Mechanisms of Behavioral Synchrony and Division of Labor in a Monogamous Mammalian Species, the California Mouse

许多复杂的社会互动需要发生，才能形成一个协调的家庭单元。在求爱过程中，协调行为的重要性将在结成伴侣之间的纽带和预测未来协调养育幼崽所需行为的能力方面得到检验。以加州老鼠为模型，将测试一个长期存在的行为问题：双亲一夫一妻制物种中的求偶对如何评估未来抚养后代的能力？行为的协调将通过同步测量和分工能力来检验，这两者都是协调的重要方面，取决于社会和环境挑战的复杂性。在像加州老鼠这样的双亲物种中，幼鼠的出生是一件重要的事情，配对动物预计会从出生前基本同步的行为过渡到出生后更大的分工，以应对相互竞争的时间和能量需求。后叶催产素的作用，以及它在大脑中的作用部位，也将通过对同步性和行为协调的影响来探索。预计催产素将不同类型的行为协调联系在一起，跨越生活史阶段。这将增加对家庭单位行为协调的理解，这是理解人类家庭动态的一个重要主题。研究生和本科生以及代表性不足的高中生将接受培训，并通过各种场所接触研究。此外，研讨会将在当地和整个威斯康星州社区举行，并通过动物行为博客进行推广。行为同步和分工(DOL)对于协调男性和女性配对行为和抚养可存活的后代至关重要。在加州双亲小鼠(Permyscus CalforNicus)中，同步和DOL的作用将通过三个假设进行检验。(1)求爱的同步性加强了伴侣之间的联系，有助于提高健康水平。求爱同步性的变化及其对健康的影响，将通过运动和声音行为的位置和时间匹配来操纵和测量。配对结合强度将通过测量不同条件下的配对相互作用来评估。(2)求爱同步性是伴侣评估未来协调行为能力的一种机制，允许伴侣之间建立联系，但也可以用来抚养后代。无论有没有幼崽，配对都将获得食物和入侵者挑战。结果表明，求爱同步性越强，低挑战任务的同步性越强，高挑战任务的DOL越大。3)催产素在求爱过程中的同步性和结对后的行为协调。催产素可能会影响伴侣的社交协调，催产素以影响亲密关系和社会显着性而闻名；然而，催产素在伴侣的长期行为协调中的作用仍然没有得到充分的研究。这项研究将检验通过鼻腔注射催产素引起的行为协调和大脑活动的变化是否被脑室内注射催产素或加压素受体拮抗剂所阻断。据预测，这些受体的刺激将激活与奖赏和行为协调相关的边缘和皮质脑区。总体而言，该项目揭示了通过结合和行为协调创建一个成功的家庭单位所需的行为和神经机制。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Many complex social interactions need to occur to form a coordinated family unit. The importance of coordinated behaviors will be examined during courtship in both forming bonds between a pair and predicting future ability to coordinate behaviors necessary for raising young. Using the California mouse as a model, a long-standing question in behavior will be tested: how can a courting pair in a biparental monogamous species assess ability to raise young in the future? Coordination in behavior will be examined by synchrony measurements, as well as ability to divide labor, both of which are important aspects of coordination depending on the complexity of the social and environmental challenges. In a biparental species like the California mouse, the birth of young is a significant event and pairs are expected to transition from largely synchronized behaviors prior to birth to greater division of labor after birth in response to competing time and energy demands. The role of oxytocin, and its sites of action in the brain, in coordinating behavior also will be explored through effects on both synchrony and the behavioral coordination of pairs. It is expected that oxytocin will link different types of behavioral coordination across life history stages. This will increase understanding of behavioral coordination in a family unit, a topic important for understanding human family dynamics. Graduate and undergraduate students, as well as underrepresented high school students, will be trained and exposed to research through a diversity of venues. Additionally, seminars will be given both locally and throughout Wisconsin communities, along with and an outreach component through an animal behavior blog.Behavioral synchrony and division of labor (DOL) are critical for coordinating male-female pair behavior and raising viable offspring. In the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), the roles of synchrony and DOL will be examined with three hypotheses. (1) Courtship synchrony strengthens pair bonding and contributes to increased fitness. Variation in courtship synchrony, and its impact on fitness, will be manipulated and measured through location and temporal matching of movement and acoustic behaviors. Pair bond strength will be assessed by measuring pair interactions under varying conditions. (2) Courtship synchrony is a mechanism for pairs to assess future ability to coordinate behavior, allowing pair bonding but also DOL for raising offspring. Pairs with and without pups will be given food and intruder challenges. It is proposed that greater courtship synchrony will predict greater synchrony in low challenge tasks and greater DOL in high challenge tasks. 3) Oxytocin underlies synchrony during courtship and coordination of behavior after pair formation. Pair social coordination is likely influenced by oxytocin, known for effects on bonding and social salience; however, the role of oxytocin remains underexplored in long-term behavioral coordination of pairs. The research will examine whether oxytocin-induced changes in behavioral coordination and brain activity via intranasal infusions are blocked by infusion of intracerebroventricular oxytocin or vasopressin receptor antagonists. It is predicted that stimulation of these receptors will activate limbic and cortical brain regions associated with reward and behavioral coordination. Overall this project reveals behavioral and neural mechanisms needed to create a successful family unit through bonding and behavioral coordination.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.