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Kin discrimination and reproductive behavior in muroid rodents

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Abstract

The literature on nonreproductive behavior includes much theory and many data showing preferential association with and treatment of kin. However, there are both costs and benefits to mating with kin. This leaves the experimenter with neither firm predictions nor tightly constrained interpretations of data. The mixed nature of the data on kinship and reproductive behavior in muroid rodents suggests the existence of a balance between the costs and the benefits of inbreeding and outbreeding.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 32611, Gainesville, Florida

    Donald A. Dewsbury

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  1. Donald A. Dewsbury
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This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grant BNS-8520318.

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Dewsbury, D.A. Kin discrimination and reproductive behavior in muroid rodents. Behav Genet 18, 525–536 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065519

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