Communal breeding affects offspring behaviours associated with a competitive social environment.

ABSTRACT: Communal breeding is characterised by shared care of offspring produced by more than one female, and can affect the behavioural development of young. The decision to care communally can vary according to local conditions, and has been hypothesised to occur more frequently when social competition is intense. However, it is unknown whether communal rearing of young influences adult behaviours likely to be adaptive under competitive conditions. Here, using a controlled experimental approach, we investigate effects of communal rearing on competitive and exploratory behaviours of adult male house mice. In tests of competitive scent marking, only communally-reared subjects discriminated between related and unrelated rivals, depositing more scent marks in close proximity to unrelated males. Commu

SUBMITTER: Fischer S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6237865 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature