Weights of Testes,Thymi,and Accessory Reproductive Glands in Relation to Rank in Paired and Grouped House Mice ( Mus musculus ) 1

Abstract

Summary

Indices of androgen activity in the form of reproductive organ and sexual accessory weights were correlated with winners, losers, and draws in brief paired encounters between male house mice (Mus musculus) and in mice from groups of six mice each that were housed together for 3 weeks. There were no significant differences in any of the parameters measured from the mice in brief paired encounters. Among the grouped mice the dominant mouse differed from almost all of the mice from other ranks with respect to testes, seminal vesicle, preputial, and thymus gland weights. Using an ordinal correlation coefficient, weights of seminal vesicles, preputials, and thymus glands correlated highly with rank as organ weights decreased in mice of descending rank.