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Yolk androgen deposition as a compensatory strategy

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Abstract

The deposition of androgens into the yolks of eggs can have long-lasting effects on the growth and development of young birds. It has been proposed that female birds and reptiles deposit yolk androgens according to the differential allocation hypothesis (DAH), which posits the allocation of more resources to offspring sired by more attractive, higher-quality males. We examined deposition patterns of yolk androgens in relation to mate attractiveness in the house finch Carpodacus mexicanus. Contrary to the predictions of the DAH, female house finches deposited significantly more androgens into eggs sired by less attractive males. We propose that, rather than serving as resources, androgens are used as mediators in a compensatory distribution strategy, enabling females to improve the quality of young produced with less attractive males.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of the Mendonça and Hill laboratories for their comments and input on both the experimental design and the manuscript. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grants DEB0075388, DEB0218313, and IBN0235778. Nestlings were handled under a State of Alabama permit (no. 12) and federal permit (no. 784373). The experiments described herein comply with the laws of the USA.

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  1. Kristen J. Navara

    Present address: Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 6089 Godown Road, Columbus, OH, 43235, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn, University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Kristen J. Navara, Geoffrey E. Hill & Mary T. Mendonça

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  1. Kristen J. Navara
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  2. Geoffrey E. Hill
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  3. Mary T. Mendonça
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Correspondence to Kristen J. Navara.

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Communicated by J. Graves

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Navara, K.J., Hill, G.E. & Mendonça, M.T. Yolk androgen deposition as a compensatory strategy. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 60, 392–398 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0177-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0177-1

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