Gonadotropin-induced testosterone response in peripubertal male alligators

Based on the response to three different gonadotropin challenges, we evaluated seasonal production of testosterone in a group of captive-raised four-year-old male alligators that varied in size. To stimulate gonadal steroidogenesis, we injected each alligator with ovine FSH (150 ng/ml plasma). Plasma testosterone concentrations were measured in repeated blood samples taken between 0 and 72 h after FSH injection. To determine if there was seasonal variation in response, we repeated the experiment on the same alligators three times during the breeding season (March, May, and July, 2000). All alligators responded to exogenous FSH by exhibiting increased plasma concentrations of testosterone (p < 0.0001 for all months). However, the degree of the response depended on body size. Thus, larger alligators produced more testosterone and were more affected by changes in season compared to smaller alligators. We have previously observed that juvenile male alligators display seasonal changes in plasma testosterone concentrations that mimic the cycle observed in adult males. Our present data suggest that seasonal changes in plasma testosterone appear to be associated not only with changes in gonadotropin release but in gonadal responsiveness as well. We propose, given these observations, that alligators experience an extended period of puberty, during which the gonads synthesize gradually increasing steroid hormone concentrations. These peripubertal animals are not juveniles but sub-adults capable of responding to the seasonal signals associated with reproductive timing in adults.