捕食风险应激对雄性布氏田鼠及子代繁殖性能的影响OA北大核心CSTPCD

The present study aims to investigate whether predation risk stress can affect the reproductive characteristics of male Brandt's voles(Lasiopodomys brandtii)and their offspring,and whether this is stage-specific.Adolescence is a crucial period for growth and development,and it is sensitive to external environmental factors.Thus,we speculated that exposure to predation risk stress during adolescence would have a more pronounced impact on the reproductive charac-teristics of both the males and their offspring.In this study,90-day-old adult male Brandt's voles and 28-day-old adoles-cent male Brandt's voles were exposed to distilled water,rabbit urine,and cat urine for 1 hour daily for 18 consecutive days.Subsequently,half of each group was randomly selected for sampling to assess reproductive characteristics,includ-ing reproductive organ index,sperm quality and quantity.The remaining half was mated with a normal female,and their offspring's reproductive characteristics were evaluated until adulthood.The results indicated that,when compared to the control group,male Brandt's voles exposed to cat odor during adulthood and adolescence significantly reduced normal sperm rate and increased sperm malformation and mortality rates,while exposure to rabbit odor only reduced the normal sperm rate.Exposure to cat odor during adulthood had no effect on reproductive output,whereas offspring from fathers exposed to cat odor during adolescence showed an increase in the ratio of female offspring at birth.Exposure to cat or rabbit odor during adulthood had no effect on offspring reproductive characteristics,but adult offspring from cat odor-ex-posed father during adolescence exhibited reduced gonadal index,sperm density,and normal sperm rate,as well as in-creased sperm deformity and mortality rates,while rabbit odor exposure only reduced sperm density and normal sperm rate in male offspring.These results confirmed our hypothesis that predation risk has a suppressive effect on the repro-ductive characteristics of fathers and their offspring,especially during adolescence.The cross-generation transmission induced by paternal predation risk on offspring reproduction is stage-dependent.