Social and Dietary Factors in the Sexual Maturation of Female Mice

Abstract

At 21 days of age, 144 female albino mice were individually isolated and reared on either 8% 16% or 24% protein diets. Within each protein level, mice were exposed to the presence of an adult male, or to male odour, or were reared in isolation. Each female was examined daily for vaginal opening and signs of first oestrus. Body weight and food consumption measures confirmed that body growth was equal in each cell of the design and that mice on low protein diets were not compensating for a low protein diet by consuming more food.The results showed that, although both dietary protein and the presence of males (or their odour) were significant factors in regulating sexual maturation, social factors contributed 47\m=.\3% and dietary protein levels 4\m=.\8% of the total variance. Accelerated sexual development was not accompanied by accelerated body growth. Thus, the hypothesis that puberty occurs at a critical body weight was not supported by these data. That social stimulation was more effective than protein intake may have relevance to the phenomenon of accelerated sexual maturation in human females.

Development and sexual selection in primates

“…Social factors are also important in the regulation of puberty (e.g. Vandenbergh et al, 1972;Vandenbergh & Coppola, 1986;Surbey, 1990;Worthman 1993), and intrasexual competition influences age at maturity in female strepsirrhines (Izard, 1990), Old World monkeys (Bercovitch & Goy, 1990), New World monkeys (Abbot et al, 1990;Ziegler et al, 1990) and apes (Graham & Nadler, 1990). In tamarins and common marmosets, males contribute to infant care and reproductive skew is high amongst females, producing intense femalefemale competition.…”

Effect of male presence and of photoperiod on the sexual maturation of the field vole (Microtus agrestis)

“…The relationship between growth rate, gonadal activity and environmental stimuli (whether photoperiodic or pheromonal) seems not to be straight forward: an association between sexual maturation and growth rates has been reported for female mice and voles in response to various environmental factors (Cowley & Wise, 1972;Batzli, Getz & Hurley, 1977;Badloo & Clulow, 1981), while in other cases no such association has been found (Vandenbergh, Drickamer & Colby, 1972). It seems possible that gonadal hormones stimulate growth when their titre rises above a certain threshold, reached in these experiments in long photoperiods irrespective of the presence or absence of mature males.…”

Effects of urine from pregnant and lactating female house mice on oestrous cycles of adult females

“…Eighty (80) adult females were assigned, at random, to one of four equal treatment groups: the external nares of each individually caged mouse was painted daily with 0-02 ml (1) water (control), (2) Rugh (1968) and Vandenbergh, Drickamer & Colby (1972 Methods. The procedures were identical to those of Exp.…”