Over-shadowed by eye-catching vocal and visual signals,chemical communication has long been overlooked in birds.This study aimed at exploring whether volatile composition of the uropygial gland secretion(UGS)of birds ...Over-shadowed by eye-catching vocal and visual signals,chemical communication has long been overlooked in birds.This study aimed at exploring whether volatile composition of the uropygial gland secretion(UGS)of birds was associated with the information about sex,individual and species.By using dichloromethane extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS),we analyzed the UGS volatiles of domesticated Bengalese finches(Lonchura striata,Estrildiea)which is also known as white-rumped munias.We characterized 16 volatile molecules from the UGS,including eight n-alkanols,five diesters,an ester,an aldehyde and a fatty acid,and quantified them in terms of GC peak area percentages(relative abundances).Among these compounds,hexadecanol and octadecanol were major components in both sexes.The former was richer in males than in females and the latter richer in females than in males,suggesting that they might be male and female pheromone candidates,respectively.The high inter-individual variations,in relative abundance,of the UGS volatiles implied that these compounds might carry information about individuality.The similarity between GC profiles of the UGS and wing feather from same individuals indicates that the birds might preen the secretion to their feathers to transmit chemical cues.Additionally,by comparing with three sympatric passerine species,i.e.,zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata,yellow-bowed buntings Emberiza chrysophrys and rooks Corvus frugilegus,we found that the composition of C_ 13-C_ 18 alkanols in the UGS might code for information about species.Our study also showed that quantitative differences(degree)of same UGS volatiles might be the key for the Bengalese finch to code for information about sex and individuality whereas both the kind and degree of UGS constituents could be utilized to code for information about species.展开更多
Behavioral studies have shown that flank glands are involved in chemical communication in golden hamstersMesocricetus auratus but little chemical analysis has been conducted on volatiles arising from these glands. Usi...Behavioral studies have shown that flank glands are involved in chemical communication in golden hamstersMesocricetus auratus but little chemical analysis has been conducted on volatiles arising from these glands. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we detected compounds from the flank glands of males, only eight of which were also produced infemales. Based on these chemical data we performed a number of further experiments. By manipulating light we found that malesexposed to short-photoperiods developed smaller flank glands than those exposed to long-photoperiods. Six flank gland volatilesreduced in relative abundance, which possibly coded for reproductive status of males of this seasonally breeding hamster species.Through dyadic encounters, we were able to induce the formation of dominant-subordinate relationships and show that two glandularcompounds became high in relative abundance and may function as dominance pheromones. Castration eliminated allmale-specific compounds resulting from flank glands, but bilateral ovariectomies only affected one compound in females. Oncethese ovariectomized females were treated with testosterone, their glandular compounds resembled those of males, suggestingthese compounds are under the main control of androgen. Two female putative pheromones, tetradecanoic acid and hexadecanoicacid, were used in binary choice tests and were both found to attract males over females. Applying a solution of these pheromonecompounds to adult males also suppressed their agonistic展开更多
It has been documented that social isolation imparts deleterious effects on gregarious rodents species,but caging in group imparts such effects on solitary rodents. This study was attempted at examining how kinship to...It has been documented that social isolation imparts deleterious effects on gregarious rodents species,but caging in group imparts such effects on solitary rodents. This study was attempted at examining how kinship to affect body weight,behavioral interaction,mate choice and fitness when we caged male and female rat-like hamsters Tscheskia triton in pair,a solitary species. We found that females paired with nonsibling males became heavier than the females paired with sibling males,but both agonistic and amicable behavior between paired males and females did not differ between sibling and nonsibling groups. This indicated that kinship might reduce females' obesity in response to forced cohabitation,and dissociation might exist between physiological and behavioral responses. Furthermore,binary choice tests revealed that social familiarity between either siblings or nonsiblings decreased their investigating time spent in opposite sex conspecific of cage mates and/or their scents as compared with those of non-mates,suggesting effects of social association on mate and kin selection of the hamsters. On the other side,both females and males caged in pair with siblings show a preference between unfamiliar siblings or their scents and the counterparts of nonsiblings after two month separation,indicating that the kin recognition of the hamsters might also rely on phenotype matching. In addition,cohabitation (or permanent presence of fathers) elicited a lower survival of pups in nonsibling pairs than sibling pairs,but did not affect litter size,suggesting that kinship affects fitness when housing male and female ratlike hamsters together. Therefore,inbreeding might be adapted for rare and endangered展开更多
