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BIO344 - Hormones and Behaviour > Reproductive Endocrinology and Behaviour > Flashcards

Reproductive Endocrinology and Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

The gonads
1. what are the two functions?
2. what are they regulated by?

A
  1. production of gametes (sperms & eggs), production of hormones
  2. regulated by tropic hormones from the anterior pituitary (LH & FSH)
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2
Q

What are the two gonads?

A
  • testes
  • ovaries
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3
Q

Hormones that regulate reproduction - location and hormone

A

hypothalamus - Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)

anterior pituitary - Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

ovaries (Follicle & Corpus Luteum) - Oestrogen, Progesterone

testes (Leydig cells) - Testosterone

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4
Q

The hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis
1. male
2. female

A
  1. hypothalamus -(+GnRH)-> anterior pituitary -(+LH, + FSH)-> testes -> + testosterone -> negative feedback to hypothalamus and anterior pituitary
    IN OTHER WORDS: hypothalamus produces GnRH, stimulates the release of LH and FSH, triggering production of testosterone by testes - negative feedback
  2. hypothalamus -(GnRH)-> anterior pituitary -(+LH, +FSH)-> ovaries -> + estrogen, + progesterone -> positive/negative feedback to hypothalamus and anterior pituitary (-ve/+ve feedback depending on cycle)
    IN OTHER WORDS: GnRH from hypothalamus stimulates LH, and FSH -> production of estrogen or progesterone -> depending on cycle gives negative or positive feedback
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5
Q

Androgens
1. what are they?
2. interstitial cells =?
3. what is the most important androgen?
4. what are they responsible for?
5. what do they promote?
6. what are they required for?

A
  1. “male sex hormones”
  2. interstitial cells (=Leydig cells) of testes are hormone-producing (several androgens)
  3. testosterone = most important androgen (in most but not all vertebrates)
  4. responsible for adult male secondary sex characteristics
  5. promotes growth + maturation of male reproductive system
  6. required for sperm cell production
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6
Q

two female reproductive hormones?

A

oestrogens + progestogens

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7
Q

Oestrogens
1. produced by?
2. stimulate?
3. mature?
4. help prepare uterus to?
5. help maintain?
6. prepare?

A
  1. produced by mature follicles or the placenta
  2. stimulate development of female secondary sex characteristics
  3. mature female reproductive organs
  4. help prepare the uterus to receive a fertilised egg
  5. help maintain pregnancy
  6. prepare the breasts to produce milk
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8
Q

Progestogens
1. produced by?
2. act with what to bring what?
3. help with?

A
  1. produced by the corpus luteum
  2. act with oestrogen to bring about the menstrual cycle
  3. help with implantation of an embryo
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9
Q

reproductive behaviour definition?

A

= any activity related to the production of offspring
e.g. proceptive behaviour, receptive behaviour, courtship, copulation, spawning, parental behaviour etc.

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10
Q

reproductive behaviour in non-mammals
1. what is reproductive behaviours in non-mammals usually dependent on?
2. what controls male reproductive behaviours?
3. what stimulates female receptive and mating behaviours?
4. what is common annually?
5. what clues are there for reproductive behaviour?
6. what do birds show?

A
  1. usually highly dependent on steroid hormone concentrations
  2. androgens
  3. oestrogen and progesterone
  4. annual reproductive cycles common (but also dissociated reproductive patterns; e.g. amphibians, reptiles
  5. visual cues and pheromones (amphibians, reptiles)
  6. complex courtship behaviours (e.g. birds)
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11
Q

Ovarian cycle regulation in mammals
1. FSH stimulates?
2. LH luteinizes and induces?
3. Oestrogen?
4. progesterone?
5. if no fertilisation -> ?

A
  1. FSH stimulates growth of follicle
  2. LH luteinizes the follicle into the corpus luteum, induces ovulation, matures corpus luteum in luteal phase
  3. Oestrogen from follicle - positive feedback - surge of LH and FSH
  4. Progesterone: prepares uterus for implantation
  5. no fertilisation -> progesterone levels drop -> menstruation -> new cycle
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12
Q

(Asdell, 1964)
Oestrus cycle length across mammals
1. lab rat
2. cow
3. this means?

