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Tartu S, Lorrain-Soligon L, Cheron M, Dupoué A, Brischoux F. Colouration matters in dull toads: ultraviolet adornment for ladies and agrochemicals fading effects. Oecologia 2023; 203:491-502. [PMID: 37982911 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05482-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Integument colouration can influence many aspects of fitness, and is under strong sexual selection. Amphibians often express sexual dichromatism, and ultra-violet (UV) colouration is usually biased toward males as a sexual signal. As an honest signal, colouration is related to several individual traits, but can also be related to environmental factors such as anthropogenic pollutants, to which amphibians are highly sensitive. In this study, we investigated sexual dichromatism and UV reflectance covering a large visual spectrum (wavelength ranging from 300 to 700 nm) on different body areas (throat, ventral and dorsal areas), in a widespread amphibian species, the spiny toad (Bufo spinosus). Then, we tested the impact of chronic exposure to two widespread herbicides (glyphosate's primary metabolite [AMPA] and Nicosulfuron) on their colouration. We found a strong but unexpected sexual dichromatism with females reflecting more in the UV spectrum (throat and ventral area) than males, suggesting these body parts might be critical in intra-specific signalling. Females with higher ventral UV reflectance were in better body condition, suggesting an honest signal role of UV reflectance which could influence male choice. Throat colouration was further differentially influenced by agrochemicals according to sexes. In AMPA-exposed males, throat was more saturated in yellow-orange than in control males, and Nicosulfuron exposure decreased the throat's reflectance hue in females, which can bear consequences on mate attractiveness. Future studies need to investigate the underlying mechanisms that are altered by agrochemical exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Tartu
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Léa Lorrain-Soligon
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Marion Cheron
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Andréaz Dupoué
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, UMR 6539, LEMAR, Plouzane, France
| | - François Brischoux
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
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2
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Hill GE, Weaver RJ, Powers MJ. Carotenoid ornaments and the spandrels of physiology: a critique of theory to explain condition dependency. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:2320-2332. [PMID: 37563787 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Even as numerous studies have documented that the red and yellow coloration resulting from the deposition of carotenoids serves as an honest signal of condition, the evolution of condition dependency is contentious. The resource trade-off hypothesis proposes that condition-dependent honest signalling relies on a trade-off of resources between ornamental display and body maintenance. By this model, condition dependency can evolve through selection for a re-allocation of resources to promote ornament expression. By contrast, the index hypothesis proposes that selection focuses mate choice on carotenoid coloration that is inherently condition dependent because production of such coloration is inexorably tied to vital cellular processes. These hypotheses for the origins of condition dependency make strongly contrasting and testable predictions about ornamental traits. To assess these two models, we review the mechanisms of production of carotenoids, patterns of condition dependency involving different classes of carotenoids, and patterns of behavioural responses to carotenoid coloration. We review evidence that traits can be condition dependent without the influence of sexual selection and that novel traits can show condition-dependent expression as soon as they appear in a population, without the possibility of sexual selection. We conclude by highlighting new opportunities for studying condition-dependent signalling made possible by genetic manipulation and expression of ornamental traits in synthetic biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey E Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, 120 W. Samford Avenue, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Ryan J Weaver
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, 2200 Osborne Drive, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Matthew J Powers
- Department of Integrative Biology, 4575 SW Research Way, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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3
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Sumasgutner P, Nilles T, Hykollari A, de Chapa MM, Isaksson C, Hochleitner L, Renner S, Fusani L. Integument colouration and circulating carotenoids in relation to urbanisation in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:48. [PMID: 37736824 PMCID: PMC10516791 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01874-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Urbanisation is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, yet we still lack an integrative understanding of how cities affect behaviour, physiology and parasite susceptibility of free-living organisms. In this study, we focus on carotenoids, strictly dietary micronutrients that can either be used as yellow-red pigments, for integument colouration (signalling function), or as antioxidants, to strengthen the immune system (physiological function) in an urban predator, the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Kestrels are specialised vole hunters but shift to avian prey in cities where diurnal rodents are not sufficiently available. This different foraging strategy might determine the quantity of carotenoids available. We measured integument colouration, circulating carotenoids in the blood and ectoparasite burden in kestrels along an urban gradient. Our results showed that nestlings that were raised in more urbanised areas displayed, unrelated to their ectoparasite burden, a paler integument colouration. Paler colours were furthermore associated with a lower concentration of circulating carotenoids. These findings support the hypothesis that the entire urban food web is carotenoid deprived and only prey of low quality with low carotenoid content is available (e.g. fewer carotenoids in urban trees, insects, small birds and finally kestrels). The alternative hypothesis that nestlings allocate carotenoids to reduce physiological stress and/or to cope with parasites rather than invest into colouration could not be supported. Our study adds to existing evidence that urban stressors negatively affect carotenoid production in urban areas, a deficiency that dissipate into higher trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Sumasgutner
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Tom Nilles
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alba Hykollari
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuela Merling de Chapa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Hessian Agency for Nature, Environment and Geology, Biodiversity Center, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Hochleitner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Swen Renner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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4
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Willink B, Wu MY. To colour a bird: The evolution of carotenoid-based colouration in passerines is shaped by sexual selection, ecology and life history. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:4-6. [PMID: 36598357 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Delhey, K., Valcu, M., Dale, J., & Kempenaers, B. (2022). The evolution of carotenoid-based plumage colours in passerine birds. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13791. Carotenoids, a class of colour pigments, are responsible for red, yellow and orange hues in nature. They play an important role in visual animals, and specially birds, where dietary carotenoids can act as honest sexual signals. Long-standing interest in the function of carotenoid-based colours has led to different hypotheses for their evolutionary drivers. Yet, comparative studies testing the generality of these hypotheses have been previously limited in phylogenetic scope or resolution. In a recent study, Delhey et al. (2022) combined sexual dichromatism, life history and environmental data to investigate the evolution of carotenoid-based colouration in the largest avian radiation, the passerines (Order: Passeriformes). The authors show that the expression of carotenoid-based colours depends on environmental availability, dietary content and body size. They also show that red carotenoids are more often evolutionarily and metabolically derived, and suggest different colours are favoured by natural and sexual selection. These findings shine new light on commonly held hypotheses of carotenoid-colour evolution and contribute to our understanding of how phenotypic diversity evolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Willink
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Meng Y Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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5
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Diatroptov ME, Opaev AS. Melanin- and Carotenoid-Based Coloration of Plumage and the Level of Aggressiveness: The Relationship of These Parameters in the Greenfinch (Chloris chloris, Passeriformes, Fringillidae). BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359022090102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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6
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Costantini D, Blévin P, Bustnes JO, Esteve V, Gabrielsen GW, Herzke D, Humann-Guilleminot S, Moe B, Parenteau C, Récapet C, Bustamante P, Chastel O. Integument carotenoid-based colouration reflects contamination to perfluoroalkyl substances, but not mercury, in arctic black-legged kittiwakes. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.952765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities are introducing multiple chemical contaminants into ecosystems that act as stressors for wildlife. Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and mercury (Hg) are two relevant contaminants that may cause detrimental effects on the fitness of many aquatic organisms. However, there is a lack of information on their impact on the expression of secondary sexual signals that animals use for mate choice. We have explored the correlations between integument carotenoid-based colourations, blood levels of carotenoids, and blood levels of seven PFAS and of total Hg (THg) in 50 adult male black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) from the Norwegian Arctic during the pre-laying period, while controlling for other colouration influencing variables such as testosterone and body condition. Kittiwakes with elevated blood concentrations of PFAS (PFOSlin, PFNA, PFDcA, PFUnA, or PFDoA) had less chromatic but brighter bills, and brighter gape and tongue; PFOSlin was the pollutant with the strongest association with bill colourations. Conversely, plasma testosterone was the only significant correlate of hue and chroma of both gape and tongue, and of hue of the bill. Kittiwakes with higher concentrations of any PFAS, but not of THg, tended to have significantly higher plasma concentrations of the carotenoids astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and cryptoxanthin. Our work provides the first correlative evidence that PFAS exposure might interfere with the carotenoid metabolism and the expression of integument carotenoid-based colourations in a free-living bird species. This outcome may be a direct effect of PFAS exposure or be indirectly caused by components of diet that also correlate with elevated PFAS concentrations (e.g., proteins). It also suggests that there might be no additive effect of THg co-exposure with PFAS on the expression of colourations. These results call for further work on the possible interference of PFAS with the expression of colourations used in mate choice.
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7
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Lindsay WR, Mendonça R, Slight MW, Prager M, Andersson MX, Mundy NI, Andersson S. Seasonal but not sex-biased gene expression of the carotenoid ketolase, CYP2J19, in the sexually dichromatic southern red bishop ( Euplectes orix). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022. [PMID: 35937912 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ht76hdrjg] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Intense red colours in birds are often owing to ketocarotenoids (KCs). In many land birds, KCs are oxidized from dietary yellow precursors, presumably by the avian carotenoid ketolase CYP2J19, the regulation and constraints of which have important implications for condition-dependence and honest signalling of carotenoid colour displays. We investigated hepatic CYP2J19 gene expression in the seasonally and sexually dichromatic southern red bishop (Euplectes orix) in relation to season, sex, progression of the prenuptial moult, testis size, body condition, redness and circulating sex steroids. A coloration function of CYP2J19 is supported by a seasonal upregulation prior to and during the carotenoid-depositing stage of the male prenuptial moult. However, CYP2J19 expression was similarly high in females (which do not moult prenuptially), and remained high in males after moult, suggesting additional or alternative roles of hepatic CYP2J19 or its products, such as detoxification or antioxidant functions. In males, the CYP2J19 upregulation preceded and was unrelated to the rise in plasma testosterone, but was correlated with androstenedione, probably of adrenal origin and compatible with luteinizing hormone-induced and (in females) oestrogen-suppressed moult. Finally, contrary to ideas that carotenoid ketolation rate mediates honest signalling of male quality, CYP2J19 expression was not related to plumage redness or male body condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willow R Lindsay
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rute Mendonça
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mathilda Waleij Slight
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Maria Prager
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, University of Stockholm, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats X Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nicholas I Mundy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Staffan Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
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8
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Lindsay WR, Mendonça R, Slight MW, Prager M, Andersson MX, Mundy NI, Andersson S. Seasonal but not sex-biased gene expression of the carotenoid ketolase, CYP2J19, in the sexually dichromatic southern red bishop ( Euplectes orix). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022. [PMID: 35937912 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6114863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Intense red colours in birds are often owing to ketocarotenoids (KCs). In many land birds, KCs are oxidized from dietary yellow precursors, presumably by the avian carotenoid ketolase CYP2J19, the regulation and constraints of which have important implications for condition-dependence and honest signalling of carotenoid colour displays. We investigated hepatic CYP2J19 gene expression in the seasonally and sexually dichromatic southern red bishop (Euplectes orix) in relation to season, sex, progression of the prenuptial moult, testis size, body condition, redness and circulating sex steroids. A coloration function of CYP2J19 is supported by a seasonal upregulation prior to and during the carotenoid-depositing stage of the male prenuptial moult. However, CYP2J19 expression was similarly high in females (which do not moult prenuptially), and remained high in males after moult, suggesting additional or alternative roles of hepatic CYP2J19 or its products, such as detoxification or antioxidant functions. In males, the CYP2J19 upregulation preceded and was unrelated to the rise in plasma testosterone, but was correlated with androstenedione, probably of adrenal origin and compatible with luteinizing hormone-induced and (in females) oestrogen-suppressed moult. Finally, contrary to ideas that carotenoid ketolation rate mediates honest signalling of male quality, CYP2J19 expression was not related to plumage redness or male body condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willow R Lindsay
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rute Mendonça
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mathilda Waleij Slight
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Maria Prager
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, University of Stockholm, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats X Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nicholas I Mundy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Staffan Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
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9
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Lindsay WR, Mendonça R, Slight MW, Prager M, Andersson MX, Mundy NI, Andersson S. Seasonal but not sex-biased gene expression of the carotenoid ketolase, CYP2J19, in the sexually dichromatic southern red bishop ( Euplectes orix). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220434. [PMID: 35937912 PMCID: PMC9346373 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Intense red colours in birds are often owing to ketocarotenoids (KCs). In many land birds, KCs are oxidized from dietary yellow precursors, presumably by the avian carotenoid ketolase CYP2J19, the regulation and constraints of which have important implications for condition-dependence and honest signalling of carotenoid colour displays. We investigated hepatic CYP2J19 gene expression in the seasonally and sexually dichromatic southern red bishop (Euplectes orix) in relation to season, sex, progression of the prenuptial moult, testis size, body condition, redness and circulating sex steroids. A coloration function of CYP2J19 is supported by a seasonal upregulation prior to and during the carotenoid-depositing stage of the male prenuptial moult. However, CYP2J19 expression was similarly high in females (which do not moult prenuptially), and remained high in males after moult, suggesting additional or alternative roles of hepatic CYP2J19 or its products, such as detoxification or antioxidant functions. In males, the CYP2J19 upregulation preceded and was unrelated to the rise in plasma testosterone, but was correlated with androstenedione, probably of adrenal origin and compatible with luteinizing hormone-induced and (in females) oestrogen-suppressed moult. Finally, contrary to ideas that carotenoid ketolation rate mediates honest signalling of male quality, CYP2J19 expression was not related to plumage redness or male body condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willow R. Lindsay
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Rute Mendonça
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mathilda Waleij Slight
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Maria Prager
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, University of Stockholm, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats X. Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Nicholas I. Mundy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Staffan Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 18, SE-413 -90 Gothenburg, Sweden
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10
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Alonso-Alvarez C, Fernández-Eslava B, Alonso D, Galicia D, Arizaga J. Bigger or long-winged male common crossbills exhibit redder carotenoid-based plumage coloration. Curr Zool 2022; 69:165-172. [PMID: 37091992 PMCID: PMC10120982 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Carotenoid-based ornaments are often considered reliable (honest) individual condition signals because their expression implies physiological costs unaffordable for low-quality animals (handicap signals). Recently, it has been suggested that efficient cell respiration is mandatory for producing red ketocarotenoids from dietary yellow carotenoids. This implies that red colorations should be entirely unfalsifiable and independent of expression costs (index signals). In a precedent study, male common crossbills Loxia curvirostra showing a red plumage reported higher apparent survival than those showing yellowish-orange colors. The plumage redness in this species is due to ketocarotenoid accumulation in feathers. Here, we correlated the male plumage redness (a four-level visual score: yellow, patchy, orange and red) and the body morphology in more than 1000 adult crossbills captured in three Iberian localities to infer the mechanisms responsible for color evolution. A principal component analysis summarized morphometry of ten variables (beak, wing, tarsus length, etc.). The overall body size (PC1) and the length of flight feathers regarding body size (PC3) showed significant positive relationships with plumage redness. Plumage redness was barely correlated to bill shape measures suggesting no constraint in acquiring carotenoids from pine cones. However, large body sizes or proportionally long flying feathers could help carotenoid acquisition via social competition or increased foraging ranges. Proportionally longer flight feathers might also be associated with a specific cell respiration profile that would simultaneously favor flying capacities and enzymatic transformations needed for ketocarotenoid synthesis. Such a phenotypic profile would agree with the hypothesis of ketocarotenoid-based colors acting as individual quality index signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alonso-Alvarez
- Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Edificio Pinar, Spain
| | - Blanca Fernández-Eslava
- Ecología Evolutiva,Universidad de Navarra. Facultad de Ciencias, C/ Irunlarrea, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Daniel Alonso
- Ornitología,Sociedad de Ciencias de Aranzadi, Zorroagagaina, Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain
| | - David Galicia
- Biología Ambiental, Universidad de Navarra, Facultad de Ciencias, C/ Irunlarrea, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Juan Arizaga
- Ornitología, Sociedad de Ciencias de Aranzadi, Zorroagagaina, Donostia, San Sebastián, Spain
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11
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Tarr MD. Effects of Non-Native Shrubs on Caterpillars and Shrubland-Dependent Passerines within Three Transmission Line Rights-of-Way in Southeastern New Hampshire. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2022. [DOI: 10.1656/045.029.m2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Tarr
- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Durham, NH 03824;
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Romano A, Possenti CD, Caprioli M, De Felice B, Rubolini D, Parolini M. Prenatal yolk corticosterone exposure promotes skeletal growth and induces oxidative imbalance in yellow-legged gull embryos. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272422. [PMID: 34622274 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Maternally derived hormones induce variation in offspring phenotype, with consequences that can carry over into post-natal life and even into adulthood. In birds, maternal egg corticosterone (CORT) is known to exert contrasting effects on offspring morphology, physiology and behaviour after hatching. However, information on the effects of CORT exposure on pre-hatching embryonic development is limited. We experimentally increased yolk CORT levels in yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) eggs, and assessed the effects on embryo pre-hatching development and oxidative status of brain and liver. CORT-supplemented embryos reached a larger skeletal size and liver mass compared with controls. Embryos from CORT-injected last-laid eggs showed decreased activity of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, while intermediate-laid eggs showed increased levels of lipid peroxidation. However, elevated yolk CORT did not affect oxidative stress endpoints in the brain. Our results indicate that elevated yolk CORT levels affect prenatal embryo development by promoting skeletal growth, and induce laying sequence- and organ-specific oxidative imbalance, with potential adverse consequences during postnatal life, especially for late-hatched offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Romano
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Daniela Possenti
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Caprioli
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Beatrice De Felice
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Parolini
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, I-20133 Milan, Italy
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Blood Toxic Elements and Effects on Plasma Vitamins and Carotenoids in Two Wild Bird Species: Turdus merula and Columba livia. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9090219. [PMID: 34564370 PMCID: PMC8473200 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9090219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Birds have historically suffered adverse effects by toxic elements, such as As, Pb, Hg, and Cd. However, reports on exposure to a wide range of elements, including rare earth elements and other minor elements of emerging concern, and the potential consequences for wildlife are still scarce. This study evaluates blood concentrations of 50 elements and their related effects on lutein and vitamin levels in the Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula) and wild rock pigeon (Columba livia), inhabiting different scenarios of contaminant exposure. Blood concentrations of As, Cd, and Pb (and Mn in T. merula) were increased in both species captured in the mining area, compared to the control site. T. merula also showed increased As, Cd, and Pb concentrations in blood in the agricultural–urban area, as compared to the control area, together with the highest Hg levels, which could be related to agricultural practices and industrial activities. Decreases of 33 and 38% in the plasma retinol levels in T. merula inhabiting the mining and the agricultural–urban areas, respectively, as compared to the control site, were associated with increased Pb, As, and Cd exposure. This could be due to a metal-driven suppressive effect in retinol metabolism and/or its over-use for coping with metal-related oxidative stress.
