Journal
AMERICAN NATURALIST
Volume 173, Issue 3, Pages 376-388Publisher
UNIV CHICAGO PRESS
DOI: 10.1086/596535
Keywords
Rhabdomys; corticosterone; RMR; helper; group living; flexibility
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Funding
- Department of Tourism, Environment, and Conservation of the Northern Cape
- Goegap Nature Reserve
- Holcim Foundation (Switzerland)
- Vontobel Foundation (Switzerland)
- Swiss National Science Foundation [3100A0-120194]
- Claude Leon Foundation (South Africa)
- University of the Witwatersrand [AESC 2001/32/3, AESC 2003/106/3, AESC 2002/13/3, AESC 2005/82/4, AESC 2006/3/03]
- University of Zurich
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The relative plasticity hypothesis predicts that alternative tactics are associated with changes in steroid hormone levels. In species with alternative male reproductive tactics, the highest androgen levels have usually been reported in dominant males. However, in sociable species, dominant males show amicable behaviors to gain access to females, which might conflict with high testosterone levels. We compared testosterone, corticosterone, and resting metabolic rate in male striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) following a conditional strategy with three different reproductive tactics: (i) philopatric group-living males, (ii) solitary-living roamers, (iii) dominant but sociable group-living territorial breeders. Philopatrics had the lowest testosterone but highest corticosterone levels, suggesting that they make the best of a bad job. Dominant territorial breeders had lower testosterone levels than roamers, which have a lower competitive status. Roamers had the highest testosterone levels, which might promote risky behavior, such as invading territories defended by territorial males. Roamers also had lower resting metabolic rates than either type of group-living males. Our results suggest that dominant males' testosterone levels reflect a trade-off between low testosterone amicable behavior and high testosterone dominance
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