The effects of early and late androgen treatments on the behavior of Sarotherodon mossambicus (Pisces: Cichlidae).

Groups of Sarotherodon mossambicus were treated with androgen by immersion or oral treatment at various stages of development. Fish were allowed to mature and the effects of treatment on gonadal and behavioral differentiation were examined. The effects of treatment on gonadal differentiation were assessed by determining the sex ratio for each group. Three treatments resulted in sex ratios significantly different from the 1:1 sex ratio obtained in untreated fish. Behavioral differences were detected between groups of males in three measures of territorial defense and aggression, and differences were detected between groups of females in two measures of male-female courtship interaction. A second experiment determined that early-treated females were more sensitive to a second androgen treatment later in life than females not exposed to androgen during development. A number of sex-reversed genetic females functioning as males were detected in two treatment groups with predominantly male sex ratios. There were no differences in the behavior of sex-reversed and non-sex-reversed male fish from the same treatment group. This study establishes that hormone treatments administered during development influence behavioral differentiation in a teleost.