Social recognition is context dependent in single male prairie voles
Single males might benefit from knowing the identity of neighbouring males when establishing and defending boundaries. Similarly, males should discriminate between individual females if this leads to more reproductive opportunities. Contextual social cues may alter the value of learning identity. Knowing the identity of competitors that intrude into an animal’s territory may be more salient […]
Early rearing experience is associated with vasopressin immunoreactivity but not reactivity to an acute non-social stressor in the prairie vole
The early life experiences of an organism have the potential to alter its developmental trajectories. Perhaps one of the most powerful influences during this period is the parent–offspring relationship. Previous work in several mammalian species has demonstrated that parental care in early life and specifically maternal behavior can influence several adult outcomes in offspring, including […]
Effects of acute corticosterone treatment on male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster): Territorial aggression does not accompany induced social preference
Corticosterone (CORT) is a stress-related steroid hormone found in vertebrates, and is known to interact with behavior. In the socially monogamous prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster, acute stress and specifically acute CORT administration have been shown to facilitate male social preference for a familiar female, and this effect has been described as facilitation of the monogamous pair […]