Vasotocin treatment inhibits courtship in male zebra finches; concomitant androgen treatment inhibits this effect

Zebra finches evolved in arid areas of Australia. Their reproduction is stimulated by water availability, which is unpredictable. Cheng (Poult. Sci. Rev. 5 (1993) 37) hypothesized that the primary mechanism controlling reproduction in species relying on unpredictable cues should be inhibitory. The onset of stimulatory environmental conditions terminates the inhibition, allowing rapid initiation of reproduction. As the primary hormone regulating water balance in birds, arginine vasotocin (AVT) appears a likely candidate to modulate reproduction in finches. Drought conditions cause sustained AVT release, which in other species inhibits androgen production. To determine whether increased AVT inhibits reproductive behavior, intact males were tested with females and divided into three groups matched for courtship behavior. Osmotic minipumps containing (a) saline, (b) 264 ng AVT, or (c) 1320 ng AVT in saline were implanted subcutaneously and males tested 48 h later. AVT-treated males socialized with females, but the high dose significantly reduced singing and courtship displays. To determine whether AVT acted by depressing androgen secretion, additional males were given subcutaneous androgen implants and divided into two groups matched for courtship behavior. Males were then implanted with minipumps containing (a) saline or (b) the high AVT dose. Males treated with AVT plus androgen showed no deficits in courtship behavior. These data suggest that AVT secretion during periods of drought may inhibit reproduction by inhibiting androgen production. Inhibition of reproductive behavior by AVT may be a more general phenomenon. Large quantities of AVT or, in mammals the closely-related peptide vasopressin (VP), are released when animals are stressed, and high levels of AVT/VP may inhibit reproductive behavior. The extremely short half-life of these peptides means that once proximal factors become more favorable, the gonads should rapidly be released from the peptides' inhibitory actions.