Effects of early exposure to ventral gland odor on physical and behavioral development and adult social behavior in mongolian gerbils.

Abstract

Compared 34 pairs of male and female gerbils reared by ventral gland-excised and intact parents. Repeated measurements before and after puberty failed to reveal an effect of gland odor exposure on body weight, ventral gland size, open-field defecation, and time of vaginal opening. Exposed Ss were more attracted than nonexposed Ss to a strange male's gland odor during preference tests involving "marked" and "unmarked" paper strips. Opposite-sex pairs of exposed Ss engaged in more social behavior than did nonexposed pairs, but there was no difference in fighting frequency or, during extended cohabitation, in fecundity. While early exposure to gland odor apparently does not affect physical maturation, it may enhance later responsiveness to stimuli (gland odors) that are useful in locating conspecifics and that facilitate social interactions between previously unacquainted gerbils. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)