[Demonstration in Japanese quails of genetic differences in survival from hypoxia]

164 quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica; 94 males and 40 females), 27-55 days old and belonging to 9 families, each family being issued from a different couple of parents, were submitted to an acute nitrogen hypoxia which resulted in an overall mortality of 43.29%. The fact that a high statistically significant (p less than 0,001) heterogeneity was pointed out in these different families supports the existence of a genetic component of resistance towards hypoxia.