Presentation Details
| Disentangling the roles of neural and peripheral androgen signaling in paternal care in birds Josephina H Fornara1, David M Duffey2, Kimberly A Rosvall1. 1Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.2Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA |
Abstract
Androgens play an important role in regulating suites of traits, from reproductive physiology to parental behavior. Androgens do this by binding to androgen receptors (ARs) in neural and peripheral tissues. However, it remains unclear how independent versus coordinated androgenic signaling across tissues shapes the phenotype. Here, we used pharmacological agents to strategically block ARs in free-living male tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) during the chick-rearing period, when males regularly provision offspring. We accomplished this using subcutaneous implants containing either flutamide (FLUT), which blocks ARs throughout the brain and body, or bicalutamide (BICAL), which cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and thus acts on ARs in the periphery but not the brain. We then measured the effect of each treatment on paternal provisioning rate. FLUT males increased their provisioning effort more than BICAL or placebo males after implantation, suggesting that androgen signaling in the brain may be particularly important for shaping paternal care in this species.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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