BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Tackling variation and plasticity in social behavior at the molecul
 ar level in sticklebacks
LOCATION:Biology Auditorium 136
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20179101T000000
UID:2026-05-13-06-23-51@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260513T062351
Description:What does behavioral variation among individuals and behavioral
  plasticity look like at the molecular level? In this talk I will present 
 two cases studies illustrating some of the complexities\, nuances\, and op
 portunities for studying variation and plasticity in behavior at the molec
 ular level in threespined sticklebacks\, a species famous for its behavior
 al repertoire and evolution. The first study uses a time-series approach t
 o investigate behavioral plasticity at the molecular level in the brain in
  response to a brief territorial challenge. Following a social challenge\,
  there were multiple waves of transcription associated with distinct molec
 ular functions in the brain. We identify transcription factors that are pr
 edicted to coordinate waves of transcription and show that a brief social 
 interaction was sufficient to cause rapid and dramatic changes in chromati
 n accessibility. We integrate the time course brain gene expression data w
 ith a transcriptional regulatory network\, and link changes in gene expres
 sion to changes in chromatin accessibility and transcription factor bindin
 g.  This study reveals rapid and dramatic epigenomic plasticity in respon
 se to a brief\, highly consequential social interaction. The second study 
 investigates the inheritance\, plasticity and neurogenomics of parental ca
 re. We found that individual variation in parental care was highly heritab
 le: fathers that provided high levels of paternal care produced offspring 
 that also exhibited high levels of paternal care. Parental care is highly 
 plastic in response to cues of predation risk\, regardless of whether risk
  is experienced personally\, by their mate\, or by their father. Finally\,
  the process of becoming a father is associated with dramatic changes in b
 rain gene expression and chromatin accessibility. Altogether these finding
 s illustrate the need for new tools\, concepts and approaches that allow u
 s to integrate quantitive genetics with neurogenomic and epigenomic data t
 o understand variation and plasticity in behavior. 4:00 pm
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR