain stable across development. Due to the demanding nature of longitudinal studies, there is still a lack of information on this in mammals, especially in large, long-lived species. Our aim in this study was to look for stable individual differences in behavior and physiology during early development in the domestic horse and for correlations between the two parameters. We tested 30 Azteca-breed foals kept under standard conditions by briefly separating them from their mother in four repeated tests beginning at the first postnatal week until the foals were six months old, before they were weaned. Individual differences in behavior and heart rate variability of foals in response to brief maternal separations were consistent and were correlated from a very early age. These findings contribute to an understanding of the expression of individual differences in physiology and behavior from a developmental perspective and may help in the future selection of horses for functional contexts that require different levels of reactivity, thereby contributing to horse welfare and to human safety and economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Pérez Manrique
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Av. Universidad 3000, Edificio 6. Delegación Coyoacán, Col. Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Laboratorio Psicobiología del Desarrollo, Av. Universidad 3000, Edificio B. Delegación Coyoacán, Col. Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Laboratorio Psicobiología del Desarrollo, Av. Universidad 3000, Edificio B. Delegación Coyoacán, Col. Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Péter Szenczi
- Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Unidad Psicopatología y Desarrollo, Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, 14370, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Cátedras CONACyT, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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12
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Zepeda JA, Bautista A, Rangassamy M, Monclús R, Bocquet C, Martínez-Gómez M, Gouat P, Féron C, Hudson R, Rödel HG. Individual differences in early body mass affect thermogenic performance and sibling interactions in litter huddles of the house mouse. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:825-835. [PMID: 29998571 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
We asked whether within-litter differences in early body mass are associated with differences in house mouse pups' thermogenic performance and whether such variation predicts individual differences in competitive interactions for thermally more advantageous positions in the huddle. We explored pups' thermogenic performance in isolation by measuring changes in (maximal) peripheral body temperatures during a 5-min thermal challenge using infrared thermography. Changes in peripheral body temperature were significantly explained by individual differences in body mass within a litter; relatively lighter individuals showed an overall quicker temperature decrease leading to lower body temperatures toward the end of the thermal challenge compared to heavier littermates. Within the litter huddle, relatively lighter pups with a lower thermogenic performance showed consistently more rooting and climbing behavior, apparently to reach the thermally advantageous center of the huddle. This suggests that within-litter variation in starting body mass affects the pups' thermal and behavioral responses to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Zepeda
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.,Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.,Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Amando Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Marylin Rangassamy
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Raquel Monclús
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France.,Ecologie Systématique Evolution, University Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Celine Bocquet
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Patrick Gouat
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Christophe Féron
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Villetaneuse, France
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13
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Hope SF, Kennamer RA, Moore IT, Hopkins WA. Incubation temperature influences the behavioral traits of a young precocial bird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2018; 329:191-202. [PMID: 29806120 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The environment in which animals develop can have important consequences for their phenotype. In reptiles, incubation temperature is a critical aspect of the early developmental environment. Incubation temperature influences morphology, physiology, and behavior of non-avian reptiles, however, little is known about how incubation temperature influences offspring phenotype and behaviors important to avian survival. To investigate whether incubation temperature influences avian behaviors, we collected wood duck (Aix sponsa) eggs from the field and incubated them at three naturally occurring incubation temperatures (35.0, 35.8, and 37.0°C). We conducted multiple repeated behavioral trials on individual ducklings between 5 and 15 days post-hatch to assess activity, exploratory, and boldness behaviors, classified along a proactive-reactive continuum. We measured growth rates and circulating levels of baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels to investigate possible physiological correlates of behavior. Ducklings incubated at the lowest temperature displayed more proactive behaviors than those incubated at the two higher temperatures. We also found that younger ducklings exhibited more proactive behavior than older ducklings and males exhibited more proactive behavior than females. Further, duckling behaviors were repeatable across time and contexts, indicative of a proactive-reactive continuum of behavioral tendencies. However, neither corticosterone levels nor growth rates were related to behavior. This provides some of the first evidence that incubation temperature, a critical parental effect, influences avian offspring behaviors that may be important for survival. Our results identify incubation temperature as a mechanism that contributes to the development of behavioral traits and, in part, explains how multiple behavioral types may be maintained within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney F Hope
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Robert A Kennamer
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina
| | - Ignacio T Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - William A Hopkins
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
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14
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González D, Szenczi P, Bánszegi O, Hudson R. Testing aggressive behaviour in a feeding context: Importance of ethologically relevant stimuli. Behav Processes 2018; 150:1-7. [PMID: 29454644 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The choice of stimuli used in tests of animal behaviour can have a critical effect on the outcome. Here we report two experiments showing how different foods influenced aggressive behaviour in competition tests at weaning among littermates of the domestic cat. Whereas in Experiment 1 canned food elicited almost no overt competition, a piece of raw beef rib elicited clearly aggressive behaviour among littermates. In Experiment 2 the food stimuli were chosen to differ from raw beef rib in various combinations of taste/smell, texture and monopolizability. Kittens showed different levels of aggression in response to the five stimuli tested, which suggests that the strong effect of beef rib in eliciting aggressive behaviour was due to a complex combination of features. We suggest that using stimuli approximating the evolved, functional significance to the species concerned is more likely to result in robust, biologically relevant behaviours than more artificial stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel González
- Insituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70228, CP 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Péter Szenczi
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Km. 1.5 Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla, CP 90062 La Loma Xicohténcatl, Mexico.
