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Sex-specific responses to GnRH challenge, but not food supply, in kittiwakes: Evidence for the "sensitivity to information" hypothesis.
Whelan, Shannon; Benowitz-Fredericks, Z Morgan; Hatch, Scott A; Parenteau, Charline; Chastel, Olivier; Elliott, Kyle H.
Afiliación
  • Whelan S; Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada. Electronic address: shannon.whelan2@mail.mcgill.ca.
  • Benowitz-Fredericks ZM; Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA.
  • Hatch SA; Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK, USA.
  • Parenteau C; Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, UMR-7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
  • Chastel O; Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, UMR-7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
  • Elliott KH; Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
Horm Behav ; 154: 105389, 2023 08.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37327549
Seasonal timing of breeding is usually considered to be triggered by endogenous responses linked to predictive cues (e.g., photoperiod) and supplementary cues that vary annually (e.g., food supply), but social cues are also important. Females may be more sensitive to supplementary cues because of their greater role in reproductive timing decisions, while males may only require predictive cues. We tested this hypothesis by food-supplementing female and male colonial seabirds (black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla) during the pre-breeding season. We measured colony attendance via GPS devices, quantified pituitary and gonadal responses to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge, and observed subsequent laying phenology. Food supplementation advanced laying phenology and increased colony attendance. While female pituitary responses to GnRH were consistent across the pre-breeding season, males showed a peak in pituitary sensitivity at approximately the same time that most females were initiating follicle development. The late peak in male pituitary response to GnRH questions a common assumption that males primarily rely on predictive cues (e.g., photoperiod) while females also rely on supplementary cues (e.g., food availability). Instead, male kittiwakes may integrate synchronising cues from their social environment to adjust their reproductive timing to coincide with female timing.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Hormona Liberadora de Gonadotropina / Charadriiformes Tipo de estudio: Diagnostic_studies Límite: Animals Idioma: En Revista: Horm Behav Año: 2023 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Hormona Liberadora de Gonadotropina / Charadriiformes Tipo de estudio: Diagnostic_studies Límite: Animals Idioma: En Revista: Horm Behav Año: 2023 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos