CONSTITUTION ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS MODELED BY ARTIFICIALLY SELECTED COLOR PREFERENCES AND IMPRINTING IN QUAIL

The sources of variability and neural mediation of early approach pref erences between coloured stimuli were studied in artificially selected and imprinted Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix colurnix japonica). Sel ection for unconditional preferences enhanced imprintabilites and sele ction for imprintabilities enhanced unconditional preferences, both in correlation with large selective increases in the V(e) components of unconditional colour choice variances. These results are attributed to developmental instability emerging with directional selections, and a related enhanced expression of genetic, environmental, and stochastic influences in preference deviations. Neural uptake of 2-DG indicated differential activation of tectofugal and thalamofugal projection syst ems by preferred or unpreferred stimuli, regardless of whether the pre ferences originated in artificial selection or environmental imprintin g. Bilateral hemispherectomy on the first post-hatch day before imprin ting eliminated imprintability but spared the genetically variable ini tial colour preferences. Similar operation on the third post-hatch day after imprinting eliminated both the genetically variable uncondition al and the environmentally variable imprinted preference information.