Recent evidence indicates that predation risk plays a special role in the rodent behavior of dams and offspring, but little is known about the effect of maternal exposure to the predator cues in the absence of pups. Here, we assessed the effects of repeated predator odor exposure on various maternal responses in postpartum Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). We also examined offspring's behavior response to a novel environment. Only mother voles were exposed to distilled water, rabbit urine and cat urine for 60 min daily from postpartum day (PP) 1-18. Maternal behavior was immediately tested after these exposures on PP1, 3, 6, 9 and 18. Repeated cat odor (CO) and rabbit odor (RO) exposure disrupted hovering over pups in a time-dependent fashion. Repeated CO exposure also time-dependently disrupted pup retrieval, whereas RO exposure induced long-term reduction in pup licking. Juvenile offspring of CO-exposed mothers showed increased locomotor activity and decreased rearing in the open field at postnatal day 30. These findings demonstrated that maternal exposure to predator or non-predator odors had a disruptive effect on the maternal behavior of Brandt's voles when only the mother was exposed to these odors, and that the adversity experience with predation risk significantly impacted the behavioral development of offspring. Future work should explore possible behavioral mechanisms, such as the effect of predation risk, on the dams' emotional processing or pup preference.

中文翻译：

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反复接触捕食者气味会改变产后布兰特田鼠的母体行为和后代的运动活动

最近的证据表明，捕食风险在大坝和后代的啮齿动物行为中起着特殊的作用，但在没有幼崽的情况下，母体暴露于捕食者线索的影响知之甚少。在这里，我们评估了重复的捕食者气味暴露对产后布兰特田鼠（Lasiopodomysbrandtii）的各种母体反应的影响。我们还检查了后代对新环境的行为反应。从产后第 1-18 天开始，每天只有母田鼠暴露于蒸馏水、兔尿和猫尿 60 分钟。在 PP1、3、6、9 和 18 上这些暴露后立即测试母体行为。重复的猫气味 (CO) 和兔子气味 (RO) 暴露以时间依赖的方式扰乱在幼崽上方盘旋。重复的 CO 暴露也会随时间而中断幼崽的回收，而 RO 暴露导致幼犬舔舐的长期减少。暴露于 CO 的母亲的幼年后代在出生后第 30 天表现出增加的运动活动和减少在露天场地的饲养。这些发现表明，母亲暴露于捕食者或非捕食者气味对布兰特田鼠的母性行为有破坏性影响，当只有母亲暴露在这些气味中，并且具有捕食风险的逆境经历显着影响了后代的行为发展。未来的工作应该探索可能的行为机制，例如捕食风险对大坝情绪处理或幼崽偏好的影响。这些发现表明，当只有母亲暴露于这些气味时，母体暴露于捕食者或非捕食者的气味会对布兰特田鼠的母性行为产生破坏性影响，并且具有捕食风险的逆境经历显着影响了后代的行为发展。未来的工作应该探索可能的行为机制，例如捕食风险对大坝情绪处理或幼崽偏好的影响。这些发现表明，当只有母亲暴露于这些气味时，母体暴露于捕食者或非捕食者的气味会对布兰特田鼠的母性行为产生破坏性影响，并且具有捕食风险的逆境经历显着影响了后代的行为发展。未来的工作应该探索可能的行为机制，例如捕食风险对大坝情绪处理或幼崽偏好的影响。