title: Changes in the body composition of mice selected for high and low eight week weight.
abstract: Body composition was studied in three lines of mice, one selected for high (H) and one for low (L) 8 week weight, and one maintained as an unselected control (C). After 25 generations 8 week weights were 41.2g, 30.6 g and 20.5g for the H, C and L lines. Mice were sampled from the lines and analysed for fat, protein, ash and water at generations 14 and 25. Apart from fat in the H line, there was little alteration due to selection in the relationships between individual body components and total body weight. In the H line, the contribution of fat to body weight gain was considerably increased. Although leaner than the C and L mice at low body weights, H line mice rapidly became fatter with increasing body weight. Selection appeared to reduce the body weight at which fat was deposited at its maximum rate in the H line. The H and C lines were equally fat at body weights of 29.0 g and 21.6 g at generations 14 and 25 respectively. Body weights at points of inflection of the growth curves of the H, C and L lines at generation 25 were 18.3 g, 14.3 g and 12.8 g. The implications of these findings for meat species slaughtered at set weights are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Q., Australia.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: McPhee
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Neill