Testosterone response to courtship predicts future paternal behavior in the California mouse, Peromyscus californicus

Testosterone, paternal behavior, and aggression in the monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus).

Testosterone (T) mediates a trade-off, or negative correlation, between paternal behavior and aggression in several seasonally breeding avian species. However, the presence or absence of a T-mediated trade-off in mammals has received less attention. We examined the relationship between paternal behavior and territorial aggression in the biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus. In c...

Prolactin and paternal behavior in the biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus.

Relatively little is known about hormonal mechanisms underlying paternal behavior in mammals. Male California mice, Peromyscus californicus, display extensive parental care toward their young. Parental behavior of fathers, expectant fathers (males living with their pregnant partner), and virgin males was assessed in a 10-min test with a 1- to 3-day-old alien pup. Few virgin males acted parental...

Acute effects of corticosterone injection on paternal behavior in California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) fathers.

Glucocorticoids are thought to mediate the disruption of parental behavior in response to acute and chronic stress. Previous research supports their role in chronic stress; however, no study has experimentally tested the effects of acute glucocorticoid elevation on paternal behavior. We tested the prediction that acute corticosterone (CORT) increases would decrease paternal behavior in Californ...

The biparental care system of the California mouse, Peromyscus californicus.

Most knowledge of parent-offspring relations in mammals is derived from studies of mother-infant interactions. Male parental care has been less well studied. We explored maternal and paternal behavior of the California mouse, Peromyscus californicus. Six pairs of parents and their young were videotaped continuously for 12 hours/day, on alternate days from Days 1 to 31 postpartum. Males exhibit ...

The evolution of social and reproductive monogamy in Peromyscus, evidence from Peromyscus californicus (the California Mouse)