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POSTERPRESENTATIONABSTRACTS
2017ANIMALBEHAVIORCONFERENCE
Organizedalphabeticallybyfirstauthorlastname.Numbersindicateposternumbers.
1 LOCALANDSYSTEMICCONTROLOFDEVELOPMENTOFASOCIALFEATHERORNAMENT
Abolins-AbolsM,KassabHD,KettersonED
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity
Birdfeathersareoneofthemoststrikingexamplesofdiversityinnature.Variationinfeatherornamentsoften
signalsthestatusorqualityofanindividual.Tounderstandwhyandhowparticularornamentsareusedas
socialsignals,wemustunderstandthefactorsthatregulatetheirdevelopment.Hereweusedacombination
of in vitro studies, protein and gene expression assays, and experimental manipulations to investigate the
development of a melanin-based ornament used in attracting mates and signaling status – the white tail
feathersofDark-eyedjunco–andtestifitisregulatedbytestosterone,ahormonewhichhasbeenshownto
regulate sex differences in feather color. Our results show that melanocytes from white feathers produce
pigmentinvitro,andthattheamountofwhiteindevelopingfeatherscorrelatespositivelywithexpressionof
melanocortin-1receptor,andagoutisignalingpeptide.Developingfeathersexpressedandrogenreceptors,but
experimentalmanipulationoftestosteronesignalingdidnotaffectfeathercolor.Ourresultsshowthatcolor
ofthissocialornamentisregulatedlocally,butthatitsdevelopmentisnotsensitivetotestosterone.
2 THEEFFECTOFH.PROCUMBENSONNEUROPATHICPAININRATS
BekemeierM,NdamT,MillerD,CuiJ,GuZ,FolkW
CenterforTranslationalNeuroscience,UniversityofMissouri
Harpagophytumprocumbens(Devil’sClaw)isanAfricanbotanicalthatisananti-inflammatoryandiswidely
usedinAfricaandEuropeforitsanalgesiceffects.TheoverallgoalofourresearchprogramistoevaluateH.
procumbens’efficacyandmechanismofaction.ThisstudyinvestigatedH.procumbensinanewrodentmodel
ofSCIandthehypothesiswasthatthebotanicalwoulddecreaseSCI-inducedneuropathicpain.A2x2design
wasusedinwhichgroups(n≈10rats/group)ofmaleratsreceived1)SCIsurgery+H.procumbens(300mg/kg,
p.o.),2)SCI+watervehicle,3)shamsurgery+H.procumbens,and4)sham+water.SCIwasinducedviaa
contusion model in which the spinous process at T10 was removed and a computer-controlled force was
deliveredtothespinalcord.BehavioraltestswereperformedbeforeandaftersurgeryandH.procumbenswas
administeredfor21daysaftersurgery.SCIsurgeryinducedamarkedincreaseinsensitivitytothemechanical
stimulusandanimpairedlocomotorfunction;however,itdidnotaltertheresponsetothethermalstimulus.
Importantly,H.procumbensattenuatedtheSCI-inducedhypersensitivitytothemechanicalstimulus,andthe
attenuation was most pronounced 5-11 days after surgery. However, H. procumbens did not alter the SCIinduced impairment of locomotor function. H. procumbens was effective to decrease the response to a
mechanicalstimulusinthisrodentmodelofSCI-inducedneuropathicpain,supportingclinicalfindingsandfolk
useofthebotanical.Thisstudyiscurrentlybeingreplicatedandneuroinflammationandmicroglialproliferation
arebeinginvestigatedtoelucidateH.procumbens’mechanismofaction.
3
METABOLICPHENOTYPESDURINGEARLYDEVELOPMENTAFFECTELEVATEDPLUSMAZEBEHAVIORIN
ADULTHOODINBALB/CMICE
BlevinsC,HarshawC,LeffelJ,AlbertsJR
DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrainSciences,IndianaUniversity
Thermoregulatoryphenotypesappeartoplayasignificantroleinthedevelopmentandexpressionofsocialemotional behavior. For example, research by Robyn Hudson and colleagues has found that metabolic
characteristicsofinfantrabbitsandratscorrelatewithavarietyofsocial-emotionalbehaviorsinadulthood.
Here,weinvestigatedhowindividualdifferencesinlevelsofheatproductioninBALB/cmousepupsrelatesto
the expression of emotionality in adulthood. Litters were culled to 4 or 6 pups (half male, half female) on
postnatalday4(P4)andallpupstattooedforidentification.Rectaltemperature(Trect)wastakenimmediately
after5minofmaternalseparationat20°ConP7andP9.HuddlingtestswerecompletedonP8andP10:each
litterwastestedat20°Cfor50minandTrecttakenimmediatelyfollowingthetest.Weightandtaillengthwere
measuredonP7-P10.Toexamineanxiety-likebehaviorinadulthood,wetestedmiceonanelevatedplusmaze
(EPM)on~P55-P60.Weexaminedactivitylevelsaswellasentries,durations,andlatencytoentertheclosed
andopenarmsoftheEPM.AMANOVArevealedthatlittersizeandlitteroforiginimpactedEPMbehavior(p
<.01andp<.07).Giventhis,weconstructedamixedeffectsmodelforeachoutcomevariablewithlitterand
litter size as random effects. We found that Trect relative to huddlemates and contacts (i.e., position in the
huddle)interactedtoaffectadultactivitylevels,particularlyformales.Weightrelativetohuddlemates,Trect
relativetohuddlemates,andcontactsalsosignificantlyinfluencedtheratioofentriesintoclosedversusopen
arms. In females, interaction effects of weight, Trect after maternal separation, huddling Trect, and huddling
contacts impacted the latency to enter closed arms (p < 0.05). These results indicate that variation in
thermoregulationduringearlydevelopmentlikelyplaysaroleintheemergenceofemotionalphenotypesin
adultBALB/cmice.
ANINVESTIGATIONINTOTHEALTERNATIVEREPRODUCTIVETACTICKNOWNAS"MALE-MALECLASPING"IN
XENOPUSLAEVIS
BradleyS,RhodesH
DepartmentofBiology,DenisonUniversity
Duetothemultitudeofreproductivepressuresthatexist,manyspecieshaveadoptedalternativereproductive
tacticsasameansofengaginginalow-costmatingstrategy.Thesestrategiesareoftencontext-dependent
andmediatedbyboththeinternalphysiologicalstateoftheanimalandexternalenvironmentalinfluences.
MaleXenopuslaevisfrogshavebeenknowntoexhibitabehaviorknownasmale-maleclasping,inwhicha
peripheralmalewillclaspanothermale,regardlessofwhetherafemaleispresentornot.Thepurposeofthis
behavior remains unclear; however, based on what is known about alternative reproductive tactics, it is
possible that male X. laevis utilize this behavior to gain proximity to breeding events and engage in sperm
competition.Therefore,wehypothesizedthatnon-dominantmaleswouldexhibitmale-maleclaspinginan
attempt to engage in sperm competition, resulting in multiple paternity. To examine this hypothesis, we
recordedthereproductivebehavioroftriadsoffrogs,consistingofanalbinofemale,analbinomale,anda
pigmentedmale.Wecollectedthefertilizedeggsofeachtriadandletthemdevelopuntilstage39,sothatthe
phenotype-andthereforepaternity-ofthefrogscouldbedeterminedbasedonpigmentation.Ifwefound
offspringofbothphenotypesandthemale-maleclaspingbehavioroccurredduringoviposition,thenthiswould
supportourhypothesis.Outofthe16totalexperimentsrun,thisonlyoccurredthreetimes.However,inthese
instances,peripheralmalesengaginginmale-maleclaspingwereabletosuccessfullyfertilizeasmallportion
oftheeggsintheclutch,whichsuggeststhatthisbehaviormayinfactbeatacticemployedtoengageinsperm
competition.Thesefindingsareconsistentwithourhypothesis,butmoredataisstillneededtodeterminethe
frequencyofthisbehaviorandthesuccessofthisstrategyinproducingoffspring.
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5
LOSEYOURCOOL!ELIMINATINGTHECOLDCHAININFIELDCOLLECTIONOFSALIVARYSAMPLESDESTINED
FORENZYME-IMMUNOASSAYOFSTEROIDCONCENTRATIONS
ChesterEM1,3,MaddenJA2,VitzthumVJ1,3
1
DepartmentofAnthropology,2HumanBiologyProgram,and3KinseyInstitute,IndianaUniversity
Steroidhormonesdiffuseintosaliva,thussalivarylevelsaccuratelyreflectserumlevels,butatalowerorder
of magnitude. The use of saliva for measuring hormone concentrations has several advantages over using
blood:collectionisnon-invasiveandthuscanbecollectedwithoutharmingthesubject,thereislittletono
stigma about saliva, and repeated sampling is fairly easy. Thus a more complete assessment of hormonal
changes through time (e.g., during a menstrual or estrus cycle) can be achieved. Field collection of saliva
samples requires preservation to inhibit microbial growth, either by keeping very cold (a cold chain) or by
preservingwithsodiumazide,untilpermanentfreezerstorageispossible.Acoldchainisdifficulttoachievein
manyfieldconditionsbutsodiumazideisincompatiblewithmostcommerciallyavailableEIAkits,whichuse
horseradishperoxidase,anenzymethatisinactivatedbysodiumazide.WehavedevelopedextractionandEIA
protocolsforthemeasurementofsalivaryestradiolandprogesteronebasedoncommerciallyavailableenzyme
immunoassaykitsthatusealkalinephosphataseinplaceofhorseradishperoxidase(ADI-900-174,ADI-900011,EnzoLifeSciences,Farmingdale,NY).Herewepresenttheextractionmethodandvalidationresults,and
measurementsofhormoneprofilesacrossthemenstrualcycleofpubertalgirls.
