Stress coping styles and singing behavior in the short-tailed singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina) |
| |
Authors: | Ondi L. Crino Iske Larkin |
| |
Affiliation: | a Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA b Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA c College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Stress coping styles have been characterized as a proactive/reactive dichotomy in laboratory and domesticated animals. In this study, we examined the prevalence of proactive/reactive stress coping styles in wild-caught short-tailed singing mice (Scotinomys teguina). We compared stress responses to spontaneous singing, a social and reproductive behavior that characterizes this species. To establish proactive/reactive profiles for singing mice, we measured exploratory and anxiety behavior using an open-field behavioral test. We examined correlations between open-field behaviors and fecal corticosterone (CORT) metabolites, baseline plasma CORT, and stress-induced CORT. Mice with proactive behavioral responses in the open-field had higher fecal CORT titers than reactive males, but did not differ in baseline or stress-induced plasma CORT. We suggest that individual differences in CORT metabolism may contribute to this surprising pattern. Males that sang in the open-field were behaviorally proactive and had lower stress-induced CORT, indicating a link between stress responses and singing in this species. Overall, the data demonstrate that singing mice offer an interesting model for exploring how stress reactivity can shape social behaviors. |
| |
Keywords: | Fecal corticosterone Proactive Reactive Population differences Anogenital distance |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|