Familiarity and gender influence social preferences in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Abstract

The physiological mechanisms influencing group cohesion and social preferences are largely unstudied in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). In nature, prairie vole family groups usually consist of an adult male and female breeding pair, one or more litters of their offspring, and occasionally unrelated adults. Pair bonds, defined by heterosexual preferences, develop in male and female prairie voles following cohabitation or mating. However, social preferences between members of the same sex also may be important to the maintenance of communal groups. In the present study we compared the development of social preferences for conspecific strangers of the same sex versus preferences for the opposite sex, and examined the effect of the gonadal status of the stimulus animal on initial social preference. The present study revealed that reproductively naive males, but not females, showed initial preferences for partners of the opposite sex. In both sexes preferences for the opposite sex were not influenced by the presence or absence of gonadal hormones. Heterosexual and same-sex preferences for a familiar individual formed following 24 h of nonsexual cohabitation in both males and females. Male and female same-sex preferences, however, were no longer stable when the stranger in the preference test was of the opposite sex to the experimental animal. The development of same-sex preferences may help to maintain group cohesion, but same-sex preferences formed by cohabitation do not withstand the challenge of an opposite-sex stranger.

Variability in “spontaneous” maternal behavior is associated with anxiety-like behavior and affiliation in Naïve juvenile and adult female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

“…However, in contrast to what was found in other studies (Roberts et al, 1996;DeVries et al, 1997) adult females did not show preference for the familiar animal. However, the critical aspect of this same-sex affiliative test, in this study, was to quantify the time spent interacting with another conspecific (regardless of their preference) versus isolated in a neutral cage.…”

“…Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are a highly affiliative and parental species (DeVries, Johnson, & Carter, 1997;Getz, Carter, & Gavish, 1981;McGuire & Novak, 1984;Roberts, Williams, Wang, & Carter, 1998b;Thomas & Birney, 1979;Wilson, 1982;Young, Lim, Gingrich, & Insel, 2001). While juveniles from several rodent species are attracted to pups, they only act parentally after a few days of pup exposure (Bridges, Zarrow, Goldman, & Denenberg, 1974;Brunelli & Hofer, 1990;Lonstein & DeVries, 2000b;Mayer, 1983).…”

Cardiac regulation in the socially monogamous prairie vole

“…Females were chosen for these initial experiments because they have been studied extensively for their social behavior in our laboratory [21][22][23][24][25][26], and they do not show a spontaneous puberty or estrous cycle [27,28]. In this species, the ovaries remain inactive until the female has physical contact with a male.…”

Identification of subpopulations of prairie voles differentially susceptible to peer influence to decrease high alcohol intake

“…In contrast, individuals of socially monogamous species do form such selective affiliations. For example, socially monogamous prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster ) exhibit increased preference not only for their sexual partner, but also to their same-sex cage mates (Getz et al, 1981; Williams, 1992; DeVries et al, 1997a). We have previously modeled specific social influences of ethanol drinking in prairie voles.…”