More Like this

1. Female behavior drives the formation of distinct social structures in C57BL/6J versus wild-derived outbred mice in field enclosures

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-024-01809-0  

   Vogt, Caleb C; Zipple, Matthew N; Sprockett, Daniel D; Miller, Caitlin H; Hardy, Summer X; Arthur, Matthew K; Greenstein, Adam M; Colvin, Melanie S; Michel, Lucie M; Moeller, Andrew H; et al (December 2024, BMC Biology)

   Abstract BackgroundSocial behavior and social organization have major influences on individual health and fitness. Yet, biomedical research focuses on studying a few genotypes under impoverished social conditions. Understanding how lab conditions have modified social organizations of model organisms, such as lab mice, relative to natural populations is a missing link between socioecology and biomedical science. ResultsUsing a common garden design, we describe the formation of social structure in the well-studied laboratory mouse strain, C57BL/6J, in replicated mixed-sex populations over 10-day trials compared to control trials with wild-derived outbred house mice in outdoor field enclosures. We focus on three key features of mouse social systems: (i) territory establishment in males, (ii) female social relationships, and (iii) the social networks formed by the populations. Male territorial behaviors were similar but muted in C57 compared to wild-derived mice. Female C57 sharply differed from wild-derived females, showing little social bias toward cage mates and exploring substantially more of the enclosures compared to all other groups. Female behavior consistently generated denser social networks in C57 than in wild-derived mice. ConclusionsC57 and wild-derived mice individually vary in their social and spatial behaviors which scale to shape overall social organization. The repeatable societies formed under field conditions highlights opportunities to experimentally study the interplay between society and individual biology using model organisms. 

   more » « less
2. Host-parasite interactions between Xenoglossa pruinosa (Apidae: Eucerini) and Triepeolus remigatus (Apidae: Epeolini) are characterized by tolerance and avoidance

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-024-01121-4  

   Sandoval-Arango, Stephania; Baker, Thomas_C; López-Uribe, Margarita_M (November 2024, Apidologie)

   Abstract In cleptoparasitic bees, host aggression and detection avoidance might be the main selective pressures shaping host-parasite interactions. However, the behavioral responses toward parasitism are unknown for most host species. In this study, we investigated the host-parasite interactions and behaviors of the cleptoparasitic beeTriepeolus remigatuswhen parasitizing the nests of its host, the squash beeXenoglossa(Peponapis)pruinosa. Using circle-tube behavioral assays and direct observations at a nest aggregation ofX. pruinosa, we assessed whether interactions between host and parasite were aggressive, tolerant, or avoidant and characterized the general parasitic behavior ofT. remigatus. Our results reveal a lack of aggression between host and cuckoo bees, with interactions primarily characterized by tolerant and avoidant behaviors. Squash bees displayed minimal aggression toward both conspecifics and parasites. Interestingly, despite the absence of aggressive responses,T. remigatuspreferred entering nests while the host was foraging, potentially indicating a strategy to avoid the discovery of parasitic visits. Furthermore, field observations provided insights into the parasitic behavior ofT. remigatus, revealing primarily rapid visits to host nests without extensive inspection. The limited aggression and short time for nest visits observed inT. remigatussuggest adaptations to optimize parasitic success while minimizing host detection. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the behavior of open-cell parasites and provide a first accounting of the squash bee behavior when encountering parasitic bees. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying host-parasite coevolution and response to parasitism in ground-nesting bees. 

   more » « less
3. Repeated behavioral evolution is associated with targeted convergence of gene expression in cavity-nesting songbirds

   https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.13.580205  

   Lipshutz, Sara E; Hibbins, Mark S; Bentz, Alexandra B; Buechlin, Aaron M; Empson, Tara A; George, Elizabeth M; Hauber, Mark E; Rusch, Douglas B; Schelsky, Wendy M; Thomas, Quinn K; et al (February 2024, bioRxiv)

   Uncovering the genomic bases of phenotypic adaptation is a major goal in biology, but this has been hard to achieve for complex behavioral traits. Here, we leverage the repeated, independent evolution of obligate cavity-nesting in birds to test the hypothesis that pressure to compete for a limited breeding resource has facilitated convergent evolution in behavior, hormones, and gene expression. We used an integrative approach, combining aggression assays in the field, testosterone measures, and transcriptome-wide analyses of the brain in wild-captured females and males. Our experimental design compared species pairs across five avian families, each including one obligate cavity-nesting species and a related species with a more flexible nest strategy. We find behavioral convergence, with higher levels of territorial aggression in obligate cavity-nesters, particularly among females. Across species, levels of testosterone in circulation were not associated with nest strategy, nor aggression. Phylogenetic analyses of individual genes and co-regulated gene networks revealed more shared patterns of brain gene expression than expected by drift, but the scope of convergent gene expression evolution was limited to a small percent of the genome. When comparing our results to other studies that did not use phylogenetic methods, we suggest that accounting for shared evolutionary history may reduce the number of genes inferred as convergently evolving. Altogether, we find that behavioral convergence in response to shared ecological pressures is associated with largely independent gene expression evolution across different avian families, punctuated by a narrow set of convergently evolving genes. 

   more » « less
4. Genetically identical mice express alternative reproductive tactics depending on social conditions in the field

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.0099  

   Zipple, Matthew N; Vogt, Caleb C; Sheehan, Michael J (March 2024, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   In many species, establishing and maintaining a territory is critical to survival and reproduction, and an animal's ability to do so is strongly influenced by the presence and density of competitors. Here we manipulate social conditions to study the alternative reproductive tactics displayed by genetically identical, age-matched laboratory mice competing for territories under ecologically realistic social environmental conditions. We introduced adult males and females of the laboratory mouse strain C57BL/6J into a large, outdoor field enclosure containing defendable resource zones under one of two social conditions. We first created a low-density social environment, such that the number of available territories exceeded the number of males. After males established stable territories, we introduced a pulse of intruder males and observed the resulting defensive and invasive tactics employed. In response to this change in social environment, males with large territories invested more in patrolling but were less effective at excluding intruder males as compared with males with small territories. Intruding males failed to establish territories and displayed an alternative tactic featuring greater exploration as compared with genetically identical territorial males. Alternative tactics did not lead to equal reproductive success—males that acquired territories experienced greater survival and had greater access to females. 

   more » « less
5. Determining homing abilities of nesting male threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus )

   https://doi.org/10.1893/BIOS-D-23-00016  

   Martin, Marielle V; Van_Dame, Katherine; Ryan, Sidney; Stuart, Yoel E (December 2024, BIOS)

   NA (Ed.)

   Homing behavior allows individuals to return to a home site when displaced, presumably increasing fitness by increasing access to known food resources, refuges from predators, and breeding opportunities. Homing has been demonstrated in Gasterosteus aculeatus, also known as the threespine stickleback. We hypothesized that because stickleback males guard a nest and tend to the eggs and fry, they should be particularly incentivized to home. In an experiment, we marked and displaced nesting male stickleback over a variety of distances to see how far they were able to home and whether homing success declined with distance displaced. We found that stickleback males did home, which is consistent with other studies. Additionally, we found that the return probability decreased with distance displaced, though not significantly. However, some nests were clearly occupied by new, unmarked males after displacement, meaning that even if an experimentally displaced fish returned, they might not have been able to regain their nest. Removing these cases from the data strengthened the expected negative relationship between distance and return, suggesting that stickleback use landmark cues to navigate home. 

   more » « less