Induction of territorial dominance and subordination behaviors in laboratory mice.

Territorial behaviors comprise a set of coordinated actions and response patterns found across animal species that promote the exclusive access to resources. House mice are highly territorial with a subset of males consistently attacking and chasing competing males to expel them from their territories and performing urine marking behaviors to signal the extent of their territories. Natural variation in territorial behaviors within a mouse colony leads to the formation of dominance hierarchies in which subordinate males can reside within the territory of a dominant male.