Flint A P, Albon S D, Loudon A S, Jabbour H N
Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom.
Horm Behav. 1997 Jun;31(3):296-304. doi: 10.1006/hbeh.1997.1391.
Times of the ovulatory LH surge and characteristics of the rise in circulating progesterone concentrations after ovulation in red deer hinds were investigated in relation to each animal's dominance status. Observations were made during the 1992 (experiment 1) and 1993 (experiment 2) breeding seasons, while the same 12 hinds were held in a pen in the absence of a stag. Ovulation was synchronized by administration of progesterone followed by luteolytic prostaglandin F2 alpha analogue. Social status was determined for each hind by noting dyadic agonistic interactions during the period of progesterone treatment. Hinds were weighed before and after the experiments. Time of onset of estrus (lordosis) was recorded while handling at 3-hr intervals (for 81 hr in experiment 1; 96 hr in experiment 2) after progesterone withdrawal, and blood samples were collected at these times to characterize the preovulatory LH surge. Subsequently, daily blood samples were collected for up to 11 days for measurement of progesterone concentrations. There was a tendency for weight change to be related to dominance status in experiment 1 and this was significant in experiment 2 (p < 0.01). The rate of increase in circulating progesterone concentration after ovulation was related to status (data of experiments 1 and 2 combined; p < 0.02), but was not correlated with the time of estrus or with the time or height of the LH surge. A third experiment (carried out in 1993), when the same hinds were kept with a stag after induced ovulation, showed that time of estrus (mating) was not related to dominance status. The data suggest that corpus luteum function is affected by social status. The results are discussed in the context of mechanisms by which dominance status influences the sex of a hind's calves.
研究了马鹿母鹿排卵前促黄体生成素（LH）激增的时间以及排卵后循环孕酮浓度升高的特征，并将其与每只动物的优势地位相关联。观察在1992年（实验1）和1993年（实验2）繁殖季节进行，当时将相同的12只母鹿关在一个围栏中，没有雄鹿。通过给予孕酮随后注射溶黄体的前列腺素F2α类似物来使排卵同步。在孕酮治疗期间，通过记录二元争斗性相互作用来确定每只母鹿的社会地位。在实验前后对母鹿进行称重。在停用孕酮后，每隔3小时（实验1为81小时；实验2为96小时）处理时记录发情（弓背反射）开始的时间，并在这些时间采集血样以表征排卵前LH激增的特征。随后，每天采集血样长达11天以测量孕酮浓度。在实验1中，体重变化有与优势地位相关的趋势，在实验2中这一趋势显著（p<0.01）。排卵后循环孕酮浓度的升高速率与地位相关（实验1和2的数据合并；p<0.02），但与发情时间或LH激增的时间或高度无关。第三个实验（于1993年进行），当相同的母鹿在诱导排卵后与雄鹿在一起时，结果表明发情（交配）时间与优势地位无关。数据表明黄体功能受社会地位影响。在优势地位影响母鹿所产幼崽性别的机制背景下对结果进行了讨论。
