DIFFERENTIAL-EFFECTS OF PRIOR DOMINANCE OR SUBORDINATION EXPERIENCE ON CONSPECIFIC ODOR PREFERENCES IN MICE

Preferences for the soiled bedding odors of familiar and unfamiliar co nspecifics were assessed among male mice rendered dominant or subordin ate by a series of resident-intruder encounters. Alpha males preferred the odors of their familiar antagonist most strongly. Subordinates, i n contrast, showed strongest preferences for unfamiliar females and a weaker preference for alpha odors. When female odors were eliminated f rom the preference test, alphas continued to show the strongest prefer ence for familiar subordinate odors while subordinates displayed rough ly equivalent preference for the odors of familiar alphas and unfamili ar males. It is suggested that the apparent mild preferences of subord inates for dominant conspecific odors reflects fear motivated risk ass essment. In contrast, approaches of dominants to subordinate odors see ms to be appetitively motivated. Generally recognizable subordination odors may be useful to unfamiliar males in recognizing exploitable res ources.