Environmentally relevant exposure to an antidepressant alters courtship behaviours in a songbird

Whitlock, Sophia E.; Pereira, M. Gloria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3740-0019; Shore, Richard F.; Lane, Julie; Arnold, Kathryn E.. 2018 Environmentally relevant exposure to an antidepressant alters courtship behaviours in a songbird. Chemosphere, 211. 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.07.074

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Abstract/Summary

Pharmaceuticals in the environment are a recently identified global threat to wildlife, including birds. Like other human pharmaceuticals, the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) enters the environment via sewage and has been detected at wastewater treatment plants. Birds foraging on invertebrates at these sites can be exposed to pharmaceuticals, although the implications of exposure are poorly understood. We conducted experiments to test whether chronic exposure to a maximally environmentally relevant concentration of fluoxetine (2.7 μg day−1) altered courtship behaviour and female reproductive physiology in wild-caught starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), a species commonly found foraging on invertebrates at wastewater treatment plants. When paired with a female over two days, males sang less and were more aggressive towards fluoxetine-treated females than controls. Fluoxetine-treated females were initially aggressive towards males, becoming significantly less aggressive by the second day. In contrast, control females expressed intermediate levels of aggression throughout. We found no effect of female treatment on female courtship behaviour. Female body condition, circulating testosterone and circulating oestradiol were unaffected by treatment and did not account for male preference. Our findings suggest that exposure to an antidepressant reduced female attractiveness, adding to growing evidence that environmental concentrations of pharmaceuticals can alter important traits related to individual fitness and population dynamics.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.07.074
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Pollution (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0045-6535
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	courtship, birdsong, Fluoxetine, pharmaceuticals, starlings, Prozac
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	01 Aug 2018 14:00 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/520639

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