Dominance relationships between males and their associated traits are usually heritable and have implications for sexual selection in animals.In particular,social dominance and its related male pheromones are heritabl...Dominance relationships between males and their associated traits are usually heritable and have implications for sexual selection in animals.In particular,social dominance and its related male pheromones are heritable in inbred mice;thus,we wondered whether epigenetic changes due to altered levels of DNA methylation determine inheritance.Here,we used C57BL/6 male mice to establish a social dominance-subordination relationship through chronic dyadic encounters,and this relationship and pheromone covariation occurred in their offspring,indicative of heritability.Through transcriptome sequencing and whole-genome DNA methylation profiling of the sperm of both generations,we found that differential methylation of many genes was induced by social dominance-subordination in sires and could be passed on to the offspring.These methylated genes were mainly related to growth and development processes,neurodevelopment,and cellular transportation.The expression of the genes with similar functions in whole-genome methylation/bisulfite sequencing was also differentiated by social dominance-subordination,as revealed by RNA-seq.In particular,the gene Dennd1a,which regulates neural signaling,was differentially methylated and expressed in the sperm and medial prefrontal cortex in paired males before and after dominance-subordination establishment,suggesting the potential epigenetic control and inheritance of social dominance-related aggression.We suggest that social dominance might be passed on to male offspring through sperm DNA methylation and that the differences could potentially affect male competition in offspring by affecting the development of thenervous system.展开更多
Two parapatric Rattus norvegicus subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(RNH)and R.n.caraco(RNC),are classified accordi ng to morphological diverge nee and are mainly distributed in North and Northeast China.Here,we aimed to explor...Two parapatric Rattus norvegicus subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(RNH)and R.n.caraco(RNC),are classified accordi ng to morphological diverge nee and are mainly distributed in North and Northeast China.Here,we aimed to explore the population genetic structure,genetic boundary,and gene flow in these rats using 16 microsatellite loci.Structure analysis and principal component an alysis revealed 3 ancestral clusters.We found that the in termediate cluster exhibited higher genetic diversity and a lower in breeding coefficie nt tha n the other 2 clusters.The genetic differentiation between the 3 clusters was significant but weak,with a higher FST value being observed betwee n the clusters on both sides.The subspecies bou ndary inf erred from microsatellite markers may indicate the existence of an admixture or hybridization area covering Liaoning,Inner Mongolia,and Jilin Provinces,rather than corresponding to the administrative provincial boundaries between Liaoning and Jilin.The RNH and RNC subspecies presented moderate gene exchange and an asymmetric bidirectional gene flow pattern,with higher gene flow from the RNH subspecies to the RNC subspecies,constraining speciation.Such genetic characteristics might be explained by biological processes such as dispersal ability,mate choice,and dynamic lineage boundaries.展开更多
In this study,we investigated whether two brain regions,the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis(BNST)and the basolateral amygdala(BLA),affected male rats(Rattus norvigicus)ability to innately discriminate between a pr...In this study,we investigated whether two brain regions,the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis(BNST)and the basolateral amygdala(BLA),affected male rats(Rattus norvigicus)ability to innately discriminate between a predator odor(cat urine)and female rat urine.Muscimol,a GABAa receptor agonist,was bilaterally microinjected into either the BNST or BLA of rats through展开更多
Pheromonal communication plays a key role in the sociosexual behavior of rodents.The coadaptation between pheromones and chemosensory systems has been well illustrated in insects but poorly investigated in rodents and...Pheromonal communication plays a key role in the sociosexual behavior of rodents.The coadaptation between pheromones and chemosensory systems has been well illustrated in insects but poorly investigated in rodents and other mammals.We aimed to investigate whether coadaptation between male pheromones and female reception might have occurred in brown rats Rattus norve-gicus.We recently reported that major urinary protein(MUP)pheromones are associated with male mating success in a brown rat subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(Rnh).Here,we discovered that MUPs were less polymorphic and occurred at much lower concentrations in males of a parapatric subspecies,R.n.caraco(Rnc),than in Rnh males,and found no association between pheromones and paternity success.Moreover,the observation of Rnc males that experienced chronic dyadic encounters and established dominance-submission relationships revealed that the dominant males achieved greater mating success than the subordinate males,but their MUP levels did not differ by social status.These findings suggest that male mating success in Rnc rats is related to social rank rather than to pheromone levels and that low concentration of MUPs might not be a reliable signal for mate choice in Rnc rats,which is different from the findings obtained in Rnh rats.In addition,compared with Rnh females,Rnc females exhibited reduced expression of pheromone receptor genes,and a lower number of vomeronasal receptor neurons were activated by MUP pheromones,which imply that the female chemosensory reception of pheromones might be structurally and functionally coadapted with male pheromone signals in brown rats.展开更多
