Mate choice, sexual selection, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Gore, Andrea C.; Holley, Amanda; Crews, David

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.09.001

Cited by 37 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 130 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[66]), contaminants that interfere with sexual selection (e.g. endocrine-disrupting chemicals, EDCs; [67]) have considerable potential to affect subsequent evolution. For example, in European starlings, treatment with an EDC mixture resulted in males producing longer and more complex songs that are preferred by females, despite exposed males also having suppressed immune responses [68].…”

Section: (C) Chemical Contamination Drives Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of chemical contaminants on the behaviour, ecology and evolution of wildlife

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chemical contaminants (e.g. metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals) are changing ecosystems via effects on wildlife. Indeed, recent work explicitly performed under environmentally realistic conditions reveals that chemical contaminants can have both direct and indirect effects at multiple levels of organization by influencing animal behaviour. Altered behaviour reflects multiple physiological changes and links individual- to population-level processes, thereby representing a sensitive tool for holistically assessing impacts of environmentally relevant contaminant concentrations. Here, we show that even if direct effects of contaminants on behavioural responses are reasonably well documented, there are significant knowledge gaps in understanding both the plasticity (i.e. individual variation) and evolution of contaminant-induced behavioural changes. We explore implications of multi-level processes by developing a conceptual framework that integrates direct and indirect effects on behaviour under environmentally realistic contexts. Our framework illustrates how sublethal behavioural effects of contaminants can be both negative and positive, varying dynamically within the same individuals and populations. This is because linkages within communities will act indirectly to alter and even magnify contaminant-induced effects. Given the increasing pressure on wildlife and ecosystems from chemical pollution, we argue there is a need to incorporate existing knowledge in ecology and evolution to improve ecological hazard and risk assessments.

show abstract

Section: (C) Chemical Contamination Drives Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect effects of chemical contaminants on the behaviour, ecology and evolution of wildlife

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other passerines, such as female sedge warblers (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), that have been implanted with estradiol have also been shown to respond more strongly to male playback [77]. Indeed, chemicals such as PCBs are capable of disrupting aspects of mate choice, such as significantly altering the preference for a sex-specific signal (reviewed in [78]). In contrast, we suspect that in the other treatment groups male song playbacks with a stuffed male model and without the accompaniment of other cues from a live male [79] were not enough to mimic the complexity of signals needed for a clear female preference.…”

Section: Female Song Preferencementioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental polychlorinated biphenyl exposure influences adult zebra finch reproductive behaviour

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are worldwide chemical pollutants that have been linked to disrupted reproduction and altered sexual behaviour in many organisms. However, the effect of developmental PCB-exposure on adult passerine reproductive behaviour remains unknown. A commercial PCB mixture (Aroclor 1242) or an estrogenic congener (PCB 52) were administered in sublethal amounts to nestling zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in the laboratory to identify effects of developmental PCB-exposure on adult zebra finch reproductive parameters. Results indicate that although traditional measures of reproductive success are not altered by this PCB dosage, PCBs do alter sexual behaviours such as male song and nesting behaviour. Males treated with PCB 52 in the nest sang significantly fewer syllables than control males, while females treated with Aroclor 1242 in the nest showed the strongest song preferences. PCB treatment also caused an increase in the number of nesting attempts and abandoned nests in the Aroclor 1242 treatment relative to the PCB 52 treatment, and offspring with control fathers fledged significantly earlier than those with fathers treated with Aroclor 1242. Behavioural differences between males seem to best explain these reproductive effects, most notably aggression. These findings suggest that sublethal PCB-exposure during development can significantly alter key reproductive characteristics of adult zebra finches, likely reducing fitness in the wild. PLOS ONEPLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.When the F1 males were a minimum of 100 days post-hatch (Fig 1) they were tested for the effectiveness of their courtship and parental behaviors. Thirteen groups consisting of three zebra finches each were placed in experimental cages: 1) one F1 male from the control group, 2) one F1 male from either the Aroclor 1242 group (N = 7) or the PCB 52 group (N = 6), and PLOS ONEDevelopmental PCBs influence adult zebra finch behaviour PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.

show abstract

“…Widespread contamination of the environment with PCBs places a measurable economic burden on society due to the increase of individuals with intellectual disabilities (Bellanger, Demeneix, Grandjean, Zoeller, & Trasande, 2015). Studies conducted in both laboratory animals and wildlife also show behavioral perturbations, including social and sociosexual behaviors, that could impair reproductive success and sexual selection (Gore, Holley, & Crews, 2018;Gore, Krishnan & Reilly, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to prenatal PCBs shifts the timing of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of developing rats

2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The developing brain is highly sensitive to the hormonal milieu, with gonadal steroid hormones involved in neurogenesis, neural survival, and brain organization. Limited available evidence suggests that endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may perturb these developmental processes. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Aroclor 1221, would disrupt the normal timing of neurogenesis in two hypothalamic regions: the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) and the preoptic area (POA). These regions were selected because of their important roles in the control of sociosexual behaviors that are perturbed in adulthood by prenatal EDC exposure. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to PCBs from Embryonic Day 8 (E8) to E18, encompassing the period of neurogenesis of all hypothalamic neurons. To determine the birth dates of neurons, bromo‐2‐deoxy‐5‐uridine (BrdU) was administered to dams on E12, E14, or E16. On the day after birth, male and female pups were perfused, brains immunolabeled for BrdU, and numbers of cells counted. In the VMN, exposure to PCBs significantly advanced the timing of neurogenesis compared to vehicle‐treated pups, without changing the total number of BrdU+ cells. In the POA, PCBs did not change the timing of neurogenesis nor the total number of cells born. This is the first study to show that PCBs can shift the timing of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus, specifically in the VMN but not the POA. This result has implications for functions controlled by the VMN, especially sociosexual behaviors, as well as for sexual selection more generally.

show abstract

Mate choice, sexual selection, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Cited by 37 publications

References 130 publications

Direct and indirect effects of chemical contaminants on the behaviour, ecology and evolution of wildlife

Direct and indirect effects of chemical contaminants on the behaviour, ecology and evolution of wildlife

Developmental polychlorinated biphenyl exposure influences adult zebra finch reproductive behaviour

Exposure to prenatal PCBs shifts the timing of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of developing rats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About