CYCLESINICELAND:ASTUDYOFCIRCADIANANDSEASONALRHYTHMSINMELATONIN
ChesterEM1,3,WilhelmJN2,VitzthumVJ1,3
1
DepartmentofAnthropology,2HumanBiologyProgram,and3KinseyInstitute,IndianaUniversity
Melatoninregulatesdiversephysiologicalprocessesinitsroleasabiological“clock”.Thehormoneisproduced
bythepinealglandinthedark,andexposuretolightsignalsproductiontocease.Assuch,thedurationofthe
productionofhighlevelsofmelatoninchangesoverthecourseoftheyear,asdayslengthenandshorten.We
areinvestigatingthechangesinwomen’sphysiology,health,andwellbeingfrommidwintertomidsummer,
and many of these differences may be mediated by melatonin. Currently it is known that melatonin has
multipleactionsinthebody,fromcontrollingthetimingandreleaseofreproductivehormones,affectingsleep
cycles,asanantioxidantprotectingtissues,andstrengtheningtheimmunesystem.Wewillpresentresultsof
initial salivary melatonin enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) from a study in Reykjavik, Iceland (64.1265°N,
21.8174°W),andtheresearchquestionspertainingtotheeffectsofmelatoninandfactorscorrelatingwith
melatonininthecontextofwomen’shealthandseasonaldifferences.
VARIATIONINMOBBINGBEHAVIOROFMIXEDFLOCKSONGBIRDSBETWEENSITES
ChristensenC1,MugelS1,RocheD1,FreebergT2,3,SievingK4,LucasJ1
1
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,PurdueUniversity;2DepartmentofEcologyandEvolutionaryBiologyand
3
DepartmentofPsychology,UniversityofTennessee;4DepartmentofWildlifeEcologyandConservation,
UniversityofFlorida
Mobbingisananti-predatorresponsethatisobservedinmixedspeciesflocksofCarolinachickadees,Tufted
titmice, White-breasted nuthatches and Downy woodpeckers. In this study, we examined variations in
mobbingbehaviorofsuchflocksacrossthreeforestsitesinIndiana.Callsofaknownpredatorofthesespecies
(Easternscreechowl)wereplayednearnaturallyoccurringmixedflocks,andtheresponseoftheflockswas
recorded.Preliminarydatasuggeststhatallthreepopulationsrespondtoapredationthreatandthereisno
differenceinlatencyofflockapproachbetweensites.Wefoundsomedifferencesacrosssitesinlatencyand
approachorderatthespecieslevel.Nuthatchesapproachwithintenmetersfromthespeakersignificantly
fasteratthefirstsite.However,titmicearemorelikelytoarrivewithintwentymetersfirstatthesamesite.At
asecondsite,titmicearemorelikelytocomewithintenmeterslater.Wearecurrentlyexaminingwhether
theseobservedpatternsareseasonal.
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REWRITABLEFIDELITY:EFFECTSOFREPEATEDPAIRBONDDISRUPTIONONSUBSEQUENTPRAIRIEVOLEPAIR
BONDFORMATION
CroseND,StantonCD,PerkeybileAM,KenkelWM,DaughheteeA,GrayR,ReinhartJ,CarterCS
KinseyInstitute,IndianaUniversity
Previousresearchhasdemonstratedthatprairievolesexhibitsocialmonogamy.Repeateddisruptionsofpair
bonds in prairie voles have the potential to hinder their ability to form new pair bonds. In the wild, high
predationratescreatepairbonddisruption,butitisunclearifthisrepeateddisruptionaffectstheabilityto
formnewbonds.Toresolvethisdilemma,alargesampleof“rewritablefidelity”malesunderwentrepeated
pairingswithnewfemales,eachlastingapproximately30days.Followingpairing,malesunderwenttestsof
partnerpreferenceformation,whichwereadministeredatthebeginningofthefirst,fifth,andtenthpairings.
Age-matchedcontrolswerealsotestedaftertheirsecondpairingtoaccountfortheadvancedageofmales
aftermultiplepairings.Additionally,malesweretestedforanxiety-likeanddepressive-likebehaviorsoneweek
after pair bond disruption. We will present findings on the propensity of males with a history of multiple
pairingstoformnewbonds.Thusfar,thepreliminaryresultsofthestudyrevealedthatoneweekafterpair
bonddisruption,malesexhibitednoenduringchangestotheiraffectivestate.Thisisthefirststudyonthe
plasticityofthepairbondingsysteminthefaceofrepeateddisruption.
DEVELOPMENTANDIMPLEMENTATIONOFELECTROOLFACTOGRAMAPPARATUSFORSTUDYINGXENOPUS
LAEVIS
DarrahK
DepartmentofBiology,DenisonUniversity
Thegoalofthisprojectwastodevelopinstrumentationandprotocoltotesttheresponseofmedialcavity(MC)
epitheliuminadultXenopuslaevistowater-bornodorantsviaelectroolfactogram(EOG)recording.Although
thedetectionofwater-bornodorantsislikelyasignificantpartofintraspecificcommunication,therehasbeen
limited research into the olfactory epithelia response to odorants in this species, and no protocol for EOG
recordings in adults. Because it is secondarily aquatic, Xenopus laevis has been studied for the changes in
olfactoryepitheliathatoccurduringmetamorphosis.Fish-likeolfactoryreceptorsarefoundinthemedialcavity
ofXenopuslaevisandhavebeenshowntorespondtobothvolatileandaqueousodorantsusingpatch-clamp
recording. The project discussed here intended to develop working machinery and protocol to test EOG
responsesinthemedicalcavityofthisspecies.MaleXenopuslaeviswereanesthetizedwithMS222andpithed
before dissection of the nasal cavity. Odorants including methionine, dissolved food, and tank water were
introducedtoanaqueoussalineflowandrecordingswereanalyzedforEOGresponses.Severaldissectionsand
recording locations were explored to find the region producing the strongest response to these odorants.
Overall protocol and apparatus setup were determined to be successful based on results to be presented.
Experiments using this protocol can now explore male EOG responses to female whole-body odorants in
searchingforevidenceofchemicalcommunicationduringmatinginXenopuslaevis.
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10 TIMEBUDGETANALYSISOFCAPTIVEBUDGERIGARSMELOPSITTACUSUNDULATES:ASTUDYOFHOUSING
ANDENRICHMENT’SEFFECTONACTIVITYLEVELSBYSEX
Davie(Voorhees)C
DepartmentofBiologyandMathematics,D'YouvilleCollege
Captivebudgerigars(Melopsittacusundulates)arepronetoobesity.Obesityiscommonlyobservedinfemale
budgerigars. Females are at higher risk to obesity due to behaviors such as courtship feeding. Flying and
climbingareenergyexpendingbehaviorsinbudgerigars.Inthisstudy,agroupof6adultbudgerigarswere
observed for one-hour, 3-4 times a week for 3 months to create an ethogram and time budget analysis of
activity levels by sex. Overall, the flock spent the majority of their time, 64%, perching and there was no
differencebetweensexesindurationofperching.Bothmalesandfemalesspentthemajorityoftheirtime
engagedineithereatingorperching.Malesspentsignificantlymoretimeengagedinphysicallydemanding
activities, such as flying and climbing, than females (x2 =28.005, p< .00001). Females spent more time
manipulatingtoys(enrichment)intheexhibitthanmales(x2=1115.4,p<0.0001).Recommendedthataviaries
areconstructedwithperches,foodandwateratvaryinglevelstoencourageflightandmovementtoreduce
theriskofobesityincaptivebudgerigars.
11 EFFECTSOFSMOKEALARMGENEDYSFUNCTIONINNOCICEPTIVENEURONS
FisherKH1,2,MauthnerSE1,TraceyWD1
1
GillCenterforBiomolecularSciences,1DepartmentofBiology,and2DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrain
Sciences,IndianaUniversity
Becauseoftheabundanceofgenetictoolsavailable,Drosophilamelanogastermakeanexceptionalmodelto
study nociception. Through a genetic screen we identified a gene, smoke alarm, which is enriched in
nociceptiveclassIVneurons.Knockdownofsmokealarmresultedinahypersensitivebehavioralresponsetoa
nociceptivethermalstimulusandanalysisofclassIVneuronsrevealedasignificantincreaseindendritelength.
WeusedrecombinanttechnologytointroduceanartificialGAL4exonintothesmokealarmlocustodrivethe
expressionofGFPwheresmokealarmispresent.WesawexpressioninclassIVneuronsasexpected,aswell
asinmanyothersensoryneurons.Now,usingvariousmutantallelesandconfocalmicroscopy,ourresearch
aimstounderstandtheroleofsmokealarminthemorphologyofnociceptiveandothersensoryneurons.
12 LARGEBRAINEVOLUTIONGENERATESENERGETICANDBEHAVIORALCONSTRAINTSACROSSANDWITHIN
HIGHLYENCEPHALIZEDSPECIESOFWEAKLYELECTRICMORMYRIDFISHES
FreilerM1,2,SukhumK2,CarlsonB2
1
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity;2DepartmentofBiology,WashingtonUniversityinSaintLouis
Mormyrids,weaklyelectricAfricanfishes,havecomplexbrainsforprocessingelectrocommunicationsignals.
