Abstract
BackgroundCourtship vocalizations are used by males of many species to attract and influence the behavior of potential mating partners. Our aim here was to investigate the modulation and reproductive consequences of courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus). The courtship USVs of male mice are surprisingly complex and are composed of a variety of different syllable types. Our specific aims were to test whether (1) the emission of courtship USVs depends upon the kinship of a potential mating partner, and (2) whether USV emission during courtship affects the pairs’ subsequent reproductive success.ResultsWe experimentally presented males with an unfamiliar female that was either genetically related or unrelated, and we recorded USV emission, first while the sexes were separated by a perforated partition and then during direct interactions, after removing the partition. USVs were detected by the Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector (A-MUD) and manually classified into 15 syllable types. The mice were kept together to test whether and how courtship vocalizations predict their subsequent reproductive success. We found that the mice significantly increased their amount of vocalizations (vocal performance) and number of syllable types (vocal repertoire) after the partition was removed and they began interacting directly. We show that unrelated pairs emitted longer and more complex USVs compared to related pairs during direct interactions. Unrelated pairs also had a greater reproductive success compared to related pairs, and in addition we found a negative correlation between the mean length and amount of vocalizations with the latency to their first litter.ConclusionOur study provides evidence that house mice modulate the emission of courtship USVs depending upon the kinship of potential mating partners, and that courtship USVs correlate with reproductive success.
Highlights
Courtship vocalizations are used by males of many species to attract and influence the behavior of potential mating partners
This study recorded males before and after housing with a female, but only compared vocalizing versus non-vocalizing males. It is still unknown whether any other variation in male ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) predicts reproductive success. These studies were both conducted on laboratory mice (C57BL/6 J), which are very different from wild mice, and we aimed to investigate the adaptive functions of courtship USVs in wild-derived house mice
While we found that more simple syllables were emitted for an unrelated compared to a related female during the introduction phase, our multivariate analysis indicated that during the interaction phase unrelated pairs emitted a higher number of complex USVs, whereas related pairs emitted a higher number of short USVs
Summary
Courtship vocalizations are used by males of many species to attract and influence the behavior of potential mating partners. Our aim here was to investigate the modulation and reproductive consequences of courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus). The courtship USVs of male mice are surprisingly complex and are composed of a variety of different syllable types. Courtship vocalizations are produced in many species, usually by males, as a mechanism to attract and influence the behavior of potential mates [1, 2]. Courtship vocalizations can reveal a surprising amount of information about a male to potential mates, including their fertility, genetic quality and species or individual identity [reviewed in 1]. We investigated the functions of the courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of wild-derived male house mice (Mus musculus musculus)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
