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Sadedin S, Duéñez-Guzmán EA, Leibo JZ. Emotions and courtship help bonded pairs cooperate, but emotional agents are vulnerable to deceit. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308911120. [PMID: 37948585 PMCID: PMC10655579 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308911120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Coordinated pair bonds are common in birds and also occur in many other taxa. How do animals solve the social dilemmas they face in coordinating with a partner? We developed an evolutionary model to explore this question, based on observations that a) neuroendocrine feedback provides emotional bookkeeping which is thought to play a key role in vertebrate social bonds and b) these bonds are developed and maintained via courtship interactions that include low-stakes social dilemmas. Using agent-based simulation, we found that emotional bookkeeping and courtship sustained cooperation in the iterated prisoner's dilemma in noisy environments, especially when combined. However, when deceitful defection was possible at low cost, courtship often increased cooperation, whereas emotional bookkeeping decreased it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Sadedin
- Independent Researcher, Abbots LangleyWD5 0QS, United Kingdom
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Forero SA, Ophir AG. Bonding against the odds: Male prairie vole response to the "widow effect" among females. Behav Processes 2023; 213:104968. [PMID: 37984679 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Although pair bonding is the preferred mating tactic among socially monogamous prairie voles, naturalistic observations have demonstrated many males remain non-bonded. Moreover, although males readily re-bond after the loss of a partner, females do not (i.e., the "widow effect'). Few studies have attempted to address why so many males remain non-bonded or if a reluctance of re-bonding in females contributes to this outcome. We investigate how female bonding history impacts male pair bond formation. Specifically, we test two alternative hypotheses for how sexually naïve males will behave when paired with widow females. The fecundity hypothesis predicts males will avoid bonding with widow females and be more receptive to novel bond-naïve females. The preference to bond hypothesis predicts males will choose to bond and express a partner preference, irrespective of if a pair-mate is a widow or sexually naïve. Our results demonstrated that males expressed a partner preference for females regardless of their social history. These data support the preference to bond hypothesis and suggest natural variation in bonding may not be strongly due to males forgoing bonding opportunities.
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Prior NH, Haakenson CM, Clough S, Ball GF, Sandkam BA. Varied impacts of social relationships on neuroendocrine state. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105403. [PMID: 37678093 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Social relationships, affiliative social attachments, are important for many species. The best studied types of relationships are monogamous pair bonds. However, it remains unclear how generalizable models of pair bonding are across types of social attachments. Zebra finches are a fascinating system to explore the neurobiology of social relationships because they form various adult bonds with both same- and opposite-sex partners. To test whether different bonds are supported by a single brain network, we quantified individuals' neuroendocrine state after either 24 h or 2 weeks of co-housing with a novel same- or opposite-sex partner. We defined neuroendocrine state by the expression of 22 genes related to 4 major signaling pathways (dopamine, steroid, nonapeptide, and opioid) in six brain regions associated with affiliation or communication [nucleus accumbens (NAc), nucleus taeniae of the amygdala (TnA), medial preoptic area (POM), and periaqueductal gray (PAG), ventral tegmental area, and auditory cortex]. Overall, we found dissociable effects of social contexts (same- or opposite-sex partnerships) and duration of co-housing. Social bonding impacted the neuroendocrine state of four regions in males (NAc, TnA, POM, and PAG) and three regions in females (NAc, TnA, and POM). Monogamous pair bonding specifically appeared to impact male NAc. However, the patterns of gene expression in zebra finches were different than has previously been reported in mammals. Together, our results support the view that there are numerous mechanisms regulating social relationships and highlight the need to further our understanding of how social interactions shape social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America.
| | - Chelsea M Haakenson
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Savannah Clough
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Benjamin A Sandkam
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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Hiura LC, Lazaro VA, Ophir AG. Plasticity in parental behavior and vasopressin: responses to co-parenting, pup age, and an acute stressor are experience-dependent. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1172845. [PMID: 37168139 PMCID: PMC10164929 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1172845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The impact of variation in parental caregiving has lasting implications for the development of offspring. However, the ways in which parents impact each other in the context of caregiving is comparatively less understood, but can account for much of the variation observed in the postnatal environment. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) demonstrate a range of postnatal social groups, including pups raised by biparental pairs and by their mothers alone. In addition to the challenges of providing parental care, prairie vole parents often experience acute natural stressors (e.g., predation, foraging demands, and thermoregulation) that could alter the way co-parents interact. Methods We investigated how variation in the experience of raising offspring impacts parental behavior and neurobiology by administering an acute handling stressor on prairie vole families of single mothers and biparental parents over the course of offspring postnatal development. Results Mothers and fathers exhibited robust behavioral plasticity in response to the age of their pups, but in sex-dependent ways. Pup-directed care from mothers did not vary as a function of their partner's presence, but did covary with the number of hypothalamic vasopressin neurons in experience-dependent ways. The relationship between vasopressin neuron numbers and fathers' behaviors was also contingent upon the stress handling manipulation, suggesting that brain-behavior associations exhibit stress-induced plasticity. Conclusion These results demonstrate that the behavioral and neuroendocrine profiles of adults are sensitive to distinct and interacting experiences as a parent, and extend our knowledge of the neural mechanisms that may facilitate parental behavioral plasticity.
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Post-mating parental behavior trajectories differ across four species of deer mice. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276052. [PMID: 36251655 PMCID: PMC9576063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Among species, parental behaviors vary in their magnitude, onset relative to reproduction, and sexual dimorphism. In deer mice (genus Peromyscus), while most species are promiscuous with low paternal care, monogamy and biparental care have evolved at least twice under different ecological conditions. Here, in a common laboratory setting, we monitored parental behaviors of males and females of two promiscuous (eastern deer mouse P. maniculatus and white-footed mouse P. leucopus) and two monogamous (oldfield mouse P. polionotus and California mouse P. californicus) species from before mating to after giving birth. In the promiscuous species, females showed parental behaviors largely after parturition, while males showed little parental care. In contrast, both sexes of monogamous species performed parental behaviors. However, while oldfield mice began to display parental behaviors before mating, California mice showed robust parental care behaviors only postpartum. These different parental-care trajectories in the two monogamous species align with their socioecology. Oldfield mice have overlapping home ranges with relatives, so infants they encounter, even if not their own, are likely to be closely related. By contrast, California mice disperse longer distances into exclusive territories with possibly unrelated neighbors, decreasing the inclusive fitness benefits of caring for unfamiliar pups before parenthood. Together, we find that patterns of parental behaviors in Peromyscus are consistent with predictions from inclusive fitness theory.
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Prior NH, Bentz EJ, Ophir AG. Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social-sensory framework of social behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12781. [PMID: 34905293 PMCID: PMC9744507 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Organisms filter the complexity of natural stimuli through their individual sensory and perceptual systems. Such perceptual filtering is particularly important for social stimuli. A shared "social umwelt" allows individuals to respond appropriately to the expected diversity of cues and signals during social interactions. In this way, the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of sociality and social bonding cannot be disentangled from perceptual mechanisms and sensory processing. While a degree of embeddedness between social and sensory processes is clear, our dominant theoretical frameworks favor treating the social and sensory processes as distinct. An integrated social-sensory framework has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying individual variation in social bonding and sociality more broadly. Here we leverage what is known about sensory processing and pair bonding in two common study systems with significant species differences in their umwelt (rodent chemosensation and avian acoustic communication). We primarily highlight that (1) communication is essential for pair bond formation and maintenance, (2) the neural circuits underlying perception, communication and social bonding are integrated, and (3) candidate neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate pair bonding also impact communication and perception. Finally, we propose approaches and frameworks that more fully integrate sensory processing, communication, and social bonding across levels of analysis: behavioral, neurobiological, and genomic. This perspective raises two key questions: (1) how is social bonding shaped by differences in sensory processing?, and (2) to what extent is sensory processing and the saliency of signals shaped by social interactions and emerging relationships?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Ehren J. Bentz
