Gasterosteus aculeatus Raw sequence reads. Gasterosteus aculeatus

Animals exhibit dramatic immediate behavioral plasticity in response to social interactions, and brief social interactions can shape the future social landscape. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to behavioral plasticity are unclear. Here, we show that the genome dynamically responds to social interactions with multiple waves of transcription associated with distinct molecular functions in male threespined sticklebacks. By integrating time course gene expression data with a transcriptional regulatory network and changes in chromatin accessibility, we identify transcription factors that coordinate waves of transcription associated with different components of behavioral plasticity. This study reveals rapid and dramatic epigenomic plasticity in response to a brief, highly consequential social interaction.