Inheritance of the acoustic signal parameters in interspecific hybrids of the bank (Myodes glareolus) and the Tien Shan (M. centralis) voles

BACKGROUND: The continuity of behavioral responses in the traits of offspring can be interpreted ambiguously because animal behavior can be transmitted from generation to generation genetically or can be trained. Inheritance of the sound signals characteristics in the absence of directional selection is of particular interest, and that was the purpose of the present work. RESULTS: Comparisons of distress signals of hybrids of the Tien Shan vole females Myodes centralis (Kyrgyzstan) and the bank vole males M. glareolus suecicus (the Tver region), and the parent species were made. Acoustic signals of the hybrids and parent species were compared using the variance and discriminant analysis. The distress signals of the Tien Shan voles were shorter, had lower peak frequency than the signals of the bank voles. The peak frequency of hybrids signals was closer to that of the bank voles. However, the duration of the hybrids sounds, on the contrary, was closer to that of the Tien Shan voles. The expression of the noise component in the sounds of the hybrids occupied an intermediate position. The discriminant analysis of distress signals in the Tien Shan and bank voles showed 94% of correct attributions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that the acoustic signals parameters were inheritance intermediate. The paternal genome (the bank voles) had greater influence on parameters of the sound signals in hybrids.