| 1. |
- Boucaud, Ingrid C. A., et al.
(författare)
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Interactive vocal communication at the nest by parent Great Tits Parus major
- 2016
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Ingår i: Ibis. - : Wiley. - 0019-1019 .- 1474-919X. ; 158:3, s. 630-644
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although most bird species show monogamous pair bonds and bi-parental care, little is known of how mated birds coordinate their activities. Whether or not partners communicate with each other to adjust their behaviour remains an open question. During incubation and the first days after hatching, one parent - generally the female - stays in the nest for extended periods, and might depend on acoustic communication to exchange information with its mate outside. The Great Tit Parus major is an interesting study system to investigate intra-pair communication at the nest because males address songs to their mate while she is in the nest cavity, and females answer the male from the cavity with calls. However, the function of this communication remains unknown. In this study, we recorded the vocalizations and observed the resulting behaviour of Great Tit pairs around the nest at different breeding stages (laying, incubation and chick-rearing). We observed vocal exchanges (vocalization bouts, alternated on the same tempo, between the female inside the nest and her male outside) in three contexts with different outcomes: (1) the female left the nest, (2) the male entered the box with food, and the female then used specific call types, (3) mates stopped calling but did not leave or enter the nest. The structure of vocal exchanges was globally stable between contexts, but females used calls with an up-shifted spectrum during exchanges, at the end of which they left the nest or the male entered the nest. Birds vocalized more and at higher tempo during exchanges that ended up in feeding inside the nest. Birds also vocalized more during exchanges taking place during laying - a period of active mate guarding - than during incubation. We conclude that vocal exchanges could signal the females' need for food and the males' mate guarding behaviour, and discuss other possible functions of this communication.
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| 2. |
- Chumarina, Margarita, et al.
(författare)
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Derivation of mouse embryonic stem cell lines from tyrosine hydroxylase reporter mice crossed with a human SNCA transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease
- 2017
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Ingår i: Stem Cell Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1876-7753 .- 1873-5061. ; 19, s. 17-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines were derived by crossing heterozygous transgenic (tg) mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the rat tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter, with homozygous alpha-synuclein (aSYN) mice expressing human mutant SNCAA53T under the control of the mouse Prion promoter (MoPrP), or wildtype (WT) mice. The expression of GFP and human aSYN was validated by immunocytochemistry in midbrain neuron cultures upon differentiation of mESC lines using stromal cell-derived inducing activity. These mESC lines can help to study the impact of human aSYN expression in neurons and oligodendrocytes, and also trace GFP-expressing midbrain neurons.
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| 3. |
- Griffith, Simon C., et al.
(författare)
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Variation in reproductive success across captive populations: Methodological differences, potential biases and opportunities
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ethology. - : Wiley. - 1439-0310 .- 0179-1613. ; 123:1, s. 1-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our understanding of fundamental organismal biology has been disproportionately influenced by studies of a relatively small number of ‘model’ species extensively studied in captivity. Laboratory populations of model species are commonly subject to a number of forms of past and current selection that may affect experimental outcomes. Here, we examine these processes and their outcomes in one of the most widely used vertebrate species in the laboratory – the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). This important model species is used for research across a broad range of fields, partly due to the ease with which it can be bred in captivity. However despite this perceived amenability, we demonstrate extensive variation in the success with which different laboratories and studies bred their subjects, and overall only 64% of all females that were given the opportunity, bred successfully in the laboratory. We identify and review several environmental, husbandry, life-history and behavioural factors that potentially contribute to this variation. The variation in reproductive success across individuals could lead to biases in experimental outcomes and drive some of the heterogeneity in research outcomes across studies. The zebra finch remains an excellent captive animal system and our aim is to sharpen the insight that future studies of this species can provide, both to our understanding of this species and also with respect to the reproduction of captive animals more widely. We hope to improve systematic reporting methods and that further investigation of the issues we raise will lead both to advances in our fundamental understanding of avian reproduction as well as to improvements in future welfare and experimental efficiency.
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