Hopp S L, Timberlake W
Behav Neural Biol. 1983 Jan;37(1):162-72. doi: 10.1016/s0163-1047(83)91173-1.
This study examined the spatial distribution of urine marking by sexually inexperienced male rats under six odor conditions: minimum odor (baseline), conspecific male urine, conspecific female urine, an animal's own urine, male gerbil urine, and amyl acetate. The gerbil urine and amyl acetate conditions were included to test the theory that marking, rather than being elicited by and directed as a display to appropriate conspecifics, occurred to the introduction of any novel or disruptive odor. The subject's own urine was used to test the theory that the animal marked to maintain an optimum level of its own odor in the environment. The results showed that marking was directed predominantly at objects in the environment over which the animal could readily pass. All odor conditions except "own odor" sharply increased marking over baseline levels. Marking decreased with repeated exposure to particular stimuli. The results strongly supported the theory that urine marking, at least in sexually inexperienced male rats, is produced by novel odor stimuli introduced into a familiar environment.
最小气味（基线）、同种雄性尿液、同种雌性尿液、动物自身尿液、雄性沙鼠尿液和乙酸戊酯。纳入沙鼠尿液和乙酸戊酯条件是为了检验这样一种理论，即标记行为并非由适当的同种个体引发并作为一种展示行为，而是由任何新的或干扰性气味的引入所导致。使用动物自身尿液是为了检验这样一种理论，即动物进行标记是为了在环境中维持自身气味的最佳水平。结果表明，标记行为主要针对动物能够轻易通过的环境中的物体。除“自身气味”外，所有气味条件下的标记行为均比基线水平大幅增加。随着对特定刺激的反复接触，标记行为减少。这些结果有力地支持了这样一种理论，即至少在性经验不足的雄性大鼠中，尿液标记是由引入熟悉环境中的新气味刺激所产生的。
