The ontogeny of male aggression and its hormonal basis in two house mouse subspecies

0423515 - ÚBO 2014 DE eng A - Abstract
Hiadlovská, Zuzana - Bufková Daniszová, Kristina - Janotová, Kateřina - Rusová, Nikola - Hamplová, P. - Vošlajerová Bímová, Barbora - Macholán, Miloš
The ontogeny of male aggression and its hormonal basis in two house mouse subspecies.
Mammalian Biology. Springer. Roč. 78, Special issue (2013), s. 11-12. ISSN 1616-5047. E-ISSN 1618-1476.
[Annual Meeting of the German Society of Mammalogy /87./. 08.09.2013-12.09.2013, Prague]
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/0640; GA ČR GAP506/11/1792
Institutional support: RVO:68081766 ; RVO:67985904
Keywords : house mouse * male aggression
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1616504713000785/pdfft?md5=4eff76b3a90ed9210d1b36ceb2654a14&pid=1-s2.0-S1616504713000785-main.pdf

Male aggression is important in shaping the social structure of animal communities. In mice, testosterone driven males are usually the more aggressive sex and with a strict hierarchy. In this study we focused on the ontogeny of male aggression and exploration in two house mouse subspecies(Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus) which hybridize in Europe. These two taxa differ in the level of aggression displayed, however, little is known about the ontogeny of these differences. We assessed the timing of both physiological characteristics and hormonal development along with the amount of pheromonally active Major Urinary Proteins(MUPs) which are involved in the signalling of male competitive abilities. Males of inbred strains derived from both subspecies and laboratory reared offspring of wild trapped mice were raised in fraternal pairs. The day of reaching sexual maturity and onset of aggression were estimated. The social rank among brothers (dominant/subordinate) was determined and individual exploration activity evaluated. During the whole process hormone and MUP levels were measured. When inbred strains are taken in to account,it seems to be advantageous for the domesticus males to invest in body growth and delay sexual maturity, which is then immediately followed by the onset of aggression. In wild mice, the situation is more obscure, with high levels of variability in our results.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0229647