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Insituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70228, CP 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Insituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70228, CP 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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15
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Harshaw C, Leffel JK, Alberts JR. Oxytocin and the warm outer glow: Thermoregulatory deficits cause huddling abnormalities in oxytocin-deficient mouse pups. Horm Behav 2018; 98:145-158. [PMID: 29277701 PMCID: PMC5828998 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 11/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a social and reproductive hormone that also plays critical roles in a range of homeostatic processes, including thermoregulation. Here, we examine the role of oxytocin (OT) as a mediator of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, cold-induced huddling, and thermotaxis in eight-day-old (PD8) OT 'knock out' (OTKO) mouse pups. We tested OTKO and wildtype (WT) pups in single- and mixed-genotype groups of six, exposing these to a period of ambient warmth (~35°C) followed by a period of cold (~21.5°C). Whether huddling exclusively with other OTKO or alongside WT pups, OTKO pups showed reduced BAT thermogenesis and were significantly cooler when cold-challenged. Huddles of OTKO pups were also significantly less cohesive than WT huddles during cooling, suggesting that thermoregulatory deficits contribute to contact abnormalities in OTKO pups. To further explore this issue, we examined thermotaxis in individuals and groups of four OTKO or WT pups placed on the cool end of a thermocline and permitted to freely locomote for 2h. When tested individually, male OTKO pups displayed abnormal thermotaxis, taking significantly longer to move up the thermocline and settling upon significantly lower temperatures than WT pups during the 2h test. OTKO mouse pups thus appear to have deficits in both thermogenesis and thermotaxis-the latter deficit being specific to males. Our results add to a growing body of work indicating that OT plays critical roles in thermoregulation and also highlight the entanglement of social and thermoregulatory processes in small mammals such as mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Harshaw
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
| | - Joseph K Leffel
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Alberts
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Wilson SP. Modelling the emergence of rodent filial huddling from physiological huddling. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170885. [PMID: 29291081 PMCID: PMC5717655 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Huddling behaviour in neonatal rodents reduces the metabolic costs of physiological thermoregulation. However, animals continue to huddle into adulthood, at ambient temperatures where they are able to sustain a basal metabolism in isolation from the huddle. This 'filial huddling' in older animals is known to be guided by olfactory rather than thermal cues. The present study aimed to test whether thermally rewarding contacts between young mice, experienced when thermogenesis in brown adipose fat tissue (BAT) is highest, could give rise to olfactory preferences that persist as filial huddling interactions in adults. To this end, a simple model was constructed to fit existing data on the development of mouse thermal physiology and behaviour. The form of the model that emerged yields a remarkable explanation for filial huddling; associative learning maintains huddling into adulthood via processes that reduce thermodynamic entropy from BAT metabolism and increase information about social ordering among littermates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart P. