Miller D B, Gottlieb G
J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1981 Apr;95(2):205-19. doi: 10.1037/h0077768.
The process of domestication involves intense inbreeding. Field and laboratory studies were conducted to assess the effects of such intense genetic selection on the production and perception of the maternal alarm calls of domestic (Peking) and wild mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). With respect to production, the calls of wild and domestic ducks were comparable in four acoustic features and differed only slightly on two features. With respect to perception, the calls of wild and domestic hens were equally effective in promoting behavioral inhibition in wild and domestic ducklings. Although these data revealed little or no effect of domestication on the structure and function of the maternal alarm call, an unexpected effect was found regarding the domestic ducklings' behavior. Specifically, Pekings showed a greater level of behavioral inhibition than did mallards at 24 hr of age. Further experiments indicated that the differential level of inhibition in the wild and domestic birds reflects a developmental lag in arousal consequent to domestication: 72-hr-old Peking ducklings are behaviorally more aroused than 24-hr-old Peking ducklings and are similar to 24-hr-old mallard ducklings in that respect. This appears to be the first demonstration of behavioral heterochrony, which is believed to be an important mechanism of behavioral evolution.
驯化过程涉及高强度的近亲繁殖。开展了野外和实验室研究，以评估这种高强度基因选择对家鸭（北京鸭）和野生绿头鸭（Anas platyrhynchos）母性警报叫声的产生及感知的影响。在叫声产生方面，野生鸭和家鸭的叫声在四个声学特征上具有可比性，仅在两个特征上略有差异。在感知方面，野生母鸡和家鸭的叫声在促使野生和家养小鸭产生行为抑制方面同样有效。尽管这些数据显示驯化对母性警报叫声的结构和功能几乎没有影响，但在家养小鸭的行为方面发现了一个意外的影响。具体而言，北京鸭在24小时龄时比绿头鸭表现出更高水平的行为抑制。进一步的实验表明，野生和家养鸟类中行为抑制水平的差异反映了驯化导致的觉醒发育滞后：72小时龄的北京鸭在行为上比24小时龄的北京鸭更活跃，在这方面与24小时龄的绿头鸭相似。这似乎是行为发育异时性的首次证明，行为发育异时性被认为是行为进化的一个重要机制。
