Clark M M, Galef B G
J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1980 Oct;94(5):857-63. doi: 10.1037/h0077823.
Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) reared and maintained in standard laboratory cages exhibited accelerated eye opening, more rapid growth, earlier sexual maturity, and marked reduction in adrenal gland size in comparison with gerbils reared in more natural cages providing access to shelter. Gerbils reared in standard laboratory cages were also easier to handle and less responsive to sudden stimulation than those reared in sheltered cages. Changes in phenotype resulting from rearing in environments lacking shelter parallel changes in phenotype resulting from the domestication process. The implications of the data for genetically oriented hypotheses of domestication are discussed.
与饲养在有遮蔽物的更自然笼子里的沙鼠相比，饲养并维持在标准实验室笼子里的蒙古沙鼠表现出睁眼加速、生长更快、性成熟更早以及肾上腺大小显著减小。饲养在标准实验室笼子里的沙鼠也比饲养在有遮蔽物笼子里的沙鼠更容易处理，对突然刺激的反应更小。在缺乏遮蔽物的环境中饲养导致的表型变化与驯化过程中产生的表型变化相似。讨论了这些数据对基于遗传学的驯化假说的意义。
