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Dynamic changes to signal allocation rules in response to variable social environments in house mice

View ORCID ProfileCaitlin H Miller, Matthew F Hillock, Jay Yang, Brandon Carlson-Clarke, Klaudio Haxhillari, Annie Y Lee, View ORCID ProfileMelissa R Warden, View ORCID ProfileMichael J Sheehan
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.28.478242
Caitlin H Miller
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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  • For correspondence: chm79@cornell.edu msheehan@cornell.edu
Matthew F Hillock
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Jay Yang
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Brandon Carlson-Clarke
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Klaudio Haxhillari
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Annie Y Lee
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Melissa R Warden
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Michael J Sheehan
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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  • ORCID record for Michael J Sheehan
  • For correspondence: chm79@cornell.edu msheehan@cornell.edu
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Abstract

Male house mice use metabolically costly urine marks in intrasexual competition and mate attraction. Given the high costs of signaling and the depletable nature of urine reserves, males should dynamically modulate signal allocation as the social landscape is updated with new information. We investigate which aspects of male urine marking behavior are static or dynamic in light of changing social environments. To do this, we use thermal imaging to capture spatiotemporal data of urine deposition decisions. This novel method reveals fine-scale variation in urinary motor patterns in response to competition and social odors. Males demonstrate striking winner-loser effects in both the total allocation effort and temporal dynamics of scent marking. We find that competitive experience primes key temporal features of signal allocation and modulates responses to familiar and unfamiliar male scents. Males adjust their signaling effort, mark latency, and scent mark rhythm, depending on the scent identities present in the environment. Winners dramatically increase marking effort toward unfamiliar compared to familiar male scent, consistent with a ‘dear enemy’ effect. Losers, in contrast, greatly reduce marking to unfamiliar scent but increase marking effort to the scent of their familiar rival, consistent with a ‘nasty neighbor’ effect. Counter to the high lability of many features, the initial signal investment pattern influences allocation decisions days later, revealing the possibility of alternative scent mark strategies among competitive males. Thus, different features of urine mark signal allocation vary in responsiveness to fluctuating social landscapes, suggesting there are multiple distinct behavioral modules underlying marking behavior.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted January 28, 2022.
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Dynamic changes to signal allocation rules in response to variable social environments in house mice
Caitlin H Miller, Matthew F Hillock, Jay Yang, Brandon Carlson-Clarke, Klaudio Haxhillari, Annie Y Lee, Melissa R Warden, Michael J Sheehan
bioRxiv 2022.01.28.478242; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.28.478242
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Dynamic changes to signal allocation rules in response to variable social environments in house mice
Caitlin H Miller, Matthew F Hillock, Jay Yang, Brandon Carlson-Clarke, Klaudio Haxhillari, Annie Y Lee, Melissa R Warden, Michael J Sheehan
bioRxiv 2022.01.28.478242; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.28.478242

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