Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-27T11:18:45.138Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of inbreeding on ovulation rate and foetal mortality in mice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2009

D. S. Falconer  and
R. C. Roberts
D. S. Falconer
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Council Unit of Animal Genetics, Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh, 9
R. C. Roberts
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Council Unit of Animal Genetics, Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh, 9

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Dissections were made of 16-day-pregnant female mice with the object of discovering the developmental stage at which litter size is reduced by inbreeding. Counts were made of the numbers of corpora lutea, implantation sites, and live embryos, and comparisons were made between females with inbreeding coefficients of 50–60% and non-inbred females. Except in one group the embryos were all non-inbred, so that the comparisons showed the effect of inbreeding in the mother of the litter. No influence of inbreeding in the male parent was found.

The only difference found between inbred and non-inbred females was in the number of eggs or embryos lost before implantation. The greater pre-implantation loss in inbred females was enough to account for the smaller number of young born alive in their litters.

There was no difference between the inbred and non-inbred females in the ovulation rate, measured by the number of corpora lutea, or in the post-implantation mortality of the embryos.

There was a positive correlation between ovulation rate and weight at 6 weeks. For reasons explained in the Discussion, the inbred females did not differ in weight from the non-inbred females. If, under other conditions, the weight declined on inbreeding, the ovulation rate would be expected to decline also.

Type
Research Article
Information
Genetics Research , Volume 1 , Issue 3 , November 1960 , pp. 422 - 430
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1960

References

REFERENCES

Bowman, J. C. & Falconer, D. S. (1960). Inbreeding depression and heterosis of litter size in mice. Genet. Res. 1, 262–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braden, A. W. H. (1957). Variation between strains in the incidence of various abnormalities of egg maturation and fertilization in the mouse. J. Genet. 55, 476–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braden, A. W. H. (1958). Variation between strains of mice in phenomena associated with sperm penetration and fertilization. J. Genet. 56, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eaton, O. N. (1953). Heterosis in the performance of mice. Genetics, 38, 609–629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Falconer, D. S. (1954). Selection for sex ratio in mice and Drosophila. Amer. Nat. 88, 385–397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falconer, D. S. (1955). Patterns of response in selection experiments with mice. Cold Spr. Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 20, 178–196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, J. W. B. & Young, G. B. (1957). Maternal influences on litter size in pigs. J. agric. Sci. 48, 457–463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, R. C. (1960). The effect on litter size of crossing lines of mice inbred without selection. Genet. Res. 1, 239–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, A. (1952). The effect of inbreeding on the variation due to recessive genes. Genetics, 37, 189–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snedecor, G. W. (1956). Statistical Methods (5th ed.). Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa.Google Scholar
Squiers, C. D., Dickerson, G. E. & Mayer, D. T. (1952). Influence of inbreeding, age and growth rate of sows on sexual maturity, rate of ovulation, fertilization and embryonic survival. Res. Bull. Mo. agric. Exp. Sta. No. 494.Google Scholar