Biomaterial Database

Environmental temperature and maternal behavior in Rattus norvegicus. 1987

P Korda, and J Komorowska

In 14 female rats the daily duration of selected patterns of maternal behavior was registered for 10 successive days (from the 4th till the 13th day postpartum) for 180 min each day. On certain days the home cages of 7 females (experimental group) were cooled for 8 h, while the remaining 7 females constituted a control group. During the days of cooling the experimental females devoted to the care- giving behavior much more time than during the days without cooling. The drop in temperature influenced the intensity of maternal behavior not only in the early postpartum days, but also on the following days, and that behavior altered repeatedly according to temperature changes. The behavioral responses of females to the actual temperature changes emerge during the first 90 min of cooling. The results indicate that in the course of one maternal cycle the intensity of care-giving activities can be modified many times and relatively quickly, according to temperature changes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008425	Maternal Behavior	The behavior patterns associated with or characteristic of a mother.	Maternal Patterns of Care,Maternal Care Patterns,Behavior, Maternal,Behaviors, Maternal,Care Pattern, Maternal,Care Patterns, Maternal,Maternal Behaviors,Maternal Care Pattern,Pattern, Maternal Care,Patterns, Maternal Care
D001833	Body Temperature Regulation	The processes of heating and cooling that an organism uses to control its temperature.	Heat Loss,Thermoregulation,Regulation, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulation, Body,Body Temperature Regulations,Heat Losses,Loss, Heat,Losses, Heat,Regulations, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulations, Body,Thermoregulations
D003080	Cold Temperature	An absence of warmth or heat or a temperature notably below an accustomed norm.	Cold,Cold Temperatures,Temperature, Cold,Temperatures, Cold
D005260	Female		Females
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
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus