Although female rats are typically described as having a promiscuous mating strategy, if sexually naïve females have their formative sexually rewarding experiences paired with the same male, they will recognize that male and display mate-guarding behavior towards him in the presence of a female competitor. Female rats that display mate guarding behavior also show enhanced activation of oxytocin and vasopressin neurons in the supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Here, we examined the potential role that histone demethylation might have in establishing this pair-bonded behavior, and whether the corresponding changes in oxytocin and vasopressin neuronal activation depended on demethylation. To accomplish this, we examined the effect of a lysine-specific demethylase-1 inhibitor to block the action of demethylase enzymes and maintain the methylation state of corresponding genes. Female rats treated with the demethylase inhibitor failed to show any measure of mate guarding, whereas females treated with vehicle displayed mate guarding behavior. Demethylase inhibitor treatment also blocked the ability of familiar male cues to activate oxytocin and vasopressin neurons, whereas vehicle-treated females showed this enhanced activation. These data indicate that histone demethylation is a crucial component in the epigenetic modification of neural circuitry that underlies conditioned mate guarding in female rats. These results are the first to demonstrate the role of histone demethylation underlying changes in mating strategy.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.08.005 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Insects copulate multiple times not only with different mates but also with the same mate, which is called repeated copulation. It occurs as a repeated alternation between copulation and mate-guarding, leading to the prolonged physical attachment between males and females. Particularly, in species where males forcefully grasp females, attempt to mate without courtship and exhibit repeated copulations, male and female morphological traits are expected to be associated with mating characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnraveling mate choice evolution through indirect genetic effects.
Evol Lett
December 2024
Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
Attractiveness is not solely determined by a single sexual trait but rather by a combination of traits. Because the response of the chooser is based on the combination of sexual traits in the courter, variation in the chooser's responses that are attributable to the opposite-sex courter genotypes (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Genetic Polymorphism Underlying Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Eurycea Salamanders.
Mol Ecol
December 2024
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA.
Alternative reproductive tactics are discrete, intrasexual differences in reproductive behaviour within a population. In some cases, these complex phenotypes are determined by autosomal supergenes or sex chromosomes-both of which exhibit reduced recombination and thus enable the linked inheritance of co-adapted alleles from multiple loci. Most alternative reproductive tactics in amphibians are plastic (and reversible), environmentally determined and lacking morphological differentiation, but a striking exception is found in the two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) species complex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReputation-surveillance model of mate guarding: community size and religious veiling.
Evol Hum Sci
October 2024
School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
The mate guarding theory of conservative clothing posits that veiling reduces women's physical allure and sexual attractiveness, thereby diminishing men's attraction towards them and deterring potential rivals for a woman's partner. This theory argues that the importance of veiling is influenced by ecological factors in a way that it is of higher importance to control women's sexuality in harsher environments to secure paternal investment. A prediction of this theory is that the importance of veiling should be influenced by community size, where individuals' reputations, specifically men's, might have different weightings, and their perceived sense of controlling a partner's activity may differ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental drivers of vigilance behaviour in painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) nesting colonies.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
Article Synopsis
- Vigilance in animals is essential for survival, as it impacts their ability to detect predators, which affects activities like foraging and mating; this study focuses on the Painted Stork in India, observing their nesting behaviors.* -
- The research found that male Painted Storks are more vigilant than females due to their roles in protecting the nest and territoriality, and that parental vigilance increases as their young nestlings age.* -
- Using camera techniques, the study identified that factors such as the number of visitors and neighbors, as well as specific habitat variables, significantly influence the storks' vigilance behavior, with higher levels observed at the National Zoological Park compared to Keoladeo National Park.*
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!