Reproductive response of xeric and mesic populations of the spiny mouse Acomys to photoperiod acclimation

Wube, Tilaye; Haim, Abraham; Fares, Fuad

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.06.014

Cited by 25 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…spinosissimus have been found to respond to changing photoperiods (Muteka et al, 2006c) and males of the golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus) showed reduced spermatogenesis under short-day photoperiods (Wube et al, 2008). Photoperiod may, therefore, be the most likely environmental factor that is used by males to trigger reproductive development, and there are indications that male A. spinosissimus are reproductively photoresponsive (Medger, 2010;Medger et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal changes in reproductive development in male spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus) from South Africa

2012

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Seasonal reproduction is a common characteristic of many small mammals which inhabit seasonal environments in temperate regions, the sub-tropics as well as the tropics. It is important for an animal to reproduce during the most favourable time of the year to ensure the survival of the young and maximize reproductive success. In southern Africa, female spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus) breed during the warm and wet spring and summer months, whereas the reproductive pattern of males is unknown although an opportunistic breeding pattern has been implicated. We investigated testes mass and volume, seminiferous tubule diameter, spermatogenesis and plasma testosterone concentrations in a South African population of male spiny mice on a 2-monthly basis over one year. Testes mass and volume started to increase in July/August and was high from September until December. Seminiferous tubule diameter and spermatogenesis increased during the same months. Plasma testosterone concentration was elevated from July/August to November/December. Development of the reproductive characteristics of male spiny mice was correlated with high rainfall and high ambient temperatures, but reproductive development had already started during the dry season and the coldest months. This shows that reproductive development in males may not be dependent on climatic conditions, and other factors, such as photoperiod, may trigger the onset of reproduction. The data, however, suggest that A. spinosissimus is a true seasonal breeder with reproduction confined to the spring and summer months in southern Africa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal changes in reproductive development in male spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus) from South Africa

2012

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“…The increased relative testes mass and the higher serum sex hormone levels detected for LD mice suggest that long photoperiod is an effective environmental signal regulating breeding in A. russatus males. Photoperiodic regulation of reproduction has been documented for A. russatus and other Acomys species at least as an initial cue (Shanas and Haim, 2004;Wube et al, 2008b;Bukovetzky et al, 2012). For LD-acclimated A. russatus, testicular histology showed more progress toward spermatogenesis compared with the counterpart SD-acclimated males, while females of A. russatus were irresponsive to photoperiod manipulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Photoperiod manipulations have been shown to modulate reproductive responses in males of A. russatus (Wube et al, 2008a) and the common spiny mouse, A. cahirinus, from a desert population (Bukovetzky et al, 2012), but had no effect on the counterpart females of the former (Wube et al, 2008a). Additionally, laboratory studies showed that in female (Shanas and Haim, 2004) and male A. russatus (Wube et al, 2008b), an increase in salinity stress of the water source can reduce body mass (M b ) and halt reproduction responses by decreasing gonadal mass of both sexes, increasing vaginal closure and suppressing spermatogenesis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-day photoperiod interacts with vasopressin and food restriction to modulate reproductive status, and vasopressin receptor expression of male Golden spiny mice

Ben-Zaken

Haim

Zubidat

2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYWe tested the effects of photoperiod, water and food availability on body mass, reproductive status and arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (Avpr1a) mRNA expression in males of desert-adapted golden spiny mice, Acomys russatus. In Experiment 1, males were acclimated to short-day (SD; 8h:16h light:dark) or long-day (LD; 16h:8h light:dark) photoperiods with either saline (control) or vasopressin treatment for 3weeks. The results of this experiment revealed that under control conditions, SD mice increased body mass by ~5% while LD mice decreased it by ~4%. SD photoperiod had no effect on reproductive status and leptin levels, whereas LD males increased testes mass and serum testosterone, but the photoperiod had no effect on leptin levels. Vasopressin administration decreased LD-induced reproductive enhancement. Because no consistent effect of SD treatment was found on reproductive status, Experiment 2 was carried out only on LD-acclimated males kept under 75% food restriction (decrease from ad libitum) with saline or leptin treatment. Body mass, testes mass, serum testosterone, leptin concentrations and Avpr1a mRNA expression were measured. Food restriction remarkably decreased body mass, with a more potent effect in leptin-treated males, showing enhanced reproductive status and a significant increase in serum leptin compared with controls. Avpr1a expression was significantly upregulated in LD, vasopressin-treated and food-restricted males, with higher levels in the hypothalamus compared with the testes. We conclude that in A. russatus, LD photoperiod interacts with water and food availability to advance reproductive responses. Avpr1a is suggested to integrate nutritional and osmotic signals to optimize reproduction by modulating reproductive and energetic neuroendocrine axes at the central level. The interaction between photoperiod and other environmental cues is of an adaptive value to desert-adapted small rodents for timing reproduction in unpredictable ecosystems such as extreme deserts.

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“…Spiny mice are especially well adapted to areas with very limited water supply such as deserts, raising the questions on how they survive in these harsh environments (Shanas & Haim 2004;Wube et al 2008). In this regard, information about species-specific reproductive processes would be useful, but even basic reproductive knowledge, especially in terms of endocrine correlates of reproductive function, is still limited for the entire genus, with the common spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) and golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus) being the only two of 14 Acomys species for which reproductive endocrinology has been investigated (Peitz 1981;Bates 1994;van Aarde & Haim 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Reproductive Function in Southern African Spiny Mice (Acomys spinosissimus) using Faeces as Hormone Matrix

et al. 2014

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For spiny mice, detailed long-term data on reproductive endocrine function is lacking, as limited blood volumes make frequent collections of individual plasma samples for hormone monitoring impractical. To provide the necessary tools in order to fill this gap, this study examined the suitability of two enzyme immunoassays for monitoring male and female reproductive function in the southern African spiny mouse (Acomys spinosissimus) based on faecal hormone analysis. Fourteen non-pregnant and one pregnant female and 24 male spiny mice were wild-caught and subsequently monitored under controlled conditions. Thirteen of the 14 non-pregnant females revealed elevated faecal progestagen metabolite concentrations with eight individuals showing indications of a luteal phase. Two females showed two post-ovulatory luteal phases with estimated cycle lengths of 16 and 18 days, respectively. The pregnant female had an elevated (231%) mean faecal progestagen metabolite level compared with the overall mean baseline hormone concentration determined for the 14 non-pregnant females. Males exposed to a long photoperiod, simulating summer-related breeding activity, exhibited a 47.8% increase in faecal androgen metabolite levels compared with males exposed to a short photoperiod. Collectively, the data demonstrated that reproductive endocrine function can be monitored in male and female spiny mice by measuring respective faecal hormone metabolites.

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Reproductive response of xeric and mesic populations of the spiny mouse Acomys to photoperiod acclimation

Cited by 25 publications

References 27 publications

Seasonal changes in reproductive development in male spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus) from South Africa

Seasonal changes in reproductive development in male spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus) from South Africa

Long-day photoperiod interacts with vasopressin and food restriction to modulate reproductive status, and vasopressin receptor expression of male Golden spiny mice

Assessment of Reproductive Function in Southern African Spiny Mice (Acomys spinosissimus) using Faeces as Hormone Matrix

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