1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Behavior-genetic study on altruistic behavior in the inbred strain of mice
| Project/Area Number |
01450015
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Psychology
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| Research Institution | Shiga University, Faculty of Education, Department of Psychology, Professor |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
WATANABE Masayuki MA., 教育学部, 講師 (40201230)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1989 – 1991
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| Keywords | Infanticide / Offspring / Inbred strain of mice / Discrimination / Kin recognition / Parental investment / Altruistic behavior / Fitness |
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| Research Abstract |
Our purposes of the present study described in chapter in the closely on questions about Proximate mechanisms of infanticide : How are infanticidal behaviors inhibited ? What make some individual, but not other, kill young ? Why are some offspring but not others killed and by what means do infanticidal individuals avoid killing their own offspring ?
In Chapter 2, we found that adult male lice of C57BL and BALB strains exhibited pup-killing behavior, while the mice of DBA and C3H strains ignored or nursed toward newborn pup. In contrast, most of adult female mice in all inbred strains usually exhibited maternal behavior. Furthermore, mice in most inbred strains, pup-killing behavior begins at about 60 days of age. In Chapter 3, we proposed five principles of triad relationship in order to interpret the mechanism of inhibiting pup-killing behavior in the rodents. In Chapter 4, we found that an adult male mouse could calculate that his offspring would be born about 19 days after mating dur
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ing which parental behavior is facilitated and pup-killing behavior is inhibited. From the data, it is possible that this phenomenon may represents a, -mechanism by which male mice are inhibited from killing their own offspring. In Chapter 5, we found also that both male and female of adult mice are able to discriminate between their own and alien offsprings. It is possible from this data that the discrimination appears to be based upon olfactory and gustatory cues from occurrences of pup-sniffing and pup-licking of adult mice.
In Chapters 6 and 7, we proposed several concepts concerning how animal behaviors such as infanticide and discrimination be able to explain the phenomenon of kin recognition : namely, altruist, nepotism and parental investment are all used to refer to the same phenomenon bearing on the literature concerning infanticide and kin recognition. From our perspectives on altruistic behavior in animals, we conclude that human infanticide is condemned in all circumstances and the act of infanticide is unlikely to enhance the fitness of the parent. Less
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