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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 16, 666-677, Copyright © 1977 by Society for the Study of Reproduction
-Dihydrotestosterone" Levels in
Peripheral Plasma of Male and Female Ring Doves (Streptopelia
risoria) During the Reproductive Cycle
1 Institute of Animal Behavior,
Rutgers University,
101 Warren Street,
Newark, New Jersey 07102 Testosterone (T), 5 In the absence of females, neither removal of a male from his home cage to a novel cage, nor
pairing of a male with another male resulted in elevation of T or DHT above baseline values.
Castrated males paired with females also exhibited no rise in T or DHT concentrations above
baseline values. It is concluded that female doves induce increased androgen secretion in males
during the coutship phase of the reproductive cycle, that the major source of the androgen surge is
testicular, and that the predominant circulating androgens in male doves are T and DHT. T and DHT were also detected in females, with somewhat higher concentrations tending to
occur during courtship than at other phases of the cycle. However, androgen concentrations in
females were lower than those of males at all stages of the reproductive cycle.
-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and androstenedione (A) were measured by
radioimmunoassay in peripheral plasma of paired male and female ring doves throughout the
reproductive cycle. Before the males were moved to the breeding cage for pairing, their T levels
were 183.4 ± 28.1 pg/ml and their DHT levels were 129.5 ± 16.3 pg/ml. Within 4 h after pairing
with a female, male androgen levels rose (T = 322.8 ± 136.5 pg/ml, DHT = 1043.8 ± 247.3 pg/ml)
and by three days after pairing T and DHT had reached peak levels (701.4 ± 116.8 pg/ml and
1279.5 ± 241.1 pg/ml, respectively). By the time the female laid her first egg, marking the end of
the courtship phase and the beginning of the incubation phase, T and DHT levels had declined to
189.6 ± 26.1 and 200.0 ± 41.9. Androgen remained at approximately these low baseline
concentrations throughout incubation and squab rearing, and showed a second elevation only at
the beginning (courtship phase) of the next reproductive cycle. Androstenedione levels never
exceeded 10 pg/ml.
Note:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Dr. M.-F. Cheng for comments on the
manuscript. This paper is Contribution No. 255 of the
Institute of Animal Behavior.
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