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Ecological effects on female bill colour explain plastic sexual dichromatism in a mutually-ornamented bird. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14970. [PMID: 34294752 PMCID: PMC8298529 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93897-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in ornamentation are common and, in species with conventional sex roles, are generally thought of as stable, due to stronger sexual selection on males. Yet, especially in gregarious species, ornaments can also have non-sexual social functions, raising the possibility that observed sex differences in ornamentation are plastic. For example, females may invest in costly ornamentation more plastically, to protect body and reproductive ability in more adverse ecological conditions. We tested this hypothesis with experimental work on the mutually-ornamented common waxbill (Estrilda astrild), supplementing their diets either with pigmentary (lutein, a carotenoid) or non-pigmentary (vitamin E) antioxidants, or alleviating winter cold temperature. We found that both lutein and vitamin E supplementation increased red bill colour saturation in females, reaching the same mean saturation as males, which supports the hypothesis that female bill colour is more sensitive to environmental or physiological conditions. The effect of vitamin E, a non-pigment antioxidant, suggests that carotenoids were released from their antioxidant functions. Alleviating winter cold did not increase bill colour saturation in either sex, but increased the stability of female bill colour over time, suggesting that female investment in bill colour is sensitive to cold-mediated stress. Together, results show that waxbill bill sexual dichromatism is not stable. Instead, sexual dichromatism can be modulated, and even disappear completely, due to ecology-mediated plastic adjustments in female bill colour.
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15
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Lind MA, Sepp T, Štšeglova K, Hõrak P. Antibiotic treatment increases yellowness of carotenoid feather coloration in male greenfinches (Chloris chloris). Sci Rep 2021; 11:13235. [PMID: 34168219 PMCID: PMC8225797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92598-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotenoid plumage coloration is an important sexually selected trait in many bird species. However, the mechanisms ensuring the honesty of signals based on carotenoid pigments remain unclear. It has recently been suggested that intestinal integrity, which is affected by gut parasites and microbiota and influences nutrient absorption and acquisition, mediates the relationship between carotenoid ornamentation and individual quality. Here, we test whether carotenoid plumage coloration in greenfinches (Chloris chloris) is affected by the treatment of an antibiotic or an antiparasitic drug. We captured wild greenfinches (N = 71) and administered anticoccidial medication toltrazuril (TOLTRA) to one group, antibiotic metronidazole (METRO) to the second group to target trichomonosis, and the third group received no medication. In the METRO group, feathers grown during the experiment had significantly higher chroma of yellow parts, but there was no effect of TOLTRA on feather chroma. The results suggest that METRO increased the efficiency of carotenoid modification or deposition to the feathers rather than nutrient acquisition and/or freed energy resources that could be invested in coloration. Alternatively, though not measured, METRO might have affected microbial community and host physiology as microbial metabolites can modulate mitochondrial and immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari-Ann Lind
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Tuul Sepp
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kristiina Štšeglova
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Peeter Hõrak
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014, Tartu, Estonia
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16
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Goodchild CG, Beck ML, VanDiest I, Czesak FN, Lane SJ, Sewall KB. Male zebra finches exposed to lead (Pb) during development have reduced volume of song nuclei, altered sexual traits, and received less attention from females as adults. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2021; 210:111850. [PMID: 33421715 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is a pervasive global contaminant that interferes with sensitive windows for neurological development and causes oxidative damage to tissues. The effects of moderate and high exposure to Pb have been well-studied in birds, but whether low-level early-life exposure to Pb influences adult phenotype remains unclear. Female songbirds use a male's song and coloration to discriminate between high- and low-quality males. Therefore, if early-life exposure to Pb disrupts song learning ability or shifts the allocation of antioxidant pigments away from colorful secondary sexual traits, male birds exposed to Pb may be less attractive to females. We exposed developing zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to Pb-contaminated drinking water (100 or 1000 parts per billion [ppb]) after hatching (days 0-100). Once male finches reached adulthood (120-150 days post hatch), we measured song learning ability, coloration of bill and cheek patches, and volume of song nuclei in the brain. We also measured female preference for Pb-exposed males relative to control males. Finally, we measured motoric and spatial cognitive performance in male and female finches to assess whether cognitive traits differed in their sensitivity to Pb exposure. Male zebra finches exposed to 1000 ppb Pb had impaired song learning ability, reduced volume of song nuclei, bills with less redness and received less attention from females. Additionally, Pb exposure impaired motoric performance in both male and female finches but did not affect performance in a spatial cognitive task. Adult finches exposed to Pb-contaminated water had higher blood-Pb levels, though in all cases blood-Pb levels were below 7.0 µg dL-1. This study suggests that low-level exposure to Pb contributes to cognitive deficits that persist into adulthood and may indirectly influence fitness by altering secondary sexual traits and reducing male attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Goodchild
- Virgina Tech, Dept. of Biology, Blacksburg, VA, USA; University of Central Oklahoma, Dept. of Biology, Edmond, OK, USA.