Interestingly,certainspeciesevolvedanespeciallylargebrainrelativetobodymass.Energeticexpensesfor
costlybraintissuecouldbemetthroughtrade-offsinotherorgansizesorincreasedmetabolicrate.Itisunclear
whetherdiversifyingselectionwithinspeciesdrovevariationseenacrosslineages,oriflargebrainsizeandits
associatedcostsevolvedafterdivergence.Bycomparingpatternsofinter-andintraspecificvariationinoxygen
consumptionrateandhypoxiatoleranceinspeciesofmormyridswithvaryingbrainsizes,Ideterminehow
selectionwithinspeciesimpactsbrainsizeacrossspecies.Givenmormyridbrainsizeisuncorrelatedwithother
organsizes,largebrainevolutionlikelynecessitatesincreasedmetabolism.Aspredicted,large-brainedspecies
haveincreasedoxygenconsumptionratesandreducedhypoxiatolerance.Intraspecifically,ifincreasedbrain
size generates energetic costs before divergence, relatively large-brained individuals should exhibit greater
metabolicrequirements.Withinlarge-brainedspecies,relativebrainsizeappearstobepositivelycorrelated
withmetabolicrateandnegativelycorrelatedwithhypoxiatolerance,whilethetrendislesswell-definedwithin
smaller-brainedspecies.Species-specificdifferencessuggestthemetabolicandbehavioralcostsoflargebrain
evolution constrain extreme encephalization in mormyrids, but may not create strong selective pressures
withinsmaller-brainedlineages.
13 EARLYLIFEACTIVESLEEPASAMECHANISMFORNORMALBEHAVIORALDEVELOPMENTINMICE
GompaS,RoddaC,AlbertsJ
DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrainSciences,IndianaUniversity
Infantmammalsspendalargeportionoftheiroveralltimebudgetsleeping;ofsleeptime,activesleep(AS)is
thedominatesleepstate.Infantmicespendover80%ofoverallsleeptimeengagedinAS.Thehighamountof
ASwhichcharacterizeinfantsleepistheorizedtopromotebrainmaturation.Investigationsintotheimportance
ofinfantASaretypicallyconductedusingpharmacologicalmeanstoaccomplishtotalASdeprivationand/or
olderanimals(8daysorolder).InordertodisrupttheASofmousepupsstartingonpostnatalday(PND)2and
endingonPND12weimplementedatechniquecalled‘gentlehandling’.TheASofpupswasdisruptedforthree
30minutesessionsadayoverthecourseof11days.Wethentestedmiceforsocial/emotionaldevelopment
inthepre-weaningperiod(PND17-19),thepost-weaningperiod(PND25-30),andasadults(PND55-60).Postweaning and adult mice were tested for deficits in learning/memory, depression-like and anxiety-like
behaviors,andsocialbehavior,asmeasuredbyelevatedplus-mazediscriminativeavoidancetask,atwochoice
bottle test for anhedonia (sucrose vs. water), open-field behavior, and a social interaction test with an
unfamiliar animal of the same age, sex, and weight. Our results demonstrate long term deficits in
social/emotional behavior that persist into adulthood, suggesting the homeostatic mechanisms of sleep
pressureandrebounddonotcompletelymitigatetheeffectsofearlypost-natalASdisruptions.Currently,we
are exploring play behavior as a measure of social/emotional development following AS disruptions in preweaningmice.
14 SEXDIFFERENCESINTHEEFFECTSOFCHRONICSTRESSONDENDRITICREMODELINGINORBITOFRONTAL
CORTEX
GutierrezAM1,WellmanCL1,2,3
1
DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrainSciences,2PrograminNeuroscience,and3CenterfortheIntegrative
StudyofAnimalBehavior,IndianaUniversity
Stress is linked to the development of psychological disorders such as depression and posttraumatic stress
disorder(Kendleretal.,1999).Thiseffectisthoughttoberelatedtosex,withtwiceasmanywomensuffering
fromstress-relateddisordersthanmen(Solomon&Herman,2009).Dysfunctionofmedialprefrontalcortex
(mPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been implicated in these stress-sensitive disorders. We have
previouslyshowndendriticremodelinginmPFCafterchronicstressissex-specific.Whereasmaleratsexhibit
dendriticretractionafterchronicstress,femalesshowdendriticgrowth(Garrett&Wellman,2009).InOFC,
maleratsshowdendriticgrowthfollowingchronicstress(Listonetal.,2006).However,howstressinfluences
dendriticmorphologyinOFCoffemaleratsisunknown.Inthisstudy,weexamineddendriticremodelingof
pyramidalneuronsinOFCofmaleandfemaleratsafterexposuretochronicstress.Ratsunderwentchronic
restraint stress (3h/d for 10d). Rats were then euthanized and neurons were visualized using Golgi-Cox
histology.PyramidalneuronsinOFCwerereconstructedinthreedimensionsandmorphologyofapicaland
basilardendriteswasquantifiedusingaShollanalysis.Ourpreliminaryresultsshowabasalsexdifferencein
unstressedanimalsforbothapicalandbasilardendrites,withfemaleratshavinglongerbranchescomparedto
males. This finding is opposite that found in mPFC, where unstressed males have longer apical dendrites
(Garrett & Wellman, 2009). Consistent with previous studies (Liston et al., 2006), following chronic stress,
dendritesinOFCofmaleratsshoweddendriticproliferation.Incontrast,littledendriticchangewasobserved
infemalerats.Theseresultsexpanduponpreviousdata,andfurthersuggestthatstressproducesdifferent
dendriticremodelingintheprefrontalcortexofmalesandfemales,andthatthepatternofchangescandiffer
bysubregion.
15 SEXDIFFERENCESINTHEEXPRESSIONOFERαINHIPPOCAMPUSDURINGALTEREDENERGYSTATES
HaifeiS,KrolickK,MarshallS,BhardwajM,GullaE
DepartmentofBiology,MiamiUniversity
Obesityandmetabolicdisturbancescontinuetobeatophealthconcern.Estrogens,longassociatedwiththeir
role in regulating the female reproductive system, are now recognized for their neuroprotective and
anorexigeniceffectsinmalesandfemales.Estrogensworkthroughestrogenreceptoralpha(ERα),whichis
differentlyexpressedbetweenthesexes.Inbothmaleandfemalerats,estrogensareshowntodecreasebody
weight,decreasefoodintake,andincreaseenergyexpenditure;althoughbothsexesresponddifferentlyto
diet-inducedobesityconditions.Traditionally,studiesinvolvingestrogenicactionsonenergyregulationhave
takenplaceinregionssuchasthehypothalamusandbrainstem.Morerecently,studiesarebeginningtofocus
onmorelimbicareasofthebrainthathaveconnectionstothehypothalamus,andhaveuncoveredaroleof
extra-hypothalamic regulation of food intake in regions such as the amygdala and hippocampus. A better
understandingofhowERαisregulatedintheselimbicregionsduringdifferentenergystatusesandacrossthe
sexes is still lacking. Using immunohistochemistry, we quantify the expression of ERα in the hippocampus
duringdifferentenergystatuses.WeproposethatERαisexpresseddifferentlydependingon(1)energystatus
oftheanimaland(2)sexoftheanimal.
16 SPLEENSENSITIVITYTOACUTESTRESSINHIGH-ANDLOW-DISTURBANCEENVIRONMENTS
HanauerRE1,GonzalezAD2,Abolins-AbolsM1,RosvallKA1,KettersonED1
1
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity;2UniversityofPuertoRicoatCayey
Stresshasstrongimmunomodulatoryeffects,whichvarywiththedurationofthestressor.Forwildanimals,
humandisturbanceispotentiallyquitestressful,butwehaveapoorunderstandingofhowthismightaffect
theimmunesystemorwhetheranimalsinhigh-disturbanceenvironmentsresponddifferentlytostressorsthan
animalsinlow-disturbanceenvironments.Thespleenisanimportantcoordinatorofimmuneresponses,and
weaskedwhetherahigh-disturbanceenvironmentaffectscytokineproductionandsensitivitytohormonesof
thespleen.Wealsoaskedwhetherahigh-disturbanceenvironmentaffectsspleenresponsestoacutestress.
Thedark-eyedjunco(Juncohyemalis)isaNorthAmericansparrowthatusuallybreedsinlow-disturbance,nonurbanenvironmentsbutrecentlyhascolonizedseveralhigh-disturbanceurbanenvironments.Wecaptured
non-urban male juncos in Indiana and exposed them to 30-minute disturbances 4x/day for 3 weeks. We
comparedthesefrequently-disturbedbirds(n=18)toacontrolgroup(n=18)whichwasdisturbedtheminimum
necessary for animal care and sampling. We measured plasma corticosterone throughout the experiment.
After3weeksoftreatment,weeuthanizedhalfthebirdsineachgroupimmediatelyaftercapturetomeasure
baseline gene expression, and the other half 90 minutes after capture to measure stress-induced gene
expression.Weevaluatedspleencytokinesignalingandsensitivitytosteroidsbymeasuringgeneexpression
ofinterleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-10(IL-10),androgenreceptor(AR),andmineralocorticoidreceptor(MR).We
foundthatexpressionofARandMRweresignificantlypositivelycorrelatedregardlessoftreatmentgroup.MR
expression was negatively correlated to plasma levels of corticosterone. Results of this study improve our
understandingofsongbirdresponsestohigh-disturbanceenvironments.
