1
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Bass AH. A tale of two males: Behavioral and neural mechanisms of alternative reproductive tactics in midshipman fish. Horm Behav 2024; 161:105507. [PMID: 38479349 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
An amalgam of investigations at the interface of neuroethology and behavioral neuroendocrinology first established the most basic behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurophysiological characters of vocal-acoustic communication morphs in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus Girard. This foundation has led, in turn, to the repeated demonstration that neuro-behavioral mechanisms driving reproductive-related, vocal-acoustic behaviors can be uncoupled from gonadal state for two adult male phenotypes that follow alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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2
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Mangiamele LA, Dawn A, LeCure KM, Mantica GE, Racicot R, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D. How new communication behaviors evolve: Androgens as modifiers of neuromotor structure and function in foot-flagging frogs. Horm Behav 2024; 161:105502. [PMID: 38382227 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
How diverse animal communication signals have arisen is a question that has fascinated many. Xenopus frogs have been a model system used for three decades to reveal insights into the neuroendocrine mechanisms and evolution of vocal diversity. Due to the ease of studying central nervous system control of the laryngeal muscles in vitro, Xenopus has helped us understand how variation in vocal communication signals between sexes and between species is produced at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels. Yet, it is becoming easier to make similar advances in non-model organisms. In this paper, we summarize our research on a group of frog species that have evolved a novel hind limb signal known as 'foot flagging.' We have previously shown that foot flagging is androgen dependent and that the evolution of foot flagging in multiple unrelated species is accompanied by the evolution of higher androgen hormone sensitivity in the leg muscles. Here, we present new preliminary data that compare patterns of androgen receptor expression and neuronal cell density in the lumbar spinal cord - the neuromotor system that controls the hind limb - between foot-flagging and non-foot-flagging frog species. We then relate our work to prior findings in Xenopus, highlighting which patterns of hormone sensitivity and neuroanatomical structure are shared between the neuromotor systems underlying Xenopus vocalizations and foot-flagging frogs' limb movement and which appear to be species-specific. Overall, we aim to illustrate the power of drawing inspiration from experiments in model organisms, in which the mechanistic details have been worked out, and then applying these ideas to a non-model species to reveal new details, further complexities, and fresh hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America.
| | - AllexAndrya Dawn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America
| | - Kerry M LeCure
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America
| | - Gina E Mantica
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America
| | - Riccardo Racicot
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States of America
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, United States of America
| | - Doris Preininger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Zoo, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Valiño G, Dunlap K, Quintana L. Androgen receptors rapidly modulate non-breeding aggression in male and female weakly electric fish (Gymnotus omarorum). Horm Behav 2024; 159:105475. [PMID: 38154435 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The South American weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum, displays territorial aggression year-round in both sexes. To examine the role of rapid androgen modulation in non-breeding aggression, we administered acetate cyproterone (CPA), a potent inhibitor of androgen receptors, to both male and females, just before staged agonistic interactions. Wild-caught fish were injected with CPA and, 30 min later, paired in intrasexual dyads. We then recorded the agonistic behavior which encompasses both locomotor displays and emission of social electric signals. We found that CPA had no discernible impact on the levels of aggression or the motivation to engage in aggressive behavior for either sex. However, CPA specifically decreased the expression of social electric signals in both males and female dyads. The effect was status-dependent as it only affected subordinate electrocommunication behavior, the emission of brief interruptions in their electric signaling ("offs"). This study is the first demonstration of a direct and rapid androgen effect mediated via androgen receptors on non-breeding aggression. Elucidating the mechanisms involved in non-breeding aggression in this teleost model allows us to better understand potentially conserved or convergent neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying aggression in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Valiño
- Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Kent Dunlap
- Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Laura Quintana
- Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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4
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Baugh AT. Male Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) in amplexus have elevated and correlated steroid hormones compared to solitary males. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 345:114391. [PMID: 37844651 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Gonadal steroid hormones are typically elevated during the breeding season-a finding known as an associated reproductive pattern. Though less studied, there is also evidence, in both sexes, for elevated adrenal/interrenal steroids, including acute elevations on the day of mating. I investigated gonadal and interrenal steroids in wild male Cope's gray treefrogs at breeding aggregations. I collected blood from males found in amplexus with female mates (amplexed males) and males sampled at the same time and location that were actively advertising vocally and without a mate (solo males). Concentrations of plasma corticosterone, testosterone, and 17β-estradiol (CORT, T and E2, respectively) were validated and measured. These two categories of males differed in four ways: (1) amplexed males exhibited significantly elevated concentrations of all three steroids compared to solo males (CORT: +347 %; T: +60 %; and E2: +43 %); (2) these hormone profiles alone accurately predicted male mating category with ca. 83 % accuracy using a discriminant function analysis; (3) amplexed males exhibited significant between-hormone correlations (T and E2 were positively correlated and CORT and E2 were negatively correlated) whereas no correlations were found in solo males; (4) amplexed males showed a negative correlation with CORT concentration and the time of night, whereas no such pattern was present in solo males. These findings suggest an acute and strong coactivation of the interrenal and gonadal axes that could drive phenotypic integration during this fitness-determining moment. I discuss these findings and suggest experiments to determine causation, including the role of motor behavior driving endocrine states and the role of female selection on endocrine profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Singer Hall, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
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5
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Love N, Preininger D, Fuxjager MJ. Social regulation of androgenic hormones and gestural display behavior in a tropical frog. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105425. [PMID: 37683499 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Many animals use forms of gesture and dance to communicate with conspecifics in the breeding season, though the mechanisms of this behavior are rarely studied. Here, we investigate the hormone basis of such visual signal behavior in Bornean rocks frogs (Staurois parvus). Our results show that males aggregating at breeding waterfalls have higher testosterone (T) levels, and we speculate that this hormone increase is caused by social cues associated with sexual competition. To this end, we find that T levels in frogs at the waterfall positively predict the number waving gestures-or "foot flags"-that males perform while competing with rivals. By contrast, T does not predict differences in male calling behavior. In these frogs, vocal displays are used largely as an alert signal to direct a rival's attention to the foot flag; thus, our results are consistent with the view that factors related to reproductive context drive up T levels to mediate displays most closely linked to male-male combat, which in this case is the frog's elaborate gestural routine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nya Love
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, USA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Austria; Vienna Zoo, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, USA.
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6
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Freiler MK, Smith GT. Neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to the coevolution of sociality and communication. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 70:101077. [PMID: 37217079 PMCID: PMC10527162 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Communication is inherently social, so signaling systems should evolve with social systems. The 'social complexity hypothesis' posits that social complexity necessitates communicative complexity and is generally supported in vocalizing mammals. This hypothesis, however, has seldom been tested outside the acoustic modality, and comparisons across studies are confounded by varying definitions of complexity. Moreover, proximate mechanisms underlying coevolution of sociality and communication remain largely unexamined. In this review, we argue that to uncover how sociality and communication coevolve, we need to examine variation in the neuroendocrine mechanisms that coregulate social behavior and signal production and perception. Specifically, we focus on steroid hormones, monoamines, and nonapeptides, which modulate both social behavior and sensorimotor circuits and are likely targets of selection during social evolution. Lastly, we highlight weakly electric fishes as an ideal system in which to comparatively address the proximate mechanisms underlying relationships between social and signal diversity in a novel modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K Freiler
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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George EM, Rosvall KA. Bidirectional relationships between testosterone and aggression: a critical analysis of four predictions. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac100. [PMID: 35759399 PMCID: PMC9494517 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimentally elevated testosterone (T) often leads to enhanced aggression, with examples across many different species, including both males and females. Indeed, the relationship between T and aggression is among the most well-studied and fruitful areas of research at the intersection of behavioral ecology and endocrinology. This relationship is also hypothesized to be bidirectional (i.e., T influences aggression, and aggression influences T), leading to four key predictions: (1) Individuals with higher T levels are more aggressive than individuals with lower T. (2) Seasonal changes in aggression mirror seasonal changes in T secretion. (3) Aggressive territorial interactions stimulate increased T secretion. (4) Temporary elevations in T temporarily increase aggressiveness. These predictions cover a range of timescales, from a single snapshot in time, to rapid fluctuations, and to changes over seasonal timescales. Adding further complexity, most predictions can also be addressed by comparing among individuals or with repeated sampling within-individuals. In our review, we explore how the spectrum of results across predictions shapes our understanding of the relationship between T and aggression. In all cases, we can find examples of results that do not support the initial predictions. In particular, we find that predictions 1-3 have been tested frequently, especially using an among-individual approach. We find qualitative support for all three predictions, though there are also many studies that do not support predictions 1 and 3 in particular. Prediction 4, on the other hand, is something that we identify as a core underlying assumption of past work on the topic, but one that has rarely been directly tested. We propose that when relationships between T and aggression are individual-specific or condition-dependent, then positive correlations between the two variables may be obscured or reversed. In essence, even though T can influence aggression, many assumed or predicted relationships between the two variables may not manifest. Moving forward, we urge greater attention to understanding how and why it is that these bidirectional relationships between T and aggression may vary among timescales and among individuals. In doing so, we will move towards a deeper understanding on the role of hormones in behavioral adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M George
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Center for the Integrated Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kimberly A Rosvall
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Center for the Integrated Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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8
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Non-sensory Influences on Auditory Learning and Plasticity. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2022; 23:151-166. [PMID: 35235100 PMCID: PMC8964851 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-022-00837-3] [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: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinguishing between regular and irregular heartbeats, conversing with speakers of different accents, and tuning a guitar-all rely on some form of auditory learning. What drives these experience-dependent changes? A growing body of evidence suggests an important role for non-sensory influences, including reward, task engagement, and social or linguistic context. This review is a collection of contributions that highlight how these non-sensory factors shape auditory plasticity and learning at the molecular, physiological, and behavioral level. We begin by presenting evidence that reward signals from the dopaminergic midbrain act on cortico-subcortical networks to shape sound-evoked responses of auditory cortical neurons, facilitate auditory category learning, and modulate the long-term storage of new words and their meanings. We then discuss the role of task engagement in auditory perceptual learning and suggest that plasticity in top-down cortical networks mediates learning-related improvements in auditory cortical and perceptual sensitivity. Finally, we present data that illustrates how social experience impacts sound-evoked activity in the auditory midbrain and forebrain and how the linguistic environment rapidly shapes speech perception. These findings, which are derived from both human and animal models, suggest that non-sensory influences are important regulators of auditory learning and plasticity and are often implemented by shared neural substrates. Application of these principles could improve clinical training strategies and inform the development of treatments that enhance auditory learning in individuals with communication disorders.
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9
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Mechanisms of multimodality: androgenic hormones and adaptive flexibility in multimodal displays. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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10
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Fuxjager MJ, Fusani L, Schlinger BA. Physiological innovation and the evolutionary elaboration of courtship behaviour. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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11
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Reyes F, Quintana L, Tassino B. Association of androgens and estrogens with agonistic behavior in the annual fish Austrolebias reicherti. Horm Behav 2021; 136:105064. [PMID: 34653914 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Agonistic behavior governs the settlement of conflicts among conspecifics for limiting resources. Sex steroids play a critical role in the regulation of agonistic behavior which in turn may produce modulations in hormone titres. In this study we analyzed the association of androgens and estrogens with agonistic behavior in the annual fish Austrolebias reicherti. This native species inhabits temporary ponds that dry out completely during summer, having one of the shortest lifespans among vertebrates. They are highly sexually dimorphic and have a single breeding season during which they reproduce continuously. Here we measured plasma levels of 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) and 17β-estradiol (E2) in adult males after the resolution of a social conflict and assessed the role of the aromatase conversion of testosterone (T) to E2 in male aggression. Winners had higher levels of 11KT than losers yet; winner 11KT levels did not differ from those of males not exposed to a social challenge. E2 levels did not show differences among winners, losers or control males. However, fights under the aromatase inhibitor Fadrozole were overall less aggressive than control fights. Our results suggest an androgen response to losing a conflict and that the conversion of T to E2 is involved in the regulation of aggressive behavior. Annual fish extreme life history may give new insights on hormone-behavior interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Reyes
- Sección Etología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Laura Quintana
- Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Bettina Tassino
- Sección Etología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
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12
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Dunlap KD, Koukos HM, Chagnaud BP, Zakon HH, Bass AH. Vocal and Electric Fish: Revisiting a Comparison of Two Teleost Models in the Neuroethology of Social Behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:713105. [PMID: 34489647 PMCID: PMC8418312 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.713105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The communication behaviors of vocal fish and electric fish are among the vertebrate social behaviors best understood at the level of neural circuits. Both forms of signaling rely on midbrain inputs to hindbrain pattern generators that activate peripheral effectors (sonic muscles and electrocytes) to produce pulsatile signals that are modulated by frequency/repetition rate, amplitude and call duration. To generate signals that vary by sex, male phenotype, and social context, these circuits are responsive to a wide range of hormones and neuromodulators acting on different timescales at multiple loci. Bass and Zakon (2005) reviewed the behavioral neuroendocrinology of these two teleost groups, comparing how the regulation of their communication systems have both converged and diverged during their parallel evolution. Here, we revisit this comparison and review the complementary developments over the past 16 years. We (a) summarize recent work that expands our knowledge of the neural circuits underlying these two communication systems, (b) review parallel studies on the action of neuromodulators (e.g., serotonin, AVT, melatonin), brain steroidogenesis (via aromatase), and social stimuli on the output of these circuits, (c) highlight recent transcriptomic studies that illustrate how contemporary molecular methods have elucidated the genetic regulation of social behavior in these fish, and (d) describe recent studies of mochokid catfish, which use both vocal and electric communication, and that use both vocal and electric communication and consider how these two systems are spliced together in the same species. Finally, we offer avenues for future research to further probe how similarities and differences between these two communication systems emerge over ontogeny and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent D Dunlap
- Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Haley M Koukos
- Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Boris P Chagnaud
- Institute of Biology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Harold H Zakon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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13
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Maruska KP, Butler JM. Endocrine Modulation of Sending and Receiving Signals in Context-Dependent Social Communication. Integr Comp Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Animal communication requires senders to transmit signals through the environment to conspecific receivers, which then leads to context-dependent behavioral decisions. Sending and receiving sensory information in social contexts, however, can be dramatically influenced by an individual’s internal state, particularly in species that cycle in and out of breeding or other physiological condition like nutritional state or social status. Modulatory substances like steroids, peptides, and biogenic amines can influence both the substrates used for sending social signals (e.g., motivation centers, sensorimotor pathways, and muscles) as well as the peripheral sensory organs and central neural circuitry involved in the reception of this information and subsequent execution of behavioral responses. This issue highlights research from neuroethologists on the topic of modulation of sending and receiving social signals and demonstrates that it can occur in both males and females, in different senses at both peripheral sensory organs and the brain, at different levels of biological organization, on different temporal scales, in various social contexts, and across many diverse vertebrate taxa. Modifying a signal produced by a sender or how that signal is perceived in a receiver provides flexibility in communication and has broad implications for influencing social decisions like mate choice, which ultimately affects reproductive fitness and species persistence. This phenomenon of modulators and internal physiological state impacting communication abilities is likely more widespread than currently realized and we hope this issue inspires others working on diverse systems to examine this topic from different perspectives. An integrative and comparative approach will advance discovery in this field and is needed to better understand how endocrine modulation contributes to sexual selection and the evolution of animal communication in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen P Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Julie M Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Biology Department, Stanford University, 371 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA
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Thompson RR. An updated field guide for snark hunting: Comparative contributions to behavioral neuroendocrinology in the era of model organisms. Horm Behav 2020; 122:104742. [PMID: 32173444 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Studying neuroendocrine behavioral regulatory mechanisms in a variety of species across vertebrate groups is critical for determining how they work in natural contexts, how they evolved, and ultimately what can be generalized from them, potentially even to humans. All of the above are difficult, at best, if work within our field is exclusively done in traditional laboratory organisms. The importance of comparative approaches for understanding the relationships between hormones and behavior has been recognized and advocated for since our field's inception through a series of papers centered upon a poetic metaphor of Snarks and Boojums, all of which have articulated the benefits that come from studying a diverse range of species and the risks associated with a narrow focus on "model organisms." This mini-review follows in the footsteps of those powerful arguments, highlighting some of the comparative work since the latest interactions of the metaphor that has shaped how we think about three major conceptual frameworks within our field, two of them formalized - the Organization/Activation Model of sexual differentiation and the Social Brain Network - and one, context-dependency, that is generally associated with virtually all modern understandings of how hormones affect behavior. Comparative approaches are broadly defined as those in which the study of mechanism is placed within natural and/or evolutionary contexts, whether they directly compare different species or not. Studies are discussed in relation to how they have either extended or challenged generalities associated with the frameworks, how they have shaped subsequent work in model organisms to further elucidate neuroendocrine behavioral regulatory mechanisms, and how they have stimulated work to determine if and when similar mechanisms influence behavior in our own species.
