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. 2022 Oct;337(8):802-811.
doi: 10.1002/jez.2637. Epub 2022 Jun 26.

Problem solving in fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rats Melomys cervinipes is not significantly influenced by maternal care or genetic effects

Misha K Rowell  1   2 , Tasmin L Rymer  1   2
Affiliations

Problem solving in fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rats Melomys cervinipes is not significantly influenced by maternal care or genetic effects

Misha K Rowell et al. J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Innovative problem solving is thought to be a flexible trait that allows animals to adjust to changing or challenging environmental conditions. However, it is not known how problem solving develops during an animal's early life, or whether it may have a heritable component. We investigated whether maternal genetic and nongenetic effects influenced problem-solving ability in a native Australian rodent, the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. We measured direct (time spent grooming and huddling), indirect (time spent nesting), and total amount of maternal care received across pup development (postnatal Days 1-13). We measured problem solving in juveniles using matchbox tasks, and in mothers and adult offspring using six tasks of varying complexity (matchbox, cylinder, obstruction, pillar, tile, and lever tasks). We found no relationship between any maternal care measures and problem-solving abilities across multiple tests, suggesting limited (if any) maternal nongenetic effects. We also found that, as shown by low heritability estimates, problem solving only had a small heritable component in some tasks, but this was nonsignificant and requires further investigation. These results suggest that problem solving is unlikely to be constrained by maternal effects experienced during early development, and is, instead, more likely to be influenced by other factors (e.g., experience) later in an individual's lifetime.

Keywords: development; genetic effects; heritability; innovation; ontogeny.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Problem‐solving tasks given to fawn‐footed mosaic‐tailed rats (Melomys cervinipes). (a) Matchbox task; (b) cylinder task with food (black circle) inside and tinfoil over one end; (c) Trixie dog activity board with pillar, tile, and lever tasks; and (d) obstruction task with a piece of crumpled paper blocking the entrance. From Rowell and Rymer (2021a).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The proportional latency to solve (s) of offspring fawn‐footed mosaic‐tailed rats Melomys cervinipes across seven different problem‐solving tests.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The nonsignificant heritability of problem‐solving ability between mothers and offspring fawn‐footed mosaic‐tailed rats Melomys cervinipes in (a) the cylinder task, (b) the tile task, and (c) the lever task.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The nonsignificant heritability of the time interacting with problems between mothers and offspring fawn‐footed mosaic‐tailed rats Melomys cervinipes in (a) the matchbox task, (b) the cylinder task, (c) the obstruction task, (d) the tile task, and (e) the lever task.
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