Lack of species‐specific primer effects of odours from female Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and brown trout, Salmo trutta

Abstract

We exposed, in two successive spawning seasons, individually placed precocious male Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) parr to odour stimuli (ovarian fluid and urine mix) from ovulated conspecific or heterospecific anadromous females. Atlantic salmon parr had significantly higher plasma concentrations of the hormones 17α,20β‐dihydroxy‐4‐pregnen‐3‐one (17,20β‐P), 11‐ketotestosterone (11‐KT) and testosterone (T) after exposure to odours from conspecific females or from brown trout females compared to parr exposed to a control solution (0.9% NaCl). We did not observe any significant differences between the hormone levels in salmon parr exposed to the two female odours. The salmon parr exposed to conspecific odours had significantly higher volumes of strippable milt compared to the controls, but we did not find any significant differences when comparing the effect of the two female odours. Brown trout parr had significantly higher plasma 17,20β‐P levels following exposure to heterospecific female odours compared to control males, but there was no significant difference between males exposed to the different female odours. We did not observe any significant differences in plasma levels of T and 11‐KT and in milt volumes between exposed and control trout. Taken together, the results from both tested species indicate that the potency of heterospecific stimuli in stimulating increased plasma sex steroid hormone levels in male parr was as strong as stimuli from conspecific females. The results are discussed in connection to observed hybridisation between the two sympatric species.