Developmental social environment imprints female preference for male song in mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual imprinting is important for kin recognition and for promoting outbreeding, and has been a driving force for evolution; however, little is known about sexual imprinting by auditory cues in mammals. Male mice emit song-like ultrasonic vocalizations that possess strain-specific characteristics.

Objectives

In this study, we asked whether female mice imprint and prefer specific characteristics in male songs.

Methods and findings

We used the two-choice test to determine the song preference of female C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. By assessing the time engaged in searching behavior towards songs played back to females, we found that female mice displayed an innate preference for the songs of males from different strains. Moreover, this song preference was regulat

SUBMITTER: Asaba A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3914833 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature