Courtship behavior of male white perch, Morone americana: evidence for control by androgens.
Courtship behaviors are androgen-dependent in many vertebrates and castration often decreases courtship. We examined the effectiveness of castration in reducing courtship behaviors and 11-ketotestosterone (KT) and testosterone (T) in restoring them in male white perch. Castrates were given implants containing KT, T or no hormone. Sham-operated males received implants without hormone. Three weeks later, males were exposed to an ovulated female for 1 h and two courtship behaviors were quantified. Attending behavior involves close and continuous following of a female with occasional contact. Circling involves rapid transits around the female in a circular pattern or back and forth in front of her. In plasma samples taken immediately after observations, KT and T were below detectable levels in castrated males but at high physiological levels in males implanted with KT or T. Castrated males given KT attended females more than castrated males given T implants or implants containing no hormone, but not more than sham-operated males. Circling was eliminated by castration but restored by implantation with T or 11-KT to values exhibited by sham-operated males. This is one of the few demonstrations that KT can regulate courtship behavior in a non-territorial and economically important fish species.
Salek
S J
SJ
Department of Zoology, Campus Box 7617, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Sullivan
C V
CV
Godwin
J
J
D000374:Aggression; D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002369:Castration; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones; D008297:Male; D010471:Perches; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013739:Testosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis
D000728:Androgens; D006728:Hormones; D013739:Testosterone