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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Horm Behav. 2020 Sep 30;126:104847. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104847

Figure 4. Effects of mating latency on partner preference.

Figure 4.

Dividers were removed from cages 48 hours post-pairing, and mating behavior was filmed and scored for the first 180 minutes of interactions. Voles that mated within the first 180 minutes were classified as “Early Mated” while those who did not were classified as “Non-Early Mated”. A, B) For the first and second pairings, approximately half of the test animals mated within the first 180 minutes, and there were no differences in the proportion of early mated animals for partner 1 vs partner 2 (p = 0.187). C) Likewise, there were no significant differences in latency to mate with Partner 1 or Partner 2 (p = 0.452). D, E) Partner preference emerged at the long-term PPT for both early (D) and non-early (E) maters (Early mated: short term, p = 0.094, long term p = 0.0004;. Non-early mated: short term, p = 0.099, long term p = 0.039) F) Only animals that mated within the first 180 minutes showed a preference for partner 2 (short term, p < 0.001, long term, p = 0.002). G) Non-early maters failed to form a partner preference at either time point (short term, p = 0.309, long term, p = 0.623).