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Sheffield Robotics, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Bautista A, Zepeda JA, Reyes-Meza V, Féron C, Rödel HG, Hudson R. Body mass modulates huddling dynamics and body temperature profiles in rabbit pups. Physiol Behav 2017; 179:184-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Rödel HG, Bautista A, Roder M, Gilbert C, Hudson R. Early development and the emergence of individual differences in behavior among littermates of wild rabbit pups. Physiol Behav 2017; 173:101-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Self-organised criticality in the evolution of a thermodynamic model of rodent thermoregulatory huddling. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005378. [PMID: 28141809 PMCID: PMC5308865 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A thermodynamic model of thermoregulatory huddling interactions between endotherms is developed. The model is presented as a Monte Carlo algorithm in which animals are iteratively exchanged between groups, with a probability of exchanging groups defined in terms of the temperature of the environment and the body temperatures of the animals. The temperature-dependent exchange of animals between groups is shown to reproduce a second-order critical phase transition, i.e., a smooth switch to huddling when the environment gets colder, as measured in recent experiments. A peak in the rate at which group sizes change, referred to as pup flow, is predicted at the critical temperature of the phase transition, consistent with a thermodynamic description of huddling, and with a description of the huddle as a self-organising system. The model was subjected to a simple evolutionary procedure, by iteratively substituting the physiologies of individuals that fail to balance the costs of thermoregulation (by huddling in groups) with the costs of thermogenesis (by contributing heat). The resulting tension between cooperative and competitive interactions was found to generate a phenomenon called self-organised criticality, as evidenced by the emergence of avalanches in fitness that propagate across many generations. The emergence of avalanches reveals how huddling can introduce correlations in fitness between individuals and thereby constrain evolutionary dynamics. Finally, a full agent-based model of huddling interactions is also shown to generate criticality when subjected to the same evolutionary pressures. The agent-based model is related to the Monte Carlo model in the way that a Vicsek model is related to an Ising model in statistical physics. Huddling therefore presents an opportunity to use thermodynamic theory to study an emergent adaptive animal behaviour. In more general terms, huddling is proposed as an ideal system for investigating the interaction between self-organisation and natural selection empirically. Huddling is an adaptive behavior that emerges from simple interactions between animals. Huddling is a particularly important self-organising system because the behavior that emerges at the level of the group directly impacts the fitness of the individual. The huddle insulates the group, allowing pups to thermoregulate at a reduced metabolic cost, however a huddle can only self-organise if pups in turn contribute heat. Contributing too much heat is costly but contributing too little compromises the ability of the huddle to self-organise. To investigate how the resulting tension between co-operation and competition in the huddle might affect natural selection, litters of simulated rodents were subjected to a simple evolutionary process. After interacting with its littermates, the individual that incurred the greatest metabolic cost for thermoregulation was iteratively replaced by another with random thermal properties. Simulations resulted in the emergence of a phenomenon called self-organised criticality. Criticality is a hallmark of complex systems, and is evidenced here by the emergence of a power-law distribution of thermal properties in the evolving composition of the group. The model therefore reveals how complexity can emerge in a well-defined biological system (thermoregulation), where experiments can be designed to investigate the interaction between self-organisation and natural selection.
