From killer to carer: steroid hormones and paternal behaviour

Bruin, Ruan de; Ganswindt, André; Roux, Aliza le

doi:10.1080/15627020.2016.1258327

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 118 publications

(163 reference statements)

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“…As we deliberately excluded breeding individuals from this baseline study, it is possible that this monogamous breeding fox is naturally primed for caring. Future work is needed to establish the relationship between androgens and male caring behaviour for the species (de Bruin, Ganswindt & le Roux, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Disregard for the organic content of faeces can skew the hormone results and lead to false hormone levels being reported in the literature. The results from our study can also be used to contrast the endocrine levels of breeding foxes with those of non‐breeders in order to further our currently poor (de Bruin et al ., ) understanding of the interaction between the endocrine system and parental care (more specifically paternal behaviour).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Friendly foxes: the relationship between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a monogamous African canid

et al. 2018

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Aside from some studies on cooperatively breeding species, we know little about the underlying endocrine mechanisms of social behaviour in the order Carnivora. We investigated the correlations between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a socially monogamous canid, the bat‐eared fox (Otocyon megalotis). We collected faecal and observational data over 15 and 22 months, respectively, from 14 wild bat‐eared foxes in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. These data were used to describe the relationship between faecal hormone metabolite concentrations and social behaviour. Faecal androgen metabolite (fAM) concentration differed by sex and mating season and was positively associated with faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels. Male foxes had substantially higher fAM concentrations (median: 9.99 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 7.39–11.62 μg g−1 org. content) than females (median: 1.93 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 1.68–2.56 μg g−1 org. content). Higher fAM concentrations were associated with more social tolerance in female but not male foxes. Concentrations of fAM were positively associated with rate of inter‐group encounters in female foxes. Furthermore, fAM concentrations were also positively associated with the overall rate of negative social interactions for females. Finally, fAM concentrations were positively associated with scent‐marking behaviour in male, but not female foxes. There was no association between fGCM concentrations and any of the observed social behaviours in male foxes. Female foxes had a negative relationship between fGCM concentration and marking behaviour as well as social tolerance. There was no difference in fGCM concentration between female (median: 0.19 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 0.16–0.23 μg g−1 org. content) and male (median: 0.22 μg g−1 org. content, IQR = 0.19–0.31 μg g−1 org. content) foxes. Our study is the first to describe the endocrine correlates of aggressive and affiliative behaviour in the monogamous bat‐eared fox. Androgens play an important role in mating behaviour in monomorphic, monogamous species where females might drive sexual selection.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Friendly foxes: the relationship between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a monogamous African canid

et al. 2018

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“…Both the specific behaviors performed and the amount of resources invested in offspring by mammalian fathers can vary substantially. For example, fathers in biparental canid species, such as the gray wolf (Canis lupus), coyote (C. latrans), and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), play with, babysit and defend their pups, and provision them with food (Bruin et al 2016;Kleiman and Malcolm 1981;Mech et al 1999). In many biparental rodents, such as California mice (Peromyscus californicus), prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), and Campbell's Russian dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli), fathers retrieve, huddle, and lick their pups, as well as build nests (Gubernick and Alberts 1987;Wang et al 1994;Wynne-Edwards 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Regulation of Paternal Behavior in Mammals: Sensory, Neuroendocrine, and Experiential Influences on the Paternal Brain

Horrell

Hickmott

Saltzman

2018

Neuroendocrine Regulation of Behavior

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Across the animal kingdom, parents in many species devote extraordinary effort toward caring for offspring, often risking their lives and exhausting limited resources. Understanding how the brain orchestrates parental care, biasing effort over the many competing demands, is an important topic in social neuroscience. In mammals, maternal care is necessary for offspring survival and is largely mediated by changes in hormones and neuropeptides that fluctuate massively during pregnancy, parturition, and lactation (e.g., progesterone, estradiol, oxytocin, and prolactin). In the relatively small number of mammalian species in which parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development, males also undergo endocrine changes concurrent with birth of their offspring, but on a smaller scale than females. Thus, fathers additionally rely on sensory signals from their mates, environment, and/or offspring to orchestrate paternal behavior. Males can engage in a variety of infant-directed behaviors that range from infanticide to avoidance to care; in many species, males can display all three behaviors in their lifetime. The neural plasticity that underlies such stark changes in behavior is not well understood. In this chapter we summarize current data on the neural circuitry that has been proposed to underlie paternal care in mammals, as well as sensory, neuroendocrine, and experiential influences on paternal behavior and on the underlying circuitry. We highlight some of the gaps in our current knowledge of this system and propose future directions that will enable the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the proximate control of parenting by fathers.

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“…We could -and should -move beyond the study of movement and foraging behaviour (see also Young and Shivik 63 ), building on the unique strengths of this mammalian order. For example, carnivores exhibit paternal care -a rarity amongst mammals 64 -more frequently than other mammals, yet we know almost nothing about the physiological drivers and consequences of this behaviour 65 . New studies should examine movement and foraging behaviour from both a proximate and ultimate angle, assessing the physiological covariates of dispersal and breeding behaviour, as well as the longer-term consequences of these individual decisions for fitness and population dynamics.…”

Section: The Way Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in behavioural ecology: Putting South African research in a global perspective

Roux¹

2018

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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ARTICLE INCLUDES:× Supplementary material × Data set FUNDING:None South Africa remains at the leading edge of scientific publishing on the African continent, yet few analyses of publication patterns exist outside the biomedical field. Considering the large number of protected areas and mammalian guilds within the country, I examined trends in South African ecological research as it pertains to the behaviour of mammals. I assessed the topics and taxonomic focus of mammalogists at South African institutes over the span of 15 years (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015), and contrasted local research with the shifting focus of international behavioural research. This review of more than 1000 publications indicates that South African based researchers exhibit a strong tendency towards field-based research, as opposed to laboratory-centred experiments. In terms of topical focus, local ecologists place significant weight on the behavioural categories of mating, social and foraging behaviour -reflecting a global priority for these topics. This finding contrasts with an increased emphasis on animal cognition and communication research in the international research arena, including field-based studies on these themes. I make suggestions on how behavioural ecologists in South Africa can align themselves with global trends while also continuing to distinguish those facets that make South African behavioural ecology unique. Significance:• This review is the first of behavioural ecology in South Africa.• Suggestions are made for where South African researchers can profitably shift research focus.• International trends in behavioural ecology are highlighted.

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From killer to carer: steroid hormones and paternal behaviour

Cited by 6 publications

References 118 publications

Friendly foxes: the relationship between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a monogamous African canid

Friendly foxes: the relationship between steroid hormones and social behaviour in a monogamous African canid

Neural Regulation of Paternal Behavior in Mammals: Sensory, Neuroendocrine, and Experiential Influences on the Paternal Brain

Trends in behavioural ecology: Putting South African research in a global perspective

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