51
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Moore JF, Wells CP, Van Vuren DH, Oli MK. Who pays? Intra- versus inter-generational costs of reproduction. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. F. Moore
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
| | - C. P. Wells
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology; University of California; Davis California 95616 USA
| | - D. H. Van Vuren
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology; University of California; Davis California 95616 USA
| | - M. K. Oli
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
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Lucass C, Fresneau N, Eens M, Müller W. Sex roles in nest keeping - how information asymmetry contributes to parent-offspring co-adaptation. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:1825-33. [PMID: 26929817 PMCID: PMC4759049 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental food provisioning and offspring begging influence each other reciprocally. This makes both traits agents and targets of selection, which may ultimately lead to co‐adaptation. The latter may reflect co‐adapted parent and offspring genotypes or could be due to maternal effects. Maternal effects are in turn likely to facilitate in particular mother‐offspring co‐adaptation, further emphasized by the possibility that mothers are sometimes found to be more responsive to offspring need. However, parents may not only differ in their sensitivity, but often play different roles in postnatal care. This potentially impinges on the access to information about offspring need. We here manipulated the information on offspring need as perceived by parents by playing back begging calls at a constant frequency in the nest‐box of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). We measured the parental response in provisioning to our treatment, paying particular attention to sex differences in parental roles and whether such differences alter the perception of the intensity of our manipulation. This enabled us to investigate whether an information asymmetry about offspring need exists between parents and how such an asymmetry relates to co‐adaptation between parental provisioning and offspring begging. Our results show that parents indeed differed in the frequency how often they perceived the playback due to the fact that females spent more time with their offspring in the nest box. Correcting for the effective exposure of an adult to the playback, the parental response in provisioning covaried more strongly (positive) with offspring begging intensity, independent of the parental sex, indicating coadaptation on the phenotypic level. Females were not more sensitive to experimentally increased offspring need than males, but they were exposed to more broadcasted begging calls. Therefore, sex differences in access to information about offspring need, due to different parental roles, have the potential to impinge on family conflicts and their resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Lucass
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Nolwenn Fresneau
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Department of Biology Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 2610 Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
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53
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Kryński K, Goławski A, Kasprzykowski Z. Do weather factors lead to partial brood losses in the Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus? ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2015.1126360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Kryński
- Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Zoology, University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, Prusa 12, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
| | - Artur Goławski
- Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Zoology, University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, Prusa 12, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
| | - Zbigniew Kasprzykowski
- Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, Prusa 12, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland
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54
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Cruz-McDonnell KK, Wolf BO. Rapid warming and drought negatively impact population size and reproductive dynamics of an avian predator in the arid southwest. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:237-53. [PMID: 26367541 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Avian communities of arid ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to global climate change due to the magnitude of projected change for desert regions and the inherent challenges for species residing in resource limited ecosystems. How arid-zone birds will be affected by rapid increases in air temperature and increased drought frequency and severity is poorly understood because avian responses to climate change have primarily been studied in the relatively mesic northern temperate regions. We studied the effects of increasing air temperature and aridity on a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) population in the southwestern United States from 1998 to 2013. Over 16 years, the breeding population declined 98.1%, from 52 pairs to 1 pair, and nest success and fledgling output also declined significantly. These trends were strongly associated with the combined effects of decreased precipitation and increased air temperature. Arrival on the breeding grounds, pair formation, nest initiation, and hatch dates all showed significant delays ranging from 9.4 to 25.1 days over 9 years, which have negative effects on reproduction. Adult and juvenile body mass decreased significantly over time, with a loss of 7.9% mass in adult males and 10.9% mass in adult females over 16 years, and a loss of 20.0% mass in nestlings over 8 years. Taken together, these population and reproductive trends have serious implications for local population persistence. The southwestern United States has been identified as a climate change hotspot, with projections of warmer temperatures, less winter precipitation, and an increase in frequency and severity of extreme events including drought and heat waves. An increasingly warm and dry climate may contribute to this species' decline and may already be a driving force of their apparent decline in the desert southwest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten K Cruz-McDonnell
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
- Envirological Services, Inc., Albuquerque, NM, 87120, USA
| | - Blair O Wolf
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
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55
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Husak JF. Measuring Selection on Physiology in the Wild and Manipulating Phenotypes (in Terrestrial Nonhuman Vertebrates). Compr Physiol 2015; 6:63-85. [PMID: 26756627 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c140061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
