Meeting Abstract
Behavior of small mammals can often be difficult to actively observe in the wild due to their secretive nature. In particular, maternal care behavior is often performed in enclosed areas, making frequent or continuous behavioral observation of mothers interacting with pups during development near impossible. Much of our understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to maternal behavior stems from small mammal research conducted in laboratory environments. By developing methods to measure maternal behavior in a wild small mammal, we can expand our understanding of maternal behavior by investigating natural variation and ultimately fitness consequences of this variation. By using accelerometer collars with temperature sensors on wild red squirrels, we measured multiple behaviors, including nest usage, without direct observation of the animal. Additionally, we used brief observational periods during standardized nest entries to gather a metric of maternal motivation. Using these data, we compared frequency and duration of nest entries of lactating squirrels with maternal retrieval behavior observed during nest entries. We also compared activity levels while in the nest between lactating and non-breeding red squirrels to identify a specific movement signature of interacting with pups as opposed to resting in the nest. Additionally, we used data collected from squirrels in a glucocorticoid supplementation experiment to investigate the effects of maternal glucocorticoids during pregnancy or lactation on these behavioral measures.