A
  1. laboratory rat = Rattus norvegicus = 4-5 days long cycle
  2. cow = Bos taurus = 21 days long cycle
  3. shorter cycles may have more opportunities to become pregnant with offspring compared to longer cycles
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13
Q

Components of female sexual behaviour
1. attractivity
2. proceptivity
3. receptivity

A
  1. a measure of how attractive a female is to a male (= a hypothetical construct that must be inferred by observation of a conspecific’s behaviour)
  2. the female’s eagerness to copulate (e.g. presenting); oestrogen, testosterone
  3. the female’s ability/willingness to copulate
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14
Q

Hormones & sexual behaviour in rats
1. oestrus cycle?
2. changes in?
3. mid-cycle?
4. oestrus coincides with?
5. Lordosis?

A
  1. oestrus cycle: 4-5 days
  2. changes in oestrogen and progesterone
  3. mid-cycle: a 12-15 hour period of oestrus (‘heat’) during which the female is receptive
  4. Oestrus coincides with ovulation
  5. reflex (occurs when a male grasps the female’s flanks)
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15
Q

Hormones and reproductive behaviour in wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) - a case study example

  1. reproductive seasonality? interbirth interval?
  2. timing of ovulation?
  3. what was unexpected?
  4. how does progesterone change when conception occurs?
A
  1. strong reproductive seasonality; interbirth interval 1 or 2 years (Furtbauer et al., 2010; Ostner et al., 2011)
  2. P rise = progesterone rise -> calculate mean and add this to 2xstandard deviation (if lower than rise = significant) -> then minus 3 days from p rise = likely day of ovulation
  3. did not match with hormones -> do these behaviours occur because others do them
  4. progesterone levels rise and fall back down - new follicle stage -> progesterone rises again and stays high so likely is going to have offspring
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16
Q

Sexual behaviour in relation to fertility
1. female mating activity is closely linked to?
2. what is common in humans and many old-world primates?
3. what has significantly improved our understanding of female reproduction in wild primates?
4. what leaves important gaps in our knowledge of male & female reproductive strategies?
5. if not hormones leading to sexual behaviour, what is?

A
  1. in most mammals, female mating activity is tightly linked to ovulation (‘oestrus’)
  2. in humans and many old-world primates, females mate throughout the ovarian cycle (‘extended sexuality’)
  3. advances in non-invasive hormone analysis have significantly improved our understanding of female reproduction in wild primates
  4. inability of continuous quantification of copulations leaves important gaps in our knowledge of male & female reproductive strategies
  5. Reproductive synchrony - social facilitation may cause the copulation when hormones do no match up, i.e. behaviour is more common when seen before
17
Q

Consortships & Fertility
1. what is consortships?
2. are males aware of female fertility?

A
  1. male would closely stick with the female at all times
  2. males are not aware of female fertility in the species (wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis))
    - (Furtbauer et al., 2011) - consortships occurs whether or not females are in a fertile stage
18
Q

Identification copulations from tri-axial acceleration signals?
1. Z,X,Y?
2. steps?

A

as collar
Z (up), Heave
X (forward), Surge
Y (down), Sway

  1. identify copulations using a behavioural algorithm based on male acceleration signal
  2. validate copulations based on GPS-based metrics and female VeDBA
  3. validate remaining copulations through visual inspection
19
Q

Sexual behaviour in relation to fertility
1. mating predominantly?
2. promising basis for?

A
  1. mating predominantly during the follicular phase, with a preovulatory peak, coinciding with maximum swelling size and close physical proximity
  2. promising basis for using high-resolution movement data in studies of male and female reproductive strategies
20
Q

Humans
1. do women advertise fertility - clothing?
2. do women advertise fertility - vocal?
3. Do women advertise fertility - lap dancers earnings?

A
  1. (Beall & Tracy, 2013) (Eisenbruch et al., 2015) - women are more likely to wear red or pink at peak fertility
  2. (Bryant & Haselton) (Pipitone & Gallup Jr, 2008) - women’s pitch/voice attractiveness changes the closer to ovulation
  3. (Miller et al., 2007)
    ▪ N=18 dancers
    ▪ Recorded menstrual periods, work shifts and
    earnings
    ▪ N=296 work shifts (~5300 lap dances!)
    ▪ US$335 per shift during oestrus
    ▪ US$260 per shift during luteal phase
    ▪ US$185 per shift during menstruation
    ▪ Participants on the pill showed no oestrous
    earnings peak

BIO344 - Hormones and Behaviour (4 decks)

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