Behavioural correlations of the domestication syndrome are decoupled in modern dog breeds.

ABSTRACT: Domestication is hypothesized to drive correlated responses in animal morphology, physiology and behaviour, a phenomenon known as the domestication syndrome. However, we currently lack quantitative confirmation that suites of behaviours are correlated during domestication. Here we evaluate the strength and direction of behavioural correlations among key prosocial (sociability, playfulness) and reactive (fearfulness, aggression) behaviours implicated in the domestication syndrome in 76,158 dogs representing 78 registered breeds. Consistent with the domestication syndrome hypothesis, behavioural correlations within prosocial and reactive categories demonstrated the expected direction-specificity across dogs. However, correlational strength varied between dog breeds representing early (ancien

SUBMITTER: Hansen Wheat C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6546797 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature