Does the early social environment prepare individuals for the future? A match-mismatch experiment in female wild cavies.

摘要: The social environment that mothers experience during pregnancy and lactation has a strong effect on the developing offspring. Whether offspring can be adaptively shaped to match an is similar maternal one still major question in research. Our previous work wild cavies showed females whose lived stable with few challenges (SE-daughters) developed different behavioral phenotypes than unstable frequent (UE-daughters). In present study we investigated whether SE-daughters are better adapted environment, their one, UE-daughters, for which represents mismatch one. For this purpose, established pairs of UE- SE-daughter housed them together under conditions week. Dominance ranks, profiles, glucocorticoid levels, cortisol responsiveness body weight changes were compared between groups. We hypothesized fare setting UE-daughters. After week cohabitation condition, UE-daughters had higher tended gain less within first three days displayed frequencies energy-demanding behaviors such as rearing digging SE-daughters. However, there was no difference well dominance ranks Higher levels imply energy demands This high demand further indicated by increased display behavior. Rearing implies vigilance, far too demanding condition but may confer advantage environment. Hence, seem do who encountered data supports environmental matching hypothesis, stating individuals manage best environments correspond ones.