Non-photoperiodic regulation of reproductive physiology in the flexibly breeding pine siskin (Spinus pinus).

General and Comparative Endocrinology
Heather E Watts, Thomas P Hahn

Abstract

In order to time reproduction to coincide with favorable conditions, animals use environmental cues to up- and down-regulate the reproductive axis appropriately. Although photoperiodic cues are one of the best studied of such environmental cues, animals also attend to others such as temperature, food availability, rainfall and social cues. Such non-photic cues are expected to be particularly important for tropical species and temperate-zone species that exhibit flexible or opportunistic breeding schedules. In this study, we investigate the use of non-photic cues, specifically food availability and social cues, to time the initiation of reproductive development in the pine siskin (Spinus pinus), a temperate-zone songbird with a flexible breeding schedule. Following winter solstice, males were housed on a 12L:12D photoperiod with either access to a preferred food, a potential mate (social cue), or both. Control birds received only maintenance diet and no mate. Access to a preferred food had a significant positive effect on testis size and circulating luteinizing hormone (LH). However, we found no effect of social treatment on reproductive development. The effect of the food treatment on reproductive development did not appear to ...Continue Reading

References

Nov 1, 1987·The Journal of Endocrinology·P J SharpR T Talbot
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Feb 23, 2000·The Journal of Experimental Zoology·M HauJ C Wingfield
Aug 17, 2001·Journal of Biological Rhythms·A DawsonG F Ball
May 11, 2002·Journal of Biological Rhythms·Alexander Scheuerlein, Eberhard Gwinner
Feb 6, 2003·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Stefan LeitnerManfred Gahr
Apr 20, 2004·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Thomas P HahnGeorge E Bentley
Sep 21, 2006·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Scott A MacDougall-ShackletonThomas P Hahn

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Citations

Feb 3, 2016·Hormones and Behavior·Heather E WattsThomas P Hahn
Mar 15, 2016·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Scott DaviesPierre Deviche
Apr 14, 2015·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological Genetics and Physiology·Heather E WattsThomas P Hahn
Aug 6, 2013·Hormones and Behavior·Jill E SchneiderErin Keen-Rhinehart
Oct 7, 2017·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Jeremy A Spool, Lauren V Riters
Jun 22, 2018·Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology·Anand S DixitNamram S Singh
Aug 15, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Heather E WattsTauras P Vilgalys
Feb 26, 2019·Hormones and Behavior·Ashley R RobartHeather E Watts

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