Effects of the social environment during adolescence on the development of social behaviour, hormones and morphology in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

Abstract Background Individual differences in behaviour are widespread in the animal kingdom and often influenced by the size or composition of the social group during early development. In many vertebrates the effects of social interactions early in life on adult behaviour are mediated by changes in maturation and physiology. Specifically, increases in androgens and glucocorticoids in response to social stimulation seem to play a prominent role in shaping behaviour during development. In addition to the prenatal and early postnatal phase, adolescence has more recently been identified as an important period during which adult behaviour and physiology are shaped by the social environment, which so far has been studied mostly in mammals. We raised zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ) under three environmental conditions differing in social complexity during adolescence\ua0-\ua0juvenile pairs, juvenile groups, and mixed-age groups - and studied males\u2019 behavioural, endocrine, and morphological maturation, and later their adult behaviour. Results As expected, group-housed males exhibited higher frequencies of social interactions. Group housing also enhanced song during adolescence, plumage development, and the frequency and intensity of adult courtship and aggression. Some traits, however, were affected more in juvenile groups and others in mixed-age groups. Furthermore, a testosterone peak during late adolescence was suppressed in groups with adults. In contrast, corticosterone concentrations did not differ between rearing environments. Unexpectedly, adult courtship in a test situation was lowest in pair-reared males and aggression depended upon the treatment of the opponent with highest rates shown by group-reared males towards pair-reared males. This contrasts with previous findings, possibly due to differences in photoperiod and the acoustic environment. Conclusion Our results support the idea that effects of the adolescent social environment on adult behaviour in vertebrates are mediated by changes in social interactions affecting behavioural and morphological maturation. We found no evidence that long-lasting differences in behaviour reflect testosterone or corticosterone levels during adolescence, although differences between juvenile and mixed-age groups suggest that testosterone and song behaviour during late adolescence may be associated

Spatial Orientation in Japanese Quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Finding a given location can be based on a variety of strategies, for example on the estimation of spatial relations between landmarks, called spatial orientation. In galliform birds, spatial orientation has been demonstrated convincingly in very young domestic chicks. We wanted to know whether adult Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) without food deprivation are also able to use spatial orientation. The quails had to learn the relation of a food location with four conspicuous landmarks which were placed in the corners of a square shaped arena. They were trained to find mealworms in three adjacent food cups in a circle of 20 such cups. The rewarded feeders were located during training between the same two landmarks each of which showed a distinct pattern. When the birds had learned the task, all landmarks were displaced clockwise by 90 degrees. When tested in the new situation, all birds redirected their choices with respect to the landmark shift. In subsequent tests, however, the previously correct position was also chosen. According to our results, quails are using conspicuous landmarks as a first choice for orientation. The orientation towards the previously rewarded location, however, indicates that the neuronal representation of space which is used by the birds also includes more fine grain, less conspicuous cues, which are probably also taken into account in uncertain situations. We also presume that the rare orientation towards never rewarded feeders may be due to a foraging strategy instead of being mistakes

Social experience during adolescence influences how male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) group with conspecifics.

Ruploh T, Bischof H-J, von Engelhardt N. Social experience during adolescence influences how male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) group with conspecifics. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2014;68(4):537-549.Group-living animals rely on social skills which ensure beneficial interaction and prevent harmful ones with conspecifics. In a previous experiment, we demonstrated that male zebra finches reared in groups during adolescence show consistently less courtship and aggressive behaviour as adults than pair-reared males. Here we tested whether such differences affect how they group with conspecifics, as an indicator of their social integration. Zebra finches were kept in pairs (male-female or male-male) or mixed-sex groups (three males and three females) during adolescence and were introduced to an established group of unknown conspecifics during adulthood. Male courtship and aggressive behaviour were quantified directly after introduction to the group and 48 h later. At the same time, male position in relation to other birds and the number of birds in proximity were recorded. Males that grew up in a small mixed-sex group during adolescence spent more time within groups, were observed in bigger groups and lost less weight than males raised in pairs, indicating that an enriched social environment during early development may facilitate social integration. However, we observed no differences in courtship and aggressive behaviour that could predict the differences in grouping behaviour of pair- and group-reared males. We discuss alternative explanations for the difference in grouping and how to test these in future research

Adolescent social environment shapes sexual and aggressive behaviour of adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

Ruploh T, Bischof H-J, von Engelhardt N. Adolescent social environment shapes sexual and aggressive behaviour of adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Behavioral Ecology And Sociobiology. 2013;67(2):175-184.Adolescence is the pivotal transitional phase during which animals become sexually and socially mature and acquire the skills to cope with a variety of environmental challenges on their own. We investigated in a bird species, the zebra finch, how the social environment experienced during this period influences their behaviour in a sexual context. Zebra finches were kept in pairs (male-female or male-male) or larger mixed-sex groups (three males and three females) during adolescence and the long-term consequences were studied on courtship behaviour, aggressiveness and attractiveness in 42 males. To investigate the stability of the observed effects over time, all behavioural tests were repeated approximately 4 months after the initial recordings. Males that grew up with a single female showed the most intense courtship and highest aggressiveness and were most attractive to females, while group-reared males had the lowest courtship and aggressiveness and were the least attractive. The observed differences in courtship and aggressiveness were stable, while the differences in attractiveness disappeared over time. These findings are very similar to earlier studies on guinea pigs, indicating that the observed effects represent a general phenomenon, not restricted to mammals with a similar function and presumably also similar underlying mechanisms