Assortative mating in mice. III. Genetic determination of female mating preference

Females from the inbred strains BALB/Ibg and DBA/Ibg and females from the reciprocal crosses between these strains, which were fostered by BALB/Ibg and DBA/Ibg males, were tested for mating preference between BALB/Ibg and DBA/Ibg males. The tests included the use of both the standard and the tubetechnique methods. In these strains, it was found that the main determinant of female mating preference was the genotype of the foster father. Females reared by DBA/Ibg males had a tendency for negative mating preference, whereas females reared by BALB/Ibg did not. The genotype of the mothers had some effect on the degree of the preference. Females reared by BALB/Ibg mothers had somewhat lower preference for BDA/Ibg males than did daughters' of BDA/Ibg females. The effect of the female's own genotype on mating preference was found to be only minor in a comparison done between these strains and their F₁ crosses which had been raised by foster parents of the same genotype.This work was supported by NIGMS grant GM- 14547.