Cross-fostering studies examine how the animal’s social and physical environment influences its behavior. When male California mice ( Peromyscus californicus ), which exhibit parental care and extreme aggression toward intruders, are cross-fostered in the nests of white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leucopus ), the California mice showed decreased level of aggression and less parental care toward their offspring. The important observation in this study was that the influence of the environment on the behavior of the parent mice was passed onto the offspring. The influence of the experiences during development had modified the physiology of the mice in such a way that it altered the parental behavior and was passed onto the next generation.

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Chapter 51, Problem 15TYK

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Introduction: Cross-fostering studies examine how the animal’s social and physical environment influences its behavior. When male California mice (Peromyscus californicus), which exhibit parental care and extreme aggression toward intruders, are cross-fostered in the nests of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), the California mice showed decreased level of aggression and less parental care toward their offspring. The important observation in this study was that the influence of the environment on the behavior of the parent mice was passed onto the offspring. The influence of the experiences during development had modified the physiology of the mice in such a way that it altered the parental behavior and was passed onto the next generation.

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