Social organization of a free-ranging population of pine voles, Microtus pinetorum

FitzGerald, Randall W.; Madison, Dale M.

doi:10.1007/bf00299921

Cited by 135 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In order to confirm whether a species exhibits only facultative monogamy or obligatory monogamy in nature, it is necessary to investigate the male's contribution to the rearing of offspring. Field and laboratory studies have suggested that monogamy might be the basic mating system in some rodents, such as Microtus californicus (Batzli et al 1977;Lidicker 1980;but see Ostfeld 1986), 34. pinetorum (Fitzgerald & Madison 1983) and 34. ochrogaster (Getz et al 1981;Getz & Hofmann 1986). Males of these monogamous species may have an important role in rearing offspring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range and mating system of two sympatric field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus

Oka

1992

Ecological Research

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The size and spatial distribution of home ranges in two sympatric field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus, were revealed by the capture-recapture method in a temperate deciduous forest from June 1987 to June 1990. In A. speciosus, the home ranges of males were significantly larger than those of females, and overlapped with those of other males and females during the breeding season. In A.argenteus, the home range of each male overlapped only that of a single female throughout the year. These results suggested that A. speciosus was promiscuous or polygynous and A. argenteus was monogamous.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range and mating system of two sympatric field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus

Oka

1992

Ecological Research

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“…However, this apparently cannot be generalized across all induced ovulators, or even across the genus Microtus, because sexual behavior in the biparental, monogamous, and induced-ovulating pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) (Fitzgerald and Madison, 1983;Oliveras and Novak, 1986;Sawrey and Dewsbury, 1985;Taylor, Salo, and Dewsbury, 1992) can be both masculinized and defeminized by even a brief neonatal testosterone treatment (a single 0.5-mg TP injection on day of birth) (Wekesa and Vandenbergh, 1996). Therefore, even within closely related species of Microtus there is a diverse array of hormonal mechanisms affecting sexual differentiation of reproductive behaviors, emphasizing the value of using Microtine rodents as a model for studying the effects of hormones on behavioral development in mammals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Responsiveness Is Feminized after Neonatal Castration in Virgin Male Prairie Voles, but Is Not Masculinized by Perinatal Testosterone in Virgin Females

Lonstein

Rood

Vries

2002

Hormones and Behavior

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We previously found a large sex difference in the parental responsiveness of adult virgin prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) such that most males are spontaneously parental, whereas most females are not. Because this sex difference is independent of the gonadal hormones normally circulating in adult virgin voles, the present study examined whether perinatal hormones influence the development of this sex difference. Males were treated prenatally (via their pregnant dam) with both the androgen receptor blocker flutamide (5 mg/day/dam) and the aromatase inhibitor ATD (1 mg/day/dam), or oil, for the last 2 weeks of gestation. Half of the subjects from each group were castrated on the day of birth and the other half received a sham surgery. As adults, intact males were castrated and all males received a silastic capsule filled with testosterone. Prenatal treatment with flutamide and ATD had no effect on males' behavior toward pups, but neonatal castration significantly reduced the percentage of males acting parentally. In a second experiment, females were exposed to testosterone propionate (TP; 50 g/day/dam) or oil via their dam during the last 2 weeks of gestation. For the first neonatal week, half of the females from each group were injected with TP (1 mg/day) and the other half oil. As adults, females were ovariectomized and half from each group received a testosterone-filled capsule and the other half received an empty capsule. None of the perinatal TP treatments increased females' parental responsiveness, although females from all groups that received testosterone capsules as adults were highly parental. Therefore, although postnatal testicular hormones are necessary for high parental responsiveness in males, the behavior of females is not influenced by perinatal exposure to testosterone. © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA)

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“…This phylogenetic similarity, coupled with divergent life strategy, makes these rodents extremely valuable for comparative studies investigating social behavior. For example, prairie and pine voles (M. pinetorum) are highly affiliative ( Figure 1A), monogamous rodents that form enduring bonds after mating (FitzGerald et al, 1983;Getz et al, 1986;Carter et al, 1993). In both species, pair bonded males and females share a nest and home territory and both the mother and father participate in rearing offspring ( Figure 1B) (Wilson, 1982;FitzGerald et al, 1983;McGuire et al, 1984;Gruder-Adams et al, 1985;Getz et al, 1986;Oliveras et al, 1986;Carter et al, 1993).…”

Section: The Microtus Rodents For Comparative Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, prairie and pine voles (M. pinetorum) are highly affiliative ( Figure 1A), monogamous rodents that form enduring bonds after mating (FitzGerald et al, 1983;Getz et al, 1986;Carter et al, 1993). In both species, pair bonded males and females share a nest and home territory and both the mother and father participate in rearing offspring ( Figure 1B) (Wilson, 1982;FitzGerald et al, 1983;McGuire et al, 1984;Gruder-Adams et al, 1985;Getz et al, 1986;Oliveras et al, 1986;Carter et al, 1993). Alternatively, meadow (M. pennsylvanicus) and montane (M. montanus) voles are less social ( Figure 1A), promiscuous rodents that do not form pair bonds or share a nest after mating (Getz, 1972;Madison, 1978;Jannett, 1980;Madison, 1980;Jannett, 1982;Insel et al, 1995b;Young et al, 1998).…”

Section: The Microtus Rodents For Comparative Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neurobiology of social attachment: A comparative approach to behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical studies

Young

Liu

Wang

2008

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology &

130

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The formation and maintenance of social bonds in adulthood is an essential component of human health. However studies investigating the underlying neurobiology of such behaviors have been scarce. Microtine rodents offer a unique comparative animal model to explore the neural processes responsible for pair bonding and its associated behaviors. Studies using monogamous prairie voles and other related species have recently offered insight into the neuroanatomical, neurobiological, and neurochemical underpinnings of social attachment. In this review, we will discuss the utility of the microtine rodents in comparative studies by exploring their natural history and social behavior in the laboratory. We will then summarize the data implicating vasopressin, oxytocin, and dopamine in the regulation of pair bonding. Finally, we will discuss the ways in which these neurochemical systems may interact to mediate this complex behavior.

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Social organization of a free-ranging population of pine voles, Microtus pinetorum

Cited by 135 publications

References 20 publications

Home range and mating system of two sympatric field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus

Home range and mating system of two sympatric field mouse species, Apodemus speciosus and Apodemus argenteus

Parental Responsiveness Is Feminized after Neonatal Castration in Virgin Male Prairie Voles, but Is Not Masculinized by Perinatal Testosterone in Virgin Females

The neurobiology of social attachment: A comparative approach to behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical studies

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