Abstract
Social context is critical in shaping behavioral responses to stimuli and can alter an individual’s behavioral type, which would otherwise be fixed in social isolation. For monogamous biparental vertebrates, social context is critical as interactions are frequent and consistent, involving high interindividual dependence and cooperation that can lead to large fitness impacts. We demonstrate that in the strictly monogamous and highly territorial California mouse, individuals alter approach response to an aggressive conspecific playback stimulus, barks, to become more similar to their partner during early bonding prior to pup birth; an effect distinct from assortative mating. Additionally, sustained vocalizations, an affiliative ultrasonic vocalization when used between pair members, correlate with increased behavioral convergence following pair formation suggesting a role for vocal communication in emergent pair behavior. We identified the neuropeptide oxytocin as sufficient to promote behavioral convergence in approach behavior of paired individuals who differed in their initial behavioral type. Social context, specifically pair-bonding, appears vital for behavioral responses to aggressive signals. While non-bonded animals maintained stable responses, pair-bonding led to an emergent property: convergence in behavioral responses. This convergence can be driven by oxytocin revealing a significant expansion in oxytocin’s effects on behavioral coordination.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Shortened text to fit within word limit for journal submission.
