Parental care in male degus (<i>Octodon degus</i>) is flexible and contingent upon female care

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dc.contributor.authorAspillaga-Cid, Antonia
dc.contributor.authorVera, Daniela C.
dc.contributor.authorEbensperger, Luis A.
dc.contributor.authorCorrea, Loreto A.
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T22:14:02Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T22:14:02Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.description.abstractParents in many animal species provide care to their offspring as a mechanism to enhance their own fitness. In mammals, this behavior is expressed mostly by the females, but also by males of some species. Proximally, rates of paternal offspring care have been linked to organizational and activational effects of testosterone. Specifically, intrauterine position of male fetuses is associated with differential exposure to testosterone, leading to development of males with different levels of masculinization (assessed through differences in the length of the anogenital distance (AGD). The relative roles played by organizational and activational effects of testosterone on male parental care remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine if male sex-biased uterine environment and testosterone levels across the breeding period explain variation in paternal care in the social rodent, Octodon degus. Neither quantity (time with the offspring) nor quality (frequency of grooming and retrieving) of paternal care was affected by male sex-biased uterine environment, nor did paternal care significantly differ across the different stages of male reproduction. In contrast, paternal care was associated with maternal care. Quantity of male care decreased with increasing quantity of maternal care, and quality of male care increased with increasing quality of maternal care. While serum testosterone did not differ between males with different sexbiased uterine environment, male testosterone tended to increase during mating and decrease when pregnant females or offspring were present.
dc.description.funderFONDECYT
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113487
dc.identifier.eissn1873-507X
dc.identifier.issn0031-9384
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113487
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/94467
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000674484200007
dc.language.isoen
dc.revistaPhysiology & behavior
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectAnogenital distance (AGD)
dc.subjectMale masculinization
dc.subjectMaternal care
dc.subjectPaternal care
dc.subjectSerum testosterone
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.titleParental care in male degus (<i>Octodon degus</i>) is flexible and contingent upon female care
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen238
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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