Variation in aggressiveness and the regulation of numbers in house mouse populations

Abstract

Three years of study were devoted to the search of a behavioural genetic mechanism for regulation of numbers in the house mouse (Mus. m.domesticus), following the lead of a pilot study suggesting applicability of the theory to this species. The hypothesis of a behavioural genetic mechanism, developed by Chitty and his school, maintains that (a) qualitative changes in behaviour are responsible for fluctuations in numbers of animal populations, and (b) these behavioural adjustments are underlain by shifts in frequency of genotypes. Chitty himself has always stressed the role of genotypes differing in aggressiveness: highly aggressive types having selective advantage under conditions of high density, and less aggressive (but more fertile) types being favoured in periods of low density. ... Zie: Summary