Abstract
Females of two inbred strains ofMus musculus domesticus, C57BL/Ibg and DBA/Ibg, were allowed to choose between two males, one of each strain, who were restrained within their cages. Females of both strains preferred to spend more time with, and to mate with, the males of the opposite strain rather than with males of their own strain. No major strain difference for the degree of preference was found. Preference was also unchanged between trials. There is a general lack of correlation between trials which is explained in terms of the nature of the variance in inbred strains. Female mating preference may have an evolutionary significance in reducing inbreeding.
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This work was supported by NIGMS Grant GM-14547.
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Yanai, J., McClearn, G.E. Assortative mating in mice. I. Female mating preference. Behav Genet 2, 173–183 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065688
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065688