Reproductive experience drives changes in behavior and physiology in male California mice (Peromyscus californicus)

In biparental mammals, male behavior and reproductive physiology may be shaped by mating, siring, and caregiving, but their individual contributions are less understood. This dataset includes raw behavioral, physiological, and caregiving measures from two experiments in Peromyscus californicus males. In Experiment 1, we compared virgins, nonfathers (mated with sterile females), and experienced fathers on anxiety-like behavior (elevated plus maze), recognition memory (novel object recognition), testes weight, and sperm count. In Experiment 2, we compared nonfathers, pup-sensitized nonfathers (exposed to unrelated pups), and first-time fathers on the same behavioral and reproductive measures, as well as pup-directed behaviors including grooming, latency to approach, and nest building. Experienced fathers in Experiment 1 showed enhanced recognition memory, reduced anxiety-like behavior, and greater reproductive investment compared to virgins and nonfathers. In Experiment 2, only testes weight differed among groups—first-time fathers had larger testes than nonfathers—suggesting that reproductive investment responds more rapidly to mating and siring than behavioral traits do to brief caregiving. Pup-sensitized males and fathers differed in caregiving strategies: the former groomed pups more, while the latter invested more in nest building. The dataset includes CSV files of all raw data and R scripts for linear and mixed effects models.