Assessing the role of environment on marmoset behavior

Advisor Information

Jeffrey French

Location

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

4-3-2016 9:00 AM

End Date

4-3-2016 10:30 AM

Abstract

Animal research often involves removing a subject from their home-environment and placing them into an experimental setting to make controlled changes and observations. This project provides justification for the reliability of data collection that occurs outside of the homeenvironment, and the consistency of marmoset monkey behavior across settings. Behavioral data were collected both in the home-environment, as well as in an artificial test setting in which the subject was exposed to a novel object (in the home-environment a wooden perch, and in the test setting an unfamiliar apparatus). Behaviors indicative of avoidance and stress were recorded during focal observations in both settings. In the home-environment subjects had access to their pair-mate for the entirety of the observation. Marmoset monkeys are highly social and form strong male-female social bonds, however, their behavior toward the novel object was not related to the behavior of their pair-mate toward that object (r=-0.57-0.601,p>0.05). Stress behavior in the novel environment (average time moving around the apparatus across observations) was significantly predicted by the amount of time spent interacting with the novel object in the home-environment (average time sitting on the perch across observations), such that subjects that took longer to approach the perch in the home-environment spent more time in locomotion (indicating increased stress) (F(1,5)=16.141,p=0.016) and tended to spend less time sitting on the perch (F(1,5)=7.661,p=0.05). Sex differences in these results were not observed. These findings suggest that the stress behavior of a marmoset is consistent across experimental environments for both male and female marmosets.

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Mar 4th, 9:00 AM Mar 4th, 10:30 AM

Assessing the role of environment on marmoset behavior

Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library

Animal research often involves removing a subject from their home-environment and placing them into an experimental setting to make controlled changes and observations. This project provides justification for the reliability of data collection that occurs outside of the homeenvironment, and the consistency of marmoset monkey behavior across settings. Behavioral data were collected both in the home-environment, as well as in an artificial test setting in which the subject was exposed to a novel object (in the home-environment a wooden perch, and in the test setting an unfamiliar apparatus). Behaviors indicative of avoidance and stress were recorded during focal observations in both settings. In the home-environment subjects had access to their pair-mate for the entirety of the observation. Marmoset monkeys are highly social and form strong male-female social bonds, however, their behavior toward the novel object was not related to the behavior of their pair-mate toward that object (r=-0.57-0.601,p>0.05). Stress behavior in the novel environment (average time moving around the apparatus across observations) was significantly predicted by the amount of time spent interacting with the novel object in the home-environment (average time sitting on the perch across observations), such that subjects that took longer to approach the perch in the home-environment spent more time in locomotion (indicating increased stress) (F(1,5)=16.141,p=0.016) and tended to spend less time sitting on the perch (F(1,5)=7.661,p=0.05). Sex differences in these results were not observed. These findings suggest that the stress behavior of a marmoset is consistent across experimental environments for both male and female marmosets.