Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species
Bonding between mothers and their young is fundamental to mammalian reproductive behaviour and individual fitness. In social systems where the risk of confusing filial and non-filial offspring is high, mothers should demonstrate early, strong and consistent responses to their kin throughout the peri...
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ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt4m69t455 2023-11-05T03:41:42+01:00 Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species Linossier, Juliette Casey, Caroline Charrier, Isabelle Mathevon, Nicolas Reichmuth, Colleen 20210469 2021-12-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m69t455 unknown eScholarship, University of California qt4m69t455 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m69t455 public Biology Letters, vol 17, iss 12 Zoology Ecology Biological Sciences Prevention Animals Female Lactation Maternal Behavior Mothers Recognition Psychology Seals Earless acoustic communication mother-offspring bonding maternal investment vocalizations mother–offspring bonding Evolutionary Biology article 2021 ftcdlib 2023-10-09T18:04:20Z Bonding between mothers and their young is fundamental to mammalian reproductive behaviour and individual fitness. In social systems where the risk of confusing filial and non-filial offspring is high, mothers should demonstrate early, strong and consistent responses to their kin throughout the period of offspring dependence, irrespective of maternal traits. We tested this hypothesis through playback experiments in the northern elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris, a phocid species that breeds in high-density colonies. We found that mothers recognized their offspring throughout lactation and as early as 1-2 days after parturition. Measures of experience (age) and temperament (aggressivity) did not predict their response strength to filial playback treatments, nor did pup age or sex. Some mothers showed great consistency in behavioural responses throughout the lactation period, while others were less predictable. The strength of a female's response did not influence her pup's weaning weight; however, more consistent females weaned pups of higher mass. This is a rare demonstration of individual recognition among phocid mothers and their offspring, and suggests that consistency in maternal responsiveness may be an important social factor influencing the pup's growth and survival. Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seal University of California: eScholarship |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Zoology Ecology Biological Sciences Prevention Animals Female Lactation Maternal Behavior Mothers Recognition Psychology Seals Earless acoustic communication mother-offspring bonding maternal investment vocalizations mother–offspring bonding Evolutionary Biology |
spellingShingle |
Zoology Ecology Biological Sciences Prevention Animals Female Lactation Maternal Behavior Mothers Recognition Psychology Seals Earless acoustic communication mother-offspring bonding maternal investment vocalizations mother–offspring bonding Evolutionary Biology Linossier, Juliette Casey, Caroline Charrier, Isabelle Mathevon, Nicolas Reichmuth, Colleen Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
topic_facet |
Zoology Ecology Biological Sciences Prevention Animals Female Lactation Maternal Behavior Mothers Recognition Psychology Seals Earless acoustic communication mother-offspring bonding maternal investment vocalizations mother–offspring bonding Evolutionary Biology |
description |
Bonding between mothers and their young is fundamental to mammalian reproductive behaviour and individual fitness. In social systems where the risk of confusing filial and non-filial offspring is high, mothers should demonstrate early, strong and consistent responses to their kin throughout the period of offspring dependence, irrespective of maternal traits. We tested this hypothesis through playback experiments in the northern elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris, a phocid species that breeds in high-density colonies. We found that mothers recognized their offspring throughout lactation and as early as 1-2 days after parturition. Measures of experience (age) and temperament (aggressivity) did not predict their response strength to filial playback treatments, nor did pup age or sex. Some mothers showed great consistency in behavioural responses throughout the lactation period, while others were less predictable. The strength of a female's response did not influence her pup's weaning weight; however, more consistent females weaned pups of higher mass. This is a rare demonstration of individual recognition among phocid mothers and their offspring, and suggests that consistency in maternal responsiveness may be an important social factor influencing the pup's growth and survival. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Linossier, Juliette Casey, Caroline Charrier, Isabelle Mathevon, Nicolas Reichmuth, Colleen |
author_facet |
Linossier, Juliette Casey, Caroline Charrier, Isabelle Mathevon, Nicolas Reichmuth, Colleen |
author_sort |
Linossier, Juliette |
title |
Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
title_short |
Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
title_full |
Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
title_fullStr |
Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
title_full_unstemmed |
Maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
title_sort |
maternal responses to pup calls in a high-cost lactation species |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m69t455 |
op_coverage |
20210469 |
genre |
Elephant Seal |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seal |
op_source |
Biology Letters, vol 17, iss 12 |
op_relation |
qt4m69t455 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m69t455 |
op_rights |
public |
_version_ |
1781698293617655808 |