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Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gesquiere, LR; Onyango, PO; Alberts, SC; Altmann, J
Published in: American journal of physical anthropology
February 2011

In conditions characterized by energetic constraints, such as in periods of low food availability, some trade-offs between reproduction and self-maintenance may be necessary; even year-round breeders may then be forced to exhibit some reproductive seasonality. Prior research has largely focused on female reproduction and physiology, and few studies have evaluated the impact of environmental factors on males. Here we assessed the effects of season and ambient temperatures on fecal glucocorticoid (fGC) and testosterone (fT) levels in male baboons in Amboseli, Kenya. The Amboseli basin is a highly challenging, semiarid tropical habitat that is characterized by strongly seasonal patterns of rainfall and by high ambient temperatures. We previously reported that female baboons were impacted by these challenging environmental conditions. We ask here whether male baboons in the same environment and groups as females exhibit similar physiological effects. We found that after accounting for male age and individual variability, males exhibited higher fGC levels and lower fT levels during the dry season than during the wet season. Furthermore, fT but not fGC levels were lower in months of high average daily maximum temperatures, suggesting a direct impact of heat on testes. Our results demonstrate that male baboons, like females, experience ecological stress that alters their reproductive physiology. The impact of the environment on male reproduction deserves more attention both in its own right and because alteration in male physiology may contribute to the reduction in female fertility observed inchallenging environments.

Duke Scholars

Published In

American journal of physical anthropology

DOI

EISSN

1096-8644

ISSN

0002-9483

Publication Date

February 2011

Volume

144

Issue

2

Start / End Page

169 / 176

Related Subject Headings

  • Testosterone
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal
  • Seasons
  • Reproduction
  • Papio
  • Male
  • Linear Models
  • Kenya
  • Hot Temperature
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Gesquiere, L. R., Onyango, P. O., Alberts, S. C., & Altmann, J. (2011). Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 144(2), 169–176. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21374
Gesquiere, Laurence R., Patrick O. Onyango, Susan C. Alberts, and Jeanne Altmann. “Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males.American Journal of Physical Anthropology 144, no. 2 (February 2011): 169–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21374.
Gesquiere LR, Onyango PO, Alberts SC, Altmann J. Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males. American journal of physical anthropology. 2011 Feb;144(2):169–76.
Gesquiere, Laurence R., et al. “Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males.American Journal of Physical Anthropology, vol. 144, no. 2, Feb. 2011, pp. 169–76. Epmc, doi:10.1002/ajpa.21374.
Gesquiere LR, Onyango PO, Alberts SC, Altmann J. Endocrinology of year-round reproduction in a highly seasonal habitat: environmental variability in testosterone and glucocorticoids in baboon males. American journal of physical anthropology. 2011 Feb;144(2):169–176.
Journal cover image

Published In

American journal of physical anthropology

DOI

EISSN

1096-8644

ISSN

0002-9483

Publication Date

February 2011

Volume

144

Issue

2

Start / End Page

169 / 176

Related Subject Headings

  • Testosterone
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal
  • Seasons
  • Reproduction
  • Papio
  • Male
  • Linear Models
  • Kenya
  • Hot Temperature