| | - Michelle L Beck
- Virgina Tech, Dept. of Biology, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Rivier University, Dept. of Biology, Nashua, NH, USA
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17
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Prokić MD, Petrović TG, Despotović SG, Vučić T, Gavrić JP, Radovanović TB, Gavrilović BR. The effect of short-term fasting on the oxidative status of larvae of crested newt species and their hybrids. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 251:110819. [PMID: 33022409 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In nature, animals often face periods without food caused by seasonal fluctuations and/or prey scarcity. An organism's physiological response to imposed energetic limitations is followed by changes in mitochondrial functioning (adjustment of energy metabolism) and a reduction of non-essential processes. However, this energy-saving strategy can have its costs. In this study, we examined oxidative stress as one of the possible physiological costs of short-term, two-week-long food deprivation on developing amphibian larvae of the crested newts Triturus macedonicus and Triturus ivanbureschi and their hybrids. We investigated whether this exogenous factor additionally affected the oxidative status (fitness-related trait) of hybrid individuals. The fasting treatment led to lower growth and a lower body mass and body condition index of individuals. The results revealed that the antioxidant system (AOS) of food-deprived larvae could not cope in a proper manner with reactive oxygen species production under limited energy availability, leading to higher lipid oxidative damage. The lowest AOS response was observed for H2O2 scavenging parameters (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and total glutathione), which together with the elevated activity of superoxide dismutase suggested increased H2O2 concentrations. Comparison between parental species and their hybrids showed that hybrid individuals suffered greater oxidative damage (as demonstrated by higher concentrations of lipid peroxides), indicating that they were more susceptible to fasting-induced oxidative stress. Overall, this study illustrates that: (i) an oxidative event is one of the costs amphibian larvae face during short-term periods of fasting, (ii) hybrids are less capable of dealing with this stressful condition, which can lower their chances of survival in a changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko D Prokić
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Tamara G Petrović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Svetlana G Despotović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tijana Vučić
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Faculty of Biology, Institute for Zoology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena P Gavrić
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tijana B Radovanović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Branka R Gavrilović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
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18
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Sánchez-Virosta P, León-Ortega M, Calvo JF, Camarero PR, Mateo R, Zumbado M, Luzardo OP, Eeva T, García-Fernández AJ, Espín S. Blood concentrations of 50 elements in Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) at different contamination scenarios and related effects on plasma vitamin levels. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 265:115012. [PMID: 32593922 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Some metals and metalloids (e.g. Pb, Hg, Cd and As) are well-known for their bioaccumulation capacity and their toxic effects on birds, but concerns on other minor elements and rare earth elements (ME and REE) are growing due to their intensive use in modern technology and potential toxicity. Vitamins and carotenoids play essential roles in nestling growth and proper development, and are known to be affected by the metals classically considered as toxic. However, we are unaware of any attempts to evaluate the exposure to 50 elements and related effects in plasma vitamins and carotenoids in raptor species. The main goals of this study are: (i) to assess the exposure to 50 elements (i.e. classic toxic elements, trace elements, REE and ME) in nestling Eagle owls (Bubo bubo) inhabiting three differently polluted environments (mining, industrial and control areas) in southeastern Spain, and (ii) to evaluate how element exposure affects plasma vitamin and carotenoid levels, hematocrit and body measurements (mass and wing length) of the individuals. Our results show that local contamination in the mining area contributes to increased blood concentrations of Pb, As and Tl in nestlings, while diet differences between control and mining/industrial areas may account for the different levels of Mn, Zn, and Sr in blood, and lutein in plasma. Plasma tocopherol levels were increased in the mining-impacted environment, which may be a mechanism of protection to prevent toxic element-related oxidative stress. Plasma α-tocopherol was enhanced by 20% at blood Pb concentrations ≥8 ng/ml, and nestlings exhibited up to 56% increase in α-tocopherol levels when blood Pb concentrations reached 170 ng/ml. Tocopherol seems to be a sensitive biomarker under an exposure to certain toxic elements (e.g. Pb, As, Tl).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Sánchez-Virosta
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Sanitary Sciences, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Mario León-Ortega
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - José F Calvo
- Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Pablo R Camarero
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Manuel Zumbado
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Spain
| | - Octavio P Luzardo
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Spain
| | - Tapio Eeva
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Antonio J García-Fernández
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Sanitary Sciences, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Silvia Espín
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Sanitary Sciences, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
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19
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Khalil S, Welklin JF, McGraw KJ, Boersma J, Schwabl H, Webster MS, Karubian J. Testosterone regulates CYP2J19-linked carotenoid signal expression in male red-backed fairywrens ( Malurus melanocephalus). Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201687. [PMID: 32933448 PMCID: PMC7542802 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotenoid pigments produce most red, orange and yellow colours in vertebrates. This coloration can serve as an honest signal of quality that mediates social and mating interactions, but our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that control carotenoid signal production, including how different physiological pathways interact to shape and maintain these signals, remains incomplete. We investigated the role of testosterone in mediating gene expression associated with a red plumage sexual signal in red-backed fairywrens (Malurus melanocephalus). In this species, males within a single population can flexibly produce either red/black nuptial plumage or female-like brown plumage. Combining correlational analyses with a field-based testosterone implant experiment and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we show that testosterone mediates expression of carotenoid-based plumage in part by regulating expression of CYP2J19, a ketolase gene associated with ketocarotenoid metabolism and pigmentation in birds. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that hormonal regulation of a specific genetic locus has been linked to carotenoid production in a natural context, revealing how endocrine mechanisms produce sexual signals that shape reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Khalil
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Joseph F. Welklin
- Macaulay Library, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Kevin J. McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jordan Boersma
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Michael S. Webster
- Macaulay Library, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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20
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Cabrera‐Guzmán E, Díaz‐Paniagua C, Gomez‐Mestre I. Differential effect of natural and pigment‐supplemented diets on larval development and phenotype of anurans. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Cabrera‐Guzmán
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
- Department of Integrative Biology Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK USA
| | - C. Díaz‐Paniagua
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
| | - I. Gomez‐Mestre
- Ecology Evolution and Development Group Department of Wetland Ecology Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC Seville Spain
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21
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Grunst ML, Grunst AS, Pinxten R, Bervoets L, Eens M. Carotenoid- but not melanin-based plumage coloration is negatively related to metal exposure and proximity to the road in an urban songbird. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 256:113473. [PMID: 31679871 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Rapid urbanization is a global phenomenon that is increasingly exposing organisms to novel stressors. These novel stressors can affect diverse aspects of organismal function, including development of condition-dependent ornaments, which play critical roles in social and sexual selection. We investigated the relationship between metal pollution, proximity to roads, and carotenoid- and melanin-based plumage coloration in a common songbird, the great tit (Parus major). We studied populations located across a well-characterized metal pollution gradient and surrounded by roadway networks. Metal exposure and road-associated pollution could reduce carotenoid-based pigmentation by inducing oxidative stress or affecting habitat quality, but metals could also enhance melanin-based pigmentation, through effects on melanogenesis and testosterone concentrations. Using a large sample size (N > 500), we found that birds residing close to a point source for metals had reduced ultraviolet chroma, a component of carotenoid-based pigmentation. Moreover, birds with high feather metal concentrations had lower carotenoid chroma, hue, and ultraviolet chroma, with effects modified by age class. Birds residing closer to roads also had lower carotenoid chroma and hue. Melanin-based pigmentation showed high between-year repeatability, and no association with anthropogenic pollution. Results suggest that carotenoid-, but not melanin-, based pigmentation is negatively affected by multiple anthropogenic stressors. We are the first to demonstrate a negative association between roads and a plumage-based signaling trait, which could have important implications for sexual signaling dynamics in urban landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Andrea S Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rianne Pinxten
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium; Faculty of Social Sciences, Didactica Research Group, University of Antwerp, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lieven Bervoets
- Department of Biology, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research Group, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
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22
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Leclaire S, Bourret V, Pineaux M, Blanchard P, Danchin E, Hatch SA. Red coloration varies with dietary carotenoid access and nutritional condition in kittiwakes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.210237. [PMID: 31597729 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.210237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoid-based ornaments are common signaling features in animals. Although the mechanisms that link color-based signals to individual condition is key to understanding the evolution and function of these ornaments, they are most often poorly known. Several hypotheses have been posited. They include: (i) the role of foraging abilities on carotenoid acquisition and thereby carotenoid-based ornaments, and (ii) the role of internal processes linked to individual quality on the allocation and conversion of carotenoids in integuments. Here, we tested the influence of dietary carotenoid access versus internal process on gape coloration in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). This seabird displays a vibrant red gape, whose coloration varies with individual quality in males and is due to the deposition of red ketocarotenoids, such as astaxanthin. We decreased hydroxycarotenoid and ketocarotenoid levels in plasma, but increased efficiency in internal processes linked to nutritional condition, by supplementing breeding males with capelin, a natural energy-rich fish prey. We found that, despite having lower carotenoid levels in plasma, supplemented birds developed redder coloration than control birds, but only in the year when dietary levels of astaxanthin in the natural diet were low. In contrast, in the astaxanthin-rich year, supplemented males had a less-red gape than unsupplemented birds. These results suggest that inter-individual differences in internal processes may be sufficient to maintain the honesty of gape coloration under conditions of low dietary astaxanthin levels. Nonetheless, when inter-individual variations in dietary astaxanthin levels are elevated (such as in the crustacean-rich year), carotenoid access seems a more limiting factor to the expression of gape coloration than internal processes. Therefore, our study revealed a complex mechanism of gape color production in kittiwakes, and suggests that the main factor maintaining the condition dependency of this ornaments may vary with environmental conditions and diet composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Leclaire
