| Abstract: | In an experiment with 18 male and 18 female Mongolian gerbils, gerbil odors were allowed to accumulate in individual home cages for several months to provide stable olfactory stimuli that might modulate the number of ventral scent gland marks produced by the Ss. Male marking levels for most test conditions were 2–3 times larger than those in females, although, the relative patterns of responsiveness to particular odors were similar in both sexes. The number of scent marks in home cages was significantly smaller than the number obtained in clean cages. Marking levels in the home cages of other Ss were substantially higher than those seen in the test S's own cage and were maximal in the home cages of other males. Behaviorally receptive females marked at significantly higher levels in home, clean, and conspecific cages than did nonreceptive females. Conspecific urine odors, especially those from females, increased marking levels significantly over those obtained in home cages. In males, home cage marking was significantly enhanced by the presence of a female. Both sexes showed significant reductions in marking levels in another's cage if the resident was present. Results suggest that scent-marking like other olfactory guided behaviors and odor preferences, is context-specific. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
