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Lim MM, Wang Z, de Vries G, Albers HE. In memoriam: Larry J. Young, PhD (1967-2024). Horm Behav 2024; 163:105573. [PMID: 38820622 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Miranda M Lim
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; VA Portland Heath Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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2
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Baugh AT. Male Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) in amplexus have elevated and correlated steroid hormones compared to solitary males. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 345:114391. [PMID: 37844651 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Gonadal steroid hormones are typically elevated during the breeding season-a finding known as an associated reproductive pattern. Though less studied, there is also evidence, in both sexes, for elevated adrenal/interrenal steroids, including acute elevations on the day of mating. I investigated gonadal and interrenal steroids in wild male Cope's gray treefrogs at breeding aggregations. I collected blood from males found in amplexus with female mates (amplexed males) and males sampled at the same time and location that were actively advertising vocally and without a mate (solo males). Concentrations of plasma corticosterone, testosterone, and 17β-estradiol (CORT, T and E2, respectively) were validated and measured. These two categories of males differed in four ways: (1) amplexed males exhibited significantly elevated concentrations of all three steroids compared to solo males (CORT: +347 %; T: +60 %; and E2: +43 %); (2) these hormone profiles alone accurately predicted male mating category with ca. 83 % accuracy using a discriminant function analysis; (3) amplexed males exhibited significant between-hormone correlations (T and E2 were positively correlated and CORT and E2 were negatively correlated) whereas no correlations were found in solo males; (4) amplexed males showed a negative correlation with CORT concentration and the time of night, whereas no such pattern was present in solo males. These findings suggest an acute and strong coactivation of the interrenal and gonadal axes that could drive phenotypic integration during this fitness-determining moment. I discuss these findings and suggest experiments to determine causation, including the role of motor behavior driving endocrine states and the role of female selection on endocrine profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Singer Hall, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
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3
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Field EK, Terry J, Hartzheim AM, Krajcir K, Mullin SJ, Neuman-Lee LA. Investigating relationships among stress, reproduction, and immunity in three species of watersnake. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 343:114350. [PMID: 37524232 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Energy is a finite resource required for all physiological processes and must be allocated efficiently among essential activities to ensure fitness and survival. During the active season, adult organisms are expected to prioritize investment in reproduction over other energetically expensive processes, such as responding to immunological challenges. Furthermore, when encountering a stressor, the balance between reproduction and immunity might be disrupted in order to fuel the stress response. Because of the distinct differences in life histories across species, watersnakes provide a unique group of study in which to examine these tradeoffs. Over a two-year period, we captured three watersnake species throughout Northeast Arkansas. Animals were subjected to restraint stress and blood samples were collected throughout the acute stress response. Blood samples were used to assess innate immunity and steroid hormone concentrations. We found the peak in corticosterone concentration is season-specific, potentially because energetic reserves fluctuate with reproductive activities. We also found body condition was positively related to acute stress and negatively related to immunity. Watersnakes evidently prioritize reproduction over immunity, especially during the energetically intensive process of vitellogenesis. Energetic tradeoffs between reproduction, immunity, and the stress response are complex, and this study contributes to our understanding of energetic shifts in free-living organisms in the context of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Field
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson MS, United States.
| | - Jennifer Terry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States
| | - Alyssa M Hartzheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Kevin Krajcir
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Stephen J Mullin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
| | - Lorin A Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
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4
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Akef MS. Reproductive and Morphological Characteristics of Hemidactylus turcicus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and Tarentola annularis (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in Southern Egypt. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1643/h2021109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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5
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Lincoln JM, Barlowe ML, Rucker HR, Parker MR. Reconsidering reproductive patterns in a model dissociated species, the red-sided garter snake: Sex-specific and seasonal changes in gonadal steroidogenic gene expression. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1135535. [PMID: 36992803 PMCID: PMC10040831 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1135535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones are powerful regulators of reproductive behavior and physiology in vertebrates, and steroidogenesis has distinct sex- and season-specific patterns ultimately dictated by the expression of key enzymes. Most comparative endocrinology studies, however, focus only on circulating levels of sex steroids to determine their temporal association with life-history events in what are termed associated reproductive patterns. The red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) is a notable exception; this species exhibits maximal sex behavior decoupled from maximal sex steroid production and gametogenesis in what is termed a dissociated reproductive pattern. And while this is true for male red-sided garter snakes and their production of testosterone, females have maximal estradiol production during peak breeding (spring) but only immediately after mating. Here, we demonstrate that expression of ovarian aromatase (conversion of androgens to estrogens) matches the established seasonal hormone pattern in females. Additionally, steroidogenic gene expression in the ovary is broadly reduced if not suppressed compared to the testis throughout the active year. Bizarrely, male red-sided garter snakes demonstrate an unexplained pattern of steroidogenic gene expression in the testis. StAR (import of cholesterol to steroidogenesis) is maximally expressed in spring, yet Hsd17b3 expression (conversion of androstenedione to testosterone) is highest in summer, with the latter matching the established summer peak in male testosterone. The function of elevated StAR in spring is unknown, but our results suggest a decoupling between maximal StAR expression and testosterone biosynthesis (Hsd17b3 expression). We also purport that the reproductive pattern binary should be reassessed given its lack of fit for many vertebrate species that demonstrate seasonal, mixed patterns of (a)synchrony between circulating sex hormones and reproductive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianna M. Lincoln
- Department of Biology, Harrisonburg, James Madison University, VA, United States
| | - Megan L. Barlowe
- Department of Biology, Harrisonburg, James Madison University, VA, United States
| | - Holly R. Rucker
- Department of Biology, Harrisonburg, James Madison University, VA, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - M. Rockwell Parker
- Department of Biology, Harrisonburg, James Madison University, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: M. Rockwell Parker,
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6
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Anderson NK, Goodwin SE, Schuppe ER, Dawn A, Preininger D, Mangiamele LA, Fuxjager MJ. Activational vs. organizational effects of sex steroids and their role in the evolution of reproductive behavior: Looking to foot-flagging frogs and beyond. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105248. [PMID: 36054981 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroids play an important role in regulation of the vertebrate reproductive phenotype. This is because sex steroids not only activate sexual behaviors that mediate copulation, courtship, and aggression, but they also help guide the development of neural and muscular systems that underlie these traits. Many biologists have therefore described the effects of sex steroid action on reproductive behavior as both "activational" and "organizational," respectively. Here, we focus on these phenomena from an evolutionary standpoint, highlighting that we know relatively little about the way that organizational effects evolve in the natural world to support the adaptation and diversification of reproductive behavior. We first review the evidence that such effects do in fact evolve to mediate the evolution of sexual behavior. We then introduce an emerging animal model - the foot-flagging frog, Staurois parvus - that will be useful to study how sex hormones shape neuromotor development necessary for sexual displays. The foot flag is nothing more than a waving display that males use to compete for access to female mates, and thus the neural circuits that control its production are likely laid down when limb control systems arise during the developmental transition from tadpole to frog. We provide data that highlights how sex steroids might organize foot-flagging behavior through its putative underlying mechanisms. Overall, we anticipate that future studies of foot-flagging frogs will open a powerful window from which to see how sex steroids influence the neuromotor systems to help germinate circuits that drive signaling behavior. In this way, our aim is to bring attention to the important frontier of endocrinological regulation of evolutionary developmental biology (endo-evo-devo) and its relationship to behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel K Anderson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Sarah E Goodwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, United States of America
| | - Eric R Schuppe
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - AllexAndrya Dawn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, United States of America
| | - Doris Preininger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Zoo, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, United States of America.
