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 teste..., , , ## **Overview**

This repository contains data and analysis scripts related to our behavioral and reproductive trait studies. The dataset includes raw data from various experiments and corresponding R scripts that perform linear models and linear mixed effects models on the data.

 

## **Files**

### **Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) Data and Scripts**

1. **EPM_Exp_1.csv**
* Description: Contains the raw data from the Experiment 1 elevated plus maze test.
* Variables:
1. Subject: A unique identifier assigned to each animal tested.
2. Treatment: Experimental group designation.
3. Distance_moved: Total distance the subject moved (in cm) during the EPM trial.
4. NUM_Closed_arm (Number of Closed Arm Entries): The number of times the subject entered either of the two closed arms.
5. DUR_Closed_arm (Duration in Closed Arms): Total time (in seconds) spent in the closed arms during the trial.
6. NUM_Open_arm (Number of Open Arm Entries): The number of times the su...,