Functional relationships between estradiol and paternal care in male red-bellied lemurs, Eulemur rubriventer.

Autor: Tecot SR; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Electronic address: stecot@arizona.edu., Birr M; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA., Dixon J; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. Electronic address: Juliana.dixon@utsouthwestern.edu., Lahitsara JP; Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana, Madagascar., Razafindraibe D; Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana, Madagascar., Razanajatovo S; Department of Zoology and Animal Biodiversity, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Arroyo AS; Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE-UPF CSIC), Barcelona, Spain., Tombotiana AV; Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana, Madagascar., Velontsara JB; Centre ValBio, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana, Madagascar., Baden AL; PhD programs in Anthropology and Biology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY, USA; Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10065, USA. Electronic address: andrea.baden@hunter.cuny.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Hormones and behavior [Horm Behav] 2023 Apr; Vol. 150, pp. 105324. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Feb 10.
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105324
Abstrakt: Fathers contribute substantially to infant care, yet the mechanisms facilitating paternal bonding and interactions with infants are not as well understood as they are in mothers. Several hormonal changes occur as males transition into parenthood, first in response to a partner's pregnancy, and next in response to interacting with the newborn. These changes may prepare fathers for parenting and help facilitate and maintain paternal care. Experimental studies with monkeys and rodents suggest that paternal care requires elevated estradiol levels, which increase when a male's partner is pregnant and are higher in fathers than non-fathers, but its role in the expression of paternal behaviors throughout infant development is unknown. To assess estradiol's role in paternal care, we analyzed the relationship between paternal estradiol metabolites and 1) offspring age, and 2) paternal care behavior (holding, carrying, huddling, playing, grooming), in wild, red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer). We collected 146 fecal samples and 1597 h of behavioral data on 10 adult males who had newborn infants during the study. Estradiol metabolites increased four-fold in expectant males, and in new fathers they fluctuated and gradually decreased with time. Infant age, not paternal behavior, best predicted hormone levels in new fathers. These results suggest that hormonal changes occur in expectant males with facultative paternal care, but they do not support the hypothesis that estradiol is directly associated with the day-to-day expression of paternal care. Future research should explore estradiol's role in facilitating behaviors, including infant-directed attention and responsiveness, or preparing fathers for infant care generally.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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