title: Effects of olfactory bulbectomy on social behavior of male guinea pigs (Cavia procellus).
abstract: Effects of olfactory bulbectomy on social behavior in male guinea pigs were studied. Both brief-exposure pairing techniques and a group-living observation period were employed to test for disruption. During short-term testing sessions bulbectomized animals courted females less than but mounted them as frequently as control subjects. While the groups did not differ in fighting behavior during short-term tests, control subjects scent-marked more frequently. Subsequently, animals were observed as same-treatment pairs living continuously with females, and behavior was sampled over a 3-wk period. Under these conditions bulbectomized males, unlike controls, failed to form dominance orders, exhibited virtually no intermale aggressive activity, had markedly depressed sexual activity, and scent-marked rarely. It is concluded that olfactory bulbectomy profoundly alters the behavior of male domestic guinea pigs and that hose alterations are most evident when experimental subjects are observed in a species-typical group-living environment.
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009929:Organ Size; D010675:Pheromones; D011247:Pregnancy; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones