Reduced mate preference for dominant over subordinate males in old female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Place, Ned J.; Vernon, Dianne M.; Johnston, Robert E.

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2014.11.002

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The purpose of this study was to determine if ovarian follicle depletion contributes to reduced female mate preference and selectivity for a mate, as we previously observed in chronologically old Syrian hamsters [5]. In the previous study we compared mate preferences of 6-and 15-month-old female hamsters, and we found young females left a significant proportion of vaginal scent marks in the vicinity of the dominant male, whereas 15-month-old females did not.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The first day of testing occurred on the day of metestrus. Females observed the formation of a dominant-subordinate relationship between two unrelated males in a three-compartment Plexiglas arena, as described previously [5]. Males within a dyad were of the same age (mean age across all dyads: 18.5 ± 0.7 wk) and were matched for body mass (<7.5% difference within a dyad).…”

Section: Days 1 and 2 (Metestrus And Diestrus): Establishment Of Malementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vaginal scent marking is a means of soliciting potential mates, and females often leave a trail of vaginal secretions back to her burrow, and males follow this trail [23]. Young females leave more vaginal scent marks near dominant males and mate with them more often than subordinate males [5,24].…”

Section: Behavior Scoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…guppy, cricket, cockroach, and moth) [1,4]. While studies on age and mate choice in mammals are limited, recent evidence suggests that old (15 months old) female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) have reduced preference for dominant males as compared to young females [5]. Young females of this species generally show strong preference for dominant over subordinate males [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To determine if ovarian age influences selectivity for potential mates, VCD-treated females were allowed to choose between a dominant and subordinate male on the day of proestrus. We inferred mate preferences from scent marking behavior and the amount of time females spent near each prospective mate [5], and compared the behaviors of VCD-and vehicletreated females.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mate preference for dominant vs. subordinate males in young female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) following chemically-accelerated ovarian follicle depletion

Roosa

Place

2015

Physiology & Behavior

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Life history theory predicts that selectivity for mates generally declines as females age. We previously demonstrated this phenomenon in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), in that older females showed reduced preference for dominant over subordinate males. To test the hypothesis that decreased reproductive quality due to aging reduces mate preference, we decoupled reproductive and chronological age by treating young female hamsters with 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD), which destroys ovarian follicles and functionally accelerates ovarian follicle depletion without compromising the general health of rodents. In this study, VCD effectively reduced follicle numbers in young Syrian hamsters. VCD-treated and control females were allowed to choose between a dominant and a subordinate male in a Y-maze on the day of proestrus. Both VCD-treated and control females demonstrated preference for the dominant male by leaving a greater proportion of vaginal scent marks near him, which is a behavior that females display when soliciting prospective mates. However, there was no effect of treatment on the proportion of vaginal scent marks left for the dominant male. Furthermore, ovarian follicle numbers were not significantly correlated with any behaviors in either group. We conclude that accelerated ovarian follicle depletion does not reduce mate preference in young female hamsters.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Days 1 and 2 (Metestrus And Diestrus): Establishment Of Malementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Behavior Scoringmentioning

confidence: 99%