Journal article
Sex Steroid and Corticosterone Levels of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) during Courtship and Incubation
General and comparative endocrinology, Vol.114(1), pp.11-18
04/1999
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/114561
PMID: 10094854
Abstract
Plasma levels of sex steroids (progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, total androgens, and estradiol) were measured at six stages from courtship to late incubation in Adélie penguins. The pattern of change detected in the levels of plasma total androgens (males) and estradiol (females) was consistent with that found in many birds, with elevated levels during courtship (total androgens, 4 ng/ml; estradiol, 0.5 ng/ml) declining to low, stable levels during incubation. Progesterone levels declined moderately from 1.3 to 0.75–1.0 ng/ml in females following egg laying, but levels of 0.8–1.2 ng/ml persisted in males throughout the study period. 17α-Hydroxyprogesterone levels were consistently low (approximately 0.2 ng/ml) in females but progressively declined in males from 0.75 during courtship to <0.3 ng/ml at egg laying and during foraging. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured over the same period and were elevated in both males and females at courtship (16–18 ng/ml) and while fasting on the nest (11–15 ng/ml), but had declined in birds returning from foraging at sea, suggesting that elevated levels are related to the metabolic demands of fasting.
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Details
- Title
- Sex Steroid and Corticosterone Levels of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) during Courtship and Incubation
- Creators
- Shirley M McQueen - Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New ZealandLloyd S Davis - Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New ZealandGraham Young - Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Publication Details
- General and comparative endocrinology, Vol.114(1), pp.11-18
- Academic Unit
- UNKNOWN
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Identifiers
- 99900547709401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article