Melanie Gleske

PhD Student

 

© Melanie Gleske

Department of Behavioural Biology
Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology
Badestr. 13
D-48149 Münster, Germany
Tel.: +49 251 83-21004
melanie.gleske@uni-muenster.de

Nationality: German De

Education

  • Since 2022:
    PhD studies in the Department of Behavioural Biology, Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany
  • 2019 - 2022:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Biosciences, University of Münster, Germany
    Master thesis: "Optimist or Pessimist – a comparative study of two cognitive judgement bias paradigms in laboratory mice"
  • 2016 - 2019:
    Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biosciences, University of Münster, Germany
    Bachelor thesis: "Tonal song in European robins: the role of amplitude and frequency"

Supervisors

  • Prof. Dr. Sylvia Kaiser, Department of Behavioural Biology, Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Jürgen Gadau, Molecular Evolution and Sociobiology Group, Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster
  • Prof. Dr. Helene Richter, Department of Behavioural Biology, Institute for Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany

Research interests

  • Animal personality

  • Animal welfare

  • Behavioural ecology

  • Causes and consequences of individuality

PhD project description

Social niche conformance in male guinea pigs: behavioural profiles and hormone concentrations during the juvenile phase, adolescence and adulthood

The social environment in which an individual is living can change during lifetime. Thus, it is important that individuals are able to conform to different niches. This social niche conformance happens through shaping of behavioural and endocrine phenotypes. Our goal in this study is to fully understand social niche conformance in guinea pigs as a model organism by investigating when, how and why behavioural profiles are modulated in individual males during all three phases of ontogeny (juvenility, adolescence, adulthood).

For this approach, male guinea pigs will live in two distinct social environments: while males of both groups will live in heterosexual pairs, males of one group will be socially stimulated in their home enclosure several times during three different phases of ontogeny. Males of the other group will not receive such social stimulation. For my part of the project I will analyse the development of individual hormonal and behavioural phenotypes of males living in these different social environments during the juvenile phase, or adolescence, or adulthood separately. During the different life stages baseline cortisol, cortisol responsiveness and testosterone concentrations will be determined several times. In addition to that, a battery of behavioural tests to assess social behaviour, risk-taking behaviour and anxiety-like behaviour will be conducted at the end of the respective ontogenetic phase.

By proceeding this way, it should be elucidated when exactly adjustments of the phenotype (behavioural and hormonal profile) - based on social experiences and/or the occupation of social niches - can occur over the course of life. Furthermore, these results will give insight into how behaviour and hormones interact during this process in the individual phases of ontogeny.