17 DETECTINGBIOLOGICALSAMPLESUSINGOLFACTORYSENSORS
HilerL,Nippert-EngC,ShihPC
DepartmentofInformatics,IndianaUniversity
Wepresentanolfactorysensorprototypethatconsistsofanarrayofalcohol,propane,dioxide,methane,and
ammoniasensors.Weprovideananalysisofsensorreadingsofavarietyofsamplesincludingcatfecalsamples,
onionandgarliccheese,sharpcheddarcheese,anduncookedbacon.Ongoingworkinvolvescollectingfecal
samplesandhormoneassaysfromlabmicetodetectforcorrelationpatterns.Theolfactorysensorprototype
couldpotentiallybeusedtodetectotherbiologicalsamplesinanimalbehaviorstudies.
18 METABOLICPHENOTYPESDURINGEARLYDEVELOPMENTINFLUENCEOPENFIELDBEHAVIORDURING
ADOLESCENCEINBALB/CMICE
HongS,HarshawC,LeffelJK,AlbertsJR
DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrainSciences,IndianaUniversity
Recent studies suggest a connection between individual variation in thermoregulatory phenotypes and the
developmentofsocial-emotionalbehavior.Hudsonandcolleagueshaveshownthatmetabolicandhuddlingrelatedphenotypesduringinfancycorrelatewithsocial-emotionalbehaviorsinadulthoodininfantrabbitsand
rats.Here,weexploredthisquestioninlittersofBALB/cmice,culledto4or6pups(halfmale,halffemale)and
tattooedforindividualidentificationonpostnatalday4(P4).Rectaltemperature(Trect)wastakenafter5min
ofmaternalseparationat20°ConP7andP9.TestsofhuddlingwereperformedonP8andP10.Eachlitterwas
tested at 20°C for 50 min and Trect taken immediately following the test. Weight and tail length were also
measured on P7-P10. During adolescence (~P30) each pup was given two tests of emotional reactivity on
successivedaysinaminiature(25x25x35cm)‘openfield’(OF).Scoresforthetwotestswereaveraged.A
MANOVA revealed significant main effects of sex (p<.01) and litter size (p<.02) on OF behavior. We thus
employedseparatemixedeffectsmodels(MEMs)formalesandfemales,withlittersizeandlittercontrolled
asrandomeffects.Formales,theonlyvariablethatsignificantlypredictedtimesentinthecenteroftheOF
and center: edge ratio was the interaction between contacts while huddling (i.e., huddle position) and the
weightofpupsrelativetohuddlematesininfancy(p<.03).Forfemales,thelargesteffectswereofadolescent
weight,taillength,andageoftesting(allp<.002),withadditionalinteractionbetweenTrectfollowingmaternal
separationandweightrelativetolittermates(p<.05).Overall,thereweresignificantsexdifferencesinwhich
variables influenced adolescent open field behavior. These results indicate that individual variation in sex
differencesduringearlydevelopmentlikelyplaysaparticularroleintheappearanceofemotionalphenotypes
inadolescenceBALB/cmice.
19 MALEMICERESPONDTODISMISSIVEFEMALEREPERTOIRES
HoodK1,RamisF2,HurleyL1
1
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity;2StetsonUniversity
Housemice(Musmusculus)areagrowingmodelforthestudyofcontext-dependentvocalcommunication.
During courtship interactions, successful mating attempts are associated with a high level of production of
ultrasonicvocalizations(USVs)bymales,andanincreasedproportionofspecificclassesofUSVs.USVshave
beenwell-studied,butthereisverylittleinformationontheroleoffemalebroadbandvocalizations(BBVs).
BBVsareproducedwithfemalerejectionbehaviors,andareassociatedwithdecreasesinthelikelihoodofmale
mounting. We examined the potential role of BBVs in courtship interactions by measuring the vocal and
nonvocal behaviors of male mice exposed to a novel female with or without a BBV playback. In order to
measuretheseresponseswithouttheimpactoffemalerejectionbehaviors,malesandfemaleswereplaced
on opposite sides of a plexiglass barrier with a single contact point that was large enough for olfactory
investigationbutnotlargeenoughfordirectcontact.Ininteractionswithabarrier,malesproducedthesame
numberofUSVsasinnaturalinteractions,includingUSVtypesassociatedwithmountingattemptsorclose
investigation.PlaybacksofBBVsdecreasedmaleoutputwhileUSVplaybacksandwhitenoiseburstsincreased
ordidnotchangeUSVproduction.Nosignificantdifferenceindurationofnon-vocalmalebehaviorsincluding,
time at the contact point, digging, and self-grooming, was found between interactions with or without
playbacks.TheseresultssuggestthatBBVsalonearesufficienttomodifymalevocalbehavior.
20 ACLOSERLOOKATTHEAGEWHENRHESUSMACAQUEFEMALESDEVELOPAREDFACEPREFERENCE
JaiswalS1,CoyneS2,MaestripieriD2
1
DepartmentofSocialSciences,UniversityofChicago;2DepartmentofComparativeHumanDevelopment,
UniversityofChicago
Redskincolorationhasbeenimportantinprimatesexualselectionsincetheyevolvedtrichromacy.Inrhesus
macaques (Macaca mulatta), researchers have found that adult females prefer dark red faced males as
opposedtopalepinkfacedmalesasmates.Surprisingly,redpigmentationofthefaceisnotcorrelatedwith
dominance rank in males. This preference makes females more likely to solicit dark red faced males,
irrespectiveofrank.However,juvenileindividuals(18montholds)didnotdisplaythesamebias,sothepresent
studyinvestigatedwhenthebiasdevelopstodeterminetheroleoftheredface/redfacepreferenceinsexual
selection. We conducted a looking-time experiment in which individuals of both sexes (male, female) and
differentages(2,3,4years)weresimultaneouslypresentedwithtwomalefaces(onedarkredandonepale
pink).Analysesshownosignificantlookingtimepreferenceforeitherfaceinanyageofsexclass.Theresults
ofthisstudymayindicatethatthebiasseeninpreviousstudiesisdrivenbyolderfemales,perhapsthosewho
havehadseveralmatingseasons'experience,orpregnancy.
21 UP-REGULATIONOFGLT1IMPROVESNESTBUILDINGBEHAVIORINTHEQ175MOUSEMODELOF
HUNTINGTON'SDISEASE
KarimAN,BartonSJ,RebecGV
DepartmentofPsychologicalandBrainSciences,IndianaUniversity
Huntington’sdisease(HD),anautosomaldominantneurodegenerativedisorder,ischaracterizedbycognitive
andmotordeficitsinadults.HDisatrinucleotiderepeatdisorderinwhichanabnormalnumberofCAGrepeats
are expressed in the gene encoding the huntingtin protein. Glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1), the protein
responsiblefor90%ofglutamatereuptakeinbraininterstitialfluid,isdown-regulatedinHDpatients,resulting
incompromisedstriatalglutamatetransmission.TheQ175knock-inmousemodelofHDexpresses175CAG
repeats and many symptoms that describe HD, including aberrant motor functioning and inadequate
expression of GLT1. Nest building behavior in mice, often an indicator of cognitive and motor function, is
impairedinHDmousemodelsandworsenswithage.Wildtype(WT),heterozygous(HET),andhomozygous
(HOM)Q175micewereadministeredadeno-associatedvirusserotype9carryingthegeneforGLT1(AAV9GLT1)bywayoftailveininjectionofapproximately1012vg/injection.TheviralvectordeliverstheGLT1gene
tostriatalglialcells.AAV9-GLT1treatmentresultedinsignificantimprovementofnestingbehaviorinadultWT
andHET,butnotHOM,Q175mice.Bothpercentageofnestingmaterialusedandqualityofnestbuiltimproved
upontreatmentwithAAV9-GLT1.Furthermore,HETnestbuildingshowednodifferencefromWT,suggesting
thatreducedGLT1mayplayacausalroleinHDsymptomologyandthatAAV9-GLT1maybetherapeuticfor
certainHD-relatedcognitiveandmotorimpairments.
22 ANALYSISOFCFOSBANDSINTHEAUDITORYMIDBRAINOFMALEMICEINSOCIALVERSUSASOCIAL
CONDITIONS
KleinTLW,PetersenCL,HurleyLM
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity
In social interactions, acoustically communicating animals are faced with the need to listen not only to
themselves,buttotheirconspecificpartnersaswell.Vocalcuesmaycarryinformationregardingthevalence
orthecontextofasocialinteraction;therefore,howthebrainprocessesthesecuesiscriticaltoappropriate
behavioralresponses.MalemiceMusmusculusrepresentatractablesystemtoaddressquestionsregarding
social-acoustic processing as female vocal cues signal rejection, and may be a salient cue for males. We
compared vocal behavior and the number of cFos immunoreactive(-ir) neurons in male mice placed with
females and lone males placed with a novel object. We measured two types of male-specific ultrasonic
vocalizations(USVs):thosewithharmonicfeatureswhicharetypicallyassociatedwithmountingbehavior,and
non-harmonic USVs which may be general social signals. Additionally, we quantified the number of female
“squeaks”,whichareassociatedwithrejectionbehaviors.Asexpected,inallcategorieswefoundthatthere
were significantly more vocalizations produced during social encounters than in isolated conditions. cFos-ir
neurons in the midbrain inferior colliculus (IC) occurred in striking banding patterns corresponding to
isofrequencylaminae,whichhasnotbeenpreviouslyreportedduringsocialinteractions.Interestingly,there
werefewercFos-irneuronsintheICofsocialmales,thoughthisdifferencewasnotstatisticallysignificant.Our
resultslendinsightintohowICprocessessalientacousticcuesduringsocialinteractions.
