Meeting Abstract

69.6  Thursday, Jan. 6  SEASONAL-LIKE VARIATION IN SONG SYSTEM VOLUME IN WILD ZEBRA FINCHES PERFITO, N.*; ZANN, R.A.; HAU, M.; BENTLEY, G.E.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; LaTrobe Univ, Melbourne, Australia; Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany; Univ. of California, Berkeley nperfito@berkeley.edu

Zebra finches have been extensively used as a model system for studying the underlying neuroplasticity that allows for song learning during development. However, less attention has been paid to potential neuroplasticity in adults. This is likely because zebra finches are considered age-limited learners, in which fixed songs are learned within a certain window of time during development, and because they breed more or less continuously in laboratory conditions, and thus may not be expected to show dramatic changes in song control nuclei associated with breeding and non-breeding stages. We present data from two populations of free-living zebra finches in Australia (one just beginning a bout of breeding and another during a non-breeding bout) that show a distinct differences in the volumes of two song system nuclei (HVC and Area X) depending on reproductive state. This is the first study to measure song system volumes in wild zebra finches, and demonstrates that the potential for neuroplasticity remains in adult zebra finches.