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JENNIFER L. WILES & JIMMY DORRIS
Department of Biology
Mentor: Terry Derting
Title of Presentation: Male Chemosignals and Female Odor- and Social-Preferences in the Prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)
Presented at: MSU Sigma Xi Annual Research Symposium and Poster Competition, 1997
1997 Midwest Ecology and Evolution Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY (presented by J. Dorris).
The research was supported by: Supported by NSF/EPSCoR, the Committee on Institutional Studies and Research, MSU, and the Department of Biological Sciences ABSTRACT The purpose of our research was to conduct a preliminary study of the role of male chemosignals in female mate preference and to determine whether hormones of males account for differences in male odors. Our model species was the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Our hypotheses were that 1) females prefer the odors of males in good condition as compared to males in poor condition, 2) females preferentially associate with males in good condition as compared to males in poor condition, and 3) a positive correlation exists between the testosterone level of males and odor preferences of females. The odors of males in good condition were preferred by females over the odors of males in poor condition. In contrast, females showed no significant association-preference between control and experimental males. There was no significant correlation between testosterone levels of males and odor preferences of females, however. Factors other than testosterone must, therefore, influence female preferences for male odors and, perhaps, mates.
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