Prairie Vole
A Prairie Vole is a vole that lives in the North American Prairies.
- AKA: Microtus ochrogaster.
- Context:
- It can (typically) be a Monogamous Animal.
- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
- See: Monogamy.
References
2013
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_vole
- The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a small vole found in central North America.
The vole has long, coarse grayish-brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body. It has short ears and a short tail, which is somewhat darker on top.
- The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a small vole found in central North America.
- Zoe Cormier. (2013) "Gene switches make prairie voles fall in love." In: Nature | News, July 2, 2013
- … Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have long been of interest to neuroscientists and endocrinologists who study the social behaviour of animals, in part because this species forms monogamous pair bonds — essentially mating for life. The voles' pair bonding, sharing of parental roles and egalitarian nest building in couples makes them a good model for understanding the biology of monogamy and mating in humans.
Previous studies have shown that the neurotransmitters oxytocin and vasopressin play a major part in inducing and regulating the formation of the pair bond. Monogamous prairie voles are known to have higher levels of receptors for these neurotransmitters than do voles who have yet to mate; and when otherwise promiscuous montane voles (M. montanus) are dosed with oxytocin and vasopressin, they adopt the monogamous behaviour of their prairie cousins.
Because behaviour seemed to play an active part in changing the neurobiology of the animals, scientists suspected that epigenetic factors were involved. These are chemical modifications to the chromosomes that affect how genes are transcribed or suppressed, as opposed to changes in the gene sequences themselves.
- … Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have long been of interest to neuroscientists and endocrinologists who study the social behaviour of animals, in part because this species forms monogamous pair bonds — essentially mating for life. The voles' pair bonding, sharing of parental roles and egalitarian nest building in couples makes them a good model for understanding the biology of monogamy and mating in humans.