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Individual differences in early body mass affect thermogenic performance and sibling interactions in litter huddles of the house mouse
Author(s) -
Zepeda José A.,
Bautista Amando,
Rangassamy Marylin,
Monclús Raquel,
Bocquet Celine,
MartínezGómez Margarita,
Gouat Patrick,
Féron Christophe,
Hudson Robyn,
Rödel Heiko G.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21759
Subject(s) - litter , affect (linguistics) , lower body , thermoregulation , climbing , zoology , sibling , biology , ecology , chemistry , medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , communication
We asked whether within‐litter differences in early body mass are associated with differences in house mouse pups’ thermogenic performance and whether such variation predicts individual differences in competitive interactions for thermally more advantageous positions in the huddle. We explored pups’ thermogenic performance in isolation by measuring changes in (maximal) peripheral body temperatures during a 5‐min thermal challenge using infrared thermography. Changes in peripheral body temperature were significantly explained by individual differences in body mass within a litter; relatively lighter individuals showed an overall quicker temperature decrease leading to lower body temperatures toward the end of the thermal challenge compared to heavier littermates. Within the litter huddle, relatively lighter pups with a lower thermogenic performance showed consistently more rooting and climbing behavior, apparently to reach the thermally advantageous center of the huddle. This suggests that within‐litter variation in starting body mass affects the pups’ thermal and behavioral responses to environmental challenges.