23 OBSERVINGANIMALBEHAVIORINPOLAND-WSUAMBASSADORPROGRAM
KraszpulskiM1,2
1
DepartmentofPsychologyand2DepartmentofNeuroscience,CellBiology&Physiology,WrightState
University
For3weeksthispastAugust,10studentsand2facultymemberstraveledtoPolandtoobserveandworkwith
animalsin2remotefieldstationsandazoo.DuringtheirtravelsAmericanstudentscollaboratedwithPolish
students and faculty conducting behavioral observations under the supervision of English-speaking Polish
facultyandzoopersonnel.Throughtheirinvolvement,studentsexperiencedinternationalcooperationfirst
hand,whileatthesametimelearninganewlanguageandculture,enhancingcriticalthinkingandproblem
solving skills, and deepening their knowledge and respect for science. Between assignments at the field
stations,studentsstayedinthehistoriccityofGdansk,touredthemedievalMalborkCastle–consideredthe
largestgothiccastleintheworld,walkedandshoppedintheOldTownofGdansk,strolledalongthebeachon
theBalticSea,andvisitedneighboringcitiesandotherimportantsites.TheyalsoenjoyedtraditionalPolish
cuisineandthePolishnightlife.Developedwiththeaimofcreatingasignificanteducationalandlifechanging
experience,Dr.Kraszpulskidesignedthisstudy-abroadexperiencetohelphisstudentsbebetterpreparedfor
careersintheglobalvillage.ThisprogramwasofferedforfirsttimeinAugustof2016andwillbeofferedagain
inAugustof2017andisacomponentofthePsychology/BiologyAnimalBehaviorcourse(PSY4941/BIO4010).
24 EFFECTSOFTRAFFICNOISEONADVERTISEMENTCALLPLASTICITYINJAPANESEKAJIKAFROG
MaddenRP,LegettHD,BernalXE
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,PurdueUniversity
Anthropogenic noise, such as noise generated by automobile traffic, has become a widespread concern as
humanpopulationscontinuetoexpandintopreviouslyundevelopedareas.Forspeciesthatrelyonacoustic
communicationtoreproduce,human-producednoisecanreducetheabilityoffemalestodetectmatingsignals
andlocalizemates.Toavoidthismaskingeffect,malesinsomespeciesaltertherate,duration,orfrequency
oftheirsignal.Thisbehavioralplasticityhasbeenextensivelyinvestigatedinbirds.Theeffectsofnoisepollution
onanurans,however,havebeenlessexplored.Hereweexaminedtheeffectsoftrafficnoiseonthecalling
behavioroftheJapaneseKajikafrog,Buergeriajaponica,usingplaybackexperiments.Aspredicted,wefound
changesincallingstrategiesasanefforttocompensateforincreasedbackgroundnoise.Wealsoevaluatedthe
effectoftrafficspeedoncallplasticityanddiscusstheimplementationofconservationstrategiesthatwould
reducenoiseexposure.Inthecontextofpreviousstudies,ourresultshighlightthespeciesspecificnatureof
plasticityofanuranadvertisementcallsinresponsetobackgroundnoise.
25 THEONTOGENYOFGAITSINAFRICANELEPHANTLOXODONTAAFRICANACALVES
MoelleringMA1,MachadoJM2,PattonCN2,DaleRHI2
1
DepartmentofBiologicalSciencesand2DepartmentofPsychology,ButlerUniversity
Therearevirtuallynodataconcerningtheontogenyofgaitsinelephants.Infact,thereisalmostnodataatall
onthegaitsofelephantcalves.WeinvestigatedthedevelopmentofgaitsinsixAfricanelephantcalvesatthe
Indianapolis Zoo. We video-recorded the calves as they moved freely about the large exhibit at the zoo
collecting307two-stridesamplesofgaitsincalvesundersixyearsofage.Weseparatedtheagesofthecalves
into3categories:Birth-38days,43-405daysand419-2145days(justunder6yearsofage),with102,105and
100observationsineachofthesecategories,respectively.AccordingtotheHildebrand(1985)gaitcategories,
thecalvesreliedonfourdifferentgaitsateachstageoflife:Lateralsequence-lateralcouplet(LSLC),lateral
sequence-singlefoot(LSS),lateralsequence-diagonalcouplet(LSDC),andtrot(T).TheLSLCgait(50%)wasthe
mostcommon,withtheothergaitslessfrequent:LSSgait(29%),T(13%),LSDC(8%).Thedutyfactorswere
typically0.55-0.60(moderatewalk)fortheLSLCandLSSgaitsandabout0.70(slowwalk)fortheLSDCandT.
Allfourgaitsbecamelessvariableasthecalvesaged.
26 SEXDIFFERENCEININFERIORCOLLICULUSSEROTONINFIBERSINRESPONSETOVARYINGSOCIALHOUSING
CONDITIONS
MorningstarM1,HurleyLM1,2,3
1
DepartmentofBiology,2PrograminNeuroscience,and3CenterfortheIntegrativeStudyofAnimalBehavior,
IndianaUniversity
Respondingappropriatelytosensorystimuliiscrucialforanorganism’ssurvival.Amouseisreceivingaconstant
arrayofsensorystimulithatitmustcorrespondinglyprocessandrespondto.Importanttoourpresentstudy
areauditorysignals.Theinferiorcolliculusisamammaliansubcorticalbrainregionthatreceivesinputprimarily
fromauditoryregions.Theneuromodulatorserotoninisalsoheavilypresentintheinferiorcolliculusandhas
beenshowninpreviousworkviainvivovoltammetrytoelevateinsocialsituations.Thissuggestsarolefor
serotonininrespondingtocontextualsocialstimuli.Thepresentstudyinvestigatesserotonergicfiberdensity
intheinferiorcolliculusinfemalemicethathavebeensociallyhousedforfourweeksversusfemalemicethat
havebeenindividuallyhousedforfourweeksafterweaning.Anestimateoffiberdensityisaccomplishedby
using immunohistochemistry to select for and fluorescently mark the serotonin transporter in brain tissue
sections. Photomicrographs are taken of these sections and a line-scan analysis protocol mathematically
estimatesthefiberdensityofthecorrespondingsections.Previousworkhasshownthroughthisanalysisthat
malemiceshownodifferenceinserotoninfiberdensityacrosshousingtreatment,however,currentworkin
femalemicesuggeststhattheremaybeasexdifferenceinthedensityofserotonergicfibersinresponseto
thevariedhousingcondition.
27 UPREGULATIONOFPOLYAMINEBIOSYNTHESISANDΓ-AMINOBUTYRICACID(GABA)PRODUCTIONARE
INDICATIVEOFOSMOTICPLASTICITYINKILLIFISH(FUNDULUSSP.)
MunleyKM1,WhiteheadA2,LiuD3,GalvezF4
1
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity;2DepartmentofEnvironmentalToxicology,UniversityofCalifornia
Davis;3AgriculturalCenterBiotechnologyLaboratoryand4DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,LouisianaState
University
Killifish(Fundulussp.)inhabitmarshesalongtheU.S.AtlanticcoastandGulfofMexico,wheretheymustrapidly
adjusttolargefluctuationsinenvironmentalsalinity.Whilesomekillifishhaveevolvedeuryhalinityandcan
tolerate a wide range of salinities, other species exhibit marine physiologies and have little to no ability to
tolerateosmoticchallenges.Wehaverecentlyshownthateuryhalinespeciesofkillifishstimulatepolyamine
biosynthesisandaccumulateputrescine(PUT)inthegillduringacutefreshwaterexposure.Interestingly,PUT
canbeconvertedtoƴ-aminobutyricacid(GABA),themajorinhibitoryneurotransmitterinthecentralnervous
system (CNS) of all vertebrates. While it is clear that polyamines play a role in osmoregulation, the
consequencesoftheupregulationofpolyaminebiosynthesisonotherdownstreammetabolicpathways,such
asGABAproduction,haveyettobeexplored.Toaddressthisquestion,weutilizedmolecularandphysiological
techniques to compare the importance of PUT in GABA production in the gill of a marine (F. majalis) and
euryaline killifish species (F. heteroclitus) during acute hypoosmotic challenge. Here, we show that F.
heteroclitus upregulates polyamine biosynthesis in the gill in response to acute freshwater exposure, as
exhibitedbyincreasesintherelativemRNAexpressionofgenesassociatedwithpolyaminebiosynthesisand
theaccumulationofGABA,PUT,andthepolyaminespermidine.Incontrast,thesechangesinmRNAexpression
wereattenuatedinthegillofF.majalis,anddecreasesinconcentrationsofPUT,GABA,andthepolyamine
spermine were observed. Collectively, our study provides insight into the physiological and genomic
mechanisms that contribute to the remarkable osmoregulatory abilities of killifish in response to shifts in
environmentalsalinity.Morebroadly,ourdatasuggestanovelroleforGABAintheregulationofhomeostatic
mechanismsduringenvironmentalstress.
