Effects of egg testosterone on female mate choice and male sexual behavior in the pheasant.

摘要: Evidence is accumulating that sex steroids in the eggs, besides affecting progeny phenotype and behavior short term, also have enduring effects until adulthood, when they may translate into differences reproductive strategies success. Maternal transfer therefore affect both agonistic mate choice decisions, either through promotion of body size condition or a priming effect on neuroendocrine system. However, owing to prevalence short-term perspective, relevance maternal sexual selection processes has been seldom studied. Here we investigate an experimental increase egg testosterone male dominance copulation success ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, polygynous galliform with multiple ornamental traits, captivity. We found females from (T) injected eggs copulated less than control females. Males T-injected obtained more copulations males, specifically The 'ordinary' secondary traits frequency did not depend early exposure T, nor T treatment dominance. Present results demonstrate variation hormonal environment set up by mothers affects offspring, which might fitness differences.