Greenberg N, Chen T, Crews D
Horm Behav. 1984 Mar;18(1):1-11. doi: 10.1016/0018-506x(84)90045-x.
Adult males of the small arboreal iguanid lizard, Anolis carolinensis, form social dominance hierarchies when placed in habitats with limited resources. Skin color changes occur during hierarchy formation, most conspicuously in subordinates, who appear darker (more brown) than dominants (more green). Because skin color in this species is under the control of hormones frequently associated with physiological stress, radioimmunoassay of plasma levels of the principal reptilian adrenal steroid, corticosterone, was performed. To examine the influence of gonadal androgen, known to influence the aggression that attends hierarchy formation, lizard pairs were constituted in which one or both members were castrated. Corticosterone levels of intact subordinates were significantly elevated, whereas those of castrated subordinates or dominants showed levels comparable to those of isolates. No significant differences in spermatogenic stage could be detected between intact dominants or subordinates.
小型树栖鬣鳞蜥（安乐蜥）的成年雄性个体，在被放置于资源有限的栖息地时会形成社会等级制度。在等级制度形成过程中会发生皮肤颜色变化，最明显的是从属个体，它们看起来比优势个体（更绿）颜色更深（更偏棕色）。由于该物种的皮肤颜色受经常与生理应激相关的激素控制，因此对主要的爬行动物肾上腺类固醇皮质酮的血浆水平进行了放射免疫测定。为了研究已知会影响等级制度形成时的攻击性的性腺雄激素的影响，构建了蜥蜴对，其中一个或两个成员被阉割。完整的从属个体的皮质酮水平显著升高，而阉割后的从属个体或优势个体的皮质酮水平与单独饲养的个体相当。在完整的优势个体或从属个体之间未检测到生精阶段的显著差异。
