title: Reproductive and parental care physiology of Cichlasoma dimerus males.
abstract: The South American cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus presents a high breeding frequency and biparental care of the eggs and larvae. The male parental care period was divided in four different phases according to the developmental degree of the offspring: pre-spawning activity (MP, day 0), guarding eggs (ME, one day after fertilization (1 DAF)), guarding hatched larvae (MHL, 3 DAF), and guarding swimming larvae (MSL, 8 DAF). The aim of this study was to characterize male reproductive physiology by measuring steroid hormone plasma levels and analyzing testes cellular composition. Males exhibiting pre-spawning activity showed 8.4 times higher 11-ketotestosterone and 5.63 times higher testosterone levels than MHL. No differences were observed in estradiol and cortisol levels among the different phases. The cellular composition of the testes varied during the reproductive and parental care periods. Testes of MP were composed of 50% of spermatozoa, whereas spermatogonia type B and spermatocytes were predominant in the subsequent parental phases. A morphometric analysis of Leydig cells nuclear area revealed that MP and ME's Leydig cells averaged 1.27 times larger than that those of MHL and MSL and was positively correlated with circulating 11-KT and T levels. Hence, C. dimerus males showed important changes in its hormonal profiles and testicular cellular composition throughout the reproductive and parental care period.
authors: Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Agustina
authors: A
authors: Birba
authors: Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Martín Roberto
authors: MR
authors: Ramallo
authors: IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología Acuática, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Fabiana
authors: F
authors: Lo Nostro
authors: Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Traversa 14, 321, São Paulo 05508-090, SP, Brazil.
authors: Renata
authors: R
authors: Guimarães Moreira
authors: Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: pandolfi@bg.fcen.uba.ar.
authors: Matías
authors: M
authors: Pandolfi
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D023681:Cichlids / Q000502:physiology*; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D055703:Reproductive Physiological Phenomena; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens
keywords: Cichlids; Leydig cells; Parental care; Sexual steroids; Spermatogenesis