Biomaterial Database

Effects of water deprivation on urine marking and aggression in male house mice. 1988

J A Maruniak, and J A Taylor, and G Perrigo

University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.

This study assessed the effects of water deprivation on male mouse urine marking and aggressive behaviors and endurance. In Experiment 1, the size of marks and frequency of marking were examined in 3 groups given 3 different weights of potato/day as their source of water. Males receiving the least water, 1.5 g potato/day, marked at significantly lower rates than males receiving 3 g potato/day or 6 g potato/day (p less than 0.01). The size of urine marks of males was judged by a panel to be unaffected by water deprivation. In Experiment 2, water-deprived males were not as aggressive as normal males and when paired with them were almost always subordinated. Experiment 3 tested the hypothesis that water-deprived males lost fights simply because they were weaker than normal males. When water-deprived and normal males were tested to determine the maximum length of time they could swim, no differences were found (p greater than 0.05). We conclude that water deprivation can directly affect the urine marking and aggressive behaviors of male mice. Such changes may be of adaptive importance during times of drought.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008815	Mice, Inbred Strains	Genetically identical individuals developed from brother and sister matings which have been carried out for twenty or more generations, or by parent x offspring matings carried out with certain restrictions. All animals within an inbred strain trace back to a common ancestor in the twentieth generation.	Inbred Mouse Strains,Inbred Strain of Mice,Inbred Strain of Mouse,Inbred Strains of Mice,Mouse, Inbred Strain,Inbred Mouse Strain,Mouse Inbred Strain,Mouse Inbred Strains,Mouse Strain, Inbred,Mouse Strains, Inbred,Strain, Inbred Mouse,Strains, Inbred Mouse
D010675	Pheromones	Chemical substances, excreted by an organism into the environment, that elicit behavioral or physiological responses from other organisms of the same species. Perception of these chemical signals may be olfactory or by contact.	Allelochemical,Allelochemicals,Allomone,Allomones,Ectohormones,Kairomone,Kairomones,Pheromone,Semiochemical,Semiochemicals,Synomones
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D000374	Aggression	Behavior which may be manifested by destructive and attacking action which is verbal or physical, by covert attitudes of hostility or by obstructionism.	Aggressions
D000378	Agonistic Behavior	Any behavior associated with conflict between two individuals.	Agonistic Behaviors,Behavior, Agonistic,Behaviors, Agonistic
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001522	Behavior, Animal	The observable response an animal makes to any situation.	Autotomy Animal,Animal Behavior,Animal Behaviors
D014868	Water Deprivation	The withholding of water in a structured experimental situation.	Deprivation, Water,Deprivations, Water,Water Deprivations
D014882	Water-Electrolyte Balance	The balance of fluid in the BODY FLUID COMPARTMENTS; total BODY WATER; BLOOD VOLUME; EXTRACELLULAR SPACE; INTRACELLULAR SPACE, maintained by processes in the body that regulate the intake and excretion of WATER and ELECTROLYTES, particularly SODIUM and POTASSIUM.	Fluid Balance,Electrolyte Balance,Balance, Electrolyte,Balance, Fluid,Balance, Water-Electrolyte,Water Electrolyte Balance