Activity, social and sexual behaviour in Red Junglefowl selected for divergent levels of fear of humans

PLoS One. 2018 Sep 26;13(9):e0204303. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204303. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The domesticated phenotype is a set of behavioural, morphological and physiological traits that is common for domesticated species. Previous research has found that selection for tameness only can give rise to correlated selection responses that resemble the domesticated phenotype. It has therefore been suggested that tameness may drive the domesticated phenotype as correlated traits. We selected Red Junglefowl for divergent levels of fear of human for eight generations and assessed possible correlated selection responses in other behaviours in semi-natural settings. Behavioural studies were carried out on birds from generations six to eight, and at different ages, in order to study possible effects on general activity, social behaviour and male courtship behaviour. We found that the differences between selection lines changed with age. Adult low fear birds were generally more active and high fear males showed a more intense courtship behaviour. Our study shows that several behaviours can be modified through correlated selection responses by selection on reduced fear of humans only, emphasising the putative role of tameness as a driver of domestication related phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Chickens / physiology*
  • Domestication*
  • Fear / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Selection, Genetic
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal / physiology

Grants and funding

The work was funded by the Swedish Research Council (https://www.vr.se/), grant no. 2015-05444 (PJ), and the European Research Council Advanced Grant (https://erc.europa.eu/funding/advanced-grants), grant no. 322206 (PJ). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.