Androgen and Behavior in the Male Three-Spined Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus I.—Changes in 11-ketotestosterone Levels during the Nesting Cycle

Circulating 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) levels are higher during the courtship phase than during the later parental phase in a number of male teleosts. The present study describes the temporal changes in 11KT levels and their relationships to changes in courtship behavior, after different number of s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hormones and behavior 2002-06, Vol.41 (4), p.377-383
Main Authors: Páll, Miklós K., Mayer, Ian, Borg, Bertil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
11-ketotestosterone
Animals
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
courtship
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hormones and behavior
Male
Nesting Behavior - physiology
nesting cycle
plasma
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Radioimmunoassay
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Smegmamorpha - physiology
Testosterone - analogs & derivatives
Testosterone - blood
three-spined stickleback
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Circulating 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) levels are higher during the courtship phase than during the later parental phase in a number of male teleosts. The present study describes the temporal changes in 11KT levels and their relationships to changes in courtship behavior, after different number of spawnings, over the nesting cycle of the male three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, a small teleost showing pronounced paternal behavior. Plasma 11KT levels, measured by radioimmunoassay, were approximately 34 times higher during the initial courtship phase than at the end of the following parental phase in spawned males. In addition, males that spawned with three or more females on a single day showed an earlier decline in 11KT levels and in courtship behavior compared to males that were only allowed to spawn with a single female. Plasma 11KT levels remained high in males not allowed to spawn.
ISSN:0018-506X
1095-6867
DOI:10.1006/hbeh.2002.1777