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15
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Maruska KP, Butler JM, Anselmo C, Tandukar G. Distribution of aromatase in the brain of the African cichlid fish
Astatotilapia burtoni
: Aromatase expression, but not estrogen receptors, varies with female reproductive‐state. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2499-2522. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen P. Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Julie M. Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Chase Anselmo
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Ganga Tandukar
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
- Biology Program University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe Louisiana USA
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16
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Leary CJ, Baugh AT. Glucocorticoids, male sexual signals, and mate choice by females: Implications for sexual selection. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 288:113354. [PMID: 31830474 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We review work relating glucocorticoids (GCs), male sexual signals, and mate choice by females to understand the potential for GCs to modulate the expression of sexually selected traits and how sexual selection potentially feeds back on GC regulation. Our review reveals that the relationship between GC concentrations and the quality of male sexual traits is mixed, regardless of whether studies focused on structural traits (e.g., coloration) or behavioral traits (e.g., vocalizations) or were examined in developmental or activational frameworks. In contrast, the few mate choice experiments that have been done consistently show that females prefer males with low GCs, suggesting that mate choice by females favors males that maintain low levels of GCs. We point out, however, that just as sexual selection can drive the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies, it may also promote diversity in GC regulation. We then shift the focus to females where we highlight evidence indicating that stressors or high GCs can dampen female sexual proceptivity and the strength of preferences for male courtship signals. Hence, even in cases where GCs are tightly coupled with male sexual signals, the strength of sexual selection on aspects of GC physiology can vary depending on the endocrine status of females. Studies examining how GCs relate to sexual selection may shed light on how variation in stress physiology, sexual signals, and mate choice are maintained in natural populations and may be important in understanding context-dependent relationships between GC regulation and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Leary
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, PO Box 1848, University, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
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Balthazart J. New concepts in the study of the sexual differentiation and activation of reproductive behavior, a personal view. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 55:100785. [PMID: 31430485 PMCID: PMC6858558 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Since the beginning of this century, research methods in neuroendocrinology enjoyed extensive refinements and innovation. These advances allowed collection of huge amounts of new data and the development of new ideas but have not led to this point, with a few exceptions, to the development of new conceptual advances. Conceptual advances that took place largely resulted from the ingenious insights of several investigators. I summarize here some of these new ideas as they relate to the sexual differentiation and activation by sex steroids of reproductive behaviors and I discuss how our research contributed to the general picture. This selective review clearly demonstrates the importance of conceptual changes that have taken place in this field since beginning of the 21st century. The recent technological advances suggest that our understanding of hormones, brain and behavior relationships will continue to improve in a very fundamental manner over the coming years.
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Cartolano MC, Chng Y, McDonald MD. Do reproductive hormones control Gulf toadfish pulsatile urea excretion? Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 238:110561. [PMID: 31499168 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.110561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) can excrete the majority of their nitrogenous waste as urea in distinct pulses across their gill. Urea pulses are controlled by cortisol and serotonin (5-HT) and are believed to contain chemical signals that may communicate reproductive and/or social status. The objectives of this study were to determine if reproductive hormones are involved in controlling pulsatile urea excretion, and if toadfish respond to prostaglandins as a chemical signal. Specifically, 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), estradiol (E2), and the teleost pheromone prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were investigated. Castration during breeding season did not affect pulsatile urea excretion but serial injections of 11-KT outside of breeding season did result in a 48% reduction in urea pulse size in fish of both sexes. Injections of E2 and PGE2, on the other hand, did not alter urea excretion patterns. Toadfish also did not pulse urea in response to waterborne exposure of PGE2 suggesting that this compound does not serve as a toadfish pheromone alone. Toadfish have significantly higher plasma 5-HT during breeding season compared to the months following breeding season. Future research should focus on the composition of the chemical signal in toadfish and the potential importance of seasonal changes in plasma 5-HT in toadfish pulsatile urea excretion and teleost reproduction in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Cartolano
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
| | - Yi Chng
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - M Danielle McDonald
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
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Popper AN, Hawkins AD. An overview of fish bioacoustics and the impacts of anthropogenic sounds on fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 94:692-713. [PMID: 30864159 PMCID: PMC6849755 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Fishes use a variety of sensory systems to learn about their environments and to communicate. Of the various senses, hearing plays a particularly important role for fishes in providing information, often from great distances, from all around these animals. This information is in all three spatial dimensions, often overcoming the limitations of other senses such as vision, touch, taste and smell. Sound is used for communication between fishes, mating behaviour, the detection of prey and predators, orientation and migration and habitat selection. Thus, anything that interferes with the ability of a fish to detect and respond to biologically relevant sounds can decrease survival and fitness of individuals and populations. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, there has been a growing increase in the noise that humans put into the water. These anthropogenic sounds are from a wide range of sources that include shipping, sonars, construction activities (e.g., wind farms, harbours), trawling, dredging and exploration for oil and gas. Anthropogenic sounds may be sufficiently intense to result in death or mortal injury. However, anthropogenic sounds at lower levels may result in temporary hearing impairment, physiological changes including stress effects, changes in behaviour or the masking of biologically important sounds. The intent of this paper is to review the potential effects of anthropogenic sounds upon fishes, the potential consequences for populations and ecosystems and the need to develop sound exposure criteria and relevant regulations. However, assuming that many readers may not have a background in fish bioacoustics, the paper first provides information on underwater acoustics, with a focus on introducing the very important concept of particle motion, the primary acoustic stimulus for all fishes, including elasmobranchs. The paper then provides background material on fish hearing, sound production and acoustic behaviour. This is followed by an overview of what is known about effects of anthropogenic sounds on fishes and considers the current guidelines and criteria being used world-wide to assess potential effects on fishes. Most importantly, the paper provides the most complete summary of the effects of anthropogenic noise on fishes to date. It is also made clear that there are currently so many information gaps that it is almost impossible to reach clear conclusions on the nature and levels of anthropogenic sounds that have potential to cause changes in animal behaviour, or even result in physical harm. Further research is required on the responses of a range of fish species to different sound sources, under different conditions. There is a need both to examine the immediate effects of sound exposure and the longer-term effects, in terms of fitness and likely impacts upon populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur N. Popper
- Department of BiologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMarylandUSA
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Johnstone WM, Honeycutt JL, Deck CA, Borski RJ. Nongenomic glucocorticoid effects and their mechanisms of action in vertebrates. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 346:51-96. [PMID: 31122395 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GC) act on multiple organ systems to regulate a variety of physiological processes in vertebrates. Due to their immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory actions, glucocorticoids are an attractive target for pharmaceutical development. Accordingly, they are one of the most widely prescribed classes of therapeutics. Through the classical mechanism of steroid action, glucocorticoids are thought to mainly affect gene transcription, both in a stimulatory and suppressive fashion, regulating de novo protein synthesis that subsequently leads to the physiological response. However, over the past three decades multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that glucocorticoids may work through rapid, nonclassical mechanisms that do not require alterations in gene transcription or translation. This review assimilates evidence across the vertebrate taxa on the diversity of nongenomic actions of glucocorticoids and the membrane-associated cellular mechanisms that may underlie rapid glucocorticoid responses to include potential binding sites characterized to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M Johnstone
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Jamie L Honeycutt
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Courtney A Deck
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Russell J Borski
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
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21
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Putland R, Mackiewicz A, Mensinger A. Localizing individual soniferous fish using passive acoustic monitoring. ECOL INFORM 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Thompson RR, Mangiamele LA. Rapid sex steroid effects on reproductive responses in male goldfish: Sensory and motor mechanisms. Horm Behav 2018; 104:52-62. [PMID: 29777656 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 05/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Although we have learned a great deal about the molecular mechanisms through which sex steroids rapidly affect cellular physiology, we still know little about the links between those mechanisms and behavioral output, nor about their functional consequences in natural contexts. In this review, we first briefly discuss the contexts associated with rapid effects of sex steroids on reproductive behaviors and their likely functional outcomes, as well the sensory, motor, and motivational mechanisms associated with those effects. We then discuss our recent studies on the rapid effects of testosterone in goldfish. Those studies indicate that testosterone, through its aromatization and the subsequent activation of estrogen receptors, rapidly stimulates physiological processes related to the release of milt/sperm through likely influences on motor pathways, as well as behavioral responses to female visual stimuli that may reflect, in part, influences on early stages of sensory processing. Such motor and sensory mechanism are likely important for sperm competition and mate detection / tracking, respectively, in competitive mating contexts. We also present preliminary data on rapid effects of testosterone on responses to pheromones that may not involve estrogen receptors, suggesting a dissociation in the receptor mechanisms that mediate behavioral responses in different sensory modalities. Lastly, we briefly discuss the implications of our work on unresolved questions about rapid sex steroid neuromodulation in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richmond R Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011, United States.
| | - Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, North Hampton, MA 01063, United States
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Remage-Healey L, Choleris E, Balthazart J. Rapid effects of steroids in the brain: Introduction to special issue. Horm Behav 2018; 104:1-3. [PMID: 29913141 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke Remage-Healey
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Insight into the neuroendocrine basis of signal evolution: a case study in foot-flagging frogs. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:61-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1218-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Fuxjager MJ, Trainor BC, Marler CA. What can animal research tell us about the link between androgens and social competition in humans? Horm Behav 2017; 92:182-189. [PMID: 27914879 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. The relationship between androgenic hormones, like testosterone (T), and aggression is extensively studied in human populations. Yet, while this work has illuminated a variety of principals regarding the behavioral and phenotypic effects of T, it is also hindered by inherent limitations of performing research on people. In these instances, animal research can be used to gain further insight into the complex mechanisms by which T influences aggression. Here, we explore recent studies on T and aggression in numerous vertebrate species, although we focus primarily on males and on a New World rodent called the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). This species is highly territorial and monogamous, resembling the modern human social disposition. We review (i) how baseline and dynamic T levels predict and/or impact aggressive behavior and disposition; (ii) how factors related to social and physical context influence T and aggression; (iii) the reinforcing or "rewarding" aspects of aggressive behavior; and (iv) the function of T on aggression before and during a combative encounter. Included are areas that may need further research. We argue that animal studies investigating these topics fill in gaps to help paint a more complete picture of how androgenic steroids drive the output of aggressive behavior in all animals, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Catherine A Marler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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Mangiamele LA, Gomez JR, Curtis NJ, Thompson RR. GPER/GPR30, a membrane estrogen receptor, is expressed in the brain and retina of a social fish (Carassius auratus) and colocalizes with isotocin. J Comp Neurol 2016; 525:252-270. [PMID: 27283982 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol rapidly (within 30 minutes) influences a variety of sociosexual behaviors in both mammalian and nonmammalian vertebrates, including goldfish, in which it rapidly stimulates approach responses to the visual cues of females. Such rapid neuromodulatory effects are likely mediated via membrane-associated estrogen receptors; however, the localization and distribution of such receptors within the nervous system is not well described. To begin to address this gap, we identified GPER/GPR30, a G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor, in goldfish (Carassius auratus) neural tissue and used reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization to test if GPR30 is expressed in the brain regions that might mediate visually guided social behaviors in males. We then used immunohistochemistry to determine whether GPR30 colocalizes with isotocin-producing cells in the preoptic area, a critical node in the highly conserved vertebrate social behavior network. We used quantitative (q)PCR to test whether GPR30 mRNA levels differ in males in breeding vs. nonbreeding condition and in males that were socially interacting with a female vs. a rival male. Our results show that GPR30 is expressed in the retina and in many brain regions that receive input from the retina and/or optic tectum, as well as in a few nodes in the social behavior network, including cell populations that produce isotocin. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:252-270, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julia R Gomez
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
| | - Nancy J Curtis
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
| | - Richmond R Thompson
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA.,Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
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Scarsella GE, Duque KS, Wong SC, Sivaraman B, Earley RL. Hormonal Responses to Noncontact Aggression in Convict Cichlid Fish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 325:219-30. [PMID: 27076438 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This study explored whether convict cichlid fish mount a hormonal response to aggressive encounters where dominance status remains unresolved. Hormone samples were collected at two time points before an aggressive interaction to obtain confinement-induced and baseline measures, and at one time point following a contest across a clear partition (experimental) or exposure to an opaque partition with an opponent on the opposite side (control). There was no overall significant effect of treatment (control vs. experimental) on hormone release rates but there were trends for cortisol and testosterone (T). A priori linear contrasts showed that individuals that engaged in aggressive interactions had lower postfight cortisol and T release rates than controls, suggesting that aggression, in this context, might attenuate the synthesis of both hormones. Cortisol decreased significantly between initial confinement and baseline, indicating that individuals habituate to the water-borne hormone collection procedure. Contrary to expectation, individuals with higher baseline T and 11-ketotestosterone (KT) release rates took longer to initiate conflict. None of the other measures of behavior were predicted by baseline hormone release rates, and contest behavior did not predict postfight hormone release rates. There was a significant positive relationship between KT and T at all time points. As with studies that employ mirror image stimulation, we found no hormonal response to unresolved contests despite high levels of aggressive behavior. Our study is unique because we demonstrate that animals engaged in conflict with live opponents also do not mount a significant hormonal response when clear dominance relationships are not established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Scarsella
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
| | - Kevin S Duque
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
| | - Stephanie C Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
| | - Boopathy Sivaraman
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
| | - Ryan L Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
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28
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Fuxjager MJ, Schlinger BA. Perspectives on the evolution of animal dancing: a case study of manakins. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Feng NY, Fergus DJ, Bass AH. Neural transcriptome reveals molecular mechanisms for temporal control of vocalization across multiple timescales. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:408. [PMID: 26014649 PMCID: PMC4446069 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1577-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vocalization is a prominent social behavior among vertebrates, including in the midshipman fish, an established model for elucidating the neural basis of acoustic communication. Courtship vocalizations produced by territorial males are essential for reproductive success, vary over daily and seasonal cycles, and last up to hours per call. Vocalizations rely upon extreme synchrony and millisecond precision in the firing of a homogeneous population of motoneurons, the vocal motor nucleus (VMN). Although studies have identified neural mechanisms driving rapid, precise, and stable neuronal firing over long periods of calling, little is known about underlying genetic/molecular mechanisms. Results We used RNA sequencing-based transcriptome analyses to compare patterns of gene expression in VMN to the surrounding hindbrain across three daily and seasonal time points of high and low sound production to identify candidate genes that underlie VMN’s intrinsic and network neuronal properties. Results from gene ontology enrichment, enzyme pathway mapping, and gene category-wide expression levels highlighted the importance of cellular respiration in VMN function, consistent with the high energetic demands of sustained vocal behavior. Functionally important candidate genes upregulated in the VMN, including at time points corresponding to high natural vocal activity, encode ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors, hormone receptors and biosynthetic enzymes, neuromodulators, aerobic respiration enzymes, and antioxidants. Quantitative PCR and RNA-seq expression levels for 28 genes were significantly correlated. Many candidate gene products regulate mechanisms of neuronal excitability, including those previously identified in VMN motoneurons, as well as novel ones that remain to be investigated. Supporting evidence from previous studies in midshipman strongly validate the value of transcriptomic analyses for linking genes to neural characters that drive behavior. Conclusions Transcriptome analyses highlighted a suite of molecular mechanisms that regulate vocalization over behaviorally relevant timescales, spanning milliseconds to hours and seasons. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive characterization of gene expression in a dedicated vocal motor nucleus. Candidate genes identified here may belong to a conserved genetic toolkit for vocal motoneurons facing similar energetic and neurophysiological demands. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1577-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ni Y Feng
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Daniel J Fergus
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA. .,Current Address: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Genomics and Microbiology, 27601, Raleigh, NC, USA.
