Abstract
A Mendelian genetic analysis and a diallel cross study were conducted to investigate nest-building behavior of inbred mice. The amount of cotton used to build nests was observed for 4 days when the mice were 8 weeks of age. Results indicate (1) a sex difference in the Mendelian and diallel cross populations, (2) a significant genotypic difference, and (3) heterosis in the F 1 hybrid populations. The broad-sence heritability, obtained from the Mendelian analysis, was 0.418 for males, whereas that of females was not estimated because of a negative estimate of genetic variance. The narrow-sense heritabilities were 0.14 and 0.21 for males and females, respectively. The broad-sense heritabilities obtained by the diallel cross method were 0.931 and 0.623 for males and females, respectively, and the narrow-sense heritabilities were 0.068 and 0.166 for males and females. The low narrow-sense heritability and the prevalent heterotic mode of inheritance suggest that nesting behavior has been under selection pressure and possesses adaptive significance.
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The work was supported by Grant MH-13431-01 from the National Institute of Mental health awarded to Dr. J. P. Scott and a graduate award to C. T. Lee from the University. The publication of this paper was supported by an award (1467) from Research Foundation of the City University of New York.
The paper is based on part of a dissertation presented to Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of Ph.D. degree in Psychology.
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Lee, C.T. Genetic analyses of nest-building behavior in laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Behav Genet 3, 247–256 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067601
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067601