基金supported by grants from Chinese NSF(No.30870297to J.X.ZNo.30370196to M.X.Z.)International Partnership Project of CAS(CXTD2005-4to L.S and J.X.Z)
文摘Over-shadowed by eye-catching vocal and visual signals,chemical communication has long been overlooked in birds.This study aimed at exploring whether volatile composition of the uropygial gland secretion(UGS)of birds was associated with the information about sex,individual and species.By using dichloromethane extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS),we analyzed the UGS volatiles of domesticated Bengalese finches(Lonchura striata,Estrildiea)which is also known as white-rumped munias.We characterized 16 volatile molecules from the UGS,including eight n-alkanols,five diesters,an ester,an aldehyde and a fatty acid,and quantified them in terms of GC peak area percentages(relative abundances).Among these compounds,hexadecanol and octadecanol were major components in both sexes.The former was richer in males than in females and the latter richer in females than in males,suggesting that they might be male and female pheromone candidates,respectively.The high inter-individual variations,in relative abundance,of the UGS volatiles implied that these compounds might carry information about individuality.The similarity between GC profiles of the UGS and wing feather from same individuals indicates that the birds might preen the secretion to their feathers to transmit chemical cues.Additionally,by comparing with three sympatric passerine species,i.e.,zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata,yellow-bowed buntings Emberiza chrysophrys and rooks Corvus frugilegus,we found that the composition of C_ 13-C_ 18 alkanols in the UGS might code for information about species.Our study also showed that quantitative differences(degree)of same UGS volatiles might be the key for the Bengalese finch to code for information about sex and individuality whereas both the kind and degree of UGS constituents could be utilized to code for information about species.
基金supported by grants from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program,no.2010CB833900-2)the Chinese NSF (no.30870297)
文摘Behavioral studies have shown that flank glands are involved in chemical communication in golden hamstersMesocricetus auratus but little chemical analysis has been conducted on volatiles arising from these glands. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we detected compounds from the flank glands of males, only eight of which were also produced infemales. Based on these chemical data we performed a number of further experiments. By manipulating light we found that malesexposed to short-photoperiods developed smaller flank glands than those exposed to long-photoperiods. Six flank gland volatilesreduced in relative abundance, which possibly coded for reproductive status of males of this seasonally breeding hamster species.Through dyadic encounters, we were able to induce the formation of dominant-subordinate relationships and show that two glandularcompounds became high in relative abundance and may function as dominance pheromones. Castration eliminated allmale-specific compounds resulting from flank glands, but bilateral ovariectomies only affected one compound in females. Oncethese ovariectomized females were treated with testosterone, their glandular compounds resembled those of males, suggestingthese compounds are under the main control of androgen. Two female putative pheromones, tetradecanoic acid and hexadecanoicacid, were used in binary choice tests and were both found to attract males over females. Applying a solution of these pheromonecompounds to adult males also suppressed their agonistic
基金supported by the grants from International Partnership Project of CAS Innovative Researches(CXTDS2005-4)Ministry of Science and Technology(2005BA529A05)Chinese NSF(30670268)
文摘It has been documented that social isolation imparts deleterious effects on gregarious rodents species,but caging in group imparts such effects on solitary rodents. This study was attempted at examining how kinship to affect body weight,behavioral interaction,mate choice and fitness when we caged male and female rat-like hamsters Tscheskia triton in pair,a solitary species. We found that females paired with nonsibling males became heavier than the females paired with sibling males,but both agonistic and amicable behavior between paired males and females did not differ between sibling and nonsibling groups. This indicated that kinship might reduce females' obesity in response to forced cohabitation,and dissociation might exist between physiological and behavioral responses. Furthermore,binary choice tests revealed that social familiarity between either siblings or nonsiblings decreased their investigating time spent in opposite sex conspecific of cage mates and/or their scents as compared with those of non-mates,suggesting effects of social association on mate and kin selection of the hamsters. On the other side,both females and males caged in pair with siblings show a preference between unfamiliar siblings or their scents and the counterparts of nonsiblings after two month separation,indicating that the kin recognition of the hamsters might also rely on phenotype matching. In addition,cohabitation (or permanent presence of fathers) elicited a lower survival of pups in nonsibling pairs than sibling pairs,but did not affect litter size,suggesting that kinship affects fitness when housing male and female ratlike hamsters together. Therefore,inbreeding might be adapted for rare and endangered
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant numbers 31872227 and 32070451)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(grant no.XDPB16).