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174 (CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Vincent Bourret
- Cambridge Infectious Diseases Consortium, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB30ES, UK
| | - Maxime Pineaux
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174 (CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Pierrick Blanchard
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174 (CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Etienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR5174 (CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier), 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Scott A Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, 12850 Mountain Place, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA
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23
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Babin A, Moreau J, Moret Y. Storage of Carotenoids in Crustaceans as an Adaptation to Modulate Immunopathology and Optimize Immunological and Life-History Strategies. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800254. [PMID: 31566782 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Why do some invertebrates store so much carotenoids in their tissues? Storage of carotenoids may not simply be passive and dependent on their environmental availability, as storage variation exists at various taxonomic scales, including among individuals within species. While the strong antioxidant and sometimes immune-stimulating properties of carotenoids may be beneficial enough to cause the evolution of features improving their assimilation and storage, they may also have fitness downsides explaining why massive carotenoid storage is not universal. Here, the functional and ecological implications of carotenoid storage for the evolution of invertebrate innate immune defenses are examined, especially in crustaceans, which massively store carotenoids for unclear reasons. Three testable hypotheses about the role of carotenoid storage in immunological (resistance and tolerance) and life-history strategies (with a focus on aging) are proposed, which may ultimately explain the storage of large amounts of these pigments in a context of host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Babin
- Équipe Écologie Évolutive, UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Jérôme Moreau
- Équipe Écologie Évolutive, UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Yannick Moret
- Équipe Écologie Évolutive, UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, F-21000, Dijon, France
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24
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Hill GE, Hood WR, Ge Z, Grinter R, Greening C, Johnson JD, Park NR, Taylor HA, Andreasen VA, Powers MJ, Justyn NM, Parry HA, Kavazis AN, Zhang Y. Plumage redness signals mitochondrial function in the house finch. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191354. [PMID: 31551059 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotenoid coloration is widely recognized as a signal of individual condition in various animals, but despite decades of study, the mechanisms that link carotenoid coloration to condition remain unresolved. Most birds with red feathers convert yellow dietary carotenoids to red carotenoids in an oxidation process requiring the gene encoding the putative cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP2J19. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the process of carotenoid oxidation and feather pigmentation is functionally linked to mitochondrial performance. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observed high levels of red ketolated carotenoids associated with the hepatic mitochondria of moulting wild house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus), and upon fractionation, we found the highest concentration of ketolated carotenoids in the inner mitochondrial membrane. We further found that the redness of growing feathers was positively related to the performance of liver mitochondria. Structural modelling of CYP2J19 supports a direct role of this protein in carotenoid ketolation that may be functionally linked to cellular respiration. These observations suggest that feather coloration serves as a signal of core functionality through inexorable links to cellular respiration in the mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey E Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Wendy R Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Ge
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Rhys Grinter
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Chris Greening
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - James D Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Noel R Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Halie A Taylor
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | | | - Matthew J Powers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Nicholas M Justyn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Hailey A Parry
- School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | | | - Yufeng Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,School of Health Studies, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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25
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The antioxidant properties of canthaxanthin and its potential effects in the poultry eggs and on embryonic development of the chick. Part 2. WORLD POULTRY SCI J 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0043933912000840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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26
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Fallahshahroudi A, Sorato E, Altimiras J, Jensen P. The Domestic BCO2 Allele Buffers Low-Carotenoid Diets in Chickens: Possible Fitness Increase Through Species Hybridization. Genetics 2019; 212:1445-1452. [PMID: 31160321 PMCID: PMC6707467 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Domestic animals are adapted to conditions vastly different from those of their wild ancestors, and this is particularly true for their diets. The most numerous of all domestic species, the chicken, originated from the Red Junglefowl (RJF), a native of subtropical forests in Southeast Asia. Surprisingly however, in domestic chicken breeds, a common haplotype of the β-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2) gene, which is involved in carotenoid metabolism, is introgressed from a related species, the Gray Junglefowl, and has been under strong selective pressure during domestication. This suggests that a hybridization event may have conferred a fitness advantage on chickens carrying the derived allele. To investigate the possible biological function of the introgressed BCO2 allele in chicken, we introgressed the ancestral BCO2 allele into domestic White Leghorn chickens. We measured gene expression as well as carotenoid accumulation in skin and eggs of chickens carrying either the ancestral or the derived BCO2 allele. The derived haplotype was associated with down-regulation of BCO2 in skin, muscle, and adipose tissue, but not in liver or duodenum, indicating that carotenoid accumulation occurred in the tissues with reduced gene expression. Most importantly, we found that hens with the derived BCO2 genotype were capable of allocating stored carotenoids to their eggs, suggesting a functional benefit through buffering any shortage in the diet during egg production. Nevertheless, it is of interest that loss of function mutations in BCO2 gene are prevalent in other domesticates including cows, rabbits, and sheep, and, given the importance of carotenoids in development, reproduction, and immunity, it is possible that derived BCO2 alleles may provide a general mechanism in multiple domestic species to deal with higher demand for carotenoids in an environment with carotenoid shortage in the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Fallahshahroudi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedicine Centrum (BMC), Uppsala University, 752 37, Sweden
| | - Enrico Sorato
- Reneco International Wildlife Consultants, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Jordi Altimiras
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58183, Sweden
| | - Per Jensen
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 58183, Sweden
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Teets NM, Dias VS, Pierce BK, Schetelig MF, Handler AM, Hahn DA. Overexpression of an antioxidant enzyme improves male mating performance after stress in a lek-mating fruit fly. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190531. [PMID: 31185862 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In many species, courtship displays are reliable signals of male quality, and current hypotheses suggest that these displays allow females to choose males with high cellular function. Environmental stressors generate excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) that impair cellular function, and thus antioxidant pathways that remove ROS are probably critical for preserving complex sexual behaviours. Here, we test the hypothesis that enhanced antioxidant activity in mitochondria preserves mating performance following oxidative stress. Using a transgenic approach, we directly manipulated mitochondrial antioxidant activity in the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa, a lek-mating species with elaborate sexual displays and intense sexual selection that is also a model for sterile insect technique programmes. We generated seven transgenic lines that overexpress mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Radiation is a severe oxidative stressor used to induce sterility for sterile insect programmes. After radiation treatment, two lines with intermediate MnSOD overexpression showed enhanced mating performance relative to wild-type males. These improvements in mating corresponded with reduced oxidative damage to lipids, demonstrating that MnSOD overexpression protects flies from oxidative stress at the cellular level. For lines with improved mating performance, overexpression also preserved locomotor activity, as indicated by a laboratory climbing assay. Our results show a clear link between oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity and male performance. Our work has implications for fundamentally understanding the role of antioxidants in sexual selection, and shows promise for using transgenic approaches to enhance the field performance of insects released for area-wide pest management strategies and improving performance of biological control agents in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Teets
- 1 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611 , USA.,2 Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY 40546 , USA
| | - Vanessa S Dias
- 1 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611 , USA
| | - Bailey K Pierce
- 1 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611 , USA
| | - Marc F Schetelig
- 3 Department of Insect Biotechnology in Plant Protection, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen , 35394 Gießen , Germany
| | - Alfred M Handler
- 4 USDA/ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology , Gainesville, FL 32608 , USA
| | - Daniel A Hahn
- 1 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL 32611 , USA
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Koch RE, Staley M, Kavazis AN, Hasselquist D, Toomey MB, Hill GE. Testing the resource trade-off hypothesis for carotenoid-based signal honesty using genetic variants of the domestic canary. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.188102. [PMID: 30877227 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.188102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoid-based coloration in birds is widely considered an honest signal of individual condition, but the mechanisms responsible for condition dependency in such ornaments remain debated. Currently, the most common explanation for how carotenoid coloration serves as a reliable signal of condition is the resource trade-off hypothesis, which proposes that use of carotenoids for ornaments reduces their availability for use by the immune system or for protection from oxidative damage. However, two main assumptions of the hypothesis remain in question: whether carotenoids boost the performance of internal processes such as immune and antioxidant defenses, and whether allocating carotenoids to ornaments imposes a trade-off with such benefits. In this study, we tested these two fundamental assumptions using types of domestic canary (Serinus canaria domestica) that enable experiments in which carotenoid availability and allocation can be tightly controlled. Specifically, we assessed metrics of immune and antioxidant performance in three genetic variants of the color-bred canary that differ only in carotenoid phenotype: ornamented, carotenoid-rich yellow canaries; unornamented, carotenoid-rich 'white dominant' canaries; and unornamented, carotenoid-deficient 'white recessive' canaries. The resource trade-off hypothesis predicts that carotenoid-rich individuals should outperform carotenoid-deficient individuals and that birds that allocate carotenoids to feathers should pay a cost in the form of reduced immune function or greater oxidative stress compared with unornamented birds. We found no evidence to support either prediction; all three canary types performed equally across measures. We suggest that testing alternative mechanisms for the honesty of carotenoid-based coloration should be a key focus of future studies of carotenoid-based signaling in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Koch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA .,School of Biological Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
