Evolution of Pallial Areas and Networks Involved in Sociality: Comparison Between Mammals and Sauropsids
Birds are extremely interesting animals for studying the neurobiological basis of cognition and its evolution. They include species that are highly social and show high cognitive capabilities. Moreover, birds rely more on visual and auditory cues than on olfaction for social behavior and cognition, just like primates. In primates, there are two major brain networks associated to sociality: (1) one related to perception and decision-making, involving the pallial amygdala (with the basolateral complex as a major component), the temporal and temporoparietal neocortex, and the orbitofrontal cortex; (2) another one related to affiliation, including the medial extended amygdala, the ventromedial …
Trigeminal Projections to the Dorsal Thalamus in a Lacertid Lizard, <i>Podarcis hispanica</i>
Trigeminothalamic projections in the lizard <i>Podarcis hispanica </i>were investigated by means of biotinylated dextranamine (BDA) injections into different nuclei of the dorsal thalamus. Previous studies of lizards found a projection from the sensory trigeminal nuclei in the brainstem to the nuclei ventromedialis and ventrolateralis of the ventral thalamus. The present results show that, in addition to these projections to ventral thalamic nuclei, neurons of the nucleus of the descending tract and the principal sensory nucleus project contralaterally to the pretectal nucleus lentiformis thalami and bilaterally to the nucleus dorsolateralis anterior thalami of the dorsal thalam…
Neurogenesis and Neuronal Regeneration in the Adult Reptilian Brain
Evidence accumulated over the last few decades demonstrates that all reptiles examined thus far continue to add neurons at a high rate and in many regions of the adult brain. This so-called adult neurogenesis has been described in the olfactory bulbs, rostral forebrain, all cortical areas, anterior dorsal ventricular ridge, septum, striatum, nucleus sphericus, and cerebellum. The rate of neuronal production varies greatly among these brain areas. Moreover, striking differences in the rate and distribution of adult neurogenesis have been noted among species. In addition to producing new neurons in the adult brain, lizards, and possibly other reptiles as well, are capable of regenerating larg…
AGONISTIC INTERACTIONS IN A LIOLAEMUS LIZARD: STRUCTURE OF HEAD BOB DISPLAYS
Males from different iguanian lizard species engage in frequent visual signaling during agonistic interactions, mainly by displaying head bobs. We conducted a detailed study of the structure of head bob displays mediating male agonistic interactions in Liolaemus lemniscatus lizards. We staged pair-wise encounters where one male, the intruder, was placed in the terrarium of a conspecific male, the resident. During these interactions, males exhibited only one type of head bob display made up of three distinct units: a low amplitude bob (unit 1), a brief pause (unit 2), and two consecutive high-amplitude bobs (unit 3). Head bob displays occurred singly or as a part of a bout, with a mean numbe…
Courtship, Mating, and Sex Pheromones in the Mealworm Beetle (Tenebrio molitor)
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on courtship and mating in a coleopteran, the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor), observation and description of the behavior of (relatively) undisturbed animals, and the response of male Tenebrio molitor to the female sex attractant pheromone. Pheromones used in communication between members of the opposite sex in a mating context are collectively termed sex pheromones. In many insect species, detection of a sex pheromone is often sufficient to initiate the species-typical courtship and mating behaviors, although the release of these behaviors can be modified by visual, tactile, acoustic, or other types of stimuli. For example, upon detecting a…
Afferent and efferent projections of the dorsal anterior thalamic nuclei in the lizard Podarcis hispanica (Sauria, Lacertidae).