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Glancy J, Stone JV, Wilson SP. How self-organization can guide evolution. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160553. [PMID: 28018644 PMCID: PMC5180142 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Self-organization and natural selection are fundamental forces that shape the natural world. Substantial progress in understanding how these forces interact has been made through the study of abstract models. Further progress may be made by identifying a model system in which the interaction between self-organization and selection can be investigated empirically. To this end, we investigate how the self-organizing thermoregulatory huddling behaviours displayed by many species of mammals might influence natural selection of the genetic components of metabolism. By applying a simple evolutionary algorithm to a well-established model of the interactions between environmental, morphological, physiological and behavioural components of thermoregulation, we arrive at a clear, but counterintuitive, prediction: rodents that are able to huddle together in cold environments should evolve a lower thermal conductance at a faster rate than animals reared in isolation. The model therefore explains how evolution can be accelerated as a consequence of relaxed selection, and it predicts how the effect may be exaggerated by an increase in the litter size, i.e. by an increase in the capacity to use huddling behaviours for thermoregulation. Confirmation of these predictions in future experiments with rodents would constitute strong evidence of a mechanism by which self-organization can guide natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Glancy
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Sheffield Robotics, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - James V. Stone
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Stuart P. Wilson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Sheffield Robotics, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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González-Mariscal G, Caba M, Martínez-Gómez M, Bautista A, Hudson R. Mothers and offspring: The rabbit as a model system in the study of mammalian maternal behavior and sibling interactions. Horm Behav 2016; 77:30-41. [PMID: 26062431 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Jay Rosenblatt effectively promoted research on rabbit maternal behavior through his interaction with colleagues in Mexico. Here we review the activities of pregnant and lactating rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), their neuro-hormonal regulation, and the synchronization of behavior between mother and kits. Changing concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin throughout gestation regulate nest-building (digging, straw-carrying, fur-pulling) and prime the mother's brain to respond to the newborn. Nursing is the only mother-young contact throughout lactation. It happens once/day, inside the nest, with ca. 24h periodicity, and lasts around 3min. Periodicity and duration of nursing depend on a threshold of suckling as procedures reducing the amount of nipple stimulation interfere with the temporal aspects of nursing, though not with the doe's maternal motivation. Synchronization between mother and kits, critical for nursing, relies on: a) the production of pheromonal cues which guide the young to the mother's nipples for suckling; b) an endogenous circadian rhythm of anticipatory activity in the young, present since birth. Milk intake entrains the kits' locomotor behavior, corticosterone secretion, and the activity of several brain structures. Sibling interactions within the huddle, largely determined by body mass at birth, are important for: a) maintaining body temperature; b) ensuring normal neuromotor and social development. Suckling maintains nursing behavior past the period of abundant milk production but abrupt and efficient weaning occurs in concurrently pregnant-lactating does by unknown factors. CONCLUSION female rabbits have evolved a reproductive strategy largely dissociating maternal care from maternal presence, whose multifactorial regulation warrants future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - M Caba
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - M Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - A Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - R Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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Social huddling and physiological thermoregulation are related to melanism in the nocturnal barn owl. Oecologia 2015; 180:371-81. [PMID: 26552377 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3491-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Endothermic animals vary in their physiological ability to maintain a constant body temperature. Since melanin-based coloration is related to thermoregulation and energy homeostasis, we predict that dark and pale melanic individuals adopt different behaviours to regulate their body temperature. Young animals are particularly sensitive to a decrease in ambient temperature because their physiological system is not yet mature and growth may be traded-off against thermoregulation. To reduce energy loss, offspring huddle during periods of cold weather. We investigated in nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) whether body temperature, oxygen consumption and huddling were associated with melanin-based coloration. Isolated owlets displaying more black feather spots had a lower body temperature and consumed more oxygen than those with fewer black spots. This suggests that highly melanic individuals display a different thermoregulation strategy. This interpretation is also supported by the finding that, at relatively low ambient temperature, owlets displaying more black spots huddled more rapidly and more often than those displaying fewer spots. Assuming that spot number is associated with the ability to thermoregulate not only in Swiss barn owls but also in other Tytonidae, our results could explain geographic variation in the degree of melanism. Indeed, in the northern hemisphere, barn owls and allies are less spotted polewards than close to the equator, and in the northern American continent, barn owls are also less spotted in colder regions. If melanic spots themselves helped thermoregulation, we would have expected the opposite results. We therefore suggest that some melanogenic genes pleiotropically regulate thermoregulatory processes.
