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Comparative studies of wild and domestic rats: Some difficulties in isolating the effects of genotype and environment
Author(s) -
Lore Richard K.,
Flannelly Kevin J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/1098-2337(1981)7:3<253::aid-ab2480070308>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - genotype , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , medicine , biology , genetics , environmental health , gene
Virtually all previous behavioral comparisons of wild and domestic rats indicate that many components of the wild variety's agonistic repertoire are either absent or much attenuated in domestic strains. A study by Barnett et al [1979] published in this journal illustrates some of the procedural difficulties associated with comparative studies of this kind. Research in this area suffers from a failure to acknowledge the fact that developmental factors including age, previous social experience, and physical aspects of the rearing environment play a surprisingly important role in the expression of aggression in this species.