ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Miami University / OhioLINK
2018
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1524835563594466 |
| id |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-miami1524835563594466 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
oai_dc |
| spelling |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-miami15248355635944662021-08-03T07:06:36Z ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study Lambert, Connor T. Animals Biology Zoology Neurobiology Behavioral Sciences monogamy estrogen receptor alpha prairie vole medial amygdala social behavior social brain field study RNAi vector Field studies can greatly enhance our understanding of mechanisms that mediate social behaviors. Laboratory experiments indicate that relatively low expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) in the medial amygdala (MeA) of the brain is linked to behaviors indicative of social monogamy in male prairie voles (<i>Microtus ochrogaster</i>), but this has not been examined in a field setting. I tested the hypothesis that ERa expression in the MeA influences sociosexual behaviors of male prairie voles in an ecologically relevant setting. I created replicate, semi-natural populations of prairie voles during 2015 and 2016 and monitored their behavior for 15 weeks. Males were bred for contrasting ERa expression in the first experiment and RNAi was used to inhibit ERa in half the males for the second. Although I detected little difference in males’ behaviors in the first experiment, I found that males with lower ERa had stronger associations with one female, smaller home ranges overlapping fewer females, and greater home range overlap with one female than males with higher ERa in the second experiment. These findings suggest that ERa in the MeA is an ecologically relevant mediator of sociosexual behavior and may be important in the evolution of monogamy in the prairie vole. 2018-04-30 English text Miami University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1524835563594466 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1524835563594466 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Animals Biology Zoology Neurobiology Behavioral Sciences monogamy estrogen receptor alpha prairie vole medial amygdala social behavior social brain field study RNAi vector |
| spellingShingle |
Animals Biology Zoology Neurobiology Behavioral Sciences monogamy estrogen receptor alpha prairie vole medial amygdala social behavior social brain field study RNAi vector Lambert, Connor T. ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| author |
Lambert, Connor T. |
| author_facet |
Lambert, Connor T. |
| author_sort |
Lambert, Connor T. |
| title |
ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| title_short |
ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| title_full |
ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| title_fullStr |
ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| title_full_unstemmed |
ERa Expression and Monogamy in Prairie Voles: An Experimental Field Study |
| title_sort |
era expression and monogamy in prairie voles: an experimental field study |
| publisher |
Miami University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2018 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1524835563594466 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT lambertconnort eraexpressionandmonogamyinprairievolesanexperimentalfieldstudy |
| _version_ |
1719453971082379264 |