Mammals in general provide parental care for their young. This seems to imply that parents should...

90.2K

Verified Solution

Question

Psychology

Mammals in general provide parental care for their young. Thisseems to imply that parents should be able to recognize their ownyoung. Yet, for some mammals such as the wild mouse (Mus musculus),pup recognition by dams (mothers) does not occur (sires are notinvolved in parental care in mice). Dams will care for any pup thatis available. In the lab, if a dam is placed in a cage with two ormore litters of pups, she will gather them into one giant pile ofpups and attempt to nurse, groom and care for all of them. Anentire genetic litter can also be replaced by a new litter ofentirely unrelated pups and the dam will adopt and care for them asif they were her own. In meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus),another common prairie rodent, pup recognition apparently does notoccur until 7-9 days have passed. Prior to that time, dams willadopt any young that appear in their nest. Under what evolutionaryconditions might non-recognition of offspring develop? Under whatevolutionary conditions should recognition of young develop?

Answer & Explanation Solved by verified expert

4.4 Ratings (849 Votes)

Note This response is in UK English please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary Answer The purpose of an See Answer

Get Answers to Unlimited Questions

Join us to gain access to millions of questions and expert answers. Enjoy exclusive benefits tailored just for you!

Membership Benefits:

Unlimited Question Access with detailed Answers
Zin AI - 3 Million Words
10 Dall-E 3 Images
20 Plot Generations
Conversation with Dialogue Memory
No Ads, Ever!
Access to Our Best AI Platform: Flex AI - Your personal assistant for all your inquiries!

Become a Member