Changes in prolactin, cortisol and testosterone concentrations during queen succession in a colony of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) : a case study

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dc.contributor.author Medger, Katarina
dc.contributor.author Bennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.author Ganswindt, Stefanie Birgit
dc.contributor.author Ganswindt, Andre
dc.contributor.author Hart, Daniel William
dc.date.accessioned 2020-01-23T07:08:58Z
dc.date.issued 2019-05
dc.description.abstract Colonies of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber, NMRs) are characterised by an extreme skew in lifetime reproductive success with only one female and one to three male consorts in a colony. The rest of the individuals in a colony are reproductively suppressed and much research has been focussed on elucidating that mechanism. The dopamine system and prolactin have recently been implicated in the suppression of reproduction of subordinate NMRs. To investigate the changes in prolactin during the removal of an aged reproductive female (queen) and succession of a new queen, blood samples were collected during different stages of queen removal: before queen removal, after separation, but in olfactory contact with the queen and after the total removal of the queen. Further, plasma cortisol and testosterone concentrations were determined. The colony appeared unstable prior to queen removal as indicated by high concentrations of cortisol and testosterone and lack of successful breeding. A new queen succeeded the old queen whilst she was still in olfactory contact. The time preceding queen succession was characterised by high levels of aggression, the death of a number of individuals, high cortisol and testosterone and low prolactin concentrations. Once the older queen was removed entirely and the new queen had given birth, prolactin concentrations increased and cortisol and testosterone concentrations decreased in subordinate NMRs. The results suggest that low prolactin levels are associated with low reproductive suppression during times of colony instability due to the removal or death of a queen. en_ZA
dc.description.department Anatomy and Physiology en_ZA
dc.description.department Mammal Research Institute en_ZA
dc.description.department Zoology and Entomology en_ZA
dc.description.embargo 2020-05-14
dc.description.librarian hj2020 en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorship A South African Research Chair of Mammalian Behavioural Ecology and Physiology awarded to Nigel C. Bennett by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation, South Africa. K.Medger acknowledges funding by the University of Pretoria. en_ZA
dc.description.uri http://link.springer.com/journal/114 en_ZA
dc.identifier.citation Medger, K., Bennett, N.C., Ganswindt, S.B. et al. Changes in prolactin, cortisol and testosterone concentrations during queen succession in a colony of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber): a case study. The Science of Nature 106, 26 (2019) doi:10.1007/s00114-019-1621-1. en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn 0028-1042 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1432-1904 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1007/s00114-019-1621-1
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/72873
dc.language.iso en en_ZA
dc.publisher Springer en_ZA
dc.rights © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019. The original publication is available at : http://link.springer.com/journal/114. en_ZA
dc.subject Testosterone en_ZA
dc.subject Reproductive suppression en_ZA
dc.subject Queen succession en_ZA
dc.subject Prolactin en_ZA
dc.subject Cortisol en_ZA
dc.subject Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) en_ZA
dc.title Changes in prolactin, cortisol and testosterone concentrations during queen succession in a colony of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) : a case study en_ZA
dc.type Postprint Article en_ZA


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