Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.
Biol Lett. 2012 Jun 23;8(3):330-2. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1100. Epub 2011 Dec 14.
The hormone melatonin is known to play an important role in regulating many seasonal changes in physiology, morphology and behaviour. In birds, unlike in mammals, melatonin has thus far been thought to play little role in timing seasonal reproductive processes. This view is mainly derived from laboratory experiments on male birds. This study tests whether melatonin is capable of influencing the timing of clutch initiation in wild female songbirds. Free-living female great tits (Parus major) treated with melatonin-filled implants prior to the breeding season initiated their first clutch of the season significantly later than females carrying an empty implant. Melatonin treatment did not affect clutch size. Further, melatonin treatment did not delay the onset of daily activity in the wild nor adversely affect body mass in captivity compared with controls. These data suggest a previously unknown role for this hormone in regulating the timing of clutch initiation in the wild.
褪黑素是一种已知的激素，它在调节许多生理、形态和行为的季节性变化中起着重要作用。与哺乳动物不同，在鸟类中，褪黑素在调节季节性生殖过程方面的作用很小。这种观点主要来自于对雄性鸟类的实验室实验。本研究测试了褪黑素是否能够影响野生雌性鸣禽的产蛋时间。在繁殖季节前接受褪黑素填充植入物处理的自由生活的大山雀（Parus major）开始其第一个产蛋季节的时间明显晚于携带空植入物的雌性。褪黑素处理并不影响产蛋量。此外，与对照组相比，褪黑素处理并没有延迟野生鸟类的日常活动开始时间，也没有在圈养条件下对体重产生不利影响。这些数据表明，这种激素在调节野生鸟类产蛋时间方面具有以前未知的作用。
