A comparison of prairie vole audible and ultrasonic pup calls and attraction to them by adults of each sex

AbstractRodent pups of many species emit both ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and calls spanning into a lower frequency range, audible to humans (AUDs), yet there has been little systematic comparison of these different call types, or analyses of how they might differ in signal function. Here the spectral and temporal characteristics of USV and AUD pup calls are described for the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), a model used in studies of monogamous mating and biparental care, and a species with an unusually large functional and anatomical representation of auditory cortex. Findings provide a detailed description of each call type, including changes to a number of USV characteristics over pup development. Adult attraction to the playback of these two call types was tested in groups that differed in regards to sex and reproductive status. Separate groups included virgins as well as paired animals of each sex, tested at time points either prior to the birth of pups (associated with either mid or late gestation), or at postpartum time points (parents of 2–3 day olds and parents of 8–9 day olds). Adults were attracted to both USVs and AUDs, but group differences were found only in the attraction to USVs. Males were more attracted to USVs than females, and there were interactions of sex and reproductive status. Results suggest that pup vocal communication is quite sophisticated, and that USVs and AUDs may have different communicative functions.

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Maturation of Social-Vocal Communication in Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) Pups

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2021.814200 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Megan R. Warren ◽

Drayson Campbell ◽

Amélie M. Borie ◽

Charles L. Ford ◽

Ammar M. Dharani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Communication ◽

Vocal Communication ◽

Life Experience ◽

Model Organism ◽

Prairie Vole ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Early Life Experience ◽

Pathological Development

Impairments in social communication are common among neurodevelopmental disorders. While traditional animal models have advanced our understanding of the physiological and pathological development of social behavior, they do not recapitulate some aspects where social communication is essential, such as biparental care and the ability to form long-lasting social bonds. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have emerged as a valuable rodent model in social neuroscience because they naturally display these behaviors. Nonetheless, the role of vocalizations in prairie vole social communication remains unclear. Here, we studied the ontogeny [from postnatal days (P) 8–16] of prairie vole pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), both when isolated and when the mother was present but physically unattainable. In contrast to other similarly sized rodents such as mice, prairie vole pups of all ages produced isolation USVs with a relatively low fundamental frequency between 22 and 50 kHz, often with strong harmonic structure. Males consistently emitted vocalizations with a lower frequency than females. With age, pups vocalized less, and the acoustic features of vocalizations (e.g., duration and bandwidth) became more stereotyped. Manipulating an isolated pup's social environment by introducing its mother significantly increased vocal production at older (P12–16) but not younger ages, when pups were likely unable to hear or see her. Our data provide the first indication of a maturation in social context-dependent vocal emission, which may facilitate more active acoustic communication. These results help lay a foundation for the use of prairie voles as a model organism to probe the role of early life experience in the development of social-vocal communication.

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Nitrogen Requirements of the Adult Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

The American Midland Naturalist ◽

10.1674/0003-0031(1998)140[0387:nrotap]2.0.co;2 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 140 (2) ◽

pp. 387-392 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Stephen S. Ditchkoff ◽

Chad S. Boyd ◽

Edgar R. Welch ◽

Joshua B. Raglin ◽

Robert L. Lochmiller

Keyword(s):

Prairie Vole ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster

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EFFECTS OF FEMALE IMMIGRANTS ON DEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF PRAIRIE VOLE (MICROTUS OCHROGASTER) POPULATIONS

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.1644/bel-013 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 85 (4) ◽

pp. 781-787 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Y. Kirk Lin ◽

Loren D. Hayes ◽

Nancy G. Solomon

Keyword(s):

Social Organization ◽

Prairie Vole ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Female Immigrants

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Sex and species differences in plasma oxytocin using an enzyme immunoassay

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z04-098 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 82 (8) ◽

pp. 1194-1200 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Kristin M Kramer ◽

Bruce S Cushing ◽

C Sue Carter ◽

Julie Wu ◽

Mary Ann Ottinger

Keyword(s):

Enzyme Immunoassay ◽

Species Differences ◽

Social Bonds ◽

Prairie Vole ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

As Species ◽

Neuropeptide Hormone ◽

And Gender ◽

And Behavior

The neuropeptide hormone oxytocin (OT) is released peripherally and centrally and has been implicated in both physiology and behavior, especially sociosexual behaviors. Knowledge of OT levels in blood or other sources would be useful but these are rarely reported. Radioimmunoassay following extraction is the most commonly used method for measuring OT but is not ideal for use in small mammals in which blood volumes and concentrations of OT are low. Here we report a chemical and biological validation for a commercially available enzyme immunoassay for OT in unextracted plasma. In addition, comparisons of OT were made across species to allow comparison of the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842)) to the polygynous Sprague Dawley rat. These species were chosen because OT plays a role in the formation of social bonds and we predicted that the highly social prairie vole would have higher plasma OT than the less social rat. Results of this comparison confirmed our hypothesis. Further, OT was significantly higher in females than in males in both species. Our results indicate that this enzyme immunoassay can be used to assay plasma OT in rodents and that the predicted correlations exist between plasma OT and gender as well as species-typical social behavior.

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Programming of growth, insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in offspring of late gestation diabetic rats

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs20080550 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 117 (3) ◽

pp. 129-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Emily M. Segar ◽

Andrew W. Norris ◽

Jian-Rong Yao ◽

Shanming Hu ◽

Stacia L. Koppenhafer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Vascular Function ◽

Vascular Dysfunction ◽

Diabetic Rats ◽

Late Gestation ◽

Group Differences ◽

Pregnant Rats ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Specific Insulin ◽

Diabetic Mothers

ODM (offspring of diabetic mothers) have an increased risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunction; however, few studies have focused on the susceptibility to disease in offspring of mothers developing diabetes during pregnancy. We developed an animal model of late gestation diabetic pregnancy and characterized metabolic and vascular function in the offspring. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (50 mg/kg of body weight, intraperitoneally) in pregnant rats on gestational day 13 and was partially controlled by twice-daily injections of insulin. At 2 months of age, ODM had slightly better glucose tolerance than controls (P<0.05); however, by 6 months of age this trend had reversed. A euglycaemic–hyperinsulinamic clamp revealed insulin resistance in male ODM (P<0.05). In 6–8-month-old female ODM, aortas had significantly enhanced contractility in response to KCl, ET-1 (endothelin-1) and NA (noradrenaline). No differences in responses to ET-1 and NA were apparent with co-administration of L-NNA (NG-nitro-L-arginine). Relaxation in response to ACh (acetylcholine), but not SNP (sodium nitroprusside), was significantly impaired in female ODM. In contrast, males had no between-group differences in response to vasoconstrictors, whereas relaxation to SNP and ACh was greater in ODM compared with control animals. Thus the development of diabetes during pregnancy programmes gender-specific insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction in adult offspring.

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