The aim of this study was to investigate the afferent and efferent connections of the anterior thalamic nuclei in the lizard Podarcis hispanica. To identify potential sources of sensory inputs and to determine the fine organization of the projections of these thalamic nuclei to the telencephalon, we injected the sensitive tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into different nuclei of the anterior dorsal thalamus. We also injected BDA into several telencephalic areas in order to corroborate the results of thalamic injections. Our results show that the anterior thalamic nuclei receive projections from multiple areas and nuclei distributed throughout most of the brain, from rhombencephalon t…
3-Acetylpyridine-induced degeneration and regeneration in the adult lizard brain: a qualitative and quantitative analysis
Abstract The neurotoxin 3-acetylpyridine (3AP) produces highly selective neuronal damage in specific areas of the lizard brain. Following 3AP intoxication, proliferation and migration of replacement neurons born in the ventricular walls lead to regeneration of the lesioned areas. Earlier studies established the time course of 3AP-induced degeneration and subsequent regeneration in the medial cerebral cortex of adult lizards (Font, E., Garcia-Verdugo, J.M., Alcantara, S. and Lopez-Garcia, C., Neuron regeneration reverses 3-acetylpyridine-induced cell loss in the cerebral cortex of adult lizards, Brain Res. , 551 (1991) 230–235 [13] ). Complementary to our previous studies, we now provide a q…
Adult neurogenesis in the telencephalon of the lizard Podarcis liolepis
In adult lizards, new neurons are generated from neural stem cells in the ventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. These new neurons migrate and integrate into the main telencephalic subdivisions. In this work we have studied adult neurogenesis in the lizard Podarcis liolepis (formerly Podarcis hispanica) by administering [3H]-thymidine and bromodeoxyuridine as proliferation markers and euthanizing the animals at different survival times to determine the identity of progenitor cells and to study their lineage derivatives. After short survival times, only type B cells are labeled, suggesting that they are neural stem cells. Three days after administration, some type A cells are labeled, c…
Beyond ‘nasty neighbours’ and ‘dear enemies’? Individual recognition by scent marks in a lizard (Podarcis hispanica)
True individual recognition (TIR), the ability to recognize conspecific individuals on the basis of identity cues, is required for the evolution of several social traits (e.g. the maintenance of dominance hierarchies). However, knowledge about the distribution and functional significance of TIR is scant in some vertebrate groups, such as reptiles. In this study we used a functional modification of a habituation-dishabituation paradigm to investigate the existence and adaptive significance of TIR in a territorial lizard (Podarcis hispanica, Lacertidae). Males discriminated between individual rivals of similar characteristics (e.g. size, weight, familiarity) solely on the basis of their scent…
Size variation and cell proliferation in chemosensory brain areas of a lizard (Podarcis hispanica): effects of sex and season
Many lizards rely on chemoreception for crucial aspects of their biology, including exploration, prey and predator detection, and intraspecific communication. Here we investigate sex and seasonal variation in size and proliferative activity in chemosensory areas of the lizard brain. We captured adult Iberian wall lizards (Podarcis hispanica) of either sex in the breeding (April) and non-breeding (November) season, injected them with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and killed them 3 weeks later. We removed the brains, measured the length of the olfactory bulbs, and counted BrdU-labelled cells in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs (MOB, AOB), lateral cortex (LC) and nucleus sphericus (NS).…
The proliferative ventricular zone in adult vertebrates: a comparative study using reptiles, birds, and mammals
Although evidence accumulated during the last decades has advanced our understanding of adult neurogenesis in the vertebrate brain, many aspects of this intriguing phenomenon remain controversial. Here we review the organization and cellular composition of the ventricular wall of reptiles, birds, and mammals in an effort to identify differences and commonalities among these vertebrate classes. Three major cell types have been identified in the ventricular zone of reptiles and birds: migrating (Type A) cells, radial glial (Type B) cells, and ependymal (Type E) cells. Cells similar anatomically and functionally to Types A, B, and E have also been described in the ventricular wall of mammals, …
Chemosensory assessment of rival competitive ability and scent-mark function in a lizard, Podarcis hispanica
Recent studies have stressed the role of scent marks as signals potentially mediating competitor assessment. According to this view, receivers may use scent marks to derive information about the costs of exploiting a given area, but few studies have directly addressed this hypothesis. One of its main predictions is that scent marks should reflect a signaller's competitive ability. We simulated the situation faced by an intruding male when entering the scent-marked territories of rival males of varying competitive ability to test predictions about the role of scent marks in a lizard, Podarcis hispanica. We report that males were attracted to areas marked by males of similar or higher competi…
Chemosensory Recognition of Familiar and Unfamiliar Conspecifics by Juveniles of the Iberian Wall Lizard Podarcis hispanica
Chemosensory recognition of familiar conspecifics has been reported in studies with members of several lizard families and may be advantageous to distinguish between intruders and neighbors or group members. However,few species have been studied and information on the ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics by chemosensory means is lacking for most lizard families. In this paper we ask whether juveniles of the Iberian wall lizard Podarcis hispanica (Lacertidae),can discriminate between chemical signals from familiar conspecifics with whom they have shared a terrarium for several months and those from unfamiliar conspecifics housed in a different terrarium. Exper…
Chemosensory cues allow male Tenebrio molitor beetles to assess the reproductive status of potential mates
Males of many insect species, including beetles, choose their mates according to their reproductive status. However, the ways in which male beetles evaluate female reproductive status have received little attention. We tested the existence of male mate choice in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, by observing mating and courtship behaviour of males given simultaneous access to pairs of females differing in their reproductive status: (1) mature versus immature; (2) virgin versus previously mated; (3) familiar (mated with the experimental male) versus unfamiliar (mated with a different male). Males courted and mated preferentially with mature and virgin females. To determine whether chemi…
Expression of regulatory genes in the embryonic brain of a lizard and implications for understanding pallial organization and evolution
The comparison of gene expression patterns in the embryonic brain of mouse and chicken is being essential for understanding pallial organization. However, the scarcity of gene expression data in reptiles, crucial for understanding evolution, makes it difficult to identify homologues of pallial divisions in different amniotes. We cloned and analyzed the expression of the genes Emx1, Lhx2, Lhx9, and Tbr1 in the embryonic telencephalon of the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus. The comparative expression patterns of these genes, critical for pallial development, are better understood when using a recently proposed six-part model of pallial divisions. The lizard medial pallium, expressing all…