Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

No significant relationships between gene expression and behavioural variation or monoamine manipulation and behavioural variation were detected, whereas other studies have. These results are surprising since other studies have found a relationship between the monoaminergic systems and variation in behaviour. This discrepancy could potentially be explained by methodological or ecological differences between studies, and while the monoaminergic systems are relatively conserved across species, there are known and unknown differences between those other studies and mine. Together with previous research, my results confirm that the monoaminergic systems are complex and their role in modulating behaviour in fowl need to be explored further. Additionally, my results suggest that the serotonergic system may differ across taxa and/or methodological differences might affect detection of relationship between serotonin and behaviour. Therefore, future studies should explore the generality of this relationship in different taxa.