Genetically Identical Mice Express Alternative Reproductive Tactics Depending on Social Conditions in the Field.

ABSTRACT: In many species, establishing and maintaining a territory is critical to survival and reproduction, and an animal's ability to do so is strongly influenced by the presence and density of competitors. Here we manipulate social conditions to study the alternative reproductive tactics displayed by genetically identical, age-matched laboratory mice competing for territories under ecologically realistic social environmental conditions. We introduced adult males and females of the laboratory mouse strain (C57BL/6J) into a large, outdoor field enclosure containing defendable resource zones under one of two social conditions. We first created a low-density social environment, such that the number of available territories exceeded the number of males. After males established stable territories, we

SUBMITTER: Zipple MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10418070 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature