The discrimination of different degrees of relatedness in the rat: evidence for a genetic identifier?
Animal BehaviourPublished 1 April 1987
Peter G. Hepper
Citations51
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score0.81
SNIP0.91
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TL;DR
The results indicate that rats possess an identifier which can be used to discriminate different degrees of kinship, which is possessed by kin in direct proportion to their relatedness, and the importance of the linearity of the trend for the process of phenotype matching is disolved.
Abstract
Rats were given a simultaneous choice of unfamiliar, same-sex, age-mate conspecifics of four different degrees of relatedness (siblings, paternal half-siblings, cousins and unrelated) and their investigation time was measured. The results revealed a linear trend between relatedness and investigation time, rats showing greater investigation as the degree of relatedness decreased. The results indicate that rats possess an identifier which can be used to discriminate different degrees of kinship. Further, this identifier is possessed by kin in direct proportion to their relatedness, i.e. siblings possess 50% of the identifier in common, cousins 12·5%, etc. The importance of the linearity of the trend for the process of phenotype matching is disucssed. The advantages of this identifier being produced by an individual's genes are considered and the possible influence of microorganisms discussed.
Keywords
Psychology
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