Abstract
There is evidence from several species (e.g. poultry) that selection can contribute to reduced aggression in groups, and selection thus could be one way of reducing aggression in group housed mink. On this background, a selection experiment was started, aiming at reducing the number of bite marks on the skin side. This study describes variation in bite marks in the three generations. The study includes evaluation of bite marks on a total of 1986 mink in group housing. We hypothesise that bite marks might be influenced by both direct genetic effects and social genetic effects. Direct genetic effects refers to the effect of the animals own genotype and social effects refer to the effects of the genotype of the other animal in the group. Both direct and social genetic effects contribute to the variation in bite-marks in mink. Social genetic effect and the covariance between direct and social genetic effect explains more than 5 times the variation in bite marks explained by direct genetic effect. This is true in bite marks for the neck, body, and tail region as well as for the average of these regions. Therefore selection which take in to account social genetic effect will be successful to decrease bite marks in mink.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Berg, P. and Møller, S.H., 2010. Mulighed for at selektere for reduceret aggression i gruppeindhusning. Faglig Årsberetning 2009. Pelsdyrerhvervets Forsøgs- og Forsknings Center, Holstebro, Danmark.
Bergsma, R., E. Kanis, E.F. Knol and P. Bijma, 2008. The contribution of social effects to heritable variation in finishing traits of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa). Genetics 178: 1559–1570.
Bijma, P., 2011. A General Definition of the Heritable Variation That Determines the Potential of a Population to Respond to Selection. Genetics 189: 1347–1359.
Bijma, P. and M.J. Wade, 2008. The joint effects of kin, multilevel selection and indirect genetic effects on response to genetic selection. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 21: 1175–1188
Bijma, P., W.M. Muir, E.D. Ellen, J.B. Wolf and J.A. Van Arendonk, 2007. Multilevel selection 2: Estimating the genetic parameters determining inheritance and response to selection. Genetics 175: 289–299.
European Commission, 2001. The Welfare of Animals Kept for Fur Production. Report of Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare, Adopted on 12–13 December 2001. DG Sanco, Directorate B - Scientific Health Opinions; Unit B3 – Management of scientific committees II. 211 pp.
Griffing, B., 1967. Selection in Reference to Biological Groups. I. Individual and Group Selection Applied to Populations of Unordered Groups. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 20: 127.
Hansen, S.W. and Jeppesen, L.L., 2008. Bidmsrker som velfærdsindikator hos mink. Faglig Årsberetning 2007, Pelsdyrerhvervets Forsøgs- og ForskningsCenter, pp. 13–23.
Hansen, S.W. and Houbak, B., 2005. To skridt frem og tre tilbage – gruppeind-husning af mink. Faglig Årsberetning 2004, Pelsdyr-erhvervets Forsøgs- og Forsknings-Center, pp. 39–47.
Hänninen, S., Mononen, J., Harjunpää, S., Pyykönen, T., Sepponen, J. and Ahola, L., 2008a. Effects of family housing on some behavioural and physiological parameters of juvenile farmed mink (Mustela vison). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 109: 384–395.
Hänninen, S., Ahola, L., Pyykönen, T., Korhonen, H.T. and Mononen, J. 2008b. Group housing in row cages: an alternative housing system for juvenile mink. Animal 2: 1809–1817.
Jeppesen, L.L., 2009. Ekstra redekasse i klatrebure og ekstra etage til standardbure. Effekt på adfærd, bidmsrker og undersorter hos mink. Pelsdyrerhvervets Forsøgs- og ForskningsCenter. Faglig Årsberetning 2008, pp. 23–36.
Lindberg, H.M.K., Hansen, S.W., Alden, E. and Lidfors, L., 2007. Effect of climbing cages and group size on behaviour and production in juvenile mink. NJF-seminar 403, Kolding, Denmark. 6 pp.
Mononen, J., Kasanen, S., Harjunpää, S., Harri M., Pyykonen, T. and Ahola, L., 2000. A family housing experiment in mink. Scientifur, 24, pp. 114–117.
Muir W.M., 1996. Group Selection for Adaptation to Multiple-Hen Cages – Selection Program and Direct Responses. Poultry Science 75(4): 447–58.
Møller, S.H., Hansen, S.W. and Sørensen, J.T., 2003. Assessing animal welfare in a strictly synchronous production system: The mink case. Animal Welfare 12: 699–703.
Wade M.J., P. Bijma, E.D. Ellen and W. Muir, 2010. Group selection and social evolution in domesticated animals. Evolutionary Applications 3:453–465.
Wolf J.B., E.D. Brodie III, J.M. Cheverud, A.J. Moore and M.J. Wade, 1998. Evolutionary consequences of indirect genetic effects. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 13: 64–69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Wageningen Academic Publishers The Netherlands
About this paper
Cite this paper
Alemu, S.W., Bijma, P., Berg, P. (2012). Evidence for genetic variation in bite marks in group housed mink. In: Larsen, P.F., et al. Proceedings of the Xth International Scientific Congress in fur animal production. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-760-8_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-760-8_36
Publisher Name: Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen
Online ISBN: 978-90-8686-760-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)