Differential endocrine responses to infant odors in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) fathers

Olfactory cues can exert priming effects on many mammalian species. Paternally experienced marmosets, Callithrix jacchus, exposed to direct isolated olfactory contact with their own infant's scent show rapid decreases in testosterone levels within 20 min, whereas paternally inexperienced males do not. The following study tests whether there is a differential steroid response to exposure of infant scent from dependent infants (own and novel) and independent infants (own and novel). We examined the serum levels of estradiol, estrone, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and combined estrogens and androgens in eight male marmosets 20 min after exposure to isolated infant scent. Testosterone and androgen levels combined were significantly lower with exposure to own infant scent than a novel infant scent when the infants were at a dependent age but not at an independent age. Estrogen levels elevated significantly in response to own infant scent when the infants were at a dependent age but not at an independent age. These results suggest that marmoset fathers are more responsive to priming cues from related infants and hormonal responses from fathers are greatest when the infant is at a dependent age.     

Interactions between parents and infants,and infants-father separation in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The New World monkey,Callithrix jacchus, diversely from most Old World primates, shares infant care among all family members. This paper intends to describe a pattern of infant care in the common marmoset, and to verify if the infant-father separation induces a depression reaction, such as found in other separation studies. In Experiment 1, 11 families (mother, father, and twin newborn infants) ofCallithrix jacchus were observed from 1st to 36th days of infants' life. It was noted that infants were carried most of the time in the beginning of life, and that from the 4th day on this care came mostly from the father. In Experiment 2, nine families were divided in three separation groups (15, 30, and 45 days of infants' life). Each group had a control and two experimental families. Removal of the father was done for three days, beginning at the indicated infants' ages. Results showed that upon removal of the father, the mother assumes the infants' care, and no depression reaction appeared.     

Scrounging facilitates social learning in common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus

The minimalistic environment of standard laboratory cages can adversely influence the responses of animals in standard behavioural tests and other aspects of the animals' biology. To avoid this, cages should provide for the animals' species-specific behavioural characteristics. We hypothesized that, given their possible capacity for colour vision, laboratory mice, Mus musculus, would show preferences between cages of different colours. Studies show that environmental colour can influence emotionality and task performance in humans, suggesting that cage colour could also affect emotionality and performance of mice in behavioural tests. Seventy-two mice were housed in home cages painted red, black, green or white. Five weeks later, 24 mice were placed individually into an apparatus allowing them to choose between cages of each of the home cage colours. Each mouse showed a highly significant preference, which overall, was unrelated to home cage colour. White cages were most preferred and red were least. Home cage colour had a significant effect on body weight and food consumption as well as on behaviour in a raised plus maze. Mice from red home cages spent most time in the closed arms, indicating greater anxiety, possibly suggesting that the reduced occupancy of the red preference cages resulted from avoidance of environmental conditions that induced a negative mental state. These findings show that laboratory mice have strong preferences between cages of different colours. We also found that an apparently inconsequential environmental variable, home cage colour, can influence responses in standard behavioural tests, which should be considered in assessing the external validity of such tests. Copyright 2003 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.     

Temporal patterns of play bouts in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

An objective method for defining a play bout is derived and applied to data collected from six 143–146-day old captive marmosets living in family groups. Temporal patterns within and between play bouts are investigated. There is a tendency for play bouts to occur in sessions. Play sessions are terminated by short rather than long play bouts. The pattern of components within play bouts is nonrandom. Chasing tends not to be performed either at the beginning or at the end of a play bout. Typical latencies from play bout onset to the onset of components within the bout vary from one component to another. It is argued that mechanisms controlling social play must operate at two levels: at the level of the play session, and at the level of the play bout.     

Birth and perinatal behaviour in family groups of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus), compared to other primates

Birth and perinatal behaviour in five family groups of the common marmoset are described. Information is given on 16 births, seven of which are described in detail.The birth process was divided into five stages; data are presented on the durations of the stages and the behaviours exhibited by the female in each stage.Infant marmosets cling unaided to the pelage of the female from birth, and the behaviour of neonates and the reactions of the female to infants are discussed.The interactions of other group members to the mother and neonates were analysed. The adult male's first interactions with the neonates appeared to occur much earlier (less than one hour after birth) than in other non-human primate species.Perinatal behaviour in marmosets is compared to that recorded in other non-human primate species and discussed in relation to the social organisation of C. j. jacchus.     

An ethogram of the common marmoset (Calithrix jacchus jacchus): General behavioural repertoire

The behavioural repertoire of four captive breeding pairs of Callithrix jacchus jacchus is described. Social communication took the form of postures, facial expressions, vocalizations and piloerection displays. Detailed analyses were made of piloerection displays, adult play, copulatory, aggressive, and prey-catching behaviour. Aggressive behaviour was uncommon in adult mated pairs. Play between adults showed a degree of temporal organization. Vocalizations were the main methods of intragroup communication whilst piloerection displays were directed towards members of other groups and also to unfamiliar objects. The behavioural repertoire of C. jacchus jacchus is compared with that of other Primates.     

Handedness in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

For about 20 months the development of hand preferences in 21 experimentally naive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) was examined in 15 different tests. Test preferences were compared with their spontaneous behavior preferences in such contexts as feeding, grooming, play, and others. In the spontaneous use of the hands, only eight animals showed a significant lateral preference (2 left-handed, 6 right-handed). During the test period, however, the number of handed marmosets increased to 19 (5 left-handed, 14 right-handed). Most of the animals fluctuated considerably in their preference levels, a situation which led to a remarkable test response inconsistency of handedness. When the test situation was changed, complete reversals of handedness were more frequent than weakening or strengthening of a particular preference. The animals' emotions during the test session and environmental variables affected handedness significantly. None of the tested marmosets showed an increase of hand preference from the first to the last test. Our results indicate that Callithrix is ambidextrous rather than handed.     

Interactions between Oncopera alboguttata (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) and its microsporidan pathogen, Pleistophora oncoperae (Protozoa: Microsporida)

Infection by Pleistophora oncoperae is widespread in populations of Oncopera alboguttata. Detailed study of insects from one site indicated that 85% of the 131 pupae and 65% of the 403 adults were infected. The infection did not adversely affect duration of larval and pupal development, adult life span, the number of eggs laid, or fecundity. Infected females were able to transmit the disease to their progeny, though the degree of transmission ranged from 0 to 92%, depending on the severity of the parental infection. Transmission of the disease by infected males could not be detected. It was estimated that 49% of the progeny from this site would have been infected by transovum transmission. Details of the incidence of P. oncoperae infection from this area during the period 1972 to 1979 are given to emphasise the possible role of this disease in O. alboguttata population dynamics.     

Use of ultrasound to monitor prenatal growth and development in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The increasing use of non-human primates to study fetal development and neonatal management has necessitated the availability of fetuses of known gestational history. In this study, prenatal development and growth were investigated in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) using ultrasound. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the accuracy of ultrasound for monitoring prenatal growth and development in common marmosets, (2) to determine if litter size influences prenatal growth trajectories, and (3) to assess growth discordancy among litter mates. Fifty pregnancies were monitored longitudinally using real-time abdominal sonography. During each examination the number of fetuses was recorded, and crown-rump length (CRL) and biparietal diameter (BPD) were measured. The results indicate that ultrasound is a reliable method for observation of gross morphological changes during prenatal development in this species. Measures of CRL and BPD taken early in gestation using ultrasound were in agreement with those from gross specimens. Triplets were significantly (P < 0.05) smaller than twins for both BPD and CRL. No significant relationship was found between litter size and within litter variation in CRL or BPD. This study is the first longitudinal investigation of prenatal growth and development in C. jacchus. The observations from this study will be of use for determining approximate gestational age of fetuses, as well as providing guidelines for routine monitoring of pregnancy in this species. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Bimodal temporal organization of specific vigilance behaviors in captive black tufted-ear marmosets (Callithrix penicillata)

The aerial/terrestrial scan and glance behaviors of 20 captive adult black tufted-ear marmosets (Callithrix penicillata), kept undisturbed in their own familiar social environments, were assessed at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 h, as little is known on the temporal organization of their vigilance repertoire, particularly under normal social and stress-free conditions. For each time point, four 20-min observation sessions were held. Although general high vigilance rates were observed, significantly more time was spent scanning the upper part of the home-cage, particularly during the earliest and latest hours of the day. Significantly higher terrestrial than aerial glance frequencies were also seen, yet both remained constant throughout the day. Therefore, the observed pattern not only varied significantly according to the specific vigilance behavior and time of day, but also seemed associated with eco-physiological factors, such as the search/intake of food, sleep site selection and higher risk of air-born threats.     

Observations on the interaction between adult group members, group members without rearing experience and infants in the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus

This study describes the reactions of adult, rearing-experienced members of three Callithrix jacchus families to interactions between animals without rearing experience and infants. The direct involvement of adult group members in situations in which inexperienced animals interact with infants decreases as the infants become older. Inexperienced animals will approach infants more seldom, if adult, rearing-experienced animals are nearby. Adult, rearing-experienced members of the group display primarily noninteractive behavior. This is especially true when no physical contact has taken place between an inexperienced animal and the infant, or if contact was initiated by the infant. Most of the dissociative reactions were observed in the context of competition for objects and play activity. However, there was a similarly high percentage of associative behavior towards inexperienced animals during play activity. In the episodes observed, the adult, rearing-experienced animals displayed mainly taking care behavior towards the infant but never any dissociative behavior. The following points appear to be of significance for the way adult, rearing-experienced members of the group behave: spatial distance between inexperienced animal and infant; which party was the initiator of the interaction; the level of experience already acquired by the animals without previous rearing experience, and the level of maturation of the infant.     

Patterns of prenatal survival in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Abstract: Fifty common marmoset pregnancies were monitored using ultrasound. The objective was to ascertain if fetal mortality was related to litter size. Prior to analysis we determined abortion rate and litter size were not influenced by repeated ultrasound. Mortality was unrelated to litter size and occurred fairly late in gestation. All singletons born in this study began gestation as twins. It is hypothesized that marmosets may be able to adjust litter size late in pregnancy in response to proximate environmental factors.     

Intestinal cryptococcosis in a common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

A five-year-old female common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) died after a one-month clinical course of nonspecific signs. Pathologic findings were acute diffuse fibrinonecrotizing enteritis and granulomatous endolymphangitis of intestinal and mesenteric lymphatic vessels. Both lesions were associated with a marked proliferation of Mayer's mucicarmine-positive, 4 to 15 microm yeasts that were surrounded by a wide clear halo. The infection was probably acquired by oral route. Other findings included moderate multifocal granulomatous and necrotizing hepatitis and mesangial nephropathy. Although the immunological status of this marmoset was unknown, cryptococcosis might induce primary lethal intestinal infections in callitrichids.     

Clinical care and diseases of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a small New World primate that is native to eastern Brazil and has been used in biomedical research since the early 1960s. Use of this species for research purposes continues to grow at a rapid pace as they are a viable alternative to other nonhuman primate species. We discuss clinical care, such as preventative medicine, anesthesia, and routine clinical procedures. Important viral, bacterial, parasitic, and gastrointestinal tract diseases are discussed, with relevant details on cause, transmission, pathologic changes, diagnosis, and treatment. Current problems affecting marmoset health and research in the modern vivarium are emphasized.     

Structure and development of the style base in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis, and Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae,Cyperoideae, Abildgaardieae)

The Abildgaardieae tribe within the family Cyperaceae comprises six or seven genera, among which Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis pose a challenge regarding their morphological delimitation. Molecular phylogenetic analyses including species of Abildgaardieae are rare, but in most of those studies, Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis appear as more closely related to each other than to the Bulbostylis genus. Duration of the style base has been one of the most widely used characters for delimiting these three genera. The style base is a persistent structure in most species of Bulbostylis and deciduous in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis. The reasons why the style base may persist or fall off have been scarcely discussed. The assumption that abscission layers are present in the style base of all three genera and the fact that tracheids have been observed in the style base of Bulbostylis suggest that this structure might have histological complexity. In view of this, a complete ontogenetic and anatomical study of the gynoecium has been carried out for all these three genera. It turned out that the style base is histologically simple in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis and shows similar structure and development in all three genera. The fact that the style base has a shorter duration in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis than in Bulbostylis might be related to the lower number of sclerotised cells that make up such structures in the mature fruit of the former two genera. Abscission of the style and style base may be the result of much simpler reasons than the differentiation of an abscission layer, resulting merely from mechanical shear force effects. Differences among genera have been observed in the shape of the style base and the development of the style. The histological simplicity of the style base is consistent with the homoplastic appearance of this structure in genera that are not closely related (e.g. Rhynchospora). Because of this, while the presence of the thickened style base seems to be a synapomorphy in species of Abildgaardieae, its persistence on or detachment from the fruit might have emerged repeatedly during this clade evolution and might not be a suitable character for genera delimitation.     

Chimaeric and constitutive DNA fingerprints in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

Marmosets normally produce dizygotic twins sharing placental blood vessels and exchanging bone marrow cells. Each individual is therefore likely to be a blood chimaera. To date, marmosets had only been DNA fingerprinted using blood samples and probes 33.6 and 33.15, resulting in highly similar fingerprints among litter mates and little variation between other individuals, thereby limiting this method's use for individual identification and parentage testing. In this study, novel probes were applied to detect greater polymorphism and to produce individual-specific DNA fingerprints. As expected, blood DNA profiles of twins and triplets were virtually identical, confirming chimaerism in this tissue and identifying litter mates. Furthermore, these profiles were sufficiently variable to distinguish between sibs from different litters and between all other individuals. To produce individual-specific DNA fingerprints, the use of DNA extracted from tissues poor in leukocytes was essential. The findings demonstrate that, despite extensive blood chimaerism, marmoset colonies can be effectively DNA fingerprinted for indicidual identification, zygosity testing, and relationship studies.