Activational and organizational effects of testosterone on the number of mating partners and reproductive success in males of a social rodent

The timing of exposure to the steroid hormone, testosterone, produces activational and organizational effects in vertebrates. These activational and organizational effects are hypothesized to relate with the number of female mating partners and reproductive success in males. We tested this hypothesis by examining 151 wild degu (Octodon degus) males across a 10-year study. We quantified the association between adult serum testosterone levels (i.e., an indirect index of adult activational effects) and anogenital distance (AGD) length (i.e., a direct index of fetal organizational effects), and their interaction on the number of female mating partners and reproductive success. We found no evidence of an association between adult male serum testosterone levels and the number of female mating partners, or between adult male serum testosterone levels and reproductive success. However, male AGD was positively associated with reproductive success, but not so with the number of female mating part..., Results 3.1
To test the prediction (i) about the potential effects of male serum testosterone levels, male anogenital distance (AGD), and the number of females within the social group, and their interactions, on the total number of female mating partners, run model model 1. This model run with n = 151 replicates, representing all males sampled (i.e., this examination included males with zero effective mates). The response variable is Total number of female mating partners.
To test prediction (ii) about the potential effects of male serum testosterone levels, male anogenital distance (AGD), and the number of females within the social group, and their interactions, on the number of female mating partners within the social group, run model model 2. This model run with n = 89 replicates, representing all males that sired some offspring and whose social group included at least one female. The response variable is Number of female mating partners within the social group.
To test prediction (i..., , # Activational and organizational effects of testosterone on the number of mating partners and reproductive success in males of a social rodent

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhj3t](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ngf1vhj3t)

Data contained in this file correspond to individual and social group data from a wild population of degus (*Octodon degus*). This file only includes data for adult males. Data corresponds to data from mating season (austral winter), and ten years (2010-2019).

## Description of the data and file structure

The file contains only one sheet that can be used to run the four models.

Variables included:

* Year (individual variable).
* Degu ID: Ear tag number or degu identity. Twelve individuals are present two times. For these individuals, each data must be considered as independent data (individual variable).
* Sex: M=male (individual variable).
* Focal AGD length (mm): is the length of the anogenital distance, expressed in millimeters, of the focal individuals (...