Burrowing behavior in wild house mice: variation within and between populations.
Burrowing behavior was assessed on 120 lab-reared house mice (Mus domesticus) derived from five geographic populations representing a north-south cline along the east coast of the United States. Mice were placed individually into Plexiglas containers filled with sand and peat moss, and their burrows were excavated 24 h later. Seven measures were taken and reduced by principal-components analysis to two factors for further analysis. Marked differences existed within, but not between populations, and members of full-sib families built qualitatively and quantitatively similar burrows. The lack of a geographic cline and the apparent high heritability of burrowing behavior do not lend support to its use as a major thermoregulatory adaptation.
P R
PR
Bouchard
C B
CB
Lynch
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000235:genetics*; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006702:Homing Behavior; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012931:Social Environment