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States of America.
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7
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Morphological description of gametes in cave and surface populations of Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853). ZYGOTE 2022; 30:719-729. [PMID: 35730544 DOI: 10.1017/s0967199422000223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus presents two contrasting morphs, a widely distributed surface morph and a cave-adapted morph. These cave-adapted morphs have evolved independently from two different lineages (i.e. 'old' and 'new' lineages); therefore, this model system gives a unique opportunity to explore parallel adaptive evolution in biological traits. The present study corresponds to the first morphological description of the Astyanax mexicanus maturation process of the spermatozoa and oocytes, using thermal and hormonal stimuli to promote spermatogenesis and oogenesis, considering surface and cave morphs from both lineages. We corroborate the relevance of thermal and hormonal stimuli to promote gamete maturation. The hormone Ovaprim (GnRHa + Domperidone) is an effective promoter of ovarian development, maturation end in oocytes and spawning in Astyanax mexicanus. The sperm morphology of Astyanax mexicanus includes the sperm head, the midpiece, and tail or flagellum. We found differences in the spermatozoan total length between environments (F = 9.929, P = 0.05) and linages (F = 49.86, P = 0.005). The oocytes showed a spherical conformation with a mean diameter of 822.4 ± 194.1 μm for the surface populations, and 604.6 ± 38.3 µm for the cave populations. The oocyte chorion presents ridges and grooves that are arranged radially towards the micropyle. A plug in the micropyle zone was observed after fertilization, confirmed by the outer membrane of the chorion, which provides some weak adhesiveness to the substrate. We observed differences in chorion thickness between the contrasting environmental conditions. This is the first morphological characterization of the Sótanos Vázquez, Escondido and Tigre, which previous to this study were only known from speleological expeditions, with no previous biological information available.
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8
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Kong AY, Man L, Suan KA, Blumstein DT. Blue‐tailed skinks have predation‐dependent threat discrimination. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Y. Kong
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California USA
| | - Lauren Man
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California USA
| | - Kaylie A. Suan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California USA
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9
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Schwark RW, Fuxjager MJ, Schmidt MF. Proposing a neural framework for the evolution of elaborate courtship displays. eLife 2022; 11:e74860. [PMID: 35639093 PMCID: PMC9154748 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In many vertebrates, courtship occurs through the performance of elaborate behavioral displays that are as spectacular as they are complex. The question of how sexual selection acts upon these animals' neuromuscular systems to transform a repertoire of pre-existing movements into such remarkable (if not unusual) display routines has received relatively little research attention. This is a surprising gap in knowledge, given that unraveling this extraordinary process is central to understanding the evolution of behavioral diversity and its neural control. In many vertebrates, courtship displays often push the limits of neuromuscular performance, and often in a ritualized manner. These displays can range from songs that require rapid switching between two independently controlled 'voice boxes' to precisely choreographed acrobatics. Here, we propose a framework for thinking about how the brain might not only control these displays, but also shape their evolution. Our framework focuses specifically on a major midbrain area, which we view as a likely important node in the orchestration of the complex neural control of behavior used in the courtship process. This area is the periaqueductal grey (PAG), as studies suggest that it is both necessary and sufficient for the production of many instinctive survival behaviors, including courtship vocalizations. Thus, we speculate about why the PAG, as well as its key inputs, might serve as targets of sexual selection for display behavior. In doing so, we attempt to combine core ideas about the neural control of behavior with principles of display evolution. Our intent is to spur research in this area and bring together neurobiologists and behavioral ecologists to more fully understand the role that the brain might play in behavioral innovation and diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan W Schwark
- Department of Biology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Marc F Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
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10
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Mechanisms of multimodality: androgenic hormones and adaptive flexibility in multimodal displays. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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11
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Fuxjager MJ, Fusani L, Schlinger BA. Physiological innovation and the evolutionary elaboration of courtship behaviour. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Prim JH, Phillips MC, Lamm MS, Brady J, Cabral I, Durden S, Dustin E, Hazellief A, Klapheke B, Lamb AD, Lukowsky A, May D, Sanchez SG, Thompson KC, Tyler WA, Godwin J. Estrogenic signaling and sociosexual behavior in wild sex-changing bluehead wrasses, Thalassoma bifasciatum. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:24-34. [PMID: 34752686 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Estrogenic signaling is an important focus in studies of gonadal and brain sexual differentiation in fishes and vertebrates generally. This study examined variation in estrogenic signaling (1) across three sexual phenotypes (female, female-mimic initial phase [IP] male, and terminal phase [TP] male), (2) during socially-controlled female-to-male sex change, and (3) during tidally-driven spawning cycles in the protogynous bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum). We analyzed relative abundances of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for the brain form of aromatase (cyp19a1b) and the three nuclear estrogen receptors (ER) (ERα, ERβa, and ERβb) by qPCR. Consistent with previous reports, forebrain/midbrain cyp19a1b was highest in females, significantly lower in TP males, and lowest in IP males. By contrast, ERα and ERβb mRNA abundances were highest in TP males and increased during sex change. ERβa mRNA did not vary significantly. Across the tidally-driven spawning cycle, cyp19a1b abundances were higher in females than TP males. Interestingly, cyp19a1b levels were higher in TP males close (~1 h) to the daily spawning period when sexual and aggressive behaviors rise than males far from spawning (~10-12 h). Together with earlier findings, our results suggest alterations in neural estrogen signaling are key regulators of socially-controlled sex change and sexual phenotype differences. Additionally, these patterns suggest TP male-typical sociosexual behaviors may depend on intermediate rather than low estrogenic signaling. We discuss these results and the possibility that an inverted-U shaped relationship between neural estrogen and male-typical behaviors is more common than presently appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianna H Prim
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marshall C Phillips
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melissa S Lamm
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeannie Brady
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Itze Cabral
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Shelby Durden
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Elizabeth Dustin
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Allison Hazellief
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Brandon Klapheke
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - April D Lamb
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alison Lukowsky
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Dianna May
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Sidney G Sanchez
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kelly C Thompson
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - William A Tyler
- Department of Biology, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - John Godwin
- Department of Biological Sciences and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Vernasco BJ, Emmerson MG, Gilbert ER, Sewall KB, Watts HE. Migratory state and patterns of steroid hormone regulation in the pectoralis muscle of a nomadic migrant, the pine siskin (Spinus pinus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 309:113787. [PMID: 33862052 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The endocrine system is known to mediate responses to environmental change and transitions between different life stages (e.g., a non-breeding to a breeding life stage). Previous works from the field of environmental endocrinology have primarily focused on changes in circulating hormones, but a comprehensive understanding of endocrine signaling pathways requires studying changes in additional endocrine components (e.g., receptor densities) in a diversity of contexts and life stages. Migratory birds, for instance, can exhibit dramatic changes in their physiology and behavior, and both sex steroids as well as glucocorticoids are proposed mediators of the transition into a migratory state. However, the role of changes in endocrine signaling components within integral target tissues, such as flight muscles, in modulating the transition into a migratory state remains poorly understood. Here, we examined changes in gene expression levels of and correlational patterns (i.e., integration) between 8 endocrine signaling components associated with either glucocorticoids or sex steroid signaling in the pectoralis muscles of a nomadic migratory bird, the pine siskin (Spinus pinus). The pectoralis muscle is essential to migratory flight and undergoes conspicuous changes in preparation for migration, including hypertrophy. We focus on endocrine receptors and enzymes (e.g., 5α-reductase) that modulate the signaling capacity of circulating hormones within target tissues and may influence either catabolic or anabolic functioning within the pectoralis. Endocrine signaling components were compared between captive birds sampled prior to the expression of vernal migratory preparation and during the expression of a vernal migratory state. While birds exhibited differences in the size and color of the flight muscle and behavioral shifts indicative of a migratory state (i.e., zugunruhe), none of the measured endocrine components differed before and after the transition into the migratory state. Patterns of integration amongst all genes did, however, differ between the two life stages, suggesting the contrasting demands of different life stages may shape entire endocrine signaling networks within target tissues rather than individual components. Our work aligns with previous endocrine studies on pine siskins and, viewed together, suggest additional studies are needed to understand the endocrine system's role in mediating the development and progression of the vernal migratory state in this species. Further, the patterns observed in pine siskins, a nomadic migrant, differ from previous studies on obligate migrants and suggest that different mechanisms or interactions between endocrine signaling components may mediate the migratory transition in nomadic migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Vernasco
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
| | | | | | - Kendra B Sewall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Heather E Watts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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14
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Zheng DJ, Singh A, Phelps SM. Conservation and dimorphism in androgen receptor distribution in Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina). J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2539-2557. [PMID: 33576501 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Because of their roles in courtship and intrasexual competition, sexual displays are often sexually dimorphic, but we know little about the mechanisms that produce such dimorphism. Among mammals, one example is the vocalization of Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina), which consists of a series of rapidly repeated, frequency-modulated notes. The rate and duration of songs is sexually dimorphic and androgen responsive. To understand the neuronal mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism, we map the sites of androgen sensitivity throughout the brain, focusing analysis along a pathway that spans from limbic structures to vocal motor regions. We find widespread expression of AR immunoreactivity (AR-ir) throughout limbic structures important for social behavior and vocalization, including the lateral septum, extended amygdala, preoptic area and hypothalamus. We also find extensive AR staining along previously documented vocal motor pathways, including the periaqueductal gray, parabrachial nucleus, and nucleus ambiguus, the last of which innervates intrinsic laryngeal muscles. Lastly, AR-ir is also evident in sensory areas such as the medial geniculate, inferior, and superior colliculi. A quantitative analysis revealed that males exhibited more AR-ir than females, a pattern that was most pronounced in the hypothalamus. Despite the elaboration of vocalization in singing mice, comparison with prior literature suggests that the broad pattern of AR-ir may be conserved across a wide range of rodents. Together these data identify brain nuclei well positioned to shape the sexually dimorphic vocalization of S. teguina and suggest that such androgen modulation of vocalization is evolutionary conserved among rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Jiang Zheng
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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15
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Smith SM, Eigerman AR, LeCure KM, Kironde E, Privett-Mendoza AG, Fuxjager MJ, Preininger D, Mangiamele LA. Androgen Receptor Modulates Multimodal Displays in the Bornean Rock Frog (Staurois parvus). Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:221-230. [PMID: 34009301 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Multimodal communication is common in the animal kingdom. It occurs when animals display by stimulating two or more receiver sensory systems, and often arises when selection favors multiple ways to send messages to conspecifics. Mechanisms of multimodal display behavior are poorly understood, particularly with respect to how animals coordinate the production of different signals. One important question is whether all components in a multimodal display share an underlying physiological basis, or whether different components are regulated independently. We investigated the influence of androgen receptors (ARs) on the production of both visual and vocal signal components in the multimodal display repertoire of the Bornean rock frog (Staurois parvus). To assess the role of AR in signal production, we treated reproductively active adult males with the antiandrogen flutamide (FLUT) and measured the performance of each component signal in the multimodal display. Our results show that blocking AR inhibited the production of multiple visual signals, including a conspicuous visual signal known as the "foot flag," which is produced by rotating the hind limb above the body. However, FLUT treatment caused no measurable change in vocal signaling behavior, or in the frequency or fine temporal properties of males' calls. Our study, therefore, suggests that activation of AR is not a physiological prerequisite to the coordination of multiple signals, in that it either does not regulate all signaling behaviors in a male's display repertoire or it does so only in a context-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Amelia R Eigerman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Kerry M LeCure
