Changes in Social Interactions Over Time in a Newly- Formed Zebra Finch Flock
Advisor Information
Rosemary Strasser
Location
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
2-3-2018 12:45 PM
End Date
2-3-2018 1:00 PM
Abstract
Social interactions are critical for normative development across species. Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a highly social songbird, that interact at both a pair and flock level. As adolescent social environment has been demonstrated to impact sociality in zebra finches, the present study examined the impact of differences in rearing environment on adult social behavior. Zebra finch chicks were raised by either both of their parents (biparental) or only their mother (uniparental). After reaching adulthood, male and female zebra finches were released into an aviary equipped with two feeding stations that recorded date, time, and individual ID number every time a bird came to feed. During the 22 day data collection period, there were 20,658 recorded visits to the feeding stations, representing 2,045 separate co-feeding events. Data were analyzed using social network analysis to examine connectedness among flock mates. While overall sociality differed between male and female birds in the biparental condition, this was not observed in the uniparental condition, indicating that rearing selectively alters adult social behavior.
Changes in Social Interactions Over Time in a Newly- Formed Zebra Finch Flock
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Social interactions are critical for normative development across species. Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a highly social songbird, that interact at both a pair and flock level. As adolescent social environment has been demonstrated to impact sociality in zebra finches, the present study examined the impact of differences in rearing environment on adult social behavior. Zebra finch chicks were raised by either both of their parents (biparental) or only their mother (uniparental). After reaching adulthood, male and female zebra finches were released into an aviary equipped with two feeding stations that recorded date, time, and individual ID number every time a bird came to feed. During the 22 day data collection period, there were 20,658 recorded visits to the feeding stations, representing 2,045 separate co-feeding events. Data were analyzed using social network analysis to examine connectedness among flock mates. While overall sociality differed between male and female birds in the biparental condition, this was not observed in the uniparental condition, indicating that rearing selectively alters adult social behavior.