Female-Paced Mating does not Affect Pair-Bond Expression by Male Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Prairie vole males typically display robust preferences for affiliation with their respective mates that indicate the expression of a pair-bond. However, it recently has been shown that the strength of a male vole's pair-bond can differ depending on the reproductive status of his mate. In the present study, we examined the possibility that female-controlled pacing of the mating sequence could alter males' affiliative behaviors in a partner-preference test by affecting reproductive success. We expected an earlier onset of mating and thus earlier onset of pregnancy would occur if females controlled the pace of mating, in turn, reinforcing males' preference for their familiar mates vs for a stranger. We found that female-pacing did not affect latency to mating, mating duration, or any of our other measures of social or mating behaviors. Further, female paced-mating did not alter reproductive success as indicated by litter size. We conclude that female-paced mating in prairie voles does not impact the formation, consolidation and/or expression of a pair-bond, either directly or indirectly, by their male partners.