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<p>The experiments conducted by University of York in collaboration with the Animal
and Plant Health Agency (APHA) demonstrated that exposing starlings to a maximal environmentally
relevant concentration of an anti-depressant (fluoxetine) altered courtship behaviour
in wild-caught starlings (<em>Sturnus vulgaris</em>). The males sang less and were
more aggressive towards females that had been dosed with an anti-depressant than to
the untreated females and in addition the treated females were also initially more
aggressive towards males than the untreated females. However there were no effects
on female courtship behaviour or on circulating female hormones in treated females.
These findings suggest that exposure to this dose of anti-depressant reduced female
attractiveness to the male but the reasons why are not clear. Whether these levels
of anti-depressants in the environment would have a significant effect on an individual’s
fitness or the population as a whole requires further investigation.</p><p> </p>
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