Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: HUGO EDUARDO DE MOURA FERREIRA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : HUGO EDUARDO DE MOURA FERREIRA
DATE: 05/04/2024
TIME: 13:00
LOCAL: https://meet.google.com/ges-ptcd-ujj
TITLE:

Mapping the sounds of individuality: Individual differences in behavior as predictors of predictors of acoustic communication in the Goytacá mouse (Cerradomys goytaca)

KEY WORDS:

Goytacá-rat, Sigmodontinae, Bioacoustics, Rodentia, Personality.

PAGES: 31
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Zoologia
SUBÁREA: Comportamento Animal
SUMMARY:

Individual variation in behavior is observed in various animal species. When this variation
shows patterns of temporal and contextual consistency, it can be characterized as personality. The
bold-shy axis comprises personality traits that are highly relevant adaptively. For example, bold
individuals are more exploratory and are more likely to expose themselves to predation risks in
search of resources. Recent studies indicate that, in mammals, personality is related to vocalization,
with higher boldness levels correlating with increased frequency and rate of vocalization. Acoustic
signals enable individuals to obtain information of high adaptive value such as reproductive and
hierarchical status, emotional states, age, and health conditions. The order Rodentia is the most
diverse and widely distributed among mammals, yet knowledge about intraspecific variation and
the relationship between personality and vocalization is still incipient. Among these species, the
Cerradomys goytaca stands out, an endemic cricetid rodent from the restinga regions of
southeastern Brazil and currently threatened with extinction. Captive individuals of this species
have been kept at the Rodent Experimental Biobank of the Institute of Biodiversity and
Sustainability (NUPEM/UFRJ), allowing for the description of their acoustic repertoire and
investigation into how individual differences in behavior relate to vocalization. Open-field tests
were conducted to assess the level of exploration and, based on that, define the personality of each
individual. Vocalizations were recorded over a continuous period of two hours, with an initial 30-
minute acclimatization period. Additionally, data collection will take place in two campaigns,
allowing for the repetition of experiments and confirmation of the consistency of observed
behavioral profiles. The first campaign took place between February and March 2024, and the
second will occur in the period between September and October 2024. Exploration data analysis
will be conducted using the ANY-maze software, while acoustic analysis will be done using Raven
software (version 2.0). Statistical analyses will be carried out using Excel and R software.
Preliminary results have already shown patterns in vocalization characteristics that resemble those
found in other rodent species. The findings of this work can contribute to expanding knowledge
about the ecological and evolutionary aspects of personality and acoustic communication in
animals. Moreover, the discovery of these characteristics and possible behavioral patterns could be
useful for maintaining the quality of life of this biological model ex situ and in animal/translational
experimentation protocols.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1863735 - RENATA SANTORO DE SOUSA LIMA
Externa à Instituição - PAULA VERZOLA - USP