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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Kavelaars MM, Baert JM, Van Malderen J, Stienen EWM, Shamoun-Baranes J, Lens L, Müller W. Simultaneous GPS-tracking of parents reveals a similar parental investment within pairs, but no immediate co-adjustment on a trip-to-trip basis. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:42. [PMID: 34419142 PMCID: PMC8379723 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00279-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental care benefits the offspring, but comes at a cost for each parent, which in biparental species gives rise to a conflict between partners regarding the within-pair distribution of care. Pair members could avoid exploitation by efficiently keeping track of each other's efforts and coordinating their efforts. Parents may, therefore, space their presence at the nest, which could also allow for permanent protection of the offspring. Additionally, they may respond to their partner's previous investment by co-adjusting their efforts on a trip-to-trip basis, resulting in overall similar parental activities within pairs. METHODS We investigated the coordination of parental care measured as nest attendance and foraging effort in the Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), a species with long nest bouts that performs extended foraging trips out of sight of their partner. This was achieved by GPS-tracking both pair members simultaneously during the entire chick rearing period. RESULTS We found that the timing of foraging trips (and hence nest attendance) was coordinated within gull pairs, as individuals left the colony only after their partner had returned. Parents did not match their partner's investment by actively co-adjusting their foraging efforts on a trip-by-trip basis. Yet, pair members were similar in their temporal and energetic investments during chick rearing. CONCLUSION Balanced investment levels over a longer time frame suggest that a coordination of effort may not require permanent co-adjustment of the levels of care on a trip-to-trip basis, but may instead rather take place at an earlier stage in the reproductive attempt, or over integrated longer time intervals. Identifying the drivers and underlying processes of coordination will be one of the next necessary steps to fully understand parental cooperation in long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa M Kavelaars
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group (BECO), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Ghent University, K.L, Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Jan M Baert
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group (BECO), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Ghent University, K.L, Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jolien Van Malderen
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Ghent University, K.L, Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eric W M Stienen
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Havenlaan 88, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Judy Shamoun-Baranes
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC), Ghent University, K.L, Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group (BECO), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp, Belgium
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Prior NH, Smith E, Dooling RJ, Ball GF. Monogamy in a Moment: How do Brief Social Interactions Change Over Time in Pair-Bonded Zebra Finches ( Taeniopygia guttata)? Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa034. [PMID: 33791572 PMCID: PMC7810576 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on monogamy has largely focused on marked behaviors that are unique to pair bonded partners. However, these marked behaviors represent only a subset of the pair-directed behaviors that partners engage in; the influence of pair bonding on mundane or subtle social interactions among partners remains largely unknown. In this study, we describe the changes that occur during brief social reunions (or greets) over the course of pair bonding in zebra finches. We quantified pair-directed behavior during 5-min reunions from three stages of pair bonding: initial pairing (between 4 and 72 h), early pairing (1–2 weeks), and late pairing (>1 month). These social interactions were operationalized in multiple ways. First, we quantified the overall activity levels (call and movement rates) for both the male and female. Overall, females were more active than males, but for both males and females calling activity was highest at initial pairing. We quantified behavioral coordination between partners in two ways: (1) similarity in call and movement rates between partners and (2) temporal synchrony of calls and movements between partners (via sliding correlation coefficients of time-stamped calls and movements). Overall, there were no effects of pairing stage on behavioral coordination. Finally, we used principal component analyses to disentangle behavioral coordination from the activity levels of the male and female. These results contribute to a growing line of evidence that male and female zebra finches differentially contribute to social dynamics and highlight the influence of pair bonding on the development of social dynamics. Furthermore, our preliminary analyses raise the hypothesis that behavioral coordination during the earliest phases of pairing is modulated by the extent and nature of prior experience. Overall, while behavioral coordination is clearly important for many salient interactions such as duetting, courtship displays, and biparental care, the significance of mundane social interactions for monogamous partnerships remains largely unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Edward Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Robert J Dooling
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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