Chapter 14 - Paternal Care and Its Effect on Maternal Behavior and Pup Survival and Development in Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a laboratory experiment, the purpose of which is to determine whether paternal care evolved in prairie voles because such care increases male reproductive success through enhanced survival and development of offspring. Effects on offspring could result either directly from paternal care or indirectly from enhanced maternal condition as a result of reduced maternal workload. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are small rodents that inhabit grasslands and agricultural fields of the midwestern United States. Live trapping and radio-telemetric monitoring of field populations indicate that individuals live in communal groups typically comprised of a male-female pair, their philopatric offspring, and a few unrelated adults. This field data indicate the potential for paternal care in prairie voles, because paternal care is often associated with a monogamous mating system and with nest sharing by males and females. Males and females spend similar amounts of time in the nest with young; they coordinate their visits to and from the nest such that pups are rarely left unattended; and males brood, groom, and retrieve pups at levels similar to those of females.