Castration affects the reproduction behavior of a cichlid.

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 Castration affects the reproduction behavior of a cichlid

Abstract

sex steroids, linked to sexually differentiated behaviors such as reproduction and

aggression, originate in the gonadic glands. Males of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis

mossambicus) use a urine-borne pheromone to signal their social status to conspecifics and have

higher androgen levels than non-territorial males. This study looked at how androgens and

cortisol levels changed after gonadectomy, and we also looked at how aggressive and

reproductive behavior was expressed (nest building, courtship behavior, and nuptial coloration).

A group of females and another male were exposed to a group of castrated men for eight days in

a row, and then on the ninth day, a sham operation was performed on the men. Because complete

castration in this species frequently results in urine bladder damage, we included a damaged

treatment for urine bladder damage in our study. Having the gonad removed significantly

reduces androgen levels in the blood at 4 and 8 days after castration but does not affect the

expression of aggressive behavior. According to these findings, androgens are essential for

reproduction in this species, which shows that the gonads are the primary source of androgens.

Although gonadal steroids, namely androgens, appear unrelated to aggressive behavior, evidence

suggests the involvement of independent central mechanisms.

 Introduction

Introduction many factors contribute to sex differentiation, such as the gonads, the

primary source of sex hormones. Gonadal hormones have been viewed as playing an integrative

role that ensures the co-expression of functional traits in the same genetic phenotype, such that

the expression of secondary sexual characteristics and behavior is a result of differentiation of

the gonadads into a given sexual word. Androgens, directly or through aromatization into

estrogens, play a role in males. Multiple reproductive behaviors, including courtship displays and

breeding-related aggression (e.g., the protection of breeding territories or mates), have been

linked to androgens. However, the fact that androgens influence the expression of sex-specific

behavior does not prove that they are required for its occurrence per se. Castration has been

shown to have varying effects on various fish species' reproductive and aggressive behavior.

Species that were castrated were less likely to engage in reproductive behaviors like nest

building, nuptial coloration, or courtship displays. There is also a wide range of results when it

comes to castration's effect on aggressive behavior, from negative to neutral to even positive

(e.g., Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Substantive comment

. Since their social and breeding behavior (e.g., cooperative breeding in Neolamprologus

pulcher, and the diversity of mating systems & parental care types present in closely related

species allow for comparative studies, cichlid fish have emerged as model organisms in

behavioral neuroendocrinology (e.g., the phylogenetic test of the challenge hypothesis in African

cichlids with divergent mating systems (Brandão et al. 2022) Our lab has been studying social

behavior's neuroendocrinology using Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus).

Social interactions in this species influence androgen levels, which influence secondary sex

characteristics and male-male competitive behavior (Maruska et al., 2022). As a result, it was

necessary to determine whether androgens are required for the expression of reproductive and

aggressive behaviors, which would suggest an activational role for androgens on the neural

circuits underlying behavior, or if they act as moderators, which would be compatible with a

neuromodulator role (e.g., facilitator) on a neural circuit that would be functional even if

androgens were absent. (Butler et al., 2019) O. mossambicus was castrated to see how it affected

his mating habits, including his ability to build a nest or display aggressive behavior toward a

nearby male (all of which can be observed in the presence of females).

Both treatment (castration vs. sham operation vs. bladder damage) and sampling period

significantly affected androgen levels. The treatment and sampling period were also

interdependent. Androgen levels (T and KT) did not differ among the treatments before surgery.

However, on both days four and eight after surgery, androgen levels in the castrated treatment

were significantly lower than in the sham-operated or urinary bladder damaged treatments(Butler

et al.2019). In the castrated group, androgen levels decreased after surgery, but not in the sham-

operated or urinary bladder-damaged groups, respectively

Since male O. mossambicus use urine-born compounds to communicate social status, the

effects of urinary bladder damage were also examined. Specific objectives of this research were

to characterize the effects of castration on androgen levels (T and 11-keto-testosterone, KT),

investigate the effects of castration on reproduction, and verify the impact of urinary bladder

damage on circulating levels of testosterone, as well as on aggressiveness, in each tank, based on

the body coloration of the males, as well as on their possession status (Butler et al.2019) Every

one of these reproductive behaviors is significantly impacted by treatment: courtship, nest

presence, and nuptial coloration. Unlike sham or urinary bladder-damaged men, castrated men

never engaged in the affair (Brandão et al., 2022). Males with and without urinary bladder

damage displayed the same courtship behavior. Sham and urinary bladder damaged males had

nest presence observed on 65 percent of the days following surgery, but castrated males had no

nest presence. On a single day, a castrated man's nuptial coloration was observed briefly.

Contrary to this, males who received sham treatment in which their urinary bladders were

damaged often showed signs of nuptial coloration. Men's aggression toward women did not

differ significantly between treatments.

Arising question

1. What are the effects of castration on the androgen levels of cichlid?

2. What are the effects of castration on the reproductive and aggressive behavior of cichlid?
 Reference

Brandão, M. L., de Lima, S. P., Carvalho, T. B., & Gonçalves-de-Freitas, E. (2022). Associations

Among Brain Size and Social-Modulating Hormones with Aggression and Cognitive

Performance in a Monogamous Cichlid Fish.

Butler, J. M., Whitlow, S. M., Rogers, L. S., Putland, R. L., Mensinger, A. F., & Maruska, K. P.

(2019). Reproductive state-dependent plasticity in the visual system of an African cichlid

fish. Hormones and Behavior, 114, 104539.

Maruska, K. P., Anselmo, C. M., King, T., Mobley, R. B., Ray, E. J., & Wayne, R. (2022).

Endocrine and neuroendocrine regulation of social status in cichlid fishes. Hormones and

Behavior, 139, 105110.