Reproductive success is essential for all organisms and to the evolutionary viability of all species. Reproductive suppression (e.g. retardation of gonadal function, delay of puberty), however, is common among animals with low social status or animals exposed to tonic stressors. Integrative studies examining the control of reproduction at both the behavioral and neuroendocrine levels are critical for understanding the intricacies of reproductive inhibition. The experiments described herein aim first to evaluate the relationships between social status, social instability, and stress axis activation (e.g. stimulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone and its downstream effects such as elevated cortisol synthesis). Furthermore, the proposed experiments target social status and stress as potentially integral factors involve in reproductive inhibition. The final set of experiments utilizes pharmacological manipulations to assess whether the peripheral stress circuit (e.g. cortisol) is important in the control of reproductive behavior and/or function. The results obtained will provide a foundation for developing an integrative, comparative model for reproductive suppression that can be applied across taxa.
| Lorenzi, V; Earley, R L; Rodgers, E W et al. (2008) Diurnal patterns and sex differences in cortisol, 11-ketotestosterone, testosterone, and 17beta-estradiol in the bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli). Gen Comp Endocrinol 155:438-46 |
| Earley, Ryan L; Edwards, Jonathan T; Aseem, Obaidullah et al. (2006) Social interactions tune aggression and stress responsiveness in a territorial cichlid fish (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus). Physiol Behav 88:353-63 |
| Rodgers, E W; Earley, R L; Grober, M S (2006) Elevated 11-ketotestosterone during paternal behavior in the Bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli). Horm Behav 49:610-4 |