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Forlano PM, Sisneros JA, Rohmann KN, Bass AH. Neuroendocrine control of seasonal plasticity in the auditory and vocal systems of fish. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 37:129-45. [PMID: 25168757 PMCID: PMC4342331 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Revised: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal changes in reproductive-related vocal behavior are widespread among fishes. This review highlights recent studies of the vocal plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, a neuroethological model system used for the past two decades to explore neural and endocrine mechanisms of vocal-acoustic social behaviors shared with tetrapods. Integrative approaches combining behavior, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroanatomy, and gene expression methodologies have taken advantage of simple, stereotyped and easily quantifiable behaviors controlled by discrete neural networks in this model system to enable discoveries such as the first demonstration of adaptive seasonal plasticity in the auditory periphery of a vertebrate as well as rapid steroid and neuropeptide effects on vocal physiology and behavior. This simple model system has now revealed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying seasonal and steroid-driven auditory and vocal plasticity in the vertebrate brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States; Programs in Neuroscience, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States; Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States.
| | - Joseph A Sisneros
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States; Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States; Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Kevin N Rohmann
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States; Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Bodega Bay, CA, 94923, United States
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Heimovics SA, Ferris JK, Soma KK. Non-invasive administration of 17β-estradiol rapidly increases aggressive behavior in non-breeding, but not breeding, male song sparrows. Horm Behav 2015; 69:31-8. [PMID: 25483754 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Revised: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 11/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
17β-Estradiol (E2) acts in the brain via genomic and non-genomic mechanisms to influence physiology and behavior. There is seasonal plasticity in the mechanisms by which E2 activates aggression, and non-genomic mechanisms appear to predominate during the non-breeding season. Male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) display E2-dependent territorial aggression throughout the year. Field studies show that song sparrow aggression during a territorial intrusion is similar in the non-breeding and breeding seasons, but aggression after an intrusion ends differs seasonally. Non-breeding males stop behaving aggressively within minutes whereas breeding males remain aggressive for hours. We hypothesize that this seasonal plasticity in the persistence of aggression relates to seasonal plasticity in E2 signaling. We used a non-invasive route of E2 administration to compare the non-genomic (within 20min) effects of E2 on aggressive behavior in captive non-breeding and breeding season males. E2 rapidly increased barrier contacts (attacks) during an intrusion by 173% in non-breeding season males only. Given that these effects were observed within 20min of E2 administration, they likely occurred via a non-genomic mechanism of action. The present data, taken together with past work, suggest that environmental cues associated with the non-breeding season influence the molecular mechanisms through which E2 influences behavior. In song sparrows, transient expression of aggressive behavior during the non-breeding season is highly adaptive: it minimizes energy expenditure and maximizes the amount of time available for foraging. In all, these data suggest the intriguing possibility that aggression in the non-breeding season may be activated by a non-genomic E2 mechanism due to the fitness benefits associated with rapid and transient expression of aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Heimovics
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Jennifer K Ferris
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Pradhan DS, Solomon-Lane TK, Grober MS. Contextual modulation of social and endocrine correlates of fitness: insights from the life history of a sex changing fish. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:8. [PMID: 25691855 PMCID: PMC4315020 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones are critical regulators of reproductive life history, and the steroid sensitive traits (morphology, behavior, physiology) associated with particular life history stages can have substantial fitness consequences for an organism. Hormones, behavior and fitness are reciprocally associated and can be used in an integrative fashion to understand how the environment impacts organismal function. To address the fitness component, we highlight the importance of using reliable proxies of reproductive success when studying proximate regulation of reproductive phenotypes. To understand the mechanisms by which the endocrine system regulates phenotype, we discuss the use of particular endocrine proxies and the need for appropriate functional interpretation of each. Lastly, in any experimental paradigm, the responses of animals vary based on the subtle differences in environmental and social context and this must also be considered. We explore these different levels of analyses by focusing on the fascinating life history transitions exhibited by the bi-directionally hermaphroditic fish, Lythrypnus dalli. Sex changing fish are excellent models for providing a deeper understanding of the fitness consequences associated with behavioral and endocrine variation. We close by proposing that local regulation of steroids is one potential mechanism that allows for the expression of novel phenotypes that can be characteristic of specific life history stages. A comparative species approach will facilitate progress in understanding the diversity of mechanisms underlying the contextual regulation of phenotypes and their associated fitness correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew S Grober
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA ; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA, USA
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A single testosterone pulse rapidly reduces urinary marking behaviour in subordinate, but not dominant, white-footed mice. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Risch D, Castellote M, Clark CW, Davis GE, Dugan PJ, Hodge LEW, Kumar A, Lucke K, Mellinger DK, Nieukirk SL, Popescu CM, Ramp C, Read AJ, Rice AN, Silva MA, Siebert U, Stafford KM, Verdaat H, Van Parijs SM. Seasonal migrations of North Atlantic minke whales: novel insights from large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2014; 2:24. [PMID: 25709833 PMCID: PMC4337769 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-014-0024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about migration patterns and seasonal distribution away from coastal summer feeding habitats of many pelagic baleen whales. Recently, large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks have become available to explore migration patterns and identify critical habitats of these species. North Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) perform seasonal migrations between high latitude summer feeding and low latitude winter breeding grounds. While the distribution and abundance of the species has been studied across their summer range, data on migration and winter habitat are virtually missing. Acoustic recordings, from 16 different sites from across the North Atlantic, were analyzed to examine the seasonal and geographic variation in minke whale pulse train occurrence, infer information about migration routes and timing, and to identify possible winter habitats. RESULTS Acoustic detections show that minke whales leave their winter grounds south of 30° N from March through early April. On their southward migration in autumn, minke whales leave waters north of 40° N from mid-October through early November. In the western North Atlantic spring migrants appear to track the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream along the continental shelf, while whales travel farther offshore in autumn. Abundant detections were found off the southeastern US and the Caribbean during winter. Minke whale pulse trains showed evidence of geographic variation, with longer pulse trains recorded south of 40° N. Very few pulse trains were recorded during summer in any of the datasets. CONCLUSION This study highlights the feasibility of using acoustic monitoring networks to explore migration patterns of pelagic marine mammals. Results confirm the presence of minke whales off the southeastern US and the Caribbean during winter months. The absence of pulse train detections during summer suggests either that minke whales switch their vocal behaviour at this time of year, are absent from available recording sites or that variation in signal structure influenced automated detection. Alternatively, if pulse trains are produced in a reproductive context by males, these data may indicate their absence from the selected recording sites. Evidence of geographic variation in pulse train duration suggests different behavioural functions or use of these calls at different latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Risch
- />Under Contract with Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Woods Hole, MA USA
- />Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scottish Marine Institute, Oban, Argyll, Scotland UK
| | - Manuel Castellote
- />National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Christopher W Clark
- />Bioacoustics Research Program, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
| | - Genevieve E Davis
- />Under Contract with Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Woods Hole, MA USA
| | - Peter J Dugan
- />Bioacoustics Research Program, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
| | | | - Anurag Kumar
- />Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Norfolk, VA USA
| | - Klaus Lucke
- />IMARES Wageningen UR, Ecosystem Department, Den Burg, Texel Netherlands
- />Centre for Marine Science & Technology, Curtin University, Perth, WA Australia
| | - David K Mellinger
- />NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Newport, OR USA
- />Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, Oregon State University, Newport, OR USA
| | | | - Cristian Marian Popescu
- />Bioacoustics Research Program, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
| | - Christian Ramp
- />Mingan Island Cetacean Study, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, QC Canada
| | - Andrew J Read
- />Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC USA
| | - Aaron N Rice
- />Bioacoustics Research Program, Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA
| | - Monica A Silva
- />MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre and IMAR-Institute of Marine Research, University of the Azores, Horta, Portugal
- />Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA
| | - Ursula Siebert
- />Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Büsum Germany
| | | | - Hans Verdaat
- />IMARES Wageningen UR, Ecosystem Department, Den Burg, Texel Netherlands
| | - Sofie M Van Parijs
- />Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Woods Hole, MA USA
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Chagnaud BP, Bass AH. Vocal behavior and vocal central pattern generator organization diverge among toadfishes. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 84:51-65. [PMID: 25115796 DOI: 10.1159/000362916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Among fishes, acoustic communication is best studied in toadfishes, a single order and family that includes species commonly known as toadfish and midshipman. However, there is a lack of comparative anatomical and physiological studies, making it difficult to identify both shared and derived mechanisms of vocalization among toadfishes. Here, vocal nerve labeling and intracellular in vivo recording and staining delineated the hindbrain vocal network of the Gulf toadfish Opsanus beta. Dextran-biotin labeling of the vocal nerve or intracellular neurobiotin fills of motoneurons delineated a midline vocal motor nucleus (VMN). Motoneurons showed bilaterally extensive dendritic arbors both within and lateral to the paired motor nuclei. The motoneuron activity matched that of the spike-like vocal nerve motor volley that determines the natural call duration and frequency. Ipsilateral vocal nerve labeling with biocytin or neurobiotin yielded dense bilateral transneuronal filling of motoneurons and coextensive columns of premotor neurons. These premotor neurons generated pacemaker-like action potentials matched 1:1 with vocal nerve and motoneuron firing. Transneuronal transport further revealed connectivity within and between the pacemaker-motor circuit and a rostral prepacemaker nucleus. Unlike the pacemaker-motor circuit, prepacemaker firing did not match the frequency of vocal nerve activity but instead was predictive of the duration of the vocal nerve volley that codes for call duration. Transneuronally labeled terminal-like boutons also occurred in auditory-recipient hindbrain nuclei, including neurons innervating the inner ear and lateral line organs. Together with studies of midshipman, we propose that separate premotor populations coding vocal frequency and duration with direct premotor coupling to auditory-lateral line nuclei are plesiomorphic characters for toadfishes. Unlike in midshipman, transneuronal labeling in toadfishes reveals an expansive column of pacemaker neurons that is weakly coupled to prepacemaker neurons, a character that likely depends on the extent of gap junction coupling. We propose that these and other anatomical characters contribute to neurophysiological properties that, in turn, sculpt the species-typical patterning of frequency and amplitude-modulated vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris P Chagnaud
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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McIver EL, Marchaterre MA, Rice AN, Bass AH. Novel underwater soundscape: acoustic repertoire of plainfin midshipman fish. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:2377-89. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.102772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Toadfishes are among the best-known groups of sound producing (vocal) fishes and include species commonly known as toadfish and midshipman. Although midshipman have been the subject of extensive investigation of the neural mechanisms of vocalization, this is the first comprehensive, quantitative analysis of the spectro-temporal characters of their acoustic signals and one of the few for fishes in general. Field recordings of territorial, nest-guarding male midshipman during the breeding season identified a diverse vocal repertoire comprised of three basic sound types that varied widely in duration, harmonic structure, and degree of amplitude modulation (AM) - "hum", "grunt", and "growl". Hum duration varied nearly 1000 fold, lasting for minutes at a time, with stable harmonic stacks and little envelope modulation throughout the sound. By contrast, grunts were brief, ~30-140 ms, broadband signals produced both in isolation and repetitively as a train of up to 200 at intervals of ~0.5-1.0 s. Growls were also produced alone or repetitively, but at variable intervals on the order of seconds with durations between that of grunts and hums, ranging 60 fold from ~200 ms - 12 s. Growls exhibited prominent harmonics with sudden shifts in pulse repetition rate and highly variable AM patterns, unlike the nearly constant AM of grunt trains and flat envelope of hums. Behavioral and neurophysiological studies support the hypothesis that each sound type's unique acoustic signature contributes to signal recognition mechanisms. Nocturnal production of these sounds against a background chorus dominated constantly for hours by a single sound type, the multi-harmonic hum, reveals a novel underwater soundscape for fish.
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Pradhan DS, Connor KR, Pritchett EM, Grober MS. Contextual modulation of androgen effects on agonistic interactions. Horm Behav 2014; 65:47-56. [PMID: 24315925 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 11/23/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal changes in steroid hormones are known to have a major impact on social behavior, but often are quite sensitive to environmental context. In the bi-directionally sex changing fish, Lythrypnus dalli, stable haremic groups exhibit baseline levels of interaction. Status instability follows immediately after male removal, causing transiently elevated agonistic interactions and increase in brain and systemic levels of a potent fish androgen, 11-ketotestosterone (KT). Coupling KT implants with a socially inhibitory environment for protogynous sex change induces rapid transition to male morphology, but no significant change in social behavior and status, which could result from systemically administered steroids not effectively penetrating into brain or other tissues. Here, we first determined the degree to which exogenously administered steroids affect the steroid load within tissues. Second, we examined whether coupling a social environment permissive to sex change would influence KT effects on agonistic behavior. We implanted cholesterol (Chol, control) or KT in the dominant individual (alpha) undergoing sex change (on d0) and determined the effects on behavior and the degree to which administered steroids altered the steroid load within tissues. During the period of social instability, there were rapid (within 2 h), but transient effects of KT on agonistic behavior in alphas, and secondary effects on betas. On d3 and d5, all KT, but no Chol, treated females had male typical genital papillae. Despite elevated brain and systemic KT 5 days after implant, overall rates of aggressive behavior remained unaffected. These data highlight the importance of social context in mediating complex hormone-behavior relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S Pradhan
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - K R Connor
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - E M Pritchett
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - M S Grober
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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Fergus DJ, Bass AH. Localization and divergent profiles of estrogen receptors and aromatase in the vocal and auditory networks of a fish with alternative mating tactics. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:2850-69. [PMID: 23460422 PMCID: PMC3688646 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Revised: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Estrogens play a salient role in the development and maintenance of both male and female nervous systems and behaviors. The plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus), a teleost fish, has two male reproductive morphs that follow alternative mating tactics and diverge in multiple somatic, hormonal, and neural traits, including the central control of morph-specific vocal behaviors. After we identified duplicate estrogen receptors (ERβ1 and ERβ2) in midshipman, we developed antibodies to localize protein expression in the central vocal-acoustic networks and saccule, the auditory division of the inner ear. As in other teleost species, ERβ1 and ERβ2 were robustly expressed in the telencephalon and hypothalamus in vocal-acoustic and other brain regions shown previously to exhibit strong expression of ERα and aromatase (estrogen synthetase, CYP19) in midshipman. Like aromatase, ERβ1 label colocalized with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in telencephalic radial glial cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed similar patterns of transcript abundance across reproductive morphs for ERβ1, ERβ2, ERα, and aromatase in the forebrain and saccule. In contrast, transcript abundance for ERs and aromatase varied significantly between morphs in and around the sexually polymorphic vocal motor nucleus (VMN). Together, the results suggest that VMN is the major estrogen target within the estrogen-sensitive hindbrain vocal network that directly determines the duration, frequency, and amplitude of morph-specific vocalizations. Comparable regional differences in steroid receptor abundances likely regulate morph-specific behaviors in males and females of other species exhibiting alternative reproductive tactics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Fergus
