Abstract
Burrow construction abilities of laboratory-reared oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus), deermice (P. maniculatus), and their F1 hybrids were compared using a spacious earth-filled test chamber. Mated paris with nursing litters were individually introduced into the chamber for 4 days in each test. Oldfield mice bred in metal or plastic cages for 20 or more generations constructed elaborate burrows, with entrance and escape tunnels, tunnel plugs, next chambers, and nests, essentially like those of wild mice of this species. Prairie deermice maintained for 25 or more generations in captivity constructed shallow or superficial burrows characteristic of deermice in nature. F1 hybrids made burrows like those of oldfield mice, complete in all particulars. First-generation backcross animals tested for burrow building exhibited a spectrum of performances. Species difference in burrow construction is principally genetic in origin, and during 20–25 generations in captivity no substantial loss of this ability occurred. F1 hybrid data indicate that the more complex burrow building exhibits genetic dominance, and backcross results show that at least two and probably more gene loci strongly influence the trait.
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Dawson, W.D., Lake, C.E. & Schumpert, S.S. Inheritance of burrow building inPeromyscus . Behav Genet 18, 371–382 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01260937
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01260937