Photoperiod modulates courtship behavior and plasma testosterone in a short-day passerine

Photoperiod modulates courtship behavior and plasma testosterone in a short-day passerine | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Journal of Avian Biology This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Photoperiod modulates courtship behavior and plasma testosterone in a short-day passerine Authors : Maricel Quispe [email protected] , Benjamín Silva Rochefort [email protected] , María José Rojas [email protected] , Irene Alburquerque [email protected] , Natalia Márquez 0000-0002-4200-6211 [email protected] , Camila Villavicencio [email protected] , René Quispe [email protected] , João Botelho [email protected] , Manuel Maliqueo [email protected] , Gonzalo Marín [email protected] , Jorge Mpodozis [email protected] , and Macarena Faunes 0000-0002-0522-448X [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003225/v1 Under Review Journal of Avian Biology Peer review timeline 12 views 9 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Seasonal reproduction in birds is commonly regulated by photoperiod, and passerines are generally considered long-day breeders. The Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora) has been proposed as a possible exception, but experimental evidence for short-day photoperiodicity has remained limited. Here, we tested the effects of day-length manipulation on courtship behavior and plasma testosterone levels in male Java sparrows. Birds were exposed sequentially to long-day, short-day, and long-day conditions, and behavioral and hormonal responses were quantified at defined stages across the experiment. Courtship increased after the transition from long to short days and decreased after the return to long days. Plasma testosterone showed a related but more heterogeneous pattern: it did not increase significantly at the group level after transfer to short days, but declined markedly after re-exposure to long days. In addition, variation in plasma testosterone did not consistently predict variation in courtship across treatment stages. Together, these results provide experimental support for a short-day reproductive response in Java sparrows, particularly at the behavioral level, and identify increasing day length as a potent inhibitory cue for both courtship and circulating testosterone. More broadly, our findings refine current views of photoperiodic regulation in passerines and highlight the complexity of the relationship between environmental cues, endocrine responses, and reproductive behavior in birds. Supplementary Material File (supplemental-information.pdf) supplemental-information Download 142.63 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Peer review timeline Under Review Journal of Avian Biology 13 May 2026 Under Review Collection Journal of Avian Biology Keywords neurobiology behavior sensory biology neuroetholigy animal behavior behavioral ecology behavioral endocrinology glucocorticoids bioenergetics telomeres mitochondria oxidative stress Java sparrow Courtship display Padda oryzivora Lonchura oryzivora Seasonal reproduction Physiology Endocrinology Urbanization Stress Glucose eco-immunology maternal effects hormones life-history ageing glucocorticoids bioenergetics telomeres mitochondria oxidative stress neurobiology behavior sensory biology neuroetholigy animal behavior behavioral ecology behavioral endocrinology Authors Affiliations Maricel Quispe [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author Benjamín Silva Rochefort [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author María José Rojas [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author Irene Alburquerque [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author Natalia Márquez 0000-0002-4200-6211 [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author Camila Villavicencio [email protected] View all articles by this author René Quispe [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author João Botelho [email protected] View all articles by this author Manuel Maliqueo [email protected] Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile View all articles by this author Gonzalo Marín [email protected] View all articles by this author Jorge Mpodozis [email protected] View all articles by this author Macarena Faunes 0000-0002-0522-448X [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 12 views 9 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Maricel Quispe, Benjamín Silva Rochefort, María José Rojas, et al. Photoperiod modulates courtship behavior and plasma testosterone in a short-day passerine. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003225/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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