Effect of the presence of females on the pituitary-testicular activity in male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Delville, Yvon; Sulon, J.; Hendrick, J. C.; Balthazart, Jacques

doi:10.1016/0016-6480(84)90115-1

Cited by 80 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This is consistent with previous studies indicating that sexual interaction with a sexually mature female does not affect plasma testosterone levels in male quail [Delville et al, 1984]. This interpretation is also supported by recent studies showing that a similar induction of Fos expression in the brain of male quail is observed in subjects that have been castrated and treated with exogenous testosterone (subcutaneous Silastic implants); in these animals changes in plasma testosterone concentrations in response to females are not possible Tlemçani et al, 2000].…”

Section: Functional Significance Of Fos Induction: Correlations Betwesupporting

confidence: 93%

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ball

Balthazart

2001

Brain Behav Evol

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Courtship behaviors were interpreted by ethologists as being examples of ‘sign stimuli’ that would act as ‘releasers’ of stereotypic species-typical behaviors in conspecifics. A key component of the sign stimulus concept is that some form of stimulus filtering occurs that is responsible for the marked selective behavioral responsiveness. Studies of immediate early gene induction in the avian brain in response to conspecific stimuli associated with courtship and mating reveal that such gene induction is highly selective. In male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), studies of the immediate early gene c-fos or zenk have been conducted in birds engaging in both appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior. High induction of immediate early genes occurs in hypothalamic and limbic areas such as the medial preoptic nucleus, bed nucleus striae terminalis and parts of the archistriatum in birds who had copulated and/or who had expressed a learned social proximity response, reflecting appetitive sexual behavior. Immediate early gene expression was also increased in telencephalic areas such as the hyperstriatum ventrale that presumably plays a role in the integration of sensory cues related to female recognition. In European starlings, studies of zenk induction have been conducted in females who hear male-typical courtship song. Clayton and Mello had shown that zenk is induced in the auditory telencephalon of canaries and zebra finches at high levels specifically in response to conspecific song. Immediate early genes such as fos and zenk are also expressed in song control nuclei specifically in association with song production. In starlings it was found that song was effective in rapidly inducing zenk expression in the auditory telencephalon in males and in females in the breeding as well as in the non-breeding season. Thus, the expression is not greater in females who use song to choose mates or during the breeding season when females are choosing mates. However, there is evidence that high levels of induction in certain areas of the auditory telencephalon in females are greater in response to songs organized in longer bouts that females prefer. Though immediate early gene induction in the brain does not exactly mimic selective behavioral responses to sign stimuli it may represent one important way in which stimulus selectivity of the sort hypothesized previously by Tinbergen and Lorenz is coded. Engaging in species-typical behaviors is also associated with motor-driven immediate early gene expression.

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Section: Functional Significance Of Fos Induction: Correlations Betwesupporting

confidence: 93%

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ball

Balthazart

2001

Brain Behav Evol

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“…If pre-copulatory exposure provides information preparing the male for future sexual encounters, males pre-exposed to a female should subsequently copulate at a higher rate and with a shorter latency than subjects from the two other groups. Similar to what has been described in other species, social interactions influence circulating concentrations of steroid hormones in quail (Cornil, et al, 2009; Delville, et al, 1984). To test whether the observed effects depend on gonadal steroid hormone changes following social interactions, subjects were castrated and chronically treated with testosterone capsules to restore sexual behavior.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Cornil

Ball

2010

Hormones and Behavior

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On their first sexual encounter, naïve male Japanese quail will attend to and approach a female; they sometimes mount but they do not always copulate. During the second encounter, most males successfully copulate. Although sexual experience facilitates subsequent sexual interactions, sensory cues provided by females, independent of any sexual encounter, may also enhance sexual performance. To investigate whether previous exposure to a conspecific affects subsequent sexual behavior, we allowed inexperienced males to observe an empty box, or a conspecific consisting of either an experienced female or male for 2.5 min/day on 7 days. Measures of appetitive sexual behavior were recorded during these tests. On day 8, subjects were allowed to copulate with a novel female for 5 min. On the following days, all subjects were repeatedly provided with visual access to a female and allowed to mate. In the pre-copulatory trials males initially exhibited a high frequency of appetitive responses that dissipated with repetition. Pre-copulatory experience also significantly affected motivation to mate with subjects exposed to females copulating more quickly than other subjects. Post-copulatory appetitive behavior also differed between groups: control subjects showed the highest behavioral frequency followed by males exposed to females and finally males exposed to males. These data indicate that pre-copulatory social experience profoundly influences subsequent sexual behavior and probably reproductive success. This experience effect is independent of any hormonal effect (such as one resulting from changes in secretion following different social interactions) given that the subjects were castrates chronically treated with testosterone.

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“…Comparing the effect of red, blue, green and white light and two day lengths (6 and 14-h photoperiod), only in cockerels reared under red or white 6-h photoperiod, lower testes weight and inhibitions of spermatogenesis and gonadotropin release were observed at 18 weeks of age (Lewis and Morris, 2006). Furthermore, another environmental factor affecting male sexual maturity is the rearing of males along with females; literature indicates that the social stimulation, as the presence of females, stimulate the gonadal devel- opment in the dove (O'Connel et al, 1981) and in Japanese quail (Delville et al, 1984). The interaction between social factors and the light has to be considered (Cheng, 1976).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testicular Growth and Comb and Wattles Development in Three Italian Chicken Genotypes Reared Under Free-Range Conditions

Rizzi

Verdiglione

2015

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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Male chickens belonging to three Italian purebreds -Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER), Robusta lionata (RL) and Robusta maculata (RM) -were studied. All the birds were reared under the same rearing conditions (from May until autumn). Chickens were reared under infra-red lamps from birth until 4 weeks of age with a 24L:0D photoperiod. Then they were kept outdoor: the photoperiod changed according to the season (from 16L:8D to 12L:12D). At 138 and 168 days of age 20 birds/breed were weighed and then slaughtered. Testicular samples were collected, after evisceration, processed and embedded in paraffine wax. Sections were stained for morphological observations, observed with light microscope, and then classified according to the testis maturation stage. Ermellinata di Rovigo chickens showed the lowest (P<0.01) body weight and the highest (P<0.01) testes weight; testes maturity was higher (P<0.01) in ER than in RL, whereas RM was intermediate. For each genotype testes weight and testes maturity did not significantly differ with aging. Correlations between testes weight and body, comb, and wattles weight, according to the breed, were calculated at 168 days of age. For ER no significant correlation was found, whereas RL showed a significant (P<0.01) positive relationship between testes weight and body weight, and sexual secondary characters. Robusta maculata showed a significant correlation between testes weight and comb (P<0.01) and wattles weight (P<0.10). Our results suggest that under the studied environmental conditions ER showed the highest testes development according to its more precocious achievement of adult body weight, whereas RL was the least precocious purebred.

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Effect of the presence of females on the pituitary-testicular activity in male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Cited by 80 publications

References 22 publications

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Ethological Concepts Revisited: Immediate Early Gene Induction in Response to Sexual Stimuli in Birds

Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Testicular Growth and Comb and Wattles Development in Three Italian Chicken Genotypes Reared Under Free-Range Conditions

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