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PLoS ONE:实验鼠靠“情歌”决定恋爱对象

  1. 决定
  2. 实验鼠
  3. 恋爱对象
  4. 情歌

来源:新华社 2014-03-17 19:50

某些雄性动物遇到雌性时,会积极发出歌声求爱。

某些雄性动物遇到雌性时,会积极发出歌声求爱,例如雌鸟会通过歌声来判断雄鸟的优劣,从而选择交配对象。日本麻布大学日前发表一份公报称,其研究小组发现,雌实验鼠选择恋爱对象时,对方演唱的“情歌”也会发挥决定性作用。

近年来,有报告说雄实验鼠遇到雌实验鼠时,会用人类听不到的超声波音域发出类似歌声的声音。虽然此前研究人员已知,不同血统雄实验鼠的情歌旋律不同,但是一直没有弄清雌实验鼠是如何感受这些歌声的。

麻布大学教授菊水健史率领的研究小组利用两个血统的实验鼠进行实验,首先利用位于不同位置的两个扩音器,同时播放两个血统的雄实验鼠歌声,并观察雌实验鼠的活动。

结果发现,雌实验鼠听到歌声后,会来来回回地寻找雄实验鼠,但更倾向于不同血统的雄鼠歌声,与相同血统的雄鼠歌声相比,靠近相应扩音器的时间要长30%至40%。

研究小组认为,在成长过程中,雌实验鼠会记住从父亲那里听到的歌声,成年后就会喜欢其他旋律的歌声了,歌声应该是避免近亲交配的一个标识。

这一研究成果显示,通过让雌性动物听喜欢的雄性歌声,能够控制其繁殖功能。菊水健史指出:“在培育和繁殖通过歌声求爱的动物时,这个发现有可能得到应用。”

这一成果的论文已经刊登在新一期的美国在线科学杂志《公共科学图书馆—综合卷》上。(生物谷Bioon.com)

生物谷推荐的英文摘要

PLoS ONE           DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087186

Developmental Social Environment Imprints Female Preference for Male Song in Mice

Akari Asaba,Shota Okabe,Miho Nagasawa,Masahiro Kato, Nobuyoshi Koshida,Takuya Osakada,Kazutaka Mogi,Takefumi Kikusu

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 regulated by female reproductive status and by male sexual cues such as the pheromone ESP1. Finally, we revealed that this preference was reversed by cross-fostering and disappeared under fatherless conditions, indicating that the behavior was learned by exposure to the father's song.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that female mice can discriminate among male song characteristics and prefer songs of mice from strains that are different from their parents, and that these preferences are based on their early social experiences. This is the first study in mammals to demonstrate that male songs contribute to kin recognition and mate choice by females, thus helping to avoid inbreeding and to facilitate offspring heterozygosity.

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