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Peromyscus burrowing: A model system for behavioral evolution.

Caroline K Hu1, Hopi E Hoekstra1

  • 1Departments of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|August 7, 2016
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding the evolution of complex behaviors like burrowing in deer mice is challenging. Genetic analysis revealed modular evolution of burrowing traits, linking genetic variation to neural circuits.

Keywords:
Animal architectureBehaviorBehavioral geneticsBurrowingDeer miceExtended phenotype

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Behavioral genetics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Quantifying complex behaviors is crucial for understanding their genetic basis.
  • Deer mice (Peromyscus) exhibit heritable variation in burrowing behavior, leaving measurable physical traces.
  • Natural burrowing behaviors are reproducible in laboratory settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying variation in burrowing behavior in Peromyscus.
  • To compare burrowing architecture between two sister species, P. maniculatus and P. polionotus.
  • To explore the link between genetic variation and evolutionary changes in neural circuits.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a forward-genetic cross between Peromyscus maniculatus and Peromyscus polionotus.
  • Analyzed physical traces of burrowing behavior for quantitative measurement.
  • Identified genomic regions associated with specific burrow traits.

Main Results:

  • Identified several genomic regions linked to complex burrowing traits.
  • Demonstrated that burrowing behavior evolves in a modular fashion.
  • Highlighted differences in burrow architecture between the two species: P. maniculatus digs simple burrows, while P. polionotus digs long, complex burrows.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic variation between Peromyscus populations contributes to complex behavioral evolution.
  • Burrowing differences are likely influenced by variations in neural circuits.
  • Peromyscus provides a model system for connecting genetic diversity to evolutionary changes in brain function.