Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2021 Jul 23;61(1):205-220. doi: 10.1093/icb/icab044.
Lizards use chemical communication to mediate many reproductive, competitive, and social behaviors, but the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying chemical communication in lizards are not well understood and understudied. By implementing a neuroendocrine approach to the study of chemical communication in reptiles, we can address a major gap in our knowledge of the evolutionary mechanisms shaping chemical communication in vertebrates. The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homolog vasopressin are responsible for a broad spectrum of diversity in competitive and reproductive strategies in many vertebrates, mediating social behavior through the chemosensory modality. In this review, we posit that, though limited, the available data on AVT-mediated chemical communication in lizards reveal intriguing patterns that suggest AVT plays a more prominent role in lizard chemosensory behavior than previously appreciated. We argue that these results warrant more research into the mechanisms used by AVT to modify the performance of chemosensory behavior and responses to conspecific chemical signals. We first provide a broad overview of the known social functions of chemical signals in lizards, the glandular sources of chemical signal production in lizards (e.g., epidermal secretory glands), and the chemosensory detection methods and mechanisms used by lizards. Then, we review the locations of vasotocinergic populations and neuronal projections in lizard brains, as well as sites of peripheral receptors for AVT in lizards. Finally, we end with a case study in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis), discussing findings from recently published work on the impact of AVT in adult males on chemosensory communication during social interactions, adding new data from a similar study in which we tested the impact of AVT on chemosensory behavior of adult females. We offer concluding remarks on addressing several fundamental questions regarding the role of AVT in chemosensory communication and social behavior in lizards.
蜥蜴利用化学通讯来调节许多生殖、竞争和社会行为，但蜥蜴化学通讯的神经内分泌机制尚未得到很好的理解和研究。通过对爬行动物化学通讯的神经内分泌方法进行研究，我们可以解决脊椎动物化学通讯进化机制方面的一个主要知识空白。神经肽精氨酸加压素（AVT）及其哺乳动物同源物血管加压素负责许多脊椎动物在竞争和生殖策略方面的广泛多样性，通过化学感觉模式介导社会行为。在这篇综述中，我们假设，尽管数据有限，但蜥蜴中 AVT 介导的化学通讯的现有数据揭示了有趣的模式，表明 AVT 在蜥蜴化学感觉行为中的作用比以前认为的更为突出。我们认为，这些结果值得进一步研究 AVT 用于修饰化学感觉行为表现和对同种化学信号反应的机制。我们首先提供了蜥蜴中化学信号的已知社会功能的广泛概述，蜥蜴中化学信号产生的腺体来源（例如，表皮分泌腺），以及蜥蜴使用的化学感觉检测方法和机制。然后，我们回顾了蜥蜴大脑中加压素能神经元的位置和投射，以及 AVT 在蜥蜴中的外周受体部位。最后，我们以绿色安乐蜥（Anolis carolinensis）为例进行了案例研究，讨论了最近发表的关于 AVT 在成年雄性社会互动期间对化学感觉通讯影响的研究结果，并从我们测试 AVT 对成年雌性化学感觉行为影响的类似研究中添加了新数据。我们对解决关于 AVT 在蜥蜴化学感觉通讯和社会行为中的作用的几个基本问题提出了结论性意见。
