Androgen feedback-dependent and -independent control of photoinduced LH secretion in male tree sparrows (Spizella arborea).

Photoperiodic control of gonadotrophin secretion in male tree sparrows was studied by examining changes in plasma LH in castrated birds retained on short daylengths and in castrated birds transferred to long daylengths. Plasma LH concentrations were markedly higher in photostimulated birds than in non-photostimulated birds throughout the 25-day experiment, and implantation of the antiandrogen cyproterone (free alcohol), which should have blocked the action of castration-resistant androgens, did not increase plasma LH in either group. Such results, obtained from birds in which testosterone feedback was inoperative, indicate that the gonadostimulatory effect of long daylengths in intact males must be mediated, at least in part, by an androgen feedback-independent mechanism. To determine whether changes in testosterone feedback facilitate gonadotrophin secretion during photostimulation, two feedback performance characteristics (i.e. set point (minimum concentration of testosterone that suppresses plasma LH) and sensitivity (change in plasma LH per unit change in testosterone)) were quantified by evaluating plasma LH responses of non-photostimulated castrated birds and of photostimulated castrated birds to replacement testosterone (0-4.16 mumol). The data indicate that, in addition to stimulating LH secretion by an androgen feedback-independent mechanism, long daylengths reduce feedback inhibition of LH secretion by increasing the putative set point and decreasing the sensitivity of the testosterone feedback mechanism. The feedback-independent effect is the predominant effect of photostimulation on LH secretion in male tree sparrows.