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Effects of testosterone supplementation on chemical signals of male Iberian wall lizards: consequences for female mate choice

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Abstract

In some lizards, female mate choice is influenced by chemicals secreted by males, e.g., via the femoral glands. Secretions of the femoral glands are under direct androgenic control and vary seasonally with androgen production. However, whether increased testosterone (T) levels affect the concentration and chemical composition of secretions or their attractiveness to females is unknown. We manipulated T levels of male Iberian wall lizards, Podarcis hispanica, with silastic implants. Differential tongue-flick rates indicated that females detected and discriminated between femoral secretions of control and T-implanted males based on chemical cues alone. Females showed greater responses to secretions of T-males, which might suggest that T increased the concentration of chemical signals. Further analyses by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry indicated that T supplementation induced qualitative changes in lipid composition of femoral secretions. T-males had decreased relative proportions of cholesta-5,7-dien-3-ol in secretions, which might be related to the negative effects of T on the immune system and on lipid metabolism. However, experiments of choice of males’ scent showed that females neither preferred nor avoided the scent marks of T-males but preferred males that maintained higher proportions of cholesta-5,7-dien-3-ol in secretions, independently of the experimental manipulation. Thus, because this steroid is negatively affected by T, there might be trade-offs among increasing T levels to increase the production of chemical secretions, maintain metabolism, and attract females.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments, and “El Ventorrillo” MNCN Field Station for use of their facilities. Financial support was provided by the MEC project CGL2005-00391/BOS, and a SYNTHESYS CEE grant to M. Gabirot. The experiments were performed under license from the “Madrid Environmental Agency” (Consejería del Medio Ambiente de la Comunidad de Madrid).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, C.S.I.C., José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    José Martín, Pilar López, Marianne Gabirot & Kevin M. Pilz

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  1. José Martín
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  2. Pilar López
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  3. Marianne Gabirot
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  4. Kevin M. Pilz
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Correspondence to José Martín.

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Communicated by W. Cooper

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Martín, J., López, P., Gabirot, M. et al. Effects of testosterone supplementation on chemical signals of male Iberian wall lizards: consequences for female mate choice. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 61, 1275–1282 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0358-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0358-6

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