28 HORNDIMORPHISMANDREPRODUCTIVEREPERTOIRES:APOSSIBLEROLEFORSEROTONININTHE
PHENOTYPICINTEGRATIONOFHORNEDBEETLES
NewsomKD,SchwabDB,MoczekAP
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity
Despite sharing the same genotype, individuals of the same population may express substantially different
phenotypes as a function of their environment. These divergent phenotypes are frequently comprised of
complexmosaicsofmorphological,physiological,andbehavioraltraitsthatarehighlyintegratedandfunction
interdependently. However, the physiological mechanisms that enable the integration of behavioral with
physiological and morphological phenotypes across environments remain poorly understood. In the horn
polyphenicbeetleOnthophagustaurus,larvalfeedingconditionscuethedevelopmentofmalesintoeither
hornless minor or horned major morphs, which adopt either opportunistic sneaking or highly aggressive
fightingtactics,respectively,inordertogainaccesstofemales.Recentworkdemonstratedthatdecreasing
serotonin signaling lowers the body size threshold needed for induction of the horned morph, which is
intriguing, as serotonin has been shown in diverse prior studies to regulate the expression of aggressive
behaviorsacrossinvertebratetaxa.Here,wetestwhetherserotoninsignalingmayserveasanintegratorof
morphologicalandbehavioraldevelopmentusingapharmacologicalapproachtomanipulatesystemiclevels
ofserotonininadultmales(aim1)anddevelopinglarvae(aim2).Inourfirstaim,weinvestigatethedegreeto
whichserotoninmodulatesaggressivebehaviorsinbothadultmorphsduringmale-maleinteractions.Results
todatesuggestthatincreasedlevelsofserotoninsignalingincreasefrequency,intensity,anddurationoffights
inbothmorphs.Inoursecondaim,wemanipulatedserotoninsignalingtoinducehornexpressioninsmallbodiedmalesandarecurrentlyinvestigatingwhetherthesemalesadoptthebehavioralrepertoireofcontrol
hornlessorhornedmorphs.Wediscussourmostrecentfindingsandexploretheirevolutionaryimplications
fordevelopmentalplasticityandphenotypicintegration.
29 EXPLORINGUNDERLYINGMECHANISMSOFSEASONVARIATIONINBEHAVIORALTYPESOFTRACHEMYS
SCRIPTA
NicholsH,WilsonCarterA,BowdenR
DepartmentofBiology,IllinoisStateUniversity
Correlated patterns of behavior, termed behavioral types, can affect the fitness of individuals. The most
advantageous behavioral type may differ across predictable environments (e.g. seasonally), and maternally
mediatedeffectsmaybeimportantformatchinghatchlingbehaviortotheirenvironment.In2014-2016we
measuredrightingresponse,anindicatorofbehavioraltype,ofjuvenileturtles(Trachemysscripta)emerging
fromearlyandlateseasonclutchestounderstandiftheproductionofbold-shybehavioraltypesdiffersacross
thenestingseason.Wefoundasignificanteffectofseason,withearlyseasonhatchlingsbeingbolderthanlate
seasonhatchlings.Theseasonalvariationinrightingtimecombinedwithsignificantclutcheffectssuggestsa
maternalinfluenceonthisbehavior,andwethereforeexploredtwopotentialunderlyingmechanisms.First,
maternalyolkallocationcanvarywithseason,andthisdifferentialallocationofenergystorescouldaffecthow
hatchlingsbehaviorallymodulateenergyconsumption.Residualyolkswereremovedfromthehatchlingsand
wet and dry masses taken. Though there was high variation in residual yolk there was not a significant
correlationbetweenresidualyolkmassandhatchlingbehavioraltype.Secondly,concentrationsofmaternal
estrogensintheyolkalsovarywithseason,andareknowntoaffectotheraspectsofhatchlingphenotype.We
dosedearlyseasoneggswithanestrogenmixtureinaconcentrationthatresembleslateseasoneggs(20ng
estradiol+77.5ngestronesulfate/5µl70%ethanolorashamcontrol)andassayedrightingresponses.There
wasnoeffectoftheestrogendoseonhatchlingrighting.Wedemonstratethattheproductionofbehavioral
types systematically varies across the nesting season; however, future research is needed to identify the
ecologicalcontextsfavoringeachbehavioraltypeandtheunderlyingmechanisms.
30 THEFIELDCRICKETGRYLLUSRUBENS(ORTHOPTERA:GRYLLINAE)EXHIBITSDEVELOPMENTALPLASTICITYIN
ITSMATINGCALLS
NormanN,PeaseJ,MurpheyK,BeckersO
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,MurrayStateUniversity
The development of behavioral phenotypes is frequently responsive to variable environmental conditions,
leading to alternative phenotypes. This developmental or phenotypic plasticity can have important
evolutionaryconsequencesifitaffectsfitnessviabehavioralphenotypesthataretightlylinkedtoreproduction.
Theramificationsofchangesinreproductivebehaviorthataretheresultoftemperatureareespeciallyrelevant
inthecontextofglobalwarming.Thefieldcricket,Gryllusrubens,usesacousticcommunicationinthecontext
ofpairformation:malescallandsilentfemalesusethesecallstoidentifyandlocalizeconspecificmalesfor
mating.InKentucky,G.rubenshastwobreedingseasons:oneinthespringandoneinthefall.Offspringof
eachgenerationdevelopunderdifferentenvironmentalconditions.First,wetestedwhethermalematingcalls
differineachseason.Wefoundthatfallmalesproducedsignificantfasterpulseratesthanspringmales,which
wasexplainedbyashorteningofthesoundpulsesthatcomprisetheircalls.Second,weconductedaseriesof
rearing experiments to determine (i) when during development male cricket behavior is responsive to the
environment, and (ii) which environmental cue is responsible for the alternative mating calls. Our results
suggestthatrearingtemperaturehadapermanentandsignificanteffectonmalecallssimilartothatobserved
between field generations. Moreover, rearing temperature only affected the development of calls when
experiencedasjuvenilesandnotasadults.Photoperiod,however,didnotaffectmalecalls.Ourresultsindicate
that seasonal temperature experienced during juvenile development explains the behavioral differences
observed between spring and fall males. The effect of seasonal environment on female preferences is not
known,butwillbethefocusoffuturestudies.
31 REPLAYOFEPISODICMEMORIESINTHERAT
Panoz-BrownDE1,BrotheridgeS1,SlukaCM1,AlmeidaB2,HexS3,GentryM1,CorbinHE1,SomekhI1,
KestenmanJ1,CoxK1,CrystalJD1
1
DepartmentofPsychological&BrainSciencesandPrograminNeuroscience,IndianaUniversity;2Department
ofNeurosciencesandCognition,FederalUniversityofABC;3DepartmentofPsychology,CornellUniversity
Episodicmemoryinpeoplehasbeencharacterizedasthereplayofeventsinsequentialorder.Werecently
showedthatratsremembermultipleuniqueeventsandthecontextsinwhichtheyoccurredusingepisodic
memory(Panoz-Brownetal.,2016.CurrentBiology).However,itisnotknownifratsrememberastreamof
events in sequential order using episodic memory. Here we show that rats remember multiple events in
sequentialorder.Ratswerepresentedwithavariablelengthlistoftrial-uniqueodors,followedbymemory
assessments that required judgments about the order of events. Three lines of evidence suggest that rats
remember the sequential order of events. First, rats correctly selected items when both sequence and
familiarity cues of the odors were put in conflict. Second, sequence memory was resistant to a retentionintervalchallenge.Third,itemsequencememorywasresistanttointerferencefrommemoryofotherodors.
Weconcludethatratsrememberastreamofeventsusingepisodicreplay.
32 PACLITAXELSELECTIVELYIMPAIRSREVERSALLEARNINGWHILESPARINGEPISODICMEMORY,PRIOR
LEARNING,ANDNEWLEARNING
Panoz-BrownD,GentryM,CareyLM,SmithAE,SlukaCM,CorbinHE,WuJ,HohmannAG,CrystalJD
DepartmentofPsychologyandPrograminNeuroscience,IndianaUniversity
Chemotherapy is widely used to treat patients with systemic cancer. The efficacy of cancer therapies is
frequently undermined by adverse side effects that have a negative impact on the quality of life of cancer
survivors. Cancer patients who receive chemotherapy often experience chemotherapy induced cognitive
impairmentacrossavarietyofdomainsincludingmemory,learning,andattention.Inthecurrentstudy,rats
receivedtreatmentwithpaclitaxel,ataxanederivedchemotherapeuticagent.Followingtreatment,episodic
memory,priorlearning,newlearning,andreversallearningwereevaluated.Neurogenesiswasquantifiedposttreatment in the dentate gyrus of the rats using Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and Ki67 immunostaining.
Paclitaxeltreatmentselectivelyimpairedreversallearningwhilesparingepisodicmemory,priorlearning,and
new learning. Further, paclitaxel treated rats showed decreased hippocampal cell proliferation. This work
highlights the importance of using multiple measures of learning and memory to identify the pattern of
impairedandsparedaspectsofchemotherapyinducedcognitiveimpairment.
33 SOCIALSTATUSANDSIZEINFLUENCETRANSMISSIONOFSOCIALINFORMATIONINASOCIALCICHLIDFISH
(NEOLAMPROLOGUSPULCHER)
PopeAJ1,HoskinsEA1,HamiltonIM1,2
1
DepartmentofEvolution,Ecology,andOrganismalBiologyand2DepartmentofMathematics,TheOhioState
University
Sociallearningoccurswheninformationisobtainedbyinteractionwithanotherindividual,andcanbestow
benefitstoanobserverbyreducingthecostsofacquiringinformation.Determiningwhotopayattentiontois
oftenachallengeobserversface.Becausemanyspeciesliveinhierarchalsocialgroupswhereindividualsdiffer
insocialstatusandqueuefordominance,differencesinstatusmayinfluencewhoobserverspayattentionto.
Dominantshavebeensuccessfulatsurvivingandadvancinginstatus,thusinformationgainedfromthemmay
beuseful.Additionally,dominantdemonstratorsaremorenoticeableandopportunitiesfortransmissionof
informationtoobserversmayalreadybehigh.Wehypothesizedthatindividualsarelikelytouseinformation
fromdominant(highstatus)individuals.WetestedthishypothesisinthesocialcichlidfishNeolamprologus
pulcher, by presenting observers with opportunities to gain information about food location from
demonstrators. We predicted that observers would feed more where a demonstrator fed when the
demonstratorwasofhighersocialstatus.Wecreatedgroupswithadominantmale,dominantfemale,and
subordinates. We trained observers to associate a location with food and allowed them to observe a
demonstratoracquiringfoodinadifferentlocation.Wemeasuredthetimeobserversspentsearchingwhere
thedemonstratorhadfed.Wefoundthatonlyfishthathadobserveddominantfemaledemonstratorsdiffered
inforaginglocationfromcontrolsandthatthedirectionoftheeffectdependedonthefemale’ssizerelative
totheobserver.Ourresultsshowthatthesalienceofsocialinformationisinfluencedbyattributesofboththe
demonstratorandobserver.Itispossiblethatsize-basedsociallearningmayalsogeneralizetoothertypesof
information,suchasassessingenvironmentalriskorchoosingamate.
34 ANXIETYDURINGTHEPOSTPARTUMPERIOD:EXAMININGTHEROLEOFGABAINTHEMEDIALPREFRONTAL
CORTEX
PostC1,Sabihi,S2,MaurerS1,LeunerB1,2
1
DepartmentofNeuroscienceand2DepartmentofPsychology,TheOhioStateUniversity
The postpartum period is commonly accompanied by emotional changes, which for many new mothers
includesareductioninanxiety.Previousresearchonthepostpartumreductioninanxietyinrodentshasshown
thatitisdependentonoffspringcontactandfurtherhasimplicatedenhancedGABAergicneurotransmission
asanunderlyingmechanism.However,thespecificbrainregionswhereGABAactstoregulatetheoffspringinduced reduction in postpartum anxiety requires further investigation. Of particular interest is the medial
prefrontalcortex(mPFC),whichhasbeenshowntoplayaroleinthemodulationofanxiety-relatedbehavior.
Here,wetestthehypothesisthatoffspringinteractionsreduceanxiety-likebehaviorinpostpartumfemalesvia
GABAsignalinginthemPFCinthreeexperiments.Inexperimentone,weconfirmedthatpostpartumfemales
display reduced anxiety compared to virgin females when tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and
followinganinfusionoftheGABAAreceptorantagonistbicucullineinthemPFCthiseffectwasabolished.In
experiment two, we found that dams that had been separated from their pups for 4h displayed increased
anxietyascomparedtodamsthatwerenotseparated.Furthermore,activationofGABAAreceptorsinthePL
mPFCbytheagonistmuscimolrestoredthereducedlevelsofanxiety-likebehavior.Inafinalexperiment,we
foundthatmothersthatwereseparatedfromtheirpupsnotonlyshowincreasedlevelsofanxietybutalsohad
a lower number and percentage of activated GABAergic neurons within the mPFC. Together, these results
suggestthatmother-pupinteractionsreduceanxietyinpostpartumfemalesviaGABAAneurotransmissionin
themPFCandprovideinsightintomechanismsthatmaybecomedysfunctionalinhighpostpartumanxiety.
35 THEINFLUENCEOFSOCIALCUESONOVIPOSITIONDECISIONSINTHEMOSQUITOAEDESAEGYPTI
RameshA1,2,3,SharmaM2,IsvaranK2
1
IndianInstituteofScience,Education,andResearch–Pune;2CentreforEcologicalSciences,IndianInstituteof
Science;3DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity
Animalsuseavarietyofsocialandnon-socialcuesinevaluatingthehabitatqualityofapatch.Assessingsocial
informationandincorporatingitintofuturedecisionscantranslateintoimportantfitnessconsequencesforan
individual. Local adult-density, among other social cues, can heavily influence individual adult decisions. In
particular,adult-densitycanplayacrucialroleinaffectingmaternaldecisionslikeovipositionsite-selection
thatcanpotentiallyset-offacascadeofresponsesinboththeparentandtheoffspring.UsingAedesaegyptias
a model-system we investigated the influence of adult-density on oviposition responses. Specifically, we
measuredovipositionresponsesofindividualadultfemalestopatchesdifferinginqualitywhenpresentsingly
(solitary), or in the presence of non-breeding adult individuals (social setting). In a series of binary choice
experiments,patchqualitywasrepresentedbypoolsdifferinginlarvalpredationriskinonesetofexperiments
andbypoolsdifferinginlarvalcompetitionriskinanother.Overall,thestudyindicatesthatindividualadult
females are able to assess the presence of other individuals and in response modify their behavior during
ovipositionevents.Adultfemalesseemtorespondtothepresenceofotherfemalesbyadoptingabet-hedging
strategy,sometimeswithholdingeggsperhapstodistributeeggsfurtheracrossmultiplepoolswhileexhibiting
preferenceforriskierpatches.Wesuggestthatadultfemaledensitymayfavorashiftinpreferenceofindividual
femalestowardsseeminglyriskierpatchesanddiscusspotentialevolutionaryexplanationsforthisshift.
36 VARIATIONINTHEEFFECTSOFSUB-LETHALROUNDUPEXPOSUREONANTI-PREDATORBEHAVIORINHYLA
VERSICOLORLARVAEFROMPRISTINEANDAGRICULTURALPOPULATIONS
RossJ
EnvironmentalScienceProgram,WittenbergUniversity
We sought to examine the effects of long-term Roundup exposure in a population of grey tree frogs (Hyla
versicolor)breedingatanagriculturalpondsurroundedbyroundupreadycornandapopulationbreedingina
pristine pond located at a county nature preserve. Grey tree frog tadpoles collected from each site were
randomlyassignedtoeitheracontrolorRounduptreatment.Weobservedoverallactivitylevelsoftadpoles
aswellastheiractivitylevelsafterexposuretoacagedpredator.Graytreefrogsfromtheagriculturalsite
showednochangeinbehavioralresponsetoapredatorwhenexposedtoRoundup.However,tadpolesfrom
apristineenvironmentincreasedtheiractivitylevelswhenapredatorwaspresent,showinganinappropriate
responsetotheriskofpredation.
37 EXAMININGTHEHORMONALPLEIOTROPYHYPOTHESIS:MELANIZATIONCORRELATESINLIZARDS
SeddonRJ,HewsDK
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaStateUniversity
Agrowingareaofbehavioralecologyexamineshowmechanismsunderlyingproductionofpigmentscanaffect
traitsotherthanbodycoloration.Regulationofmelanin,whichinvolvesthemelanocortinsystem,candirectly
andindirectlyaffectotherphenotypictraits,suchasaggressionorphysiology.Selectionononetraitwithina
hormone-mediated suite of traits may lead to changes in the hormone signal, causing either beneficial or
detrimentalchangesincorrelatedtraits.Theseassociationshavebeenstudiedmainlyinbirdsandmammals,
but less so in reptiles. We studied correlation of melanization with these other traits, comparing betweenpopulationdifferencesofadultmalewesternfencelizards,Sceloporusoccidentalis.Wecomparedfivehigh-
andfourlow-elevationpopulationinCaliforniawhereindividualsareincreasinglydarkerathigherelevations,
workingduringcomparableperiodsofthebreedingseasonateachsite.Wemeasuredandconfirmedthatthe
higherelevationpopulationsthatwesampledweresignificantlydarkerthanourlowerelevationpopulations.
We measured baseline peptide (α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone) and steroid (corticosterone,
testosterone) hormones to compare hormone and melanization relationship both across and within
populations.Whilewedidnotfindanysignificantdifferencesinbaselinelevelsofα-MSH,wefoundapositive
relationshipwithbaselineplasmatestosteroneandanegativecorrelationwithbaselinecorticosterone.We
also counted ectoparasite loads for all males as an immunological measurement. We describe potential
differencesinselectiveregimesthatcouldproducethesedifferentpatternsacrossvertebrates.Thesedata
suggestthathormonalpleiotropydoesnotconstrainphenotypicvariation.
38 ANOVELBATTERYOFBEHAVIORALTESTSTOASSESSTHEMATURATIONOFEXECUTIVEFUNCTIONSDURING
THETRANSITIONFROMADOLESCENCETOADULTHOODINMICE
ShepardR1,BeckettE1,CoutellierL1,2
1
DepartmentofPsychologyand2DepartmentofNeuroscience,TheOhioStateUniversity
Adolescencemarksaperiodofsignificantbrainandcognitivedevelopmentduringwhichcomplexcognitive
control mechanisms that allow for goal-oriented behavior become increasingly in demand. These highly
interrelated “executive functions” arise from molecular changes in brain regions like the prefrontal cortex,
striatum,andhippocampusandarenecessaryfornormalbehaviorinadulthood.Understandinghowexecutive
functions develop normally from adolescence to adulthood may provide better insights into how
developmentalbraindisordersleadtodeficitsinthesecognitiveprocesses.However,thereisalackofresearch
thatdefinesacceptedmethodsformeasuringthematurationofexecutivefunctionsduringtransitionalperiods
ofbraindevelopmentinrodents.Thepresentstudyaimstoestablishanovelbatteryofbehavioralteststo
assess the maturation of executive functions during the transition from adolescence to adulthood in mice.
Maleandfemaleadolescent(postnatalday[PND]25-39)andadult(PND60-75)C57BL/6Jmiceweretestedin
oneofthreebehavioraltests,includinganAttentionalSetShiftingTask(ASST),aPuzzleBoxTask,andaDelayed
Alternation T-maze Task, to measure attention, cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and spatial working
memory. We demonstrated that male adolescents have poorer performances in the ASST than adults as
measuredbytrialstoreachcriterionandtotalnumberandpercentofincorrectchoices,whilenoageeffect
wasseeninfemales.Bothmaleandfemaleadolescentstooklongerthanadultsto completetheproblemsolvingtaskinthepuzzlebox,whileshort-andlong-termmemoryremainedintact.Finally,femaleadolescents
requiredsignificantlymoredaystoreachcriterioninthedelayedalternationphaseoftheT-maze.Together,
thesefindingsofferdiscretebehavioraltestsformeasuringsex-specificdevelopmentaldifferencesinexecutive
functioningduringthetransitionfromadolescencetoadulthood.
39 LEARNINGFROMFEMALESPAYSOFFFORMALEWOLFSPIDERS
Sullivan-BeckersL1,HebetsEA2
1
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,MurrayStateUniversity;2DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,Universityof
Nebraska-Lincoln
Asanimalscommunicatetheirsignalstravelthroughtheenvironmentandaredegraded,distorted,andmasked
bynoise.Additionally,signalingenvironmentsarealteredwithchangesinhumidity,precipitation,andwith
noiseproducedbyothersignalinganimals.Afewofthewaysinwhichanimalsdealwiththeproblemofbeing
heardinavariableandnoisyenvironmentincludecommunicatingatparticulartimesofthedayornight;in
particularlocations;communicatingwithuniquestructures;and/orincorporatingmultiplecomponentsintoa
signal.Forsomeofthesesolutions,theabilitytolearnmayexplainhowanimalssolvedtheproblemofbeing
heard,suggestingthatlearningcouldbehighlyadaptiveinanuncertainorchangingenvironment.Wepropose
thatmalewolfspiderscanoptimizetheirsignalsbypayingattentiontofeedbackfrompotentialmates.We
testthishypothesiswithmalesofthewolfspider,Schizocosaroverni,whichcourtfemalesusingvibrational
signalstransmittedthroughsubstratesontheforestfloor.Inresponse,receptivefemalesperformadisplay,
producingvisualandvibrationalcues.Wemimicfemalereceptivityusingpuppetsandaskwhethermalesalter
their use of signaling substrates that differ in transmission effectiveness. Furthermore, we test whether
variationinthemaleabilitytolearnfromthisfeedback,benefitsmalesintermsofmatingsuccessandattack
avoidance. We found that (i) males do vary in the ability to learn from female feedback, (ii) that learning
requiresvibrational,butnotvisualfeedback,andthat(iii)themalesshowingthegreatest(positive)changein
courtshipbehaviorweremorelikelytomateandlesslikelytobeattacked.Thesefindingsdemonstratethat
malesthatareabletolearnfromfemalefeedbackandoptimizetheircourtshipsignalingarelikelytohave
greaterevolutionaryfitness.
40 INFLUENCEOFSEXANDAMBIENTTEMPERATUREONASIANELEPHANT(ELEPHASMAXIMUS)DUSTING
SummersK,HankisonS
DepartmentofZoology,OhioWesleyanUniversity
Previous studies indicate that elephant dusting behavior can be promoted by several factors including
environmentaltemperatureandsocialinteraction.Wehypothesizedthat(1)ifdustingservesasavoluntary
thermoregulatory function, then increased ambient temperature would result in increased dusting
performance,and(2)ifdustingisinfluencedbysocialinteractions,thenmaleandfemaleelephantswillexhibit
dusting at similar rates in a group setting. Preliminary data indicated no significant relationship between
temperature and the number of dustings performed by an individual. Contrary to our predictions, females
exhibited a greater rate of dusting than males in a social environment. The current study reexamines the
relationshipbetweenambienttemperature,elephantsex,anddustingperformance.Understandingbehavioral
adaptationsandstrivingtomaintainnaturalinstinctsarekeytofacilitatingahealthycaptiveenvironment.If
weunderstandenvironmentalfactorsthatinfluenceelephantbehavior,perhapswecanidentifyaspectsof
theirnaturalenvironmentthatneedtobepreservedinordertoprotectthespecies.Theresearcherswould
liketoextendtheirthankstotheColumbusZooandAquariumforpermittingbehavioralobservations.
41 AFIREINTHEBELLY:SEX-SPECIFICMODULATIONOFTHEGUTMICROBIOMEANDAGGRESSION
SylviaKE1,JewellCP1,RendonNM1,St.JohnEA1,DemasGE1
DepartmentofBiology,IndianaUniversity
The gut microbiome is a diverse, host-specific, and symbiotic bacterial environment that is critical for
mammalian survival and exerts a surprising yet powerful influence on brain and behavior. The effects of
repeatedantibiotictreatmentinadulthoodanditsconsequencesonsocialbehaviorinanon-modelspecies
(e.g.,Siberianhamsters)however,haveyettobeexplored.Toinvestigatehowchangesinmicrobialdiversity
affect behavior, this study sought to determine the influence of antibiotic treatment on social behavior.
Specifically, we tested the effects of short-term vs. repeated antibiotic treatment on aggressive and
investigativebehaviors.Toaddressthis,maleandfemalehamsterswereeitheradministeredsterilizedwater
oranantibiotic(0.3μlofBaytril10%oralsolutionpergramofbodymass)orallyviasterilepipetteforseven
daysduringtwotreatmentperiods(D1-7andagainonD15-21).Eachtreatmentperiodwasfollowedbya7dayrecoveryperiod(D8-14andD22-28).Onthelastdayofeachtreatmentandrecoveryperiod(D7,D14,D21,
andD28),socialbehavioraltrialswereconducted.Toassessbehavior,weusedaresident-intrudermodelby
whichanon-aggressiveintruderwasintroducedintothehomecageofanexperimentalanimalforfiveminutes.
Attheendoftheexperiment,allanimalswereeuthanizedandorganswereweighed.Wefoundthattwo,but
notone,treatmentscausedmarkeddecreasesinaggressivebehavior,butnotothersocialbehaviors,inmales;
aggression returned to normal levels following recovery. Antibiotic-treated females, in contrast, showed
decreasedaggressionafterasingletreatment,withallothersocialbehaviorsunaffected.Unlikemales,female
aggressiondidnotreturntonormalduringeitherrecoveryperiod.Here,weshowthattreatmentwithabroadspectrumantibiotic,whichhasdysbioticeffects,alsohasrobust,sex-specificeffectsonaggression.
42 EXAMININGVIGILANCEANDSENTINELBEHAVIOROFMONKPARAKEETSANDPOSSIBLECONNECTIONSTO
VIGILANCEOFOTHERURBANADAPTEDBIRDSINTHECHICAGOLANDAREA
ThomasRA1,WilcoxenTE2,AppeltCW3
1
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,SaintXavierUniversity;2DepartmentofBiology,MillikinUniversity;
3
DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,SaintXavierUniversity
Vigilancecanincreasesurvivalbyincreasingtheprobabilityofdetectingpotentialthreats.Asentinelsystem,
inwhichoneormoreindividualsareconsistentlyalert,allowsotherindividualsofagrouptoparticipateinnonvigilantbehaviors.Monkparakeets(Myiopsittamonachus)aregregarious,havesuccessfullycolonizedareas
throughouttheworld,andhavebeenintheChicagoareaformorethan40years.Partoftheirsuccesscould
be due to a sentinel system, which has been attributed to this species but has never been demonstrated.
Furthermore, if monk parakeets are more vigilant than other resident species, those species might exhibit
reducedvigilanceintheirpresence.Therefore,wehadthreehypothesesaboutavianvigilanceintheChicago
area:1)monkparakeetsuseasentinelsystem;2)individualmonkparakeetvigilanceandthatofsympatricbird
species are related to flock size dynamics; 3) monk parakeets exhibit greater vigilance than other urban
adaptedbirdspecies.Totestthefirsthypothesis,wecollectedfocalvigilancedataonthreeindividualsinmonk
parakeetflocksbasedonphysicalposition:highest,secondhighest,andlowest.Totestthesecondandthird
hypotheses, we collected corporate vigilance data for single and mixed species flocks. Preliminary analyses
have not supported the use of a sentinel system or greater vigilance by monk parakeets than other avian
speciesintheChicagoarea;however,vigilancedoesseemtorelatetochangesinflocksize.Thesedataprovide
newinformationabouthowmonkparakeetsmightinteractwiththeecosystemstheycolonize.