Nongenomic inheritance of emotional reactivity in Japanese quail.
Avian scientific literature includes few reports on the influence of characteristics of mothers on the behavior of their offspring. By comparing young domestic Japanese quail raised by adoptive mothers with high levels of general emotional reactivity (E+ mothers) to young raised by adoptive mothers with low levels of general emotional reactivity (E- mothers), we evaluated the influence of characteristics of mothers on the behavioral development of their offspring. Our results revealed that general emotional reactivity was higher in young raised by E+ mothers than in young raised by E- mothers. These differences were significant in the presence of mothers as well as after separation from them, suggesting direct as well as long-term maternal influence. Young raised by E+ mothers also presented delayed increases in weight.
Richard-Yris
Marie-Annick
MA
UMR CNRS 6552, Ethologie-Evolution-Ecologie, Université de Rennes 1, Bât. 25, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35042 Rennes Cedex, France. marie-annick.richard@univ-rennes1.fr
Michel
Nadia
N
Bertin
Aline
A
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003370:Coturnix / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors