Low temperatures during ontogeny increase fluctuating asymmetry and reduce maternal aggression in the house mouse, Mus musculus

Abstract Maternal aggression is behavior displayed by post‐partum lactating female mice toward unfamiliar conspecifics, presumably as a defense against infanticide. A variety of perinatal stressors can impair maternal care in adulthood. Previous studies on associations between developmental perturbations and maternal aggression have produced mixed results. To address this issue, we employed a proxy for developmental instability, namely fluctuating asymmetry (FA) to further elucidate the relationship between low temperature stress and maternal aggression. FA, small, random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral characters is used as a quantitative measure of stress during ontogeny. Dams were either maintained in standard laboratory temperatures (21 ± 2°C), or cold temperatures (8 ± 2°C) during gestation. During lactation, their progeny either remained in the temperature condition in which they were gestated or were transferred to the other temperature condition. Four individual measures of FA, a composite of these measures, and three measures of maternal aggression were assessed in the female progeny in adulthood. Exposure to low temperatures during both pre‐ and early post‐natal development increased composite FA and reduced all three measures of maternal aggression compared to controls. Exposure to low temperatures during the pre‐ or post‐natal period alone did not induce either high FA or altered maternal aggression. Certain measures of FA and nest ...
Source: Ethology - Category: Zoology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH PAPER Source Type: research