Neural basis of social status transition in Astatotilapia burtoni
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Animals display remarkable range in social behavior, despite high conservation of many neurochemicals and their receptors. Even within a species, the social behavior of an individual can vary dramatically depending on environmental and internal cues. What neural mechanisms participate in this flexibility? To investigate the neural basis of social phenotypic plasticity within a species, I used the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, in which adult males can reversibly transition between two strikingly different social phenotypes: subordinate and dominant. In the wild and in the laboratory, these phenotypic transitions predictably follow changes in the social environment. The speed of the behavioral transition from subordinate to dominant outpaces the development of known endocrine and neuroanatomical differences between the two phenotypes. Therefore, I hypothesized that neuromodulation by neuropeptides plays a role in this transition. To test this hypothesis, I took two approaches. First, I focused on a candidate neuropeptide, kisspeptin, a major regulator of reproductive physiology in mammals that has long been suspected to have pleiotropic functions in the brain, and showed a novel role for kisspeptin as a modulator of male social behavior. Second, I used a proxy of neural activity to guide the identification of cell populations responsive to social environment change, and show a behavioral role for the bony fish homolog of oxytocin, isotocin. Both studies indicate a role for neuropeptides in A. burtoni behavioral plasticity. Both studies also suggest my initial question does not have a single answer: neuropeptide modulation is a widespread mechanism for behavioral flexibility, but different variations on this theme have evolved across different lineages. To advance our future investigations with A. burtoni, I also developed successful transgenesis of this species. A. burtoni is not only a behavioral neuroscience model, but is also a member of a vertebrate lineage used to study evolutionary diversification. I discuss how my contribution to the understanding of the proximate mechanisms underlying social behavior within a single species and technical contribution of transgenesis opens future avenues for investigating the neural basis of social behavior variation across species.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Hu, Caroline Kailing |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Biology. |
| Primary advisor | Fernald, Russell D |
| Thesis advisor | Fernald, Russell D |
| Thesis advisor | Clandinin, Thomas R. (Thomas Robert), 1970- |
| Thesis advisor | Parker, Karen J |
| Advisor | Clandinin, Thomas R. (Thomas Robert), 1970- |
| Advisor | Parker, Karen J |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Caroline Kailing Hu. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Biology. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2014. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2014 by Caroline Kailing Hu
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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