Effects of behaviour selection on litter size, fetal development and plasma progesterone concentrations during pregnancy in silver fox vixens

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 125-125
Author(s):  
L. V. Osadchuk
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Coat Colour ◽  
Performance Potential ◽  
Plasma Progesterone ◽  
Term Selection ◽  
Silver Fox ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Selection For ◽  
And Control

Animal domestication is a natural selection experiment the important result of which is a great increase in the rate of appearance of new forms and in the wild range of variation of organisms. Analysing different aspects of this problem, D.K. Belyaev has came to a hypothesis that the morphological and physiological reorganisation of domestic animals has been going by the way of unconscious selection of animals on their behaviour, carried out by person at the very first stages of domestication (Belyaev, 1979). To testify this hypothesis, a population of tame silver foxes has been produced in long-term selection for lack of aggression and fear towards humans (domestic behaviour) at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia. In the process of selection the genetic transformation of behaviour and morphology, and physiological functions has been observed (Trut, 1999). In particular, selected animals show no aggressiveness to man, behave amicably towards humans and have some changes in the coat colour and body constitution (Trut, 1999). The important part of Belyaev’s hypothesis was the assumption that selection for domestic behaviour could affect the reproductive function, in particular the pituitary-gonadal axis controlling reproduction and fertility. The aim of this study was to obtain information about possible changes in reproduction between control (C) and domesticated (D) vixens. Reproductive performance, potential fertility, embryonic mortality and fetal viability were analysed for vixens from domesticated and control population. In addition, plasma progesterone concentrations were determined in selected and control females during pregnancy.

scholarly journals Optimum selection intensities in artificial selection programmes: an experimental evaluation

1977 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Frankham
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evaluation ◽  
Selection Intensity ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Term Selection ◽  
Optimum Selection ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Selection Intensities ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Better Than

SUMMARYAn experimental evaluation of Robertson's (1970) theory concerning optimum intensities of selection for selection of varying durations has been carried out using published results from a long term selection study in Drosophila. Agreement of predicted rankings of treatments with expectations was excellent for low values of t/T (generations/total number scored) but poor for larger values of t/T. This was due to the 20% selection intensity treatments responding worse than expected and the 40% treatments relatively better than expected. Several possible reasons for the discrepancies exist but the most likely explanation is considered to be the greater reduction in effective population size due to selection in treatments with more intense selection.

scholarly journals Effects of leptin administration on long-term selected fat mice

1997 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUTZ BÜNGER ◽  
WILLIAM G. HILL
Keyword(s):  
Matter Content ◽  
Control Line ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Term Selection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline

To assess the role of genetic changes in sensitivity to leptin hormone in contributing to responses to long-term selection for fatness, leptin was administered to a long-term fat selected (F) and a control line (C) of mice. These lines differ almost three fold in their percentage of fat (fat%) at about 15 weeks of age. Treated (T) animals received twice-daily intraperitoneal injections of 5 mg/kg leptin from 91 to 105 days of age; untreated (U) animals received equivolume injections of phosphate-buffered saline. Treated compared with untreated animals in both lines had significantly (P<0·05) lower mean body weight, food intake and fatness at the end of test (fat%: CT 3%, CU 7·4%, FT 14·9%, FU21·1%). The differences in response between the lines [(CT−CU)−(FT−FU)] were all non-significant (P>0·05), however. There was a very wide range of fatness (estimated from dry matter content) among FT animals (3–29%), much higher than in FU (15–31%), CT (0·7–6·4%) and CU (2–15%) animals. While sensitivity to leptin remains in the fat line, response appears to vary among animals at the dose level used.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document