To understand why organisms function the way that they do, we must understand how evolution shapes physiology. This requires knowledge of how selection acts on physiological traits in nature. Selection studies in the wild allow us to determine how variation in physiology causes variation in fitness, revealing how evolution molds physiology over evolutionary time. Manipulating phenotypes experimentally in a selection study shifts the distribution of trait variation in a population to better explore potential constraints and the adaptive value of physiological traits. There is a large database of selection studies in the wild on a variety of traits, but very few of those are physiological traits. Nevertheless, data available so far suggest that physiological traits, including metabolic rate, thermal physiology, whole-organism performance, and hormone levels, are commonly subjected to directional selection in nature, with stabilizing and disruptive selection less common than predicted if physiological traits are optimized to an environment. Selection studies on manipulated phenotypes, including circulating testosterone and glucocorticoid levels, reinforce this notion, but reveal that trade-offs between survival and reproduction or correlational selection can constrain the evolution of physiology. More studies of selection on physiological traits in nature that quantify multiple traits are necessary to better determine the manner in which physiological traits evolve and whether different types of traits (dynamic performance vs. regulatory) evolve differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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56
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Zárybnická M, Riegert J, Brejšková L, Šindelář J, Kouba M, Hanel J, Popelková A, Menclová P, Tomášek V, Šťastný K. Factors Affecting Growth of Tengmalm's Owl (Aegolius funereus) Nestlings: Prey Abundance, Sex and Hatching Order. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138177. [PMID: 26444564 PMCID: PMC4596578 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In altricial birds, energy supply during growth is a major predictor of the physical condition and survival prospects of fledglings. A number of experimental studies have shown that nestling body mass and wing length can vary with particular extrinsic factors, but between-year observational data on this topic are scarce. Based on a seven-year observational study in a central European Tengmalm's owl population we examine the effect of year, brood size, hatching order, and sex on nestling body mass and wing length, as well as the effect of prey abundance on parameters of growth curve. We found that nestling body mass varied among years, and parameters of growth curve, i.e. growth rate and inflection point in particular, increased with increasing abundance of the owl's main prey (Apodemus mice, Microtus voles), and pooled prey abundance (Apodemus mice, Microtus voles, and Sorex shrews). Furthermore, nestling body mass varied with hatching order and between sexes being larger for females and for the first-hatched brood mates. Brood size had no effect on nestling body mass. Simultaneously, we found no effect of year, brood size, hatching order, or sex on the wing length of nestlings. Our findings suggest that in this temperate owl population, nestling body mass is more sensitive to prey abundance than is wing length. The latter is probably more limited by the physiology of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markéta Zárybnická
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Jan Riegert
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Brejšková
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šindelář
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Kouba
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Hanel
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Popelková
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Menclová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Tomášek
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Šťastný
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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57
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Hodges CJ, Bowers EK, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Cascading costs of reproduction in female house wrens induced to lay larger clutches. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1383-93. [PMID: 26012556 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In many species, females produce fewer offspring than they are capable of rearing, possibly because increases in current reproductive effort come at the expense of a female's own survival and future reproduction. To test this, we induced female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) to lay more eggs than they normally would and assessed the potential costs of increasing cumulative investment in the three main components of the avian breeding cycle - egg laying, incubation and nestling provisioning. Females with increased clutch sizes reared more offspring in the first brood than controls, but fledged a lower proportion of nestlings. Moreover, nestlings of experimental females were lighter than those of control females as brood size and prefledging mass were negatively correlated. In second broods of the season, when females were not manipulated, experimental females laid the same number of eggs as controls, but experienced an intraseasonal cost through reduced hatchling survival and a lower number of young fledged. Offspring of control and experimental females were equally likely to recruit to the breeding population, although control females produced more recruits per egg laid. The reproductive success of recruits from broods of experimental and control females did not differ. The manipulation also induced interseasonal costs to future reproduction, as experimental females had lower fecundity than controls when breeding at least 2 years after having their reproductive effort experimentally increased. Finally, females producing the modal clutch size of seven eggs in their first broods had the highest lifetime number of fledglings.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Hodges
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - E K Bowers
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - C F Thompson
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - S K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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58
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Devigili A, Doldán-Martelli V, Pilastro A. Exploring simultaneous allocation to mating effort, sperm production, and body growth in male guppies. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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59
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van der Klein S, Berghof T, Arts J, Parmentier H, van der Poel J, Bovenhuis H. Genetic relations between natural antibodies binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin and production traits in a purebred layer chicken line. Poult Sci 2015; 94:875-82. [DOI: 10.3382/ps/pev052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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60
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Physiological responses to increased brood size and ectoparasite infestation: Adult great tits favour self-maintenance. Physiol Behav 2015; 141:127-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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61
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Ołdakowski Ł, Wasiluk A, Sadowska ET, Koteja P, Taylor JRE. Reproduction is not costly in terms of oxidative stress. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:3901-10. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
One of the core assumptions of life-history theory is the negative trade-off between current and future reproduction. Investment in current reproduction is expected to decrease future reproductive success or survival, but the physiological mechanisms underlying these costs are still obscure. To test for a role of oxidative stress, we measured oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in liver, heart, kidneys, and muscles, as well as the level of antioxidants (total glutathione and catalase), in breeding and non-breeding bank voles. We used females from lines selected for high aerobic metabolism and non-selected control lines and manipulated their reproductive investment by decreasing or increasing litter size. Unlike in most previous studies, the females reared four consecutive litters (the maximum possible during a breeding season). Contrary to predictions, oxidative damage in reproducing females was decreased or not changed, and did not differ between the selected and control lines. Oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in liver was lower in females that weaned enlarged litters than in non-breeding ones, and was intermediate in those with reduced litters. Oxidative damage to proteins in the heart also tended to be lower in breeding females than in non-breeding ones. A negative relationship between the level of oxidative damage and activity of catalase in kidneys indicated a protective action of antioxidants. In conclusion, our study falsified the hypothesis that oxidative stress is a part of the proximate physiological mechanism underlying the fundamental life-history trade-off between current and future reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Ołdakowski
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1 J, PL 15-245 Białystok, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Wasiluk
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1 J, PL 15-245 Białystok, Poland
| | - Edyta T. Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, PL 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Paweł Koteja
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, PL 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Jan R. E. Taylor
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1 J, PL 15-245 Białystok, Poland
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62
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Evolution of parental roles in raptors: prey type determines role asymmetry in the Eurasian kestrel. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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63
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Bowers EK, Nietz D, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Parental provisioning in house wrens: effects of varying brood size and consequences for offspring. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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64
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Fletcher QE, Speakman JR, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Gorrell JC, Coltman DW, Humphries MM. Daily energy expenditure during lactation is strongly selected in a free‐living mammal. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Quinn E. Fletcher
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences Macdonald Campus McGill University Ste‐Anne‐de‐Bellevue QuebecH9X 3V9 Canada
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen AberdeenAB24 2TZ UK
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology 1 West Beichen RoadChaoyang Beijing 100080 China
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Jamieson C. Gorrell
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2E9 Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Murray M. Humphries
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences Macdonald Campus McGill University Ste‐Anne‐de‐Bellevue QuebecH9X 3V9 Canada
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65
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Reichert S, Stier A, Zahn S, Arrivé M, Bize P, Massemin S, Criscuolo F. Increased brood size leads to persistent eroded telomeres. Front Ecol Evol 2014. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2014.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
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66
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Sonerud GA, Steen R, Selås V, Aanonsen OM, Aasen GH, Fagerland KL, Fosså A, Kristiansen L, Løw LM, Rønning ME, Skouen SK, Asakskogen E, Johansen HM, Johnsen JT, Karlsen LI, Nyhus GC, Røed LT, Skar K, Sveen BA, Tveiten R, Slagsvold T. Evolution of parental roles in provisioning birds: diet determines role asymmetry in raptors. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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67
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Love OP, Madliger CL, Bourgeon S, Semeniuk CAD, Williams TD. Evidence for baseline glucocorticoids as mediators of reproductive investment in a wild bird. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 199:65-9. [PMID: 24462764 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Revised: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Determining the mechanisms that mediate investment decisions between current and future reproductive attempts is still a key goal of life-history studies. Since baseline levels of stress hormones (glucocorticoids - GCs) act as predictive and labile regulators of daily energetic balance in vertebrates they remain excellent candidates for mediating investment decisions both within and across reproductive attempts. Using free-living female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) we experimentally reduced investment in current reproduction (number of offspring raised in the first brood) to examine whether baseline corticosterone (CORT) acted as a hormonal mediator preparing individuals for a predictable increase in future investment (number of offspring raised in the second brood). Although treatment and control birds raised the same total amount of offspring across two broods, the experimental birds increased reproductive investment in second broods to compensate for the reduced investment in the first brood. Data on both mean and intra-individual changes in baseline CORT support the idea that an increase in baseline CORT between the incubation stages in treatment birds strongly predicted this increase in investment. Importantly, we measured the increase in baseline CORT during late incubation prior to the increase in energetic demand associated with increased reproductive investment in offspring, indicating that flexible within-individual changes in baseline GCs can act as a labile mechanism preparing individuals for predictable increases in reproductive investment. As such, our experimental results indicate that elevated baseline GCs can prepare individuals for investment in energetically expensive life-history stages, rather than simply being elevated as a consequence of increased effort or demand. This suggests that short-term preparative increases in baseline GCs benefit individuals by successfully allowing them to maximize fitness under varying environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
| | | | - Sophie Bourgeon
- Norwegian Polar Institute, The Polar Environmental Center, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christina A D Semeniuk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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68
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Jansen DYM, Abadi F, Harebottle D, Altwegg R. Does seasonality drive spatial patterns in demography? Variation in survival in African reed warblers Acrocephalus baeticatus across southern Africa does not reflect global patterns. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:889-98. [PMID: 24772268 PMCID: PMC3997307 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Among birds, northern temperate species generally have larger clutches, shorter development periods and lower adult survival than similarly-sized southern and tropical species. Even though this global pattern is well accepted, the driving mechanism is still not fully understood. The main theories are founded on the differing environmental seasonality of these zones (higher seasonality in the North). These patterns arise in cross-species comparisons, but we hypothesized that the same patterns should arise among populations within a species if different types of seasonality select for different life histories. Few studies have examined this. We estimated survival of an azonal habitat specialist, the African reed warbler, across the environmentally diverse African subcontinent, and related survival to latitude and to the seasonality of the different environments of their breeding habitats. Data (1998-2010) collected through a public ringing scheme were analyzed with hierarchical capture-mark-recapture models to determine resident adult survival and its spatial variance across sixteen vegetation units spread across four biomes. The models were defined as state-space multi-state models to account for transience and implemented in a Bayesian framework. We did not find a latitudinal trend in survival or a clear link between seasonality and survival. Spatial variation in survival was substantial across the sixteen sites (spatial standard deviation of the logit mean survival: 0.70, 95% credible interval (CRI): 0.33-1.27). Mean site survival ranged from 0.49 (95% CRI: 0.18-0.80) to 0.83 (95% CRI: 0.62-0.97) with an overall mean of 0.67 (95% CRI: 0.47-0.85). A hierarchical modeling approach enabled us to estimate spatial variation in survival of the African reed warbler across the African subcontinent from sparse data. Although we could not confirm the global pattern of higher survival in less seasonal environments, our findings from a poorly studied region contribute to the study of life-history strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorine YM Jansen
- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- South African National Biodiversity InstituteClaremont, 7735, South Africa
| | - Fitsum Abadi
- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- South African National Biodiversity InstituteClaremont, 7735, South Africa
| | - Doug Harebottle
- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Res Altwegg
- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape TownRondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- South African National Biodiversity InstituteClaremont, 7735, South Africa
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69
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Reichert S, Criscuolo F, Zahn S, Arrivé M, Bize P, Massemin S. Immediate and delayed effects of growth conditions on ageing parameters in nestling zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2014; 218:491-9. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.109942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Conditions experienced during development and growth are of crucial importance as they can have significant influence on the optimisation of life histories. Indeed, the ability of an organism to grow fast and achieve a large body size often confers short and long term fitness benefits. However, there is good evidence that organisms do not grow at their maximal rates as growth rates seem to have potential costs on subsequent lifespan. Several proximate causes of such a reduced lifespan might be involved. Among them, one emerging hypothesis is that growth impacts adult survival and/or longevity through a shared, endpoint, ageing mechanism: telomere erosion. In this study, we manipulated brood size in order to investigate if rapid growth (chicks in reduced broods) is effectively done at the cost of a short (end of growth) and long term (at adulthood) increase of oxidative damage and telomere loss. Contrary to what we expected, chicks from the enlarged broods displayed more oxidative damage and had shorter telomeres at the end of the growth period and at adulthood. Our study extends the understanding of the proximate mechanisms involved in the trade-off between growth and ageing. It highlights that adverse environmental conditions during growth can come at a cost via transient increased oxidative stress and pervasive eroded telomeres. Indeed, it suggests that telomeres are not only controlled by intrinsic growth rates per se but may also be under the control of some extrinsic environmental factors that may get our understanding of the growth ageing interaction more complicated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sandrine Zahn
- DEPE-IPHC, Université de Strasbourg; CNRS UMR 7178, France
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70
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Costantini D, Casasole G, Eens M. Does reproduction protect against oxidative stress? J Exp Biol 2014; 217:4237-43. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.114116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A central principle of life-history theory is that parents trade investment into reproduction against that in body maintenance. One physiological cost thought to be important as a modulator of such trade-off is oxidative stress. Experimental support for this hypothesis has, however, proved to be contradictory. In this study, we manipulated the nestling rearing effort of captive canaries (Serinus canaria) soon after the hatching of their nestlings using a brood-size manipulation to test whether an increase in nestling rearing effort translates into an increase in oxidative damage, an increase in ceruloplasmin (which is upregulated in response to oxidative damage) and a decrease in thiol antioxidants. We also compared the blood oxidative stress level of reproducing birds to that of non-reproducing birds, a crucial aspect that most studies have invariably failed to include in tests of the oxidative cost of reproduction. As compared to non-breeding canaries and pre-manipulation values, plasma oxidative damage (reactive oxygen metabolites and protein carbonyls) decreased in breeding canaries irrespective of sex and brood size. In contrast, oxidative damage did not change in non-breeding birds over the experiment. Ceruloplasmin activity in plasma and both non-protein and protein thiols in red blood cells did not change throughout the experiment in both treatment groups. Our results suggest that reproduction may result in decreased rather than increased blood oxidative stress. Our results may explain some of the inconsistencies that have been so far reported in experimental tests of the oxidative cost of reproduction hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Costantini
- University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
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71
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Hegemann A, Matson KD, Flinks H, Tieleman BI. Offspring pay sooner, parents pay later: experimental manipulation of body mass reveals trade-offs between immune function, reproduction and survival. Front Zool 2013; 10:77. [PMID: 24344978 PMCID: PMC3878409 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-10-77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Life-history theory predicts that organisms trade off survival against reproduction. However, the time scales on which various consequences become evident and the physiology mediating the cost of reproduction remain poorly understood. Yet, explaining not only which mechanisms mediate this trade-off, but also how fast or slow the mechanisms act, is crucial for an improved understanding of life-history evolution. We investigated three time scales on which an experimental increase in body mass could affect this trade-off: within broods, within season and between years. We handicapped adult skylarks (Alauda arvensis) by attaching extra weight during first broods to both adults of a pair. We measured body mass, immune function and return rates in these birds. We also measured nest success, feeding rates, diet composition, nestling size, nestling immune function and recruitment rates. RESULTS When nestlings of first broods fledged, parent body condition had not changed, but experimental birds experienced higher nest failure. Depending on the year, immune parameters of nestlings from experimental parents were either higher or lower than of control nestlings. Later, when parents were feeding their second brood, the balance between self-maintenance and nest success had shifted. Control and experimental adults differed in immune function, while mass and immune function of their nestlings did not differ. Although weights were removed after breeding, immune measurements during the second brood had the capacity to predict return rates to the next breeding season. Among birds that returned the next year, body condition and reproductive performance a year after the experiment did not differ between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the balance between current reproduction and survival shifts from affecting nestlings to affecting parents as the reproductive season progresses. Furthermore, immune function is apparently one physiological mechanism involved in this trade-off. By unravelling a physiological mechanism underlying the trade-offs between current and future reproduction and by demonstrating the different time scales on which it acts, our study represents an important step in understanding a central theory of life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Hegemann
- Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, P,O, Box 11103, 9700, CC Groningen, The Netherlands.
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72
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73
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Stahlschmidt ZR, Lourdais O, Lorioux S, Butler MW, Davis JR, Salin K, Voituron Y, DeNardo DF. Morphological and Physiological Changes during Reproduction and Their Relationships to Reproductive Performance in a Capital Breeder. Physiol Biochem Zool 2013; 86:398-409. [DOI: 10.1086/670918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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74
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Skibiel AL, Speakman JR, Hood WR. Testing the predictions of energy allocation decisions in the evolution of life-history trade-offs. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy L. Skibiel
- Department of Biological Sciences; Auburn University; Auburn AL 36849 USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
- Key State Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing Chaoyang China
| | - Wendy R. Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences; Auburn University; Auburn AL 36849 USA
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Bauch C, Becker PH, Verhulst S. Telomere length reflects phenotypic quality and costs of reproduction in a long-lived seabird. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 280:20122540. [PMID: 23222450 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length is associated with cellular senescence, lifestyle and ageing. Short telomeres indicate poor health in humans and reduced life expectancy in several bird species, but little is known about telomeres in relation to phenotypic quality in wild animals. We investigated telomere lengths in erythrocytes of known-age common terns (Sterna hirundo), a migratory seabird, in relation to arrival date and reproductive performance. Cross-sectional data revealed that, independent of age, individuals with short telomeres performed better: they arrived and reproduced earlier in the season and had more chicks in the nest. The latter effect was stronger the older the brood and stronger in males, which do most of the chick provisioning. Longitudinal data confirmed this pattern: compared with birds that lost their brood, birds that raised chicks beyond the 10th nestling day experienced higher telomere attrition from one year to the next. However, more detailed analysis revealed that the least and most successful individuals lost the fewest base pairs compared with birds with intermediate success. Our results suggest that reproductive success is achieved at the expense of telomeres, but that individual heterogeneity in susceptibility to such detrimental effects is important, as indicated by low telomere loss in the most successful birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bauch
- Institute of Avian Research Vogelwarte Helgoland, An der Vogelwarte 21, 26386 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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76
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77
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Litter reductions reveal a trade-off between offspring size and number in brown bears. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1350-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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78
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Condition-dependent expression of melanin-based coloration in the Eurasian kestrel. Naturwissenschaften 2012; 99:391-6. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0914-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2012] [Revised: 04/02/2012] [Accepted: 04/03/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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79
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Reed TE, Daunt F, Kiploks AJ, Burthe SJ, Granroth-Wilding HMV, Takahashi EA, Newell M, Wanless S, Cunningham EJA. Impacts of parasites in early life: contrasting effects on juvenile growth for different family members. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32236. [PMID: 22384190 PMCID: PMC3286466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Accepted: 01/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitism experienced early in ontogeny can have a major impact on host growth, development and future fitness, but whether siblings are affected equally by parasitism is poorly understood. In birds, hatching asynchrony induced by hormonal or behavioural mechanisms largely under parental control might predispose young to respond to infection in different ways. Here we show that parasites can have different consequences for offspring depending on their position in the family hierarchy. We experimentally treated European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristoteli) nestlings with the broad-spectrum anti-parasite drug ivermectin and compared their growth rates with nestlings from control broods. Average growth rates measured over the period of linear growth (10 days to 30 days of age) and survival did not differ for nestlings from treated and control broods. However, when considering individuals within broods, parasite treatment reversed the patterns of growth for individual family members: last-hatched nestlings grew significantly slower than their siblings in control nests but grew faster in treated nests. This was at the expense of their earlier-hatched brood-mates, who showed an overall growth rate reduction relative to last-hatched nestlings in treated nests. These results highlight the importance of exploring individual variation in the costs of infection and suggest that parasites could be a key factor modulating within-family dynamics, sibling competition and developmental trajectories from an early age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Reed
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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80
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Nicolai CA, Sedinger JS. Trade-offs between offspring fitness and future reproduction of adult female black brent. J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:798-805. [PMID: 22303812 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.01953.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
1. Successful reproduction requires numerous decisions, and some of which may require trade-offs between current and future reproduction. We studied effects of choice of foraging patches on gosling growth and future breeding by mothers in black brent (Branta bernicla nigricans) geese. 2. Specific foraging areas consistently produced high-quality goslings over 21 years. We found a consistent ranking of gosling mass, corrected for age, across brood rearing areas (BRAs) and years [Akaike model weights, Σw(i) = 1·00 for models including additive effects of BRA and year]. Growth of goslings largely determines their future fitness, so areas where goslings grew most rapidly also produced goslings with the highest mean fitness. 3. We used a multistate robust design capture-mark-recapture approach to estimate the probability of transitioning from a breeding state to a non-breeding (unobservable) state as a function of quality of BRA. 4. In the best supported model, transition from a breeding state to a non-breeding state was positively related to gosling growth rates across BRAs. Thus, future reproduction was lower for females using BRAs that produced higher-quality goslings. Our results are consistent with trade-offs by individual brent between fitness of their current offspring and their own reproductive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Nicolai
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, 1000 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512, USA.
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81
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Mitchell GW, Guglielmo CG, Wheelwright NT, Freeman-Gallant CR, Norris DR. Early life events carry over to influence pre-migratory condition in a free-living songbird. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28838. [PMID: 22194925 PMCID: PMC3241683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditions experienced during development can have long-term consequences for individual success. In migratory songbirds, the proximate mechanisms linking early life events and survival are not well understood because tracking individuals across stages of the annual cycle can be extremely challenging. In this paper, we first use a 13 year dataset to demonstrate a positive relationship between 1st year survival and nestling mass in migratory Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). We also use a brood manipulation experiment to show that nestlings from smaller broods have higher mass in the nest relative to individuals from larger broods. Having established these relationships, we then use three years of field data involving multiple captures of individuals throughout the pre-migratory period and a multi-level path model to examine the hypothesis that conditions during development limit survival during migration by affecting an individual's ability to accumulate sufficient lean tissue and fat mass prior to migration. We found a positive relationship between fat mass during the pre-migratory period (Sept–Oct) and nestling mass and a negative indirect relationship between pre-migratory fat mass and fledging date. Our results provide the first evidence that conditions during development limit survival during migration through their effect on fat stores. These results are particularly important given recent evidence showing that body condition of songbirds at fledging is affected by climate change and anthropogenic changes to landscape structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg W Mitchell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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82
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te Marvelde L, Webber SL, Meijer HAJ, Visser ME. Energy expenditure during egg laying is equal for early and late breeding free-living female great tits. Oecologia 2011; 168:631-8. [PMID: 21935666 PMCID: PMC3277697 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2122-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2011] [Accepted: 08/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In many bird populations, variation in the timing of reproduction exists but it is not obvious how this variation is maintained as timing has substantial fitness consequences. Daily energy expenditure (DEE) during the egg laying period increases with decreasing temperatures and thus perhaps only females that can produce eggs at low energetic cost will lay early in the season, at low temperatures. We tested whether late laying females have a higher daily energy expenditure during egg laying than early laying females in 43 great tits (Parus major), by comparing on the same day the DEE of early females late in their laying sequence with DEE of late females early in their egg laying sequence. We also validated the assumption that there are no within female differences in DEE within the egg laying sequence. We found a negative effect of temperature and a positive effect of female body mass on DEE but no evidence for differences in DEE between early and late laying females. However, costs incurred during egg laying may have carry-over effects later in the breeding cycle and if such carry-over effects differ for early and late laying females this could contribute to the maintenance of phenotypic variation in laying dates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc te Marvelde
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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83
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te Marvelde L, Webber SL, Meijer HAJ, Visser ME. Mismatched reproduction is energetically costly for chick feeding female great tits. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01889.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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84
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Briggs CW, Woodbridge B, Collopy MW. Correlates of survival in Swainson's hawks breeding in northern California. J Wildl Manage 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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85
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Casagrande S, Dell'omo G, Costantini D, Tagliavini J, Groothuis T. Variation of a carotenoid-based trait in relation to oxidative stress and endocrine status during the breeding season in the Eurasian kestrel: a multi-factorial study. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2011; 160:16-26. [PMID: 21620990 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2011] [Revised: 04/20/2011] [Accepted: 04/25/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Carotenoid-based skin colorations vary seasonally in many bird species and are thought to be honest sexually selected signals. In order to provide more insight in the potential signal function and underlying mechanisms of such colorations we here quantified patterns of variation of leg coloration in adult male and female Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus) over the breeding season, and evaluated the relationship between coloration and levels of carotenoids, androgens and estrogens, oxidative damage and plasma non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity. We studied both reproducing wild and non-reproducing captive birds to test for the effect of diet and breeding effort. Males were more colored than females only during mating, and independently of diet, suggesting that leg-color is a sexually selected trait. Seasonal variation in leg color was associated with circulating carotenoids, but concentrations of these molecules were not related to antioxidant capacity, body condition or oxidative damage. These results indicate that carotenoid-based colorations may not be an honest signal of health status in this species. Production of carotenoid rich eggs coincided with low levels of circulating carotenoids in females, indicating that carotenoids might be a limited resource for laying female kestrels. Finally, young rearing males had higher levels of oxidative damage than females, and wild birds of both sexes had higher levels of these parameters than captive birds. These results may indicate that parental effort and physical activity are costly, independently from hormonal status. Since androgens did not explain carotenoid variation we suggest that multiple interacting factors can regulate carotenoid levels along the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Casagrande
- Behavioral Biology, Institute for Behavior and Neuroscience, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands.
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86
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Pryke SR, Rollins LA, Buttemer WA, Griffith SC. Maternal stress to partner quality is linked to adaptive offspring sex ratio adjustment. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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87
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Rensel MA, Wilcoxen TE, Schoech SJ. Corticosterone, brood size, and hatch order in free-living Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) nestlings. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 171:197-202. [PMID: 21291887 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2010] [Revised: 12/18/2010] [Accepted: 01/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that variation in developmental conditions can have profound effects upon lifetime fitness. In altricial avian species, nestlings undergo a substantial portion of development in the nest after hatching, often in the presence of nest-mates. This can result in the formation of brood hierarchies based on age, size, and competitive ability. Measurement of baseline corticosterone (CORT) levels in developing birds may provide a means to assess whether individuals within a brood experience stress due to sibling competition or nutritional state. However, few studies have attempted to correlate corticosterone concentrations with brood hierarchies in free-living, developing birds. We investigated the degree to which corticosterone levels in nestling Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) were predicted by brood size, hatching order, and body mass. Nestling corticosterone levels were inversely correlated with body mass but did not differ among brood sizes. Within broods of two, second-hatched nestlings had lower CORT than first-hatched nestlings, although there was no effect of hatch order in broods of three or four nestlings. The results of this study suggest that conditions within the nest, particularly those associated with within-brood hierarchies, are manifested through differential body condition and nestling corticosterone secretion. The consequences of this variation in nestling corticosterone are unknown, but development of the adult phenotype, as well as life-long survival, may be impacted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A Rensel
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
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88
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Koivula MJ, Kanerva M, Salminen JP, Nikinmaa M, Eeva T. Metal pollution indirectly increases oxidative stress in great tit (Parus major) nestlings. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2011; 111:362-70. [PMID: 21295293 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2010] [Revised: 12/21/2010] [Accepted: 01/06/2011] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Metals can cause oxidative stress by increasing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), when there are insufficient amount of antioxidants to defend against the growing amount of free radicals. We aimed to find out the most reliable biomarkers to detect pollution-related oxidative stress in wild birds by comparing oxidative stress status in great tit (Parus major) nestlings at populations in polluted and unpolluted areas. We also studied with experimental manipulations whether dietary carotenoid levels have any role in great tits' antioxidant defence and whether their carotenoid-based plumage colour was connected to an oxidative stress status. We used antioxidants (GSH, carotenoids) and several antioxidant enzymes (GP, GR, GST, SOD, and CAT) as indicators of the oxidative stress. We found no direct connections between dietary metal exposure and antioxidant or antioxidant enzyme levels. The activity of GP was, however, slightly higher in the polluted environment. This was due to poorer condition and subsequently higher level of oxidative stress in the nestlings in the polluted area. We also found a positive association between GP and an ambient temperature during the nestling period, which may be due to higher metabolic activity of partly poikilothermic nestlings in warm weather. The activity of GST was positively related to the number of nestlings at the sampling time. Fledging success was better in an unpolluted area, where also the nestling body mass was higher. Carotenoid treatment increased the plasma carotenoid concentrations 2.1 fold in carotenoid-supplemented birds, but was not associated with the oxidative stress biomarkers or metal levels. The yellow plumage colour was associated with dietary carotenoid levels in both study areas, but not with the metal exposure or the oxidative stress status. Our results suggest that at the exposure levels found in our study area, the enzyme activities do not indicate metal-related oxidative stress. Instead, GP can be used as an indicator of growth related oxidative stress, which is greater in the polluted area. The activity of this enzyme was, however, not directly related to metal exposure, but more likely to some secondary pollution-related change in the nestling condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miia J Koivula
- Department of Biology, Section of Ecology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland.
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89
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Bouwhuis S, Charmantier A, Verhulst S, Sheldon BC. Individual variation in rates of senescence: natal origin effects and disposable soma in a wild bird population. J Anim Ecol 2011; 79:1251-61. [PMID: 20646122 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01730.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Longitudinal studies of various vertebrate populations have recently demonstrated senescent declines in reproductive performance and/or survival probability with age to be almost ubiquitous in nature. Little is known, however, about the extent to which rates of senescence vary between individuals, and about causes or consequences of such variation. Quantifying these links in natural populations is important for understanding the constraints and adaptive processes underlying the evolution of senescence. 2. Here, we analyse breeding data from 1029 female great tits Parus major to quantify the effect of natal conditions and early life reproduction on rates of reproductive senescence, reproductive life span and lifetime reproductive success. 3. Although for locally born females we find no evidence that natal conditions influence rates of reproductive senescence, we show that immigrant females suffer from faster rates of senescence than locally born females, and that this difference contributes to immigrants having a lower lifetime reproductive success. 4. Additionally, and independently, we find rates of reproductive senescence to increase with rates of early life reproduction, as predicted by the disposable soma hypothesis. Despite accelerated senescence late in life, high early life reproduction is, however, positively associated with lifetime reproductive success across individuals. 5. Female immigrant status and early life reproduction do not relate to reproductive life span. 6. We thus show that both immigration into our population, and high levels of early life reproduction, are associated with reduced late life reproductive performance in female great tits, but that fitness can be increased by high levels of early life reproduction at the expense of accelerated reproductive senescence. These results suggest disposable soma to be a likely mechanism underlying senescence in these birds, and encourage further study of the genetic basis (i.e. antagonistic pleiotropy) of such an early vs. late life trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bouwhuis
- Behavioural Biology Group, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands.
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90
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Knowles SCL, Wood MJ, Sheldon BC. Context-dependent effects of parental effort on malaria infection in a wild bird population, and their role in reproductive trade-offs. Oecologia 2010; 164:87-97. [PMID: 20625768 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1706-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/17/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although trade-offs between reproductive effort and other fitness components are frequently documented in wild populations, the underlying physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Parasitism has been suggested to mediate reproductive trade-offs, yet only a limited number of parasite taxa have been studied, and reproductive effort-induced changes in parasitism are rarely linked to trade-offs observed in the same population. We conducted a brood size manipulation experiment in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) infected with malaria (Plasmodium) parasites, and used quantitative PCR to measure changes in parasitaemia. In one of two years investigated, parasitaemia increased as a result of brood enlargement, and was also positively associated with two other indicators of reproductive effort: clutch size and single parenthood. These associations between both experimental and naturally varying reproductive effort and parasitaemia suggest that immune control of chronic malaria infections can be compromised when parents are working hard. Brood size manipulation significantly affected the number of independent offspring produced, which was maximised when brood size was unchanged. Moreover, when parents were infected with one of two common Plasmodium species, the shape of this trade-off curve was more pronounced, suggesting that parasitic infection may exacerbate the trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring. Although the involvement of parasites in survival costs of reproduction has received much attention, these results suggest their role in other commonly documented reproductive trade-offs, such as that between number and quality of offspring, warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C L Knowles
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
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91
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GRIEBELER EM, CAPRANO T, BÖHNING-GAESE K. Evolution of avian clutch size along latitudinal gradients: do seasonality, nest predation or breeding season length matter? J Evol Biol 2010; 23:888-901. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.01958.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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92
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Meade J, Nam KB, Beckerman AP, Hatchwell BJ. Consequences of ‘load-lightening’ for future indirect fitness gains by helpers in a cooperatively breeding bird. J Anim Ecol 2010; 79:529-37. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01656.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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93
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Wiehn J, Korpimáki E, Bildstein KL, Sorjonen J. Mate Choice and Reproductive Success in the American Kestrel: a Role for Blood Parasites? Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1997.tb00020.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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94
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Ricklefs R. Parental Investment and Avian Reproductive Rate: Williams’s Principle Reconsidered. Am Nat 2010; 175:350-61. [DOI: 10.1086/650371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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95
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Vergara P, Fargallo JA, Martínez-Padilla J. Reaching independence: food supply, parent quality, and offspring phenