Pregnancy in female house mice exposed to urinary chemosignals from other females.

Abstract

Seven experiments were performed to investigate pregnancy termination, urinary chemosignals, and litter sex ratio variation in female house mice. Experiments tested the effects of urine from adult and prepubertal females, housed individually or in groups, on successful insemination and litter production by females treated at different times and for different periods during the 3 weeks before mating and during gestation. Treatment of females with urine from adult females housed eight per cage or with urine pooled from eight adult females housed individually for 2 or 3 weeks before mating resulted in fewer successful pregnancies and significantly more female-biased litters. Treatment with urine from adult or prepubertal females housed eight per cage or with urine pooled from eight mice housed individually for the first 6 days of gestation or throughout pregnancy resulted in a significant increase in the rate of pregnancy termination. These treatments resulted in lower body weights at birth and slower growth rates in all males and in some females. Puberty was delayed in female progeny from urine-treated dams in five of seven experiments, and these young females attained first oestrus at greater mean body weights than mice in other treatments. These findings indicate that, in mice, at high population density, communication via a urinary chemosignal can alter reproduction in recipient females. Availability of, and competition for, resources such as food would be greater at higher densities, possibly lowering the probability of reproductive success. Pregnancy termination and delays in reproduction and attainment of sexual maturity might lead to greater successful reproduction at a later time.