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Eseza Kironde
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | | | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Doris Preininger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Vienna Zoo, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
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16
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Leslie CE, Walkowski W, Rosencrans RF, Gordon WC, Bazan NG, Ryan MJ, Farris HE. Estrogenic Modulation of Retinal Sensitivity in Reproductive Female Túngara Frogs. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:231-239. [PMID: 33901287 PMCID: PMC8300951 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mate searching behavior in female túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) is nocturnal and largely mediated by acoustic cues, male signaling includes visual cues produced by the vocal sac. To compensate for these low light conditions, visual sensitivity in females is modulated when they are in a reproductive state, as retinal thresholds are decreased. This study tested whether estradiol (E2) plays a role in this modulation. Female túngara frogs were injected with either human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or a combination of hCG and fadrozole. hCG induces a reproductive state and increases retinal sensitivity, while fadrozole is an aromatase inhibitor that blocks hCG-induced E2 synthesis. In an analysis of scotopic electroretinograms (ERGs), hCG treatment lowered the threshold for eliciting a b-wave response, whereas the addition of fadrozole abolished this effect, matching thresholds in non-reproductive saline-injected controls. This suggests that blocking E2 synthesis blocked the hCG-mediated reproductive modulation of retinal sensitivity. By implicating E2 in control of retinal sensitivity, our data add to growing evidence that the targets of gonadal steroid feedback loops include sensory receptor organs, where stimulus sensitivity may be modulated, rather than more central brain nuclei, where modulation may affect mechanisms involved in motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E Leslie
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Whitney Walkowski
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Robert F Rosencrans
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - William C Gordon
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Nicolas G Bazan
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hamilton E Farris
- Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, 2020 Gravier Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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17
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Voigt C, Medger K, Bennett NC. The oestrous cycle of the Damaraland mole‐rat revisited: evidence for induced ovulation. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Voigt
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - K. Medger
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - N. C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
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18
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Tobiansky DJ, Fuxjager MJ. Sex Steroids as Regulators of Gestural Communication. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5822602. [PMID: 32307535 PMCID: PMC7316366 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Gestural communication is ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom, occurring in species that range from humans to arthropods. Individuals produce gestural signals when their nervous system triggers the production of limb and body movement, which in turn functions to help mediate communication between or among individuals. Like many stereotyped motor patterns, the probability of a gestural display in a given social context can be modulated by sex steroid hormones. Here, we review how steroid hormones mediate the neural mechanisms that underly gestural communication in humans and nonhumans alike. This is a growing area of research, and thus we explore how sex steroids mediate brain areas involved in language production, social behavior, and motor performance. We also examine the way that sex steroids can regulate behavioral output by acting in the periphery via skeletal muscle. Altogether, we outline a new avenue of behavioral endocrinology research that aims to uncover the hormonal basis for one of the most common modes of communication among animals on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Tobiansky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- Correspondence: Daniel J. Tobiansky, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912.
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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19
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Bernheim M, Livne S, Shanas U. Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoises (Testudo graeca) exhibit pre-copulatory behavior particularly under specific experimental setups. J ETHOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-020-00657-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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20
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Hudson SB, Kluever BM, Webb AC, French SS. Steroid hormones, energetic state, and immunocompetence vary across reproductive contexts in a parthenogenetic lizard. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 288:113372. [PMID: 31866306 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Reproduction is energetically expensive and investing in this life history trait is likely accompanied by significant changes in physiological activity. Investment strategy necessary for achieving reproductive success in reptiles can vary with reproductive form and pattern, potentiating different consequences for competing fitness-related traits such as those key to survival. The goal of this study was to assess if and how energetic state (i.e., energy metabolites) and self-maintenance (i.e., immunocompetence) are hormonally modulated across reproductive contexts in an oviparous, parthenogenetic lizard, the Colorado Checkered Whiptail Aspidoscelis neotesselata. Here blood plasma samples were collected from lizards within the US Army Fort Carson Military Installation near Colorado Springs, CO, USA, during seasons of reproductive activity (i.e., June) and inactivity (i.e., August). Measures of reproductive (i.e., estradiol) and energy-mobilizing (i.e., corticosterone) hormones, energy metabolites (i.e., glucose, triglycerides, and free glycerol), and innate immunity (i.e., bactericidal ability) were compared by season and reproductive stage. Levels of energy metabolites and bactericidal ability were compared to levels of E2 and CORT. Bactericidal ability was also compared to levels of energy metabolites. Corticosterone and glucose levels were lower during the reproductive season while triglyceride levels and bactericidal ability were higher, but both estradiol and free glycerol levels did not differ between seasons. Throughout vitellogenesis, corticosterone and glucose levels as well as bactericidal ability did not differ, but estradiol levels were higher during early and mid-stage and both triglyceride and free glycerol levels were lower during gravidity. Corticosterone levels were negatively associated with circulating triglycerides and bactericidal ability, but were not related to glucose nor free glycerol levels. Estradiol levels were positively associated with free glycerol levels and bactericidal ability, but were not related to glucose nor triglyceride levels. Finally, bactericidal ability was negatively associated with glucose, but positively associated with triglycerides. Differences in energetic state and immunocompetence are thus reflected by shifts in hormone secretion across reproductive investment. These findings provide partial support for the hypothesis that energetic state is differentially regulated by steroid hormones to afford reproduction, potentially at the cost of future survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5205, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322‑5205, USA.
| | - B M Kluever
- United States Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division, Conservation Branch, Fort Carson, CO 80913, USA; United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Florida Field Station, Gainesville, FL 32641-6033, USA
| | - A C Webb
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5205, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322‑5205, USA
| | - S S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5205, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322‑5205, USA
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21
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Krohmer RW. Courtship in the male red‐sided garter snake is dependent on neural aromatase activity during winter dormancy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2020; 333:275-283. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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22
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Munley KM, Deyoe JE, Ren CC, Demas GE. Melatonin mediates seasonal transitions in aggressive behavior and circulating androgen profiles in male Siberian hamsters. Horm Behav 2020; 117:104608. [PMID: 31669179 PMCID: PMC6980702 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Some seasonally-breeding animals are more aggressive during the short, "winter-like" days (SD) of the non-breeding season, despite gonadal regression and reduced circulating androgen levels. While the mechanisms underlying SD increases in aggression are not well understood, previous work from our lab suggests that pineal melatonin (MEL) and the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are important in facilitating non-breeding aggression in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). To characterize the role of MEL in modulating seasonal transitions in aggressive behavior, we housed male hamsters in long days (LD) or SD, treated them with timed MEL (M) or saline injections, and measured aggression after 3, 6, and 9 weeks. Furthermore, to assess whether MEL mediates seasonal shifts in gonadal and adrenal androgen synthesis, serum testosterone (T) and DHEA concentrations were quantified 36 h before and immediately following an aggressive encounter. LD-M and SD males exhibited similar physiological and behavioral responses to treatment. Specifically, both LD-M and SD males displayed higher levels of aggression than LD males and reduced circulating DHEA and T in response to an aggressive encounter, whereas LD males elevated circulating androgens. Interestingly, LD and SD males exhibited distinct relationships between circulating androgens and aggressive behavior, in which changes in serum T following an aggressive interaction (∆T) were negatively correlated with aggression in LD males, while ∆DHEA was positively correlated with aggression in SD males. Collectively, these findings suggest that SD males transition from synthesis to metabolism of circulating androgens following an aggressive encounter, a mechanism that is modulated by MEL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Munley
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Jessica E Deyoe
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Clarissa C Ren
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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23
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Piña-Andrade S, Ramos G, Cárdenas-León M, Martínez A, Romero-Morales L, Martínez-Torres M, Cedillo-Ildefonso B, Luis J. Testosterone dependent territorial aggression is modulated by cohabitation with a female in male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Horm Behav 2020; 117:104611. [PMID: 31669747 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Most mammal studies on the neuroendocrine mechanisms of territorial aggression have demonstrated that testosterone (T) is required for the display of territorial aggression. However, the relationship between T and aggression is more complex and may be modulated by social factor. The aim of this study was to determine the role of T in territorial aggression in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), and the effect of social factors on the modulation of this behavior. The relationship between T and territorial aggression was analyzed using castration and T replacement in two social contexts: male-male and male-female cohabitation. Plasma T concentrations in males of all groups were quantified by radioimmunoassay (RIA). T concentrations were compared using two-way ANOVA. Only sham-castrated and castrated males with T replacement in male-female cohabitation showed aggression, whereas castrated gerbils in the same condition were not aggressive. This indicates that T is the hormone that maintains territorial aggression, but mating is a modulator stimulus. The modulator effect of mating in territorial aggression was associated with an increase in T, but it seems that other mechanisms are involved in the regulation of this behavior, since castrated males with T replacement in the male-male cohabitation did not exhibit aggression, although they had T concentrations as high as these males that received the same treatment, but that cohabited with a female. These results suggest that T is involved in the mechanisms that regulate territorial aggression in the male Mongolian gerbil, and that the cohabitation with a female modulates this behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Piña-Andrade
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México
| | - Guillermo Ramos
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México.
| | - Mario Cárdenas-León
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México.
| | - Ana Martínez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México
| | - Luis Romero-Morales
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México
| | - Martín Martínez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México.
| | - Benita Cedillo-Ildefonso
- Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
| | - Juana Luis
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, México.
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24
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Ghoshal A, Daniel DK, Bhat A. Temporal patterns and sex differences in dyadic interactions in a wild zebrafish population. Behav Processes 2019; 166:103896. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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25
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Fuxjager MJ, Schuppe ER. Androgenic signaling systems and their role in behavioral evolution. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2018; 184:47-56. [PMID: 29883693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroids mediate the organization and activation of masculine reproductive phenotypes in diverse vertebrate taxa. However, the effects of sex steroid action in this context vary tremendously, in that steroid action influences reproductive physiology and behavior in markedly different ways (even among closely related species). This leads to the idea that the mechanisms underlying sex steroid action similarly differ across vertebrates in a manner that supports diversification of important sexual traits. Here, we highlight the Evolutionary Potential Hypothesis as a framework for understanding how androgen-dependent reproductive behavior evolves. This idea posits that the cellular mechanisms underlying androgenic action can independently evolve within a given target tissue to adjust the hormone's functional effects. The result is a seemingly endless number of permutations in androgenic signaling pathways that can be mapped onto the incredible diversity of reproductive phenotypes. One reason this hypothesis is important is because it shifts current thinking about the evolution of steroid-dependent traits away from an emphasis on circulating steroid levels and toward a focus on molecular mechanisms of hormone action. To this end, we also provide new empirical data suggesting that certain cellular modulators of androgen action-namely, the co-factors that dynamically adjust transcritpional effects of steroid action either up or down-are also substrates on which evolution can act. We then close the review with a detailed look at a case study in the golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus). Work in this tropical bird shows how androgenic signaling systems are modified in specific parts of the skeletal muscle system to enhance motor performance necessary to produce acrobatic courtship displays. Altogether, this paper seeks to develop a platform to better understand how steroid action influences the evolution of complex animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, 455 Vine Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, United States.
