An analysis of social interactions in Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica

Wilson, Margo; Bermant, Gordon

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(72)80044-7

Cited by 53 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Adult male quail with no prior reproductive experience with adult females are capable of discriminating between the sexes, as reflected in higher levels of RM directed toward females prior to contact. Yet male quail often display similar levels of other kinds of behavior to male and female conspecifics [copulation attempts : Sachs, 1969;Adkins and Adler, 1972;Wilson and Bermant, 1972; directed activity and pecking: Schlinger et al, 1987;also fig. 8], and males spend more time with females than males only after extensive mounting experience with both sexes [Domjan and Hall, 1986;Nash et al, 1989], leading to claims that naive male quail may be incapable of distinguishing the sexes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Foam Production System of the Male Japanese Quail: Characterization of Structure and Function

1998

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The research described here characterizes a unique neuromuscular system involved in reproductive behavior – the foam production system of the male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Male quail produce a large amount of foam that is transferred to the female during copulation, enhancing male fertilization success. The source is the foam gland complex, a large sexually dimorphic, androgen sensitive, external protuberance of the dorsal cloaca, consisting of glandular units interdigitated with striated muscle fibers of the sphincter cloacae muscle (mSC). Electromyographic (EMG) analysis of mSC activity in freely moving males interacting with females revealed different characteristics of the EMG signal during copulation, voiding of excreta, and other mSC movement. The amount of mSC activity and also the amount of foam produced were greatly increased by the presence of a female behind a screen. Denervation of mSC eliminated normal mSC movement and also abolished foam production, confirming that mSC activity is the mechanism for foam production. The spinal cord locations of the motoneurons innervating the major cloacal muscles, including mSC, were determined by injecting cholera-toxin conjugated horseradish peroxidase into each muscle. Labelled somata with multiple primary dendrites were located in Area IX of the lateral motor column of synsacral segments 7, 8, or 9 or 8, 9, and 10. The motoneurons serving mSC were intermingled with those projecting to the other cloacal muscles, but there were differences in the rostral-caudal placement of these neural populations. Thus mSC activity is an integral part of the male’s reproductive behavior, mSC activity can be socially stimulated, and mSC activity occurring in anticipation of copulation is likely to be functionally significant. Continued investigation of this highly accessible system has the potential to shed light on the mechanisms by which complex motor acts are produced and hormonally regulated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Foam Production System of the Male Japanese Quail: Characterization of Structure and Function

1998

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“…As the male and the female come together, more of their bodies will become visible to each other, and their social interactions will become more intense, possibly ending in copulation. Copulation consists of the male's grabbing the female's neck feathers in its beak, mounting the female's back with both feet, and then making a series of cloacal thrusts (Wilson & Bermant, 1972). In this behavior sequence, the sight of a female's head and neck may come to serve as a cue or CS, and copulation may serve as the US.…”

Section: Sexual Conditioning With a Natural Precursor To The Usmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning with arbitrary versus ecological conditioned stimuli: Evidence from sexual conditioning

Domjan

Cusato

Krause

2004

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

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Laboratory investigations of Pavlovian conditioning typically involve the association of an arbitrary conditioned stimulus (CS) with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that has no inherent relation to the CS. However, arbitrary CSs are unlikely to become conditioned outside the laboratory, because they do not occur often enough with the US to result in an association. Learning under natural circumstances is likely only if the CS has a preexisting relation to the US. Recent studies of sexual conditioning have shown that in contrast to an arbitrary CS, an ecologically relevant CS is resistant to blocking, extinction, and increases in the CS-US interval and results in sensitized responding and stronger secondorder conditioning. Although the mechanisms of these effects are not fully understood, these findings have shown that signature learning phenomena are significantly altered when the kinds of stimuli that are likely to become conditioned under natural circumstances are used. The implications of these findings for an ecological approach to the study of learning are discussed.

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“…He then grabs the female's plumage in his beak (usually a portion of the neck feathers) and mounts by placing both feet on the female's back. The sexual interaction ends with the male's making a series of cloacal thrusts (Wilson & Bermant, 1972). In this behavior sequence, the sight of a female's head and neck may come to serve as a cue or a CS, and copulation or copulatory opportunity may serve as the US.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitation of appetitive conditioning with naturalistic conditioned stimuli: CS and US factors

Cusato

Domjan

2000

Animal Learning & Behavior

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Adding limited female cues to a conditioned stimulus (CS) facilitates conditioned male sexual responding, In two experiments, we examined the mechanisms of this facilitation effect, The color of the female cues on the CS was varied in Experiment L Similarity between the CS plumage color and the color of the live female (the unconditioned stimulus [US])could only partially account for the results. The extent to which the facilitation effect represents a specialization of sexual behavior was examined in Experiment 2 by comparing conditioning with either food or copulation as the US. The CSs with female cues elicited more approach and grab responses regardless of which US was used. However, uniquely sexual conditioned responses (mounts and cloacal contacts) were enhanced only when sexual reinforcement served as the US. These findings suggest that the facilitation effect of female cues represents a general feature of appetitive behavior systems.

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An analysis of social interactions in Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica

Cited by 53 publications

References 6 publications

The Foam Production System of the Male Japanese Quail: Characterization of Structure and Function

The Foam Production System of the Male Japanese Quail: Characterization of Structure and Function

Learning with arbitrary versus ecological conditioned stimuli: Evidence from sexual conditioning

Facilitation of appetitive conditioning with naturalistic conditioned stimuli: CS and US factors

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