Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, The University Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2017 Dec 1;57(6):1240-1244. doi: 10.1093/icb/icx025.
Two competing hypotheses have been used to explain species and sex differences in the effects of food availability on the sexual behavior of mammals. One hypothesis, the metabolic fuels hypothesis, posits that individuals, primarily females, forgo reproduction when faced with food deprivation and invest their limited resources in behaviors not associated with reproduction. The other hypothesis, the reproduction at all costs hypothesis, states that individuals, males and females, continue to reproduce or increase their reproductive behavior when faced with food deprivation. Results show female voles followed the predictions of the metabolic fuels hypothesis. That is, food-deprived female meadow voles were less attractive, proceptive, and receptive toward males than were female voles that had continuous access to food. Dams that were food deprived late in lactation failed to enter postpartum estrus, a period of heightened sexual receptivity that occurs immediately after parturition. Females that were food deprived during the first or second week of lactation spent less time involved in maternal care compared to dams that were not food deprived. In contrast, male voles mainly followed the reproduction at all costs hypothesis. Food-deprived male voles were as attractive, as proceptive, and as sexually receptive toward females as were males that had continuous access to food.
两种相互竞争的假说被用来解释食物供应对哺乳动物性行为的影响在物种和性别上的差异。一种假说是代谢燃料假说，它假设个体，主要是雌性，在面临食物匮乏时会放弃繁殖，将有限的资源投入到与繁殖无关的行为中。另一种假说是不惜一切代价繁殖假说，它指出个体，雄性和雌性，在面临食物匮乏时会继续繁殖或增加其繁殖行为。研究结果表明，雌性田鼠遵循了代谢燃料假说的预测。也就是说，与持续获得食物的雌性田鼠相比，食物匮乏的雌性草地田鼠对雄性的吸引力、求爱行为和接受程度较低。哺乳期后期食物匮乏的母鼠未能进入产后发情期，即分娩后立即出现的性接受度提高的时期。与未被剥夺食物的母鼠相比，在哺乳期第一或第二周被剥夺食物的母鼠在进行母性照顾方面花费的时间较少。相比之下，雄性田鼠主要遵循不惜一切代价繁殖假说。与持续获得食物的雄性田鼠相比，被剥夺食物的雄性田鼠对雌性的吸引力、求爱行为和性接受程度相同。
