Effects of social environment on baseline glucocorticoid levels in a communally breeding rodent, the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis)

Woodruff, Julie; Lacey, Eileen A.; Bentley, G.; Kriegsfeld, Lance J.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.07.008

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, female aggression and infanticide, indicators of reproductive competition in this species, occurred more frequently in communally-breeding groups of striped mice than in male-female pairs (Schradin et al, 2010). However, in tuco-tucos, Ctenomys sociabilis, a plurally-breeding rodent, corticosterone levels were higher in solitary than in groupliving females (Woodruff et al, 2013). This might reflect differences in the physical and social environments occupied by the two species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: Solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders

Hill

Pillay

Schradin

2015

Hormones and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), where members of the same sex and population show distinct reproductive phenotypes governed by decision-rules, have been well-documented in males of many species, but are less well understood in females. The relative plasticity hypothesis (RPH) predicts that switches between plastic ARTs are mediated by changes in steroid hormones. This has received much support in males, but little is known about the endocrine control of female ARTs. Here, using a free-living population of African striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) over five breeding seasons, we tested whether females following different tactics differed in corticosterone and testosterone levels, as reported for male striped mice using ARTs, and in progesterone and oestrogen, which are important in female reproduction. Female striped mice employ three ARTs: communal breeders give birth in a shared nest and provide alloparental care, returners leave the group temporarily to give birth, and solitary breeders leave to give birth and do not return. We expected communal breeders and returners to have higher corticosterone, owing to the social stress of group-living, and lower testosterone than solitary breeders, which must defend territories alone. Solitary breeders had lower corticosterone than returners and communal breeders, as predicted, but testosterone and progesterone did not differ between ARTs. Oestrogen levels were higher in returners (measured before leaving the group) than in communal and solitary breeders, consistent with a modulatory role. Our study demonstrates hormonal differences between females following (or about to follow) different tactics, and provides the first support for the RPH in females.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: Solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders

Hill

Pillay

Schradin

2015

Hormones and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fanson et al., ) and other variables that may affect FGM concentrations (Dantzer et al., ; Goymann, ), we believe that the changes in FGMs that we observed are comparable to chronic stress paradigms found in other studies and that they may have other effects on life‐history traits. For example, in a communally breeding rodent ( Ctenomys sociabilis ) the difference in baseline glucocorticoid levels between animals kept in less or more stressful situations was about 1.5‐fold to twofold (Woodruff, Lacey, Bentley, & Kriegsfeld, ). A previous study in wild North American red squirrels ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ) showed that pregnant females have 30% higher FGMs when high population density conditions were simulated and that this was associated with a change in offspring postnatal growth rates (Dantzer et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fanson et al, 2017) and other variables that may affect FGM concentrations Goymann, 2012), we believe that the changes in FGMs that we observed are comparable to chronic stress paradigms found in other studies and that they may have other effects on life-history traits. For example, in a communally breeding rodent (Ctenomys sociabilis) the difference in baseline glucocorticoid levels between animals kept in less or more stressful situations was about 1.5-fold to twofold (Woodruff, Lacey, Bentley, & Kriegsfeld, 2013).…”

Section: Physiological Relevance and Fitness Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress in biological invasions: Introduced invasive grey squirrels increase physiological stress in native Eurasian red squirrels

Santicchia

Dantzer

Kesteren

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Invasive alien species can cause extinction of native species through processes including predation, interspecific competition for resources or disease-mediated competition. Increases in stress hormones in vertebrates may be associated with these processes and contribute to the decline in survival or reproduction of the native species. Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) have gone extinct across much of the British Isles and parts of Northern Italy following the introduction of North American invasive grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). We extracted glucocorticoid metabolites from faecal samples to measure whether the presence of the invasive species causes an increase in physiological stress in individuals of the native species. We show that native red squirrels in seven sites where they co-occurred with invasive grey squirrels had glucocorticoid concentrations that were three times higher than those in five sites without the invasive species. Moreover, in a longitudinal study, stress hormones in native red squirrels increased after colonisation by grey squirrels. When we experimentally reduced the abundance of the invasive grey squirrels, the concentration of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in co-occurring red squirrels decreased significantly between pre- and postremoval periods. Hence, we found that the invasive species acts as a stressor which significantly increases the concentrations of glucocorticoids in the native species. Given that sustained elevations in glucocorticoids could reduce body growth and reproductive rate, our results are consistent with previous studies where the co-occurrence of the invasive grey squirrel was associated with smaller size and lower reproductive output in red squirrels.

show abstract

“…In a species of South American burrowing rodent – the colonial tuco–tuco ( C. sociabilis ) – females may live alone or share a burrow with several other adults members and their young ( Lacey et al., 1997 ). Yearling C. sociabilis that live alone (whether via dispersal in the field or investigator manipulations in the lab), have significantly higher baseline fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels than do group-living individuals in the same environments ( Woodruff et al., 2013 ). In a putatively monogamous species of wild guinea pig ( Galea monasteriensis ), social separation induces increases in cortisol secretion that are only rectified by return of the social partner ( Adrian et al., 2008 ).…”

Section: The Social Environment As a Stressormentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress, social behavior, and resilience: Insights from rodents

Beery

Kaufer

2015

Neurobiology of Stress

294

219

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The neurobiology of stress and the neurobiology of social behavior are deeply intertwined. The social environment interacts with stress on almost every front: social interactions can be potent stressors; they can buffer the response to an external stressor; and social behavior often changes in response to stressful life experience. This review explores mechanistic and behavioral links between stress, anxiety, resilience, and social behavior in rodents, with particular attention to different social contexts. We consider variation between several different rodent species and make connections to research on humans and non-human primates.

show abstract

Effects of social environment on baseline glucocorticoid levels in a communally breeding rodent, the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis)

Cited by 25 publications

References 55 publications

Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: Solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders

Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: Solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders

Stress in biological invasions: Introduced invasive grey squirrels increase physiological stress in native Eurasian red squirrels

Stress, social behavior, and resilience: Insights from rodents

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About