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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Dreiss AN, Ruppli CA, Oberli F, Antoniazza S, Henry I, Roulin A. Barn owls do not interrupt their siblings. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Lorenzi V, Earley RL, Grober MS. Differential responses of brain, gonad and muscle steroid levels to changes in social status and sex in a sequential and bidirectional hermaphroditic fish. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51158. [PMID: 23251444 PMCID: PMC3519529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 10/30/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex steroids can both modulate and be modulated by behavior, and their actions are mediated by complex interactions among multiple hormone sources and targets. While gonadal steroids delivered via circulation can affect behavior, changes in local brain steroid synthesis also can modulate behavior. The relative steroid load across different tissues and the association of these levels with rates of behavior have not been well studied. The bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli) is a sex changing fish in which social status determines sexual phenotype. We examined changes in steroid levels in brain, gonad and body muscle at either 24 hours or 6 days after social induction of protogynous sex change, and from individuals in stable social groups not undergoing sex change. For each tissue, we measured levels of estradiol (E(2)), testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (KT). Females had more T than males in the gonads, and more E(2) in all tissues but there was no sex difference in KT. For both sexes, E(2) was higher in the gonad than in other tissues while androgens were higher in the brain. During sex change, brain T levels dropped while brain KT increased, and brain E(2) levels did not change. We found a positive relationship between androgens and aggression in the most dominant females but only when the male was removed from the social group. The results demonstrate that steroid levels are responsive to changes in the social environment, and that their concentrations vary in different tissues. Also, we suggest that rapid changes in brain androgen levels might be important in inducing behavioral and/or morphological changes associated with protogynous sex change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varenka Lorenzi
- Department of Biology and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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42
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Genova RM, Marchaterre MA, Knapp R, Fergus D, Bass AH. Glucocorticoid and androgen signaling pathways diverge between advertisement calling and non-calling fish. Horm Behav 2012; 62:426-32. [PMID: 22884426 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral and neuroendocrine mechanisms of social vocalization in teleost fish are influenced by the glucocorticoid cortisol and the androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11kT). The relative abundance of both 11kT, which binds to androgen receptors (ARα, ARβ), and cortisol, which binds to glucocorticoid receptors (GR-1, GR-2), is regulated by 11β-hydroxylase (11βH) that converts 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol and testosterone to 11β-OH-testosterone, and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD) that converts cortisol to the inactive metabolite cortisone and 11β-OH-testosterone to 11kT. In midshipman fish, we tested the hypothesis that plasma steroid levels, mRNA abundance for 11βH and 11βHSD in the vocal muscle and testis (known site of 11kT synthesis), and mRNA abundances for ARs and GRs in vocal muscle, would differ between males that did or did not recently produce 'hum' advertisement calls. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that non-calling male vocal muscle had significantly higher mRNA levels for all receptors except ARα, and a strong trend for higher 11βHSD; 11βH was similar to that in calling males. Calling males had higher plasma and testis 11kT, but lower plasma cortisol, levels. Testis enzyme levels did not differ between male groups, although calling males showed a positive linear correlation between plasma 11kT and testis 11βHSD mRNA levels, consistent with testis being the main source of plasma 11kT. We propose that higher vocal muscle 11βHSD levels in non-calling males reflect increased local conversion of elevated cortisol to cortisone, providing protection from cortisol-related toxicity, while increased receptor expression in non-calling males functions as a preparatory mechanism for meeting the physiological demands of future vocalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Genova
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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43
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Shared developmental and evolutionary origins for neural basis of vocal-acoustic and pectoral-gestural signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109 Suppl 1:10677-84. [PMID: 22723366 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1201886109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signaling behaviors are widespread among bony vertebrates, which include the majority of living fishes and tetrapods. Developmental studies in sound-producing fishes and tetrapods indicate that central pattern generating networks dedicated to vocalization originate from the same caudal hindbrain rhombomere (rh) 8-spinal compartment. Together, the evidence suggests that vocalization and its morphophysiological basis, including mechanisms of vocal-respiratory coupling that are widespread among tetrapods, are ancestral characters for bony vertebrates. Premotor-motor circuitry for pectoral appendages that function in locomotion and acoustic signaling develops in the same rh8-spinal compartment. Hence, vocal and pectoral phenotypes in fishes share both developmental origins and roles in acoustic communication. These findings lead to the proposal that the coupling of more highly derived vocal and pectoral mechanisms among tetrapods, including those adapted for nonvocal acoustic and gestural signaling, originated in fishes. Comparative studies further show that rh8 premotor populations have distinct neurophysiological properties coding for equally distinct behavioral attributes such as call duration. We conclude that neural network innovations in the spatiotemporal patterning of vocal and pectoral mechanisms of social communication, including forelimb gestural signaling, have their evolutionary origins in the caudal hindbrain of fishes.
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Chagnaud BP, Zee MC, Baker R, Bass AH. Innovations in motoneuron synchrony drive rapid temporal modulations in vertebrate acoustic signaling. J Neurophysiol 2012; 107:3528-42. [PMID: 22423004 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00030.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid temporal modulation of acoustic signals among several vertebrate lineages has recently been shown to depend on the actions of superfast muscles. We hypothesized that such fast events, known to require synchronous activation of muscle fibers, would rely on motoneuronal properties adapted to generating a highly synchronous output to sonic muscles. Using intracellular in vivo recordings, we identified a suite of premotor network inputs and intrinsic motoneuronal properties synchronizing the oscillatory-like, simultaneous activation of superfast muscles at high gamma frequencies in fish. Motoneurons lacked spontaneous activity, firing synchronously only at the frequency of premotor excitatory input. Population-level motoneuronal output generated a spike-like, vocal nerve volley that directly determines muscle contraction rate and, in turn, natural call frequency. In the absence of vocal output, motoneurons showed low excitability and a weak afterhyperpolarization, leading to rapid accommodation in firing rate. By contrast, vocal activity was accompanied by a prominent afterhyperpolarization, indicating a dependency on network activity. Local injection of a GABA(A) receptor antagonist demonstrated the necessity of electrophysiologically and immunohistochemically confirmed inhibitory GABAergic input for motoneuronal synchrony and vocalization. Numerous transneuronally labeled motoneurons following single-cell neurobiotin injection together with electrophysiological collision experiments confirmed gap junctional coupling, known to contribute to synchronous activity in other neural networks. Motoneuronal synchrony at the premotor input frequency was maintained during differential recruitment of variably sized motoneurons. Differential motoneuron recruitment led, however, to amplitude modulation (AM) of vocal output and, hence, natural call AM. In summary, motoneuronal intrinsic properties, in particular low excitability, predisposed vocal motoneurons to the synchronizing influences of premotor inputs to translate a temporal input code into a coincident and extremely synchronous, but variable-amplitude, output code. We propose an analogous suite of neuronal properties as a key innovation underlying similarly rapid acoustic events observed among amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris P Chagnaud
- Dept. of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Yoder KM, Vicario DS. To modulate and be modulated: estrogenic influences on auditory processing of communication signals within a socio-neuro-endocrine framework. Behav Neurosci 2012; 126:17-28. [PMID: 22201281 PMCID: PMC3272484 DOI: 10.1037/a0026673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Gonadal hormones modulate behavioral responses to sexual stimuli, and communication signals can also modulate circulating hormone levels. In several species, these combined effects appear to underlie a two-way interaction between circulating gonadal hormones and behavioral responses to socially salient stimuli. Recent work in songbirds has shown that manipulating local estradiol levels in the auditory forebrain produces physiological changes that affect discrimination of conspecific vocalizations and can affect behavior. These studies provide new evidence that estrogens can directly alter auditory processing and indirectly alter the behavioral response to a stimulus. These studies show that: 1) Local estradiol action within an auditory area is necessary for socially relevant sounds to induce normal physiological responses in the brains of both sexes; 2) These physiological effects occur much more quickly than predicted by the classical time-frame for genomic effects; 3) Estradiol action within the auditory forebrain enables behavioral discrimination among socially relevant sounds in males; and 4) Estradiol is produced locally in the male brain during exposure to particular social interactions. The accumulating evidence suggests a socio-neuro-endocrinology framework in which estradiol is essential to auditory processing, is increased by a socially relevant stimulus, acts rapidly to shape perception of subsequent stimuli experienced during social interactions, and modulates behavioral responses to these stimuli. Brain estrogens are likely to function similarly in both songbird sexes because aromatase and estrogen receptors are present in both male and female forebrain. Estrogenic modulation of perception in songbirds and perhaps other animals could fine-tune male advertising signals and female ability to discriminate them, facilitating mate selection by modulating behaviors.