| | - Eric R Schuppe
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, 455 Vine Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, United States
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26
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27
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Miles MC, Vitousek MN, Husak JF, Johnson MA, Martin LB, Taff CC, Zimmer C, Lovern MB, Fuxjager MJ. Standing Variation and the Capacity for Change: Are Endocrine Phenotypes More Variable Than Other Traits? Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:751-762. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith C Miles
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Michele A Johnson
- Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Conor C Taff
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Cedric Zimmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Matthew B Lovern
- Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
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28
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Nowicki JP, O’Connell LA, Cowman PF, Walker SPW, Coker DJ, Pratchett MS. Variation in social systems within Chaetodon butterflyfishes, with special reference to pair bonding. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194465. [PMID: 29641529 PMCID: PMC5894994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
For many animals, affiliative relationships such as pair bonds form the foundation of society and are highly adaptive. Animal systems amenable for comparatively studying pair bonding are important for identifying underlying biological mechanisms, but mostly exist in mammals. Better establishing fish systems will enable comparison of pair bonding mechanisms across taxonomically distant lineages that may reveal general underlying mechanistic principles. We examined the utility of wild butterflyfishes (f: Chaetodontidae; g: Chaetodon) for comparatively studying pair bonding. Using stochastic character mapping, we provide the first analysis of the evolutionary history of butterflyfish sociality, revealing that pairing is ancestral, with at least seven independent transitions to gregarious grouping and solitary behavior since the late Miocene. We then formally verified social systems in six sympatric and wide-spread species representing a clade with one ancestrally reconstructed transition from paired to solitary grouping at Lizard Island, Australia. In situ observations of the size, selective affiliation and aggression, fidelity, and sex composition of social groups confirmed that Chaetodon baronessa, C. lunulatus, and C. vagabundus are predominantly pair bonding, whereas C. rainfordi, C. plebeius, and C. trifascialis are predominantly solitary. Even in the predominantly pair bonding species, C. lunulatus, a proportion of adults (15%) are solitary. Importantly, inter- and intra-specific differences in social systems do not co-vary with other previously established attributes, including parental care. Hence, the proposed butterflyfish populations are promising for inter- and intra-species comparative analyses of pair bonding and its mechanistic underpinnings. Avenues for further developing the system are proposed, including determining whether the aforementioned utility of these species applies across their geographic disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica P. Nowicki
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JPN); (MSP)
| | - Lauren A. O’Connell
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Peter F. Cowman
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Stefan P. W. Walker
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Darren J. Coker
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Morgan S. Pratchett
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail: (JPN); (MSP)
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29
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Renn SC, Machado HE, Duftner N, Sessa AK, Harris RM, Hofmann HA. Gene expression signatures of mating system evolution. Genome 2018; 61:287-297. [DOI: 10.1139/gen-2017-0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The diversity of mating systems among animals is astounding. Importantly, similar mating systems have evolved even across distantly related taxa. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these convergently evolved phenotypes is limited. Here, we examine on a genomic scale the neuromolecular basis of social organization in cichlids of the tribe Ectodini from Lake Tanganyika. Using field-collected males and females of four closely related species representing two independent evolutionary transitions from polygyny to monogamy, we take a comparative transcriptomic approach to test the hypothesis that these independent transitions have recruited similar gene sets. Our results demonstrate that while lineage and species exert a strong influence on neural gene expression profiles, social phenotype can also drive gene expression evolution. Specifically, 331 genes (∼6% of those assayed) were associated with monogamous mating systems independent of species or sex. Among these genes, we find a strong bias (4:1 ratio) toward genes with increased expression in monogamous individuals. A highly conserved nonapeptide system known to be involved in the regulation of social behavior across animals was not associated with mating system in our analysis. Overall, our findings suggest deep molecular homologies underlying the convergent or parallel evolution of monogamy in different cichlid lineages of Ectodini.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather E. Machado
- Department of Biology, Reed College
- Department of Biology, Stanford University
| | - Nina Duftner
- Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
| | - Anna K. Sessa
- Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
| | - Rayna M. Harris
- Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
| | - Hans A. Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the University of Texas at Austin
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Institute for Neuroscience, the University of Texas at Austin
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30
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Spermatogenic and Testosterone Cycles in a Desert-Adapted Amphibian Odontophrynus barrioi from the Monte Desert, Argentina. J HERPETOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1670/16-070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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31
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Insight into the neuroendocrine basis of signal evolution: a case study in foot-flagging frogs. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:61-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1218-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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32
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Using whole-group metabolic rate and behaviour to assess the energetics of courtship in red-sided garter snakes. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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33
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MacGregor HEA, While GM, Uller T. Comparison of reproductive investment in native and non-native populations of common wall lizards reveals sex differences in adaptive potential. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. A. MacGregor
- Edward Grey Inst.; Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford; Oxford, OX1 3PS UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001; Tasmania Australia
| | - Geoffrey M. While
- Edward Grey Inst.; Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford; Oxford, OX1 3PS UK
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001; Tasmania Australia
| | - Tobias Uller
- Edward Grey Inst.; Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Oxford; Oxford, OX1 3PS UK
- Dept of Biology; Lund Univ.; Lund Sweden
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34
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Rendon NM, Rudolph LM, Sengelaub DR, Demas GE. The agonistic adrenal: melatonin elicits female aggression via regulation of adrenal androgens. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:rspb.2015.2080. [PMID: 26582025 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Classic findings have demonstrated an important role for sex steroids as regulators of aggression, but this relationship is lacking within some environmental contexts. In mammals and birds, the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a non-gonadal precursor of biologically active steroids, has been linked to aggression. Although females, like males, use aggression when competing for limited resources, the mechanisms underlying female aggression remain understudied. Here, we propose a previously undescribed endocrine mechanism regulating female aggression via direct action of the pineal hormone melatonin on adrenal androgens. We examined this in a solitary hamster species, Phodopus sungorus, in which both sexes are highly territorial across the seasons, and display increased aggression concomitant with decreased serum levels of sex steroids in short 'winter-like' days. Short- but not long-day females had increased adrenal DHEA responsiveness co-occurring with morphological changes in the adrenal gland. Further, serum DHEA and total adrenal DHEA content were elevated in short days. Lastly, melatonin increased DHEA and aggression and stimulated DHEA release from cultured adrenals. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that DHEA is a key peripheral regulator of aggression and that melatonin coordinates a 'seasonal switch' from gonadal to adrenal regulation of aggression by direct action on the adrenal glands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikki M Rendon
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Lauren M Rudolph
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Dale R Sengelaub
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Gregory E Demas
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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35
