Effect of photoperiod modulation in American mink males on their testosterone concentrations and mating performance
Bogdan Lasota | Lidia Felska-Błaszczyk | Anna Masłowska | Beata Seremak | Tomasz Stankiewicz
The aim of the study was observation of the effect of light modulation on blood testosterone levels and libido in male American mink. The study was performed on 64 Black Velvet male mink on a farm located in the north-west of Poland. Day length was modified using artificial lighting placed above mink cages. Two variants of lighting programs were applied to males: (I) from 8 of February and (II) from 12 of February. In order to measure blood testosterone concentration samples were collected from males of the experimental groups and the control groups (animals kept under natural light conditions). As a result of the experiment, the males subjected to extended lighting were found to have had slightly higher libido than those outside the treatment, although no strong or clear effect of lighting on the pattern of testosterone levels in male mink has been found. It remains unexplained whether slightly, non-significantly higher libido of the experimental males is related to the applied modulation of photoperiod. In order to unambiguously clarify the effect of day light modulation on the results of males sexual activity, further studies should be performed on a larger population and possibly using modified extended lighting programs.
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