
The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’
Publication
, Journal Article
Zipple, MN; Roberts, EK; Alberts, SC; Beehner, JC
Published in: Mammal Review
October 1, 2021
Bartoš et al. (2021; Mammal Review 51: 143–153; https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12219) reviewed the mechanisms involved in the ‘Bruce effect’ – a phenomenon originally documented in inseminated female house mice Mus musculus, who block pregnancy following exposure to a novel (non-sire) male. They argue that the term ‘Bruce effect’ should be applied in cases that are mechanistically equivalent to this original observation in mice. We argue that the Bruce effect should be defined instead by its function: a phenomenon by which inseminated or pregnant females benefit by blocking or terminating pregnancy following exposure to a non-sire male. Only functional definitions of phenomena allow for the articulation and testing of evolutionary hypotheses.
Duke Scholars
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Published In
Mammal Review
DOI
EISSN
1365-2907
ISSN
0305-1838
Publication Date
October 1, 2021
Volume
51
Issue
4
Start / End Page
596 / 599
Related Subject Headings
- Ecology
- 3109 Zoology
- 3103 Ecology
- 0608 Zoology
- 0602 Ecology
Citation
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MLA
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Zipple, M. N., Roberts, E. K., Alberts, S. C., & Beehner, J. C. (2021). The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’. Mammal Review, 51(4), 596–599. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12250
Zipple, M. N., E. K. Roberts, S. C. Alberts, and J. C. Beehner. “The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’.” Mammal Review 51, no. 4 (October 1, 2021): 596–99. https://doi.org/10.1111/mam.12250.
Zipple MN, Roberts EK, Alberts SC, Beehner JC. The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’. Mammal Review. 2021 Oct 1;51(4):596–9.
Zipple, M. N., et al. “The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’.” Mammal Review, vol. 51, no. 4, Oct. 2021, pp. 596–99. Scopus, doi:10.1111/mam.12250.
Zipple MN, Roberts EK, Alberts SC, Beehner JC. The Bruce effect should be defined by function, not mechanism: comments on ‘How to escape male infanticide: mechanisms for avoiding or terminating pregnancy in mammals’. Mammal Review. 2021 Oct 1;51(4):596–599.

Published In
Mammal Review
DOI
EISSN
1365-2907
ISSN
0305-1838
Publication Date
October 1, 2021
Volume
51
Issue
4
Start / End Page
596 / 599
Related Subject Headings
- Ecology
- 3109 Zoology
- 3103 Ecology
- 0608 Zoology
- 0602 Ecology