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Resendez SL, Keyes PC, Day JJ, Hambro C, Austin CJ, Maina FK, Eidson LN, Porter-Stransky KA, Nevárez N, McLean JW, Kuhnmuench MA, Murphy AZ, Mathews TA, Aragona BJ. Dopamine and opioid systems interact within the nucleus accumbens to maintain monogamous pair bonds. eLife 2016; 5:e15325. [PMID: 27371827 PMCID: PMC4972541 DOI: 10.7554/elife.15325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Prairie vole breeder pairs form monogamous pair bonds, which are maintained through the expression of selective aggression toward novel conspecifics. Here, we utilize behavioral and anatomical techniques to extend the current understanding of neural mechanisms that mediate pair bond maintenance. For both sexes, we show that pair bonding up-regulates mRNA expression for genes encoding D1-like dopamine (DA) receptors and dynorphin as well as enhances stimulated DA release within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). We next show that D1-like receptor regulation of selective aggression is mediated through downstream activation of kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) and that activation of these receptors mediates social avoidance. Finally, we also identified sex-specific alterations in KOR binding density within the NAc shell of paired males and demonstrate that this alteration contributes to the neuroprotective effect of pair bonding against drug reward. Together, these findings suggest motivational and valence processing systems interact to mediate the maintenance of social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanna L Resendez
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Piper C Keyes
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Jeremy J Day
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmangham, United States
| | - Caely Hambro
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Curtis J Austin
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Francis K Maina
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
| | - Lori N Eidson
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Kirsten A Porter-Stransky
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Natalie Nevárez
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - J William McLean
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmangham, United States
| | - Morgan A Kuhnmuench
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Anne Z Murphy
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Tiffany A Mathews
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
| | - Brandon J Aragona
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States
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36
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Bears H, Smith J, Wingfield J. Adrenocortical sensitivity to stress in Dark-eyed Juncos(Junco hyemalis oregonus)breeding in low and high elevation habitat. ECOSCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2003.11682758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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37
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Madelaire CB, Gomes FR. Breeding under unpredictable conditions: Annual variation in gonadal maturation, energetic reserves and plasma levels of androgens and corticosterone in anurans from the Brazilian semi-arid. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 228:9-16. [PMID: 26808964 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Revised: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Anurans living in arid and semi-arid habitats are subjected to unpredictable rain patterns. Consequently, they should be prepared to reproduce at the onset of rain events. We investigated the covariation between calling behavior, testicular maturation, abdominal fat body index (FBI), plasma levels of androgens (T-DHT) and corticosterone (CORT) of males from three species of anurans in the Brazilian semi-arid during the reproductive period and drought. One of these species aestivates during the drought, while the other two species remain foraging. Although the three species display different behavioral strategies during the dry period, they present the same general reproductive patterns. T-DHT levels on the plasma and germinative cyst diameters were higher during the reproductive and breeding period compared to the drought. Additionally, the germinative cysts had all cell stages including sperm bundles during the dry season, however, it was only during the breeding event that free spermatozoa were found in the cyst lumen. These results suggest that these species present the reproductive pattern typical of desert anurans, consisting of opportunistic breeders that reproduce when triggered by a rain stimulus. Rhinella jimi and Pleurodema diplolister had higher CORT when males were calling. Moreover, Rhinella granulosa and P. diplolister showed lower FBI during breeding event, when males were calling. The high levels of CORT and lower FBI during reproductive period are associated, indicating that CORT modulates the recruitment of energy stores to prepare and maintain reproduction, particularly the expensive calling effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Bonetti Madelaire
- USP - Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Fisiologia, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, n° 321, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
| | - Fernando Ribeiro Gomes
- USP - Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Fisiologia, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, n° 321, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil.
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38
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Wingfield JC, Perfito N, Calisi R, Bentley G, Ubuka T, Mukai M, O'Brien S, Tsutsui K. Putting the brakes on reproduction: Implications for conservation, global climate change and biomedicine. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 227:16-26. [PMID: 26474923 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal breeding is widespread in vertebrates and involves sequential development of the gonads, onset of breeding activities (e.g. cycling in females) and then termination resulting in regression of the reproductive system. Whereas males generally show complete spermatogenesis prior to and after onset of breeding, females of many vertebrate species show only partial ovarian development and may delay onset of cycling (e.g. estrous), yolk deposition or germinal vesicle breakdown until conditions conducive for ovulation and onset of breeding are favorable. Regulation of this "brake" on the onset of breeding remains relatively unknown, but could have profound implications for conservation efforts and for "mismatches" of breeding in relation to global climate change. Using avian models it is proposed that a brain peptide, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), may be the brake to prevent onset of breeding in females. Evidence to date suggests that although GnIH may be involved in the regulation of gonadal development and regression, it plays more regulatory roles in the process of final ovarian development leading to ovulation, transitions from sexual to parental behavior and suppression of reproductive function by environmental stress. Accumulating experimental evidence strongly suggests that GnIH inhibits actions of gonadotropin-releasing hormones on behavior (central effects), gonadotropin secretion (central and hypophysiotropic effects), and has direct actions in the gonad to inhibit steroidogenesis. Thus, actual onset of breeding activities leading to ovulation may involve environmental cues releasing an inhibition (brake) on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonad axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Nicole Perfito
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Rebecca Calisi
- Department of Biology, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - George Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - T Ubuka
- Department of Biology, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
| | - M Mukai
- Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sara O'Brien
- Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, VA 24142, USA
| | - K Tsutsui
- Department of Biology, Waseda University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
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39
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Signalling behaviour is influenced by transient social context in a spontaneously ovulating mammal. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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40
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Rendon NM, Demas GE. Bi‐directional actions of dehydroepiandrosterone and aggression in female Siberian hamsters. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 325:116-21. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Revised: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikki M. Rendon
- Department of BiologyCenter for the Integrative Study of Animal BehaviorProgram in NeuroscienceIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndiana
| | - Gregory E. Demas
- Department of BiologyCenter for the Integrative Study of Animal BehaviorProgram in NeuroscienceIndiana UniversityBloomingtonIndiana
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41
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Fuxjager MJ, Schlinger BA. Perspectives on the evolution of animal dancing: a case study of manakins. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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42
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Dispersal Distance, Gonadal Steroid Levels, and Body Condition in Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor): Seasonal and Breeding Night Variation in Females. J HERPETOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1670/13-119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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43
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Dufour CMS, Pillay N, Ganem G. Ventro–ventral copulation in a rodent: a female initiative? J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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44