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Rice AN, Land BR, Bass AH. Nonlinear acoustic complexity in a fish 'two-voice' system. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:3762-8. [PMID: 21561970 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals play essential roles in social communication and show a strong selection for novel morphologies leading to increased call complexity in many taxa. Among vertebrates, repeated innovations in the larynges of frogs and mammals and the syrinx of songbirds have enhanced the spectro-temporal content, and hence the diversity of vocalizations. This acoustic diversification includes nonlinear characteristics that expand frequency profiles beyond the traditional categorization of harmonic and broadband calls. Fishes have remained a notable exception to evidence for such acoustic innovations among vertebrates, despite their being the largest group of living vertebrates that also exhibit widespread evolution of sound production. Here, we combine rigorous acoustic and mathematical analyses with experimental silencing of the vocal motor system to show how a novel swim bladder mechanism in a toadfish enables it to generate calls exhibiting nonlinearities like those found among frogs, birds and mammals, including primates. By showing that fishes have evolved nonlinear acoustic signalling like all other major lineages of vocal vertebrates, these results suggest strong selection pressure favouring this mechanism to enrich the spectro-temporal content and complexity of vocal signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron N Rice
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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Goldina A, Gavassa S, Stoddard PK. Testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone have different regulatory effects on electric communication signals of male Brachyhypopomus gauderio. Horm Behav 2011; 60:139-47. [PMID: 21596047 PMCID: PMC3126885 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Revised: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The communication signals of electric fish can be dynamic, varying between the sexes on a circadian rhythm and in response to social and environmental cues. In the gymnotiform fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio waveform shape of the electric organ discharge (EOD) is regulated by steroid and peptide hormones. Furthermore, EOD amplitude and duration change on different timescales and in response to different social stimuli, suggesting that they are regulated by different mechanisms. Little is known about how androgen and peptide hormone systems interact to regulate signal waveform. We investigated the relationship between the androgens testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), the melanocortin peptide hormone α-MSH, and their roles in regulating EOD waveform of male B. gauderio. Males were implanted with androgen (T, 11-KT, or blank), and injected with α-MSH before and at the peak of androgen effect. We compared the effects of androgen implants and social interactions by giving males a size-matched male stimulus with which they could interact electrically. Social stimuli and both androgens increased EOD duration, but only social stimuli and 11-KT elevated amplitude. However, no androgen enhanced EOD amplitude to the extent of a social stimulus, suggesting that a yet unidentified hormonal pathway regulates this signal parameter. Additionally, both androgens increased response of EOD duration to α-MSH, but only 11-KT increased response of EOD amplitude to α-MSH. Social stimuli had no effect on EOD response to α-MSH. The finding that EOD amplitude is preferentially regulated by 11-KT in B. gauderio may provide the basis for independent control of amplitude and duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Goldina
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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Chagnaud BP, Baker R, Bass AH. Vocalization frequency and duration are coded in separate hindbrain nuclei. Nat Commun 2011; 2:346. [PMID: 21673667 PMCID: PMC3166519 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2010] [Accepted: 05/11/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal patterning is an essential feature of neural networks producing precisely timed behaviours such as vocalizations that are widely used in vertebrate social communication. Here we show that intrinsic and network properties of separate hindbrain neuronal populations encode the natural call attributes of frequency and duration in vocal fish. Intracellular structure/function analyses indicate that call duration is encoded by a sustained membrane depolarization in vocal prepacemaker neurons that innervate downstream pacemaker neurons. Pacemaker neurons, in turn, encode call frequency by rhythmic, ultrafast oscillations in their membrane potential. Pharmacological manipulations show prepacemaker activity to be independent of pacemaker function, thus accounting for natural variation in duration which is the predominant feature distinguishing call types. Prepacemaker neurons also innervate key hindbrain auditory nuclei thereby effectively serving as a call-duration corollary discharge. We propose that premotor compartmentalization of neurons coding distinct acoustic attributes is a fundamental trait of hindbrain vocal pattern generators among vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris P Chagnaud
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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Chen CC, Fernald RD. Visual information alone changes behavior and physiology during social interactions in a cichlid fish (Astatotilapia burtoni). PLoS One 2011; 6:e20313. [PMID: 21633515 PMCID: PMC3102105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behavior can influence physiological systems dramatically yet the sensory
cues responsible are not well understood. Behavior of male African cichlid fish,
Astatotilapia burtoni, in their natural habitat suggests
that visual cues from conspecifics contribute significantly to regulation of
social behavior. Using a novel paradigm, we asked whether visual cues alone from
a larger conspecific male could influence behavior, reproductive physiology and
the physiological stress response of a smaller male. Here we show that just
seeing a larger, threatening male through a clear barrier can suppress dominant
behavior of a smaller male for up to 7 days. Smaller dominant males being
“attacked” visually by larger dominant males through a clear barrier
also showed physiological changes for up to 3 days, including up-regulation of
reproductive- and stress-related gene expression levels and lowered plasma
11-ketotestesterone concentrations as compared to control animals. The smaller
males modified their appearance to match that of non-dominant males when exposed
to a larger male but they maintained a physiological phenotype similar to that
of a dominant male. After 7 days, reproductive- and stress- related gene
expression, circulating hormone levels, and gonad size in the smaller males
showed no difference from the control group suggesting that the smaller male
habituated to the visual intruder. However, the smaller male continued to
display subordinate behaviors and assumed the appearance of a subordinate male
for a full week despite his dominant male physiology. These data suggest that
seeing a larger male alone can regulate the behavior of a smaller male but that
ongoing reproductive inhibition depends on additional sensory cues. Perhaps,
while experiencing visual social stressors, the smaller male uses an
opportunistic strategy, acting like a subordinate male while maintaining the
physiology of a dominant male.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chun Chen
- Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
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Forlano PM, Bass AH. Neural and hormonal mechanisms of reproductive-related arousal in fishes. Horm Behav 2011; 59:616-29. [PMID: 20950618 PMCID: PMC3033489 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2010] [Accepted: 10/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The major classes of chemicals and brain pathways involved in sexual arousal in mammals are well studied and are thought to be of an ancient, evolutionarily conserved origin. Here we discuss what is known of these neurochemicals and brain circuits in fishes, the oldest and most species-rich group of vertebrates from which tetrapods arose over 350 million years ago. Highlighted are case studies in vocal species where well-delineated sensory and motor pathways underlying reproductive-related behaviors illustrate the diversity and evolution of brain mechanisms driving sexual motivation between (and within) sexes. Also discussed are evolutionary insights from the neurobiology and reproductive behavior of elasmobranch fishes, the most ancient lineage of jawed vertebrates, which are remarkably similar in their reproductive biology to terrestrial mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Forlano
- Department of Biology and Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA;
| | - Andrew H. Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
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