Impact of female mate choice on pairing and pregnancy in prairie voles

Abstract

Female mate choice is one of the hallmark features of natural selection via sexual selection. This behavior is one of the key factors in determining what traits continue or diminish within a species. The prairie vole is a monogamous rodent often studied in the context of social behavior. While mate choice in these animals has previously been studied, whether or not choice impacts the formation of monogamous pair bonds has not yet been examined, nor have the endocrine measures associated with pregnancy and stress during this life stage.

In this study, female prairie voles were paired either with a male partner of their own choosing or with a male that was actively not chosen. Partner preference testing revealed that with few exceptions, all animals paired for 14 days formed a partner preference for their mated partner. Female mate choice did not appear to influence the incidence of pregnancy between groups, though all females in this study did have a delay in viable pregnancy establishment vs. results previously seen in the Curtis lab.

Offspring from females paired with preferred vs non-preferred partners did show differences in anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze. This indicates that some aspect of female mate choice influences the overall fitness and behavior of offspring in post-natal life.