文摘Dominance relationships between males and their associated traits are usually heritable and have implications for sexual selection in animals.In particular,social dominance and its related male pheromones are heritable in inbred mice;thus,we wondered whether epigenetic changes due to altered levels of DNA methylation determine inheritance.Here,we used C57BL/6 male mice to establish a social dominance-subordination relationship through chronic dyadic encounters,and this relationship and pheromone covariation occurred in their offspring,indicative of heritability.Through transcriptome sequencing and whole-genome DNA methylation profiling of the sperm of both generations,we found that differential methylation of many genes was induced by social dominance-subordination in sires and could be passed on to the offspring.These methylated genes were mainly related to growth and development processes,neurodevelopment,and cellular transportation.The expression of the genes with similar functions in whole-genome methylation/bisulfite sequencing was also differentiated by social dominance-subordination,as revealed by RNA-seq.In particular,the gene Dennd1a,which regulates neural signaling,was differentially methylated and expressed in the sperm and medial prefrontal cortex in paired males before and after dominance-subordination establishment,suggesting the potential epigenetic control and inheritance of social dominance-related aggression.We suggest that social dominance might be passed on to male offspring through sperm DNA methylation and that the differences could potentially affect male competition in offspring by affecting the development of thenervous system.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant number 31672306 to Y.-H.Z.and 31872227 to J.-X.Z]grants from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[grant number XDB11010400 to J.-X.Z.]the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of IPM[grant number ChineseIPM 1701 to J.-X.Z].
文摘Two parapatric Rattus norvegicus subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(RNH)and R.n.caraco(RNC),are classified accordi ng to morphological diverge nee and are mainly distributed in North and Northeast China.Here,we aimed to explore the population genetic structure,genetic boundary,and gene flow in these rats using 16 microsatellite loci.Structure analysis and principal component an alysis revealed 3 ancestral clusters.We found that the in termediate cluster exhibited higher genetic diversity and a lower in breeding coefficie nt tha n the other 2 clusters.The genetic differentiation between the 3 clusters was significant but weak,with a higher FST value being observed betwee n the clusters on both sides.The subspecies bou ndary inf erred from microsatellite markers may indicate the existence of an admixture or hybridization area covering Liaoning,Inner Mongolia,and Jilin Provinces,rather than corresponding to the administrative provincial boundaries between Liaoning and Jilin.The RNH and RNC subspecies presented moderate gene exchange and an asymmetric bidirectional gene flow pattern,with higher gene flow from the RNH subspecies to the RNC subspecies,constraining speciation.Such genetic characteristics might be explained by biological processes such as dispersal ability,mate choice,and dynamic lineage boundaries.
文摘In this study,we investigated whether two brain regions,the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis(BNST)and the basolateral amygdala(BLA),affected male rats(Rattus norvigicus)ability to innately discriminate between a predator odor(cat urine)and female rat urine.Muscimol,a GABAa receptor agonist,was bilaterally microinjected into either the BNST or BLA of rats through
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[grant numbers 31672306 and 32070451 to Y.H.Z.and 31872227 to J.X.Z.]grants from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[grant number XDB11010400 to J.X.Z.].
文摘Pheromonal communication plays a key role in the sociosexual behavior of rodents.The coadaptation between pheromones and chemosensory systems has been well illustrated in insects but poorly investigated in rodents and other mammals.We aimed to investigate whether coadaptation between male pheromones and female reception might have occurred in brown rats Rattus norve-gicus.We recently reported that major urinary protein(MUP)pheromones are associated with male mating success in a brown rat subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(Rnh).Here,we discovered that MUPs were less polymorphic and occurred at much lower concentrations in males of a parapatric subspecies,R.n.caraco(Rnc),than in Rnh males,and found no association between pheromones and paternity success.Moreover,the observation of Rnc males that experienced chronic dyadic encounters and established dominance-submission relationships revealed that the dominant males achieved greater mating success than the subordinate males,but their MUP levels did not differ by social status.These findings suggest that male mating success in Rnc rats is related to social rank rather than to pheromone levels and that low concentration of MUPs might not be a reliable signal for mate choice in Rnc rats,which is different from the findings obtained in Rnh rats.In addition,compared with Rnh females,Rnc females exhibited reduced expression of pheromone receptor genes,and a lower number of vomeronasal receptor neurons were activated by MUP pheromones,which imply that the female chemosensory reception of pheromones might be structurally and functionally coadapted with male pheromone signals in brown rats.
基金This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [XDB11010400], grants from China National Science Foundation [91231107 and 31301887], and the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of IPM [ChineseIPM1401].Acknowledgments We are grateful to Jin-Hua Zhang and You-Jin Ren for sample collection and animal care, and Jian-Guo Jiang and Gui-Jun Wen for capturing wild rats.