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Contribution of within-litter interactions to individual differences in early postnatal growth in the domestic rabbit. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Differential metabolism of brown adipose tissue in newborn rabbits in relation to position in the litter huddle. J Therm Biol 2015; 51:33-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Revised: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Guenther A, Trillmich F. Within-litter differences in personality and physiology relate to size differences among siblings in cavies. Physiol Behav 2015; 145:22-8. [PMID: 25802020 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Revised: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Many aspects of an animal's early life potentially contribute to long-term individual differences in physiology and behaviour. From several studies on birds and mammals it is known that the early family environment is one of the most prominent factors influencing early development. Most of these studies were conducted on highly altricial species. Here we asked whether in the highly precocial cavy (Cavia aperea) the size rank within a litter, i.e. whether an individual is born as the heaviest, the lightest or an intermediate sibling, affects personality traits directly after birth and after independence. Furthermore, we investigated whether individual states (early growth, baseline cortisol and resting metabolic rate) differ between siblings of different size ranks and assessed their relation to personality traits. Siblings of the same litter differed in personality traits as early as three days after birth. Pups born heaviest in the litter were more explorative and in general more risk-prone than their smaller siblings. Physiological state variables were tightly correlated with personality traits and also influenced by the size rank within litter, suggesting that the size relative to littermates constitutes an important factor in shaping an individual's developmental trajectory. Our data add valuable information on how personalities are shaped during early phases of life and indicate the stability of developmentally influenced behavioural and physiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Guenther
- Department of Animal Behavior, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - F Trillmich
- Department of Animal Behavior, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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Intrauterine position as a predictor of postnatal growth and survival in the rabbit. Physiol Behav 2015; 138:101-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Hudson R, Rangassamy M, Saldaña A, Bánszegi O, Rödel HG. Stable individual differences in separation calls during early development in cats and mice. Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S12. [PMID: 26816512 PMCID: PMC4722366 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The development of ethologically meaningful test paradigms in young animals is an essential step in the study of the ontogeny of animal personality. Here we explore the possibility to integrate offspring separation (distress) calls into the study of consistent individual differences in behaviour in two species of mammals, the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) and the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus). Such vocal responses in young mammals are a potentially useful test option as they represent an important element of mother-offspring communication with strong implications for offspring survival. In addition, the neural control of vocalisation is closely associated with emotional state. Results We found marked similarities in the pattern of individual responses of the young of both species to separation from their mother and littermates. In the domestic cat as well as in the mound-building mouse, individual differences in the frequency of calls and to a lesser extent in locomotor activity were repeatable across age, indicating the existence of personality types. Such consistencies across age were also apparent when only considering relative individual differences among litter siblings. In both species, however, individual patterns of vocalisation and locomotor activity were unrelated. This suggests that these two forms of behavioural responses to isolation represent different domains of personality, presumably based on different underlying neurophysiological mechanisms. Conclusions Brief separation experiments in young mammals, and particularly the measurement of separation calls, provide a promising approach to study the ontogeny of personality traits. Future long-term studies are needed to investigate the association of these traits with biologically meaningful and potentially repeatable elements of behaviour during later life.
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Andersson A, Laikre L, Bergvall UA. Two shades of boldness: novel object and anti-predator behavior reflect different personality dimensions in domestic rabbits. J ETHOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-014-0401-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Sex differences in thermogenesis structure behavior and contact within huddles of infant mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87405. [PMID: 24498099 PMCID: PMC3909189 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenic effector abundant in most mammalian infants. For multiparous species such as rats and mice, the interscapular BAT deposit provides both an emergency "thermal blanket" and a target for nestmates seeking warmth, thereby increasing the cohesiveness of huddling groups. Sex differences in BAT regulation and thermogenesis have been documented in a number of species, including mice (Mus musculus)--with females generally exhibiting relative upregulation of BAT. It is nonetheless unknown whether this difference affects the behavioral dynamics occurring within huddles of infant rodents. We investigated sex differences in BAT thermogenesis and its relation to contact while huddling in eight-day-old C57BL/6 mouse pups using infrared thermography, scoring of contact, and causal modeling of the relation between interscapular temperature relative to other pups in the huddle (T IS (rel)) and contacts while huddling. We found that females were warmer than their male siblings during cold challenge, under conditions both in which pups were isolated and in which pups could actively huddle in groups of six (3 male, 3 female). This difference garnered females significantly more contacts from other pups than males during cold-induced huddling. Granger analyses revealed a significant negative feedback relationship between contacts with males and T IS (rel) for females, and positive feedback between contacts with females and T IS (rel) for males, indicating that male pups drained heat from female siblings while huddling. Significant sex assortment nonetheless occurred, such that females made more contacts with other females than expected by chance, apparently outcompeting males for access to each other. These results provide further evidence of enhanced BAT thermogenesis in female mice. Slight differences in BAT can significantly structure the behavioral dynamics occurring in huddles, resulting in differences in the quantity and quality of contacts obtained by the individuals therein, creating sex differences in behavioral interactions beginning in early infancy.
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Rosenfeld CS, Johnson SA, Ellersieck MR, Roberts RM. Interactions between parents and parents and pups in the monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). PLoS One 2013; 8:e75725. [PMID: 24069441 PMCID: PMC3777941 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The California mouse (Peromyscuscalifornicus) may be a valuable animal model to study parenting as it is one of the few monogamous and biparental rodent species. By using automated infra-red imaging and video documentation of established pairs spanning two days prior to birth of the litter until d 5 of post natal development (PND), it was possible to follow interactions between parents and between parents and pups. The paired males were attentive to their partners in the form of grooming and sniffing throughout the time period studied. Both these and other activities of the partners, such as eating and drinking, peaked during late light/ mid-dark period. Beginning the day before birth, and most significantly on PND 0, the female made aggressive attempts to exclude the male from nest-attending, acts that were not reciprocated by the male, although he made repeated attempts to mate his partner during that period. By PND 1, males were permitted to return to the nest, where they initiated grooming, licking, and huddling over the litter, although time spent by the male on parental care was still less than that of the female. Male and female pups were of similar size and grew at the same rate. Pups, which are believed to be exothermic for at least the first two weeks post-natally, maintained a body temperature higher than that of their parents until PND 16. Data are consistent with the inference that the male California mouse parent is important in helping retain pup body heat and permit dams increased time to procure food to accommodate her increased energy needs for lactation. These assessments provide indices that may be used to assess the effects of extrinsic factors, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals, on biparental behaviors and offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl S. Rosenfeld
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sarah A. Johnson
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Mark R. Ellersieck
- Agriculture Experimental Station-Statistics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - R. Michael Roberts
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
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Bautista A, Castelán F, Pérez-Roldán H, Martínez-Gómez M, Hudson R. Competition in newborn rabbits for thermally advantageous positions in the litter huddle is associated with individual differences in brown fat metabolism. Physiol Behav 2013; 118:189-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2012] [Revised: 02/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Arteaga L, Rödel HG, Elizalde MT, González D, Hudson R. The Pattern of Nipple Use Before Weaning Among Littermates of the Domestic Dog. Ethology 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes Arteaga
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta; Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala; Tlaxcala; Mexico
| | - Heiko G. Rödel
- Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité; Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée; Villetaneuse; France
| | - Marise T. Elizalde
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico; DF; Mexico
| | - Daniel González
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico; DF; Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico; DF; Mexico
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Private heat for public warmth: how huddling shapes individual thermogenic responses of rabbit pups. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33553. [PMID: 22438947 PMCID: PMC3306396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 02/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Within their litter, young altricial mammals compete for energy (constraining growth and survival) but cooperate for warmth. The aim of this study was to examine the mechanisms by which huddling in altricial infants influences individual heat production and loss, while providing public warmth. Although considered as a textbook example, it is surprising to note that physiological mechanisms underlying huddling are still not fully characterised. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The brown adipose tissue (BAT) contribution to energy output was assessed as a function of the ability of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) pups to huddle (placed in groups of 6 and 2, or isolated) and of their thermoregulatory capacities (non-insulated before 5 days old and insulated at ca. 10 days old). BAT contribution of pups exposed to cold was examined by combining techniques of infrared thermography (surface temperature), indirect calorimetry (total energy expenditure, TEE) and telemetry (body temperature). Through local heating, the huddle provided each pup whatever their age with an ambient "public warmth" in the cold, which particularly benefited non-insulated pups. Huddling allowed pups facing a progressive cold challenge to buffer the decreasing ambient temperature by delaying the activation of their thermogenic response, especially when fur-insulated. In this way, huddling permitted pups to effectively shift from a non-insulated to a pseudo-insulated thermal state while continuously allocating energy to growth. The high correlation between TEE and the difference in surface temperatures between BAT and back areas of the body reveals that energy loss for non-shivering thermogenesis is the major factor constraining the amount of energy allocated to growth in non-insulated altricial pups. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE By providing public warmth with minimal individual costs at a stage of life when pups are the most vulnerable, huddling buffers cold challenges and ensures a constant allocation of energy to growth by reducing BAT activation.
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Lactation does not alter the long-term stability of individual differences in behavior of laboratory mice on the elevated plus maze. J ETHOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-011-0320-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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