Abstract
Polymorphisms of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) gene have been linked to various measures related to human social behavior, including sibling conflict and agreeableness. In chimpanzees, AVPR1a polymorphisms have been associated with traits important for social interactions, including sociability, joint attention, dominance, conscientiousness, and hierarchical personality dimensions named low alpha/stability, disinhibition, and negative emotionality/low dominance. We examined associations between AVPR1a and six personality domains and hierarchical personality dimensions in 129 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) living in Japan or in a sanctuary in Guinea. We fit three linear and three animal models. The first model included genotype, the second included sex and genotype, and the third included genotype, sex, and sex × genotype. All personality phenotypes were heritable. Chimpanzees possessing the long form of the allele were higher in conscientiousness, but only in models that did not include the other predictors; however, additional analyses suggested that this may have been a consequence of study design. In animal models that included sex and sex × genotype, chimpanzees homozygous for the short form of the allele were higher in extraversion. Taken with the findings of previous studies of chimpanzees and humans, the findings related to conscientiousness suggest that AVPR1a may be related to lower levels of impulsive aggression. The direction of the association between AVPR1a genotype and extraversion ran counter to what one would expect if AVPR1a was related to social behaviors. These results help us further understand the genetic basis of personality in chimpanzees.
Highlights
Arginine vasopressin is a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and implicated in species differences in affiliative and aggressive behaviors (Bielsky et al 2004)
Polymorphisms of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) gene have been linked to various measures related to human social behavior, including sibling conflict and agreeableness
We found an association between higher conscientiousness and the long form of the AVPR1a gene in a linear model and in an animal model
Summary
Arginine vasopressin is a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and implicated in species differences in affiliative and aggressive behaviors (Bielsky et al 2004). Behav Genet (2017) 47:215–226 preferences, a repeat sequence of a microsatellite region in the 50 flanking region of AVPR1a gene is present; this repeat sequence is shorter in montane voles (M. montanus), a closely-related species which does not form strong partner preferences (Nair and Young 2006). Further analyses of AVPR1a across 21 Microtus species did not find an association between partner preferences and the AVPR1a genotype (Fink et al 2006). The authors did note that they did not examine brain distributions of AVPR1a receptors in relation to speciesspecific behavior, an important consideration for understanding links between genotype, neurobiology and behavior (Rosso et al 2008). The evidence that vasopressin and its homologs mediate species differences in vertebrate social behavior is mixed
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