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Ellis L, Ratnasingam M. Naturally Selected Mate Preferences Appear to Be Androgen-Influenced: Evidence from Two Cultures. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-015-0014-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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45
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Leary CJ, Lippincott J, Harris S, Hawkins DL. A test of the Energetics-Hormone Vocalization model in the green treefrog. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 213:32-9. [PMID: 25575655 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2014] [Revised: 12/26/2014] [Accepted: 12/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Male courtship displays may be regulated by, and affect the production of, circulating hormones. The Energetics-Hormone Vocalization (EHV) model, for example, posits that interactions among chorusing male anuran amphibians stimulate androgen production that then mediates an increase in vocal effort. Increased vocal effort is expected to deplete energy reserves and increase glucocorticoid levels that, in turn, negatively affect androgen levels and vocalization. Androgen levels, glucocorticoid levels, and vocal effort are thus expected to increase across and within nights of chorus activity and should be positively correlated in calling males; energy reserves should decline temporally and be inversely related to glucocorticoid levels. We tested predictions of the EHV model in the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea. Consistent with the model, both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels increased across the breeding season in calling males. However, testosterone levels decreased and dihydrotestosterone levels did not change within nights of chorus activity, suggesting that chorusing behavior did not drive the seasonal elevation in androgens. Corticosterone (CORT) level remained relatively stable across the breeding season and decreased within nights of chorus activity, contrary to model predictions. Body condition, the proxy for energetic state, was inversely correlated with CORT level but discrepancies between model predictions and temporal patterns of CORT production arose because there was no evidence of a temporal decrease in body condition or increase in vocal effort. Moreover, androgen and CORT levels were not positively correlated with vocal effort. Additional ecological and physiological measures may be needed to support predictions of the EHV model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Leary
- University of Mississippi, Department of Biology, Box 1848, Oxford, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Johnny Lippincott
- University of Mississippi, Department of Biology, Box 1848, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
| | - Samuel Harris
- University of Mississippi, Department of Biology, Box 1848, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
| | - Doyle L Hawkins
- University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Mathematics, P.O. Box 19408, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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46
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A matter of time: delayed mate encounter postpones mating window initiation and reduces the strength of female choosiness. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1864-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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47
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Hofmann HA, Beery AK, Blumstein DT, Couzin ID, Earley RL, Hayes LD, Hurd PL, Lacey EA, Phelps SM, Solomon NG, Taborsky M, Young LJ, Rubenstein DR. An evolutionary framework for studying mechanisms of social behavior. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:581-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2013] [Revised: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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48
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Rhodes HJ, Stevenson RJ, Ego CL. Male-male clasping may be part of an alternative reproductive tactic in Xenopus laevis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97761. [PMID: 24849114 PMCID: PMC4029796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Male Xenopus laevis frogs have been observed to clasp other males in a sustained, amplectant position, the purpose of which is unknown. We examined three possible hypotheses for this counter-intuitive behavior: 1) clasping males fail to discriminate the sex of the frogs they clasp; 2) male-male clasping is an aggressive or dominant behavior; or 3) that males clasp other males to gain proximity to breeding events and possibly engage in sperm competition. Our data, gathered through a series of behavioral experiments in the laboratory, refute the first two hypotheses. We found that males did not clasp indiscriminately, but showed a sex preference, with most males preferentially clasping a female, but a proportion preferentially clasping another male. Males that clasped another male when there was no female present were less likely to “win” reproductive access in a male-male-female triad, indicating that they did not establish dominance through clasping. However, those males did gain proximity to oviposition by continued male-male clasping in the presence of the female. Thus, our findings are consistent with, but cannot confirm, the third hypothesis of male-male clasping as an alternative reproductive tactic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J. Rhodes
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Rachel J. Stevenson
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Courtney L. Ego
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, United States of America
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49
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Anderson L, Cree A, Towns D, Nelson N. Modulation of corticosterone secretion in tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus): Evidence of a dampened stress response in gravid females. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 201:45-52. [PMID: 24713446 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 03/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Baseline and stress response glucocorticoid (GC) secretion can be modulated by individuals to support activities and physiological functions connected with reproduction (migration, mating, oviposition and/or parturition, care of young). Corticosterone (CORT) is the primary GC in reptiles and, in accordance with other vertebrates, an adrenocortical stress response is observed. Modulation of CORT secretion occurs in several reptile species, such that elevated baseline CORT concentration and/or a dampened CORT response are common during reproductive life-history events. We investigated CORT secretion after 24 h capture-restraint in the oviparous tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), the last living rhynchocephalian, and tested whether gravid females have a dampened CORT response compared with non-gravid females. We also included males as a comparison. We confirmed that gravid females have significantly higher baseline plasma CORT concentrations than non-gravid females, suggesting increased CORT secretion during nesting. Furthermore, we found that gravid females exhibit a dampened CORT response compared to non-gravid females and males. Our results demonstrate that female reproductive condition influences CORT secretion in tuatara, and suggest that gravid females modulate CORT secretion during nesting to maintain homeostasis, effectively increasing chances of reproductive success and promoting overall fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Anderson
- Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
| | - Alison Cree
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
| | - David Towns
- Ecosystem Development Team, Science and Technical Group, Department of Conservation, Private Bag 68-908 Newton, Auckland 1145, New Zealand.
| | - Nicola Nelson
- Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
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50
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Friesen CR, Mason RT, Arnold SJ, Estes S. Patterns of sperm use in two populations of Red-sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) with long-term female sperm storage. CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Long-term sperm storage may contribute to postcopulatory sexual selection because it enhances the commingling of sperm from different males within the female reproductive tract, which is the prerequisite for sperm competition. Long-term sperm storage and multiple paternity has been documented in snakes, but the identity of the last potential father is usually unknown in studies demonstrating multiple paternity. Here we present the first study in Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Say in James, 1832)) to use experimental population crosses to assess stored sperm usage, mate-order effects, and the potential for interpopulational gametic isolation. We found a high rate of multiple paternity indicative of ubiquitous long-term sperm storage in this system, and observed last-male sperm precedence in all families (n = 66). Postzygotic isolation was absent, and we observed only a weak asymmetry in pattern of sperm precedence in our population crosses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Friesen
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall 3029, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building AO8, Science Road, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Robert T. Mason
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall 3029, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Stevan J. Arnold
- Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Cordley Hall 3029, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Suzanne Estes
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, SRTC Room 246, Portland, OR 97201, USA
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