| | - Molly Staley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.,Center for the Science of Animal Welfare, Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60513, USA.,Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60660, USA
| | | | - Dennis Hasselquist
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ekologihuset, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Matthew B Toomey
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Biological Science, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - Geoffrey E Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
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Antioxidant capacity is repeatable across years but does not consistently correlate with a marker of peroxidation in a free-living passerine bird. J Comp Physiol B 2019; 189:283-298. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-019-01211-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Mohr AE, Girard M, Rowe M, McGraw KJ, Sweazea KL. Varied effects of dietary carotenoid supplementation on oxidative damage in tissues of two waterfowl species. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 231:67-74. [PMID: 30794961 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoids are regarded as a cornerstone of avian vitality and coloration. Currently, the antioxidant potential of dietary carotenoids is debated for birds. Although some studies support a protective role, others report either no effect or pro-oxidant effects. However, the majority of research on this topic has not analyzed the oxidative status of a series of tissues in animals nor considered a range of carotenoid dosages. We investigated the effects of three levels of carotenoid supplementation on plasma, liver, adipose, heart and breast muscle oxidative damage in two congeneric species of waterfowl that exhibit marked differences in carotenoid coloration. After a 6-week depletion period, captive adult northern pintail (Anas acuta) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) ducks of both sexes were fed either a carotenoid-depleted diet (<3 μg/g xanthophylls, lutein and zeaxanthin), a carotenoid-supplemented diet (50 μg/g) within physiological range, or a carotenoid-rich diet (100 μg/g) within pharmacological range for 22 to 32 weeks. We hypothesized that these dosages of dietary carotenoids would differentially affect oxidative damage between species and sexes and among the tissues examined. We found that dietary xanthophyll supplementation had no significant effect on tissue pro-oxidation in males and females from both species. Moreover, sex or species differences in oxidative stress were only observed in two tissues (plasma and heart). Significant correlations in the levels of oxidative damage were not observed among the tissues examined. In conclusion, the current study does not support a consistent antioxidant role for dietary carotenoids in the tissues of these two waterfowl species. Instead, our results align with the notion that carotenoids play complex, tissue- and species-specific roles in oxidative status in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex E Mohr
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America
| | - Marc Girard
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Melissah Rowe
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0562 Oslo, Norway; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Karen L Sweazea
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America.
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Alonso-Alvarez C, García-de Blas E, Mateo R. Dietary canthaxanthin reduces xanthophyll uptake and red coloration in adult red-legged partridges. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.185074. [PMID: 30224370 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.185074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoids give color to conspicuous animal signals that are often the product of sexual selection. Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in carotenoid-based signaling is critical to understanding how these traits evolve. However, these mechanisms remain only partially understood. Carotenoids are usually viewed as scarce dietary antioxidants whose allocation to ornaments may trade off against health. This trade-off would ensure its reliability as a signal of individual quality. In the case of red (keto)carotenoids, the literature suggests that some species may show constraints in their uptake. Canthaxanthin is one of the most common ketocarotenoids in red ornaments of animals. It is often commercially used as a dietary supplement to obtain redder birds (e.g. poultry). We increased the dietary canthaxanthin levels in captive red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa). This species shows red non-feathered parts mostly pigmented by another common ketocarotenoid: astaxanthin. We studied the impact on the uptake of carotenoids and vitamins and, finally, on coloration. We also tested the potential protective effect of canthaxanthin when exposing birds to a free radical generator (diquat). Canthaxanthin did not apparently protect birds from oxidative stress, but interfered with the absorption of yellow carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin). Zeaxanthin is a precursor of astaxanthin in enzymatic pathways, and their levels in tissues and eggs were lower in canthaxanthin-supplied birds. This led to lower astaxanthin levels in ornaments and paler coloration. As far as we know, this is the first report of a carotenoid supplementation decreasing animal coloration. The results have implications for understanding carotenoid-based signaling evolution, but also for improving husbandry/experimental procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alonso-Alvarez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC, Dpto Ecología Evolutiva, C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther García-de Blas
- Wildlife Toxicology Group, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, UCLM, CSIC), Ronda de Toledo sn, 13007 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Wildlife Toxicology Group, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, UCLM, CSIC), Ronda de Toledo sn, 13007 Ciudad Real, Spain
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Simmons LW, Lovegrove M, Lymbery SJ. Dietary antioxidants, but not courtship effort, affect oxidative balance in the testes and muscles of crickets. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.184770. [PMID: 30190320 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.184770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent interest has focused on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as universal constraints in life-history evolution. Empirical studies have examined the oxidative costs of reproduction for females, with little work conducted on males. The male germline is thought to be particularly susceptible to oxidative damage because the testes, and the sperm themselves, can be prolific producers of ROS. We tested the hypothesis that protection of the male germline from oxidative damage represents a cost of reproduction for males. We fed male crickets, Teleogryllus oceanicus, with one of two experimental diets in which we manipulated the availability of dietary antioxidants, and we induced variation in their expenditure on courtship effort by manipulating access to females. We measured the total antioxidant capacity, levels of ROS production and the amount of oxidative damage to proteins in both testis and thoracic muscle tissues. Dietary antioxidants contributed to positive oxidative balance in both tissue types. Although the testes had greater antioxidant defences than muscle tissue, they also produced considerably higher levels of ROS and sustained higher levels of oxidative damage. Courtship effort had no impact on any measure of oxidative balance. Our data confirm that the male germline is especially susceptible to oxidative stress and that dietary antioxidants can alleviate this oxidative cost of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Maxine Lovegrove
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Samuel J Lymbery
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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33
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Pacyna AD, Ruman M, Mazerski J, Polkowska Ż. Biological responses to environmental contamination. How can metal pollution impact signal honesty in avian species? Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7733-7739. [PMID: 30151185 PMCID: PMC6106159 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental pollution, for example with metals, can significantly affect the ecosystem balance leading to severe changes. Biologically active pigments are relevant for the appearance and condition of birds. Melanin and carotenoid particles are the most frequently deposited pigments in avian integument. They are responsible for the majority of colors of bird plumage. The phenotypic expression can be affected by metal contamination. It can be manifested as color bleaching or differences in the size of plumage badges. In this study, we performed a comprehensive review of related studies in order to estimate the underlying population effect of this potential dependency. The study is based on the review of the literature regarding several avian species. It was designed to identify an area where the effect of the exposure is still poorly known. The analysis was specifically conducted to investigate the correlation between trace element concentration and eumelanin deposition. Moreover, we searched for factors that could affect spectral properties of feathers with carotenoid-based pigmentation. As a result, we found carotenoid-based pigmentation to be of a good use in terms of visual condition assessment. Changes in melanin-based pattern should be analyzed separately for eu- and pheomelanin as well as for a range of essential and toxic elements. Comprehensive studies on the subject are still scarce. Therefore, the issue requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Dorota Pacyna
- Faculty of ChemistryDepartment of Analytical ChemistryGdansk University of TechnologyGdanskPoland
| | - Marek Ruman
- Faculty of Earth SciencesUniversity of SilesiaSosnowiecPoland
| | - Jan Mazerski
- Faculty of ChemistryDepartment of Pharmaceutical Technology and BiochemistryGdańsk University of TechnologyGdańskPoland
| | - Żaneta Polkowska
- Faculty of ChemistryDepartment of Analytical ChemistryGdansk University of TechnologyGdanskPoland
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34
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Koch RE, Hill GE. Do carotenoid‐based ornaments entail resource trade‐offs? An evaluation of theory and data. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E. Koch
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn University Auburn Alabama
- School of Biological SciencesMonash University Clayton Vic. Australia
| | - Geoffrey E. Hill
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn University Auburn Alabama
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35
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Giraudeau M, Bonzom JM, Ducatez S, Beaugelin-Seiller K, Deviche P, Lengagne T, Cavalie I, Camilleri V, Adam-Guillermin C, McGraw KJ. Carotenoid distribution in wild Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica) exposed to ionizing radiation in Fukushima. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7438. [PMID: 29743616 PMCID: PMC5943346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25495-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear accident in the Fukushima prefecture released a large amount of artificial radionuclides that might have short- and long-term biological effects on wildlife. Ionizing radiation can be a harmful source of reactive oxygen species, and previous studies have already shown reduced fitness effects in exposed animals in Chernobyl. Due to their potential health benefits, carotenoid pigments might be used by animals to limit detrimental effects of ionizing radiation exposure. Here, we examined concentrations of carotenoids in blood (i.e. a snapshot of levels in circulation), liver (endogenous carotenoid reserves), and the vocal sac skin (sexual signal) in relation to the total radiation dose rates absorbed by individual (TDR from 0.2 to 34 µGy/h) Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica). We found high within-site variability of TDRs, but no significant effects of the TDR on tissue carotenoid levels, suggesting that carotenoid distribution in amphibians might be less sensitive to ionizing radiation exposure than in other organisms or that the potential deleterious effects of radiation exposure might be less significant or more difficult to detect in Fukushima than in Chernobyl due to, among other things, differences in the abundance and mixture of each radionuclide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Giraudeau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA.
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France.
| | - Simon Ducatez
- School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- Université de Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5023, Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Bât. Darwin C, F-69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Isabelle Cavalie
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Virginie Camilleri
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Christelle Adam-Guillermin
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA
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Plummer KE, Bearhop S, Leech DI, Chamberlain DE, Blount JD. Effects of winter food provisioning on the phenotypes of breeding blue tits. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5059-5068. [PMID: 29876081 PMCID: PMC5980576 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the Western World, huge numbers of people regularly supply food for wild birds. However, evidence of negative impacts of winter feeding on future reproduction has highlighted a need to improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms shaping avian responses to supplementary food. Here, we test the possibility that carry-over effects are mediated via their impact on the phenotypes of breeding birds, either by influencing the phenotypic structure of populations through changes in winter survival and/or by more direct effects on the condition of breeding birds. Using a landscape-scale 3-year study of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), we demonstrate the importance of nutritional composition of supplementary food in determining carry-over effect outcomes. We show that breeding populations which had access to vitamin E-rich foods during the previous winter were comprised of individuals with reduced feather carotenoid concentrations, indicative of lower pre-feeding phenotypic condition, compared to fat-fed and unfed populations. This suggests that supplementary feeding in winter can result in altered population phenotypic structure at the time of breeding, perhaps by enhancing survival and recruitment of lower quality individuals. However, supplementation of a fat-rich diet during winter was detrimental to the oxidative state of breeding birds, with these phenotypic differences ultimately found to impact upon reproductive success. Our findings demonstrate the complex nature by which supplementary feeding can influence wild bird populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E. Plummer
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life & Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynCornwallUK
- British Trust for OrnithologyThe NunneryThetfordNorfolkUK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life & Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynCornwallUK
| | - David I. Leech
- British Trust for OrnithologyThe NunneryThetfordNorfolkUK
| | - Dan E. Chamberlain
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologià dei SistemiUniversità degli Studi di TorinoTurinItaly
| | - Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life & Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynCornwallUK
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Weaver RJ, Koch RE, Hill GE. What maintains signal honesty in animal colour displays used in mate choice? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0343. [PMID: 28533460 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many of the colour displays of animals are proposed to have evolved in response to female mate choice for honest signals of quality, but such honest signalling requires mechanisms to prevent cheating. The most widely accepted and cited mechanisms for ensuring signal honesty are based on the costly signalling hypothesis, which posits that costs associated with ornamentation prevent low-quality males from being highly ornamented. Alternatively, by the index hypothesis, honesty can be achieved via cost-free mechanisms if ornament production is causally linked to core physiological pathways. In this essay, we review how a costly signalling framework has shaped empirical research in mate choice for colourful male ornaments and emphasize that alternative interpretations are plausible under an index signalling framework. We discuss the challenges in both empirically testing and distinguishing between the two hypotheses, noting that they need not be mutually exclusive. Finally, we advocate for a comprehensive approach to studies of colour signals that includes the explicit consideration of cost-free mechanisms for honesty.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Weaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Rebecca E Koch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Geoffrey E Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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38
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Reinke BA, Erritouni Y, Calsbeek R. Maternal allocation of carotenoids to eggs in an Anolis lizard. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2018; 218:56-62. [PMID: 29410189 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The maternal allocation of carotenoids to eggs has been widely documented and manipulated. However, it is often assumed that the sole adaptive value of this allocation is to increase offspring fitness. Because carotenoids can be pro-oxidants or antioxidants depending on their concentrations and their chemical environment (i.e. presence of other antioxidants), dams may need to dispose of excess carotenoids upon depletion of other antioxidants to prevent oxidative damage. Additionally, the amount of carotenoids deposited in eggs may be dependent on male traits such as quality and coloration. We evaluated these two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses for carotenoid allocation to eggs and assessed paternal effects by supplementing male and female brown anole lizards, Anolis sagrei, with dietary carotenoids or with a combination of carotenoids and vitamin C. We found significant differences in the antioxidant capacities of fertilized and unfertilized eggs produced by female lizards, but the treatment did not affect the antioxidant capacity or carotenoid content of eggs. However, the carotenoid concentration of unfertilized eggs from carotenoid-supplemented females was significantly higher than eggs from the control group. Male coloration and body size did not affect the antioxidant capacity or carotenoid content of the eggs. Carotenoids may be allocated to unfertilized eggs to offset oxidative damage to the dam, with a neutral effect on offspring, rather than to solely provide antioxidant benefits to offspring as has been widely assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A Reinke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
| | - Yasmeen Erritouni
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Ryan Calsbeek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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No evidence that carotenoid pigments boost either immune or antioxidant defenses in a songbird. Nat Commun 2018; 9:491. [PMID: 29403051 PMCID: PMC5799171 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary carotenoids have been proposed to boost immune system and antioxidant functions in vertebrate animals, but studies aimed at testing these physiological functions of carotenoids have often failed to find support. Here we subject yellow canaries (Serinus canaria), which possess high levels of carotenoids in their tissue, and white recessive canaries, which possess a knockdown mutation that results in very low levels of tissue carotenoids, to oxidative and pathogen challenges. Across diverse measures of physiological performance, we detect no differences between carotenoid-rich yellow and carotenoid-deficient white canaries. These results add further challenge to the assumption that carotenoids are directly involved in supporting physiological function in vertebrate animals. While some dietary carotenoids provide indirect benefits as retinoid precursors, our observations suggest that carotenoids themselves may play little to no direct role in key physiological processes in birds. Dietary carotenoids have been proposed to have physiological benefits in addition to contributing to coloration. Here, Koch et al. compare immune and antioxidant functions in yellow, carotenoid-rich vs. white, carotenoid-deficient canaries and find no difference, suggesting a limited physiological role of carotenoids.
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40
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Immune challenges decrease biliverdin concentration in the spleen of northern Bobwhite quail, Colinus virginianus. J Comp Physiol B 2018; 188:505-515. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-018-1146-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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41
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Tomášek O, Albrechtová J, Němcová M, Opatová P, Albrecht T. Trade-off between carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation and sperm resistance to oxidative challenge. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2444. [PMID: 28123091 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation signals male fertility and sperm competitive ability as both ornamentation and sperm traits may be co-affected by oxidative stress, resulting in positive covariation (the 'redox-based phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis'; redox-based PLFH). On the other hand, the 'sperm competition theory' (SCT) predicts a trade-off between precopulatory and postcopulatory traits. Here, we manipulate oxidative status (using diquat dibromide) and carotenoid availability in adult zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) males in order to test whether carotenoid-based beak ornamentation signals, or is traded off against, sperm resistance to oxidative challenge. Initial beak colouration, but not its change during the experiment, was associated with effect of oxidative challenge on sperm velocity, such that more intense colouration predicted an increase in sperm velocity under control conditions but a decline under oxidative challenge. This suggests a long-term trade-off between ornament expression and sperm resistance to oxidative challenge. Shortening of the sperm midpiece following oxidative challenge further suggests that redox homeostasis may constrain sperm morphometry. Carotenoid supplementation resulted in fewer sperm abnormalities but had no effect on other sperm traits. Overall, our data challenge the redox-based PLFH, partially support the SCT and highlight the importance of carotenoids for normal sperm morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oldřich Tomášek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Květná 8, Brno 60365, Czech Republic .,Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague 2 12844, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Albrechtová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Květná 8, Brno 60365, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Němcová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague 2 12844, Czech Republic
| | - Pavlína Opatová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Květná 8, Brno 60365, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno 61137, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Květná 8, Brno 60365, Czech Republic .,Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague 2 12844, Czech Republic
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42
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Weaver RJ, Santos ESA, Tucker AM, Wilson AE, Hill GE. Carotenoid metabolism strengthens the link between feather coloration and individual quality. Nat Commun 2018; 9:73. [PMID: 29311592 PMCID: PMC5758789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02649-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thirty years of research has made carotenoid coloration a textbook example of an honest signal of individual quality, but tests of this idea are surprisingly inconsistent. Here, to investigate sources of this heterogeneity, we perform meta-analyses of published studies on the relationship between carotenoid-based feather coloration and measures of individual quality. To create color displays, animals use either carotenoids unchanged from dietary components or carotenoids that they biochemically convert before deposition. We hypothesize that converted carotenoids better reflect individual quality because of the physiological links between cellular function and carotenoid metabolism. We show that feather coloration is an honest signal of some, but not all, measures of quality. Where these relationships exist, we show that converted, but not dietary, carotenoid coloration drives the relationship. Our results have broad implications for understanding the evolutionary role of carotenoid coloration and the physiological mechanisms that maintain signal honesty of animal ornamental traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Weaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
| | - Eduardo S A Santos
- BECO do Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Anna M Tucker
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, 3301 SFWS Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Alan E Wilson
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Geoffrey E Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
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43
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Weaver RJ, Wang P, Hill GE, Cobine PA. An in vivo test of the biologically relevant roles of carotenoids as antioxidants in animals. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.183665. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.183665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoids are well known for their contribution to the vibrant coloration of many animals and have been hypothesized to be important antioxidants. Surprisingly few examples of carotenoids acting as biologically relevant antioxidants in vivo exist, in part because experimental designs often employ dosing animals with carotenoids at levels that are rarely observed in nature. Here we use an approach that reduces carotenoid content from wild-type levels to test for the effect of carotenoids as protectants against an oxidative challenge. We used the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus reared on a carotenoid-free or a carotenoid-restored diet of nutritional yeast and then exposed them to a prooxidant. We found that carotenoid-deficient copepods not only accumulated more damage, but also were more likely to die during an oxidative challenge than carotenoid-restored copepods. We suggest that carotenoid reduction, and not supplementation, better tests the proposed roles of carotenoids in other physiological functions in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Weaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 USA
| | - Philip Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 USA
| | - Geoffrey E. Hill
- Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 USA
| | - Paul A. Cobine
- Department of Biological Sciences, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849 USA
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44
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Cooper-Mullin C, McWilliams SR. The role of the antioxidant system during intense endurance exercise: lessons from migrating birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 219:3684-3695. [PMID: 27903627 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.123992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
During migration, birds substantially increase their metabolic rate and burn fats as fuel and yet somehow avoid succumbing to overwhelming oxidative damage. The physiological means by which vertebrates such as migrating birds can counteract an increased production of reactive species (RS) are rather limited: they can upregulate their endogenous antioxidant system and/or consume dietary antioxidants (prophylactically or therapeutically). Thus, birds can alter different components of their antioxidant system to respond to the demands of long-duration flights, but much remains to be discovered about the complexities of RS production and antioxidant protection throughout migration. Here, we use bird migration as an example to discuss how RS are produced during endurance exercise and how the complex antioxidant system can protect against cellular damage caused by RS. Understanding how a bird's antioxidant system responds during migration can lend insights into how antioxidants protect birds during other life-history stages when metabolic rate may be high, and how antioxidants protect other vertebrates from oxidative damage during endurance exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cooper-Mullin
- The Department of Natural Resources Science, The University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Scott R McWilliams
- The Department of Natural Resources Science, The University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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45
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Larcombe SD, Herborn KA, Alexander L, Arnold KE. Dietary antioxidants in life-history trade-offs: differential effects of a-tocopherol supplementation on blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus mothers and offspring during reproduction. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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46
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Giraudeau M, Ziegler AK, Tschirren B. Long-term effect of yolk carotenoid levels on testis size in a precocial bird. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0008. [PMID: 27122006 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditions experienced during prenatal development can have long-lasting organizational effects on offspring. Maternal carotenoids deposited in the eggs of birds and other oviparous species play an important role during fast embryonic growth and chick development through their antioxidant properties. However, the long-term consequences of variation in maternal carotenoid transfer for the offspring have seldom been considered. Since plasma carotenoid levels at adulthood are known to influence testis size and yolk carotenoid levels influence the ability to extract carotenoids later in life, we hypothesized that maternally transmitted carotenoids might influence gonad size at adulthood. Here, we showed that male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) originating from a carotenoid-enriched egg had smaller testes than control individuals at adulthood. This result shows that yolk carotenoids have long-term organizational effects. In addition, given that carotenoid intake at sexual maturity increases sperm quality and that a decreased testis size is associated with a lower sperm production, we propose that carotenoid exposure during embryo development might influence a trade-off between ejaculate size and sperm quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Giraudeau
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Ann-Kathrin Ziegler
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Tschirren
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Crommenacker J, Hammers M, Woude J, Louter M, Santema P, Richardson DS, Komdeur J. Oxidative status and fitness components in the Seychelles warbler. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Janske Crommenacker
- Behavioural & Physiological Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen P.O. Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Hammers
- Behavioural & Physiological Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen P.O. Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jildou Woude
- Behavioural & Physiological Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen P.O. Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Marina Louter
- School of Biological Sciences Flinders University G.P.O. Box 2100 Adelaide 5001 Australia
| | - Peter Santema
- Department of Behavioural Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Eberhard‐Gwinner‐Strasse 7 82319 Seewiesen Germany
| | - David S. Richardson
- Nature Seychelles PO Box 1310, Victoria Mahé Republic of Seychelles
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation School of Biological Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural & Physiological Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen P.O. Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
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48
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Noguera JC. Interacting effects of early dietary conditions and reproductive effort on the oxidative costs of reproduction. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3094. [PMID: 28316895 PMCID: PMC5354074 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothesis that oxidative damage accumulation can mediate the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan has recently been questioned. However, in captive conditions, studies reporting no evidence in support of this hypothesis have usually provided easy access to food which may have mitigated the cost of reproduction. Here, I test the hypothesis that greater investment in reproduction should lead to oxidative damage accumulation and telomere loss in domestic zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. Moreover, since the change or fluctuation in diet composition between early and late postnatal period can impair the ability to produce antioxidant defences in zebra finches, I also tested if early nutritional conditions (constant vs fluctuating early diet) influenced the magnitude of any subsequent costs of reproduction (e.g., oxidative damage and/or telomere shortening). In comparison to pairs with reduced broods, the birds that had to feed enlarged broods showed a higher level of oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG), but brood size had no effect on telomeres. Fluctuating early diet composition reduced the capacity to maintain the activity of endogenous antioxidants (GPx), particularly when reproductive costs were increased (enlarged brood). The decline in GPx in birds feeding enlarged broods was accompanied by a change in bill colouration. This suggests that birds with lower endogenous antioxidant defences might have strategically increased the mobilization of antioxidants previously stored in other tissues (i.e., bill and liver) and thus, preventing an excessive accumulation of damage during reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Carlos Noguera
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidad de Vigo , Vigo , Galicia , Spain
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49
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Skin and flange colour, but not ectoparasites, predict condition and survival in starling nestlings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2292-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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50
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Foo YZ, Rhodes G, Simmons LW. The carotenoid beta-carotene enhances facial color, attractiveness and perceived health, but not actual health, in humans. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhi Foo
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia, and
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology & School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Gillian Rhodes
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia, and
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia, and
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology & School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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