Laboratory research on behavioral interactions as generators of population phenomena in rodents

Abstract

Many population phenomena are driven by the behavior of individual animals. The effects of behavior on differential reproduction vary with the mating system and with ecological factors; understanding of the complex interactions requires both laboratory and field research. Ecologically-relevant laboratory research should be designed using generalizable behavioral patterns with animals of appropriate species, meaningful genotypes, and known early experience that are studied in carefully-designed situations. Three exemplars of research of potential relevance to population phenomena are discussed. Studies of dominance and differential reproduction in deer mice in seminatural enclosures suggest that dominant males make disproportionately large contributions to gene pools and that dominance may be heritable. Laboratory studies of reproductive function in individuals bearing different alleles, determined electrophoretically, appear relevant to population processes reported correlated with changes in gene frequencies at these loci. Patterns of mate choice in two species of Microtus may be important in generating their contrasting mating systems in the field. Well-designed laboratory research can help reveal behavioral processes critical to population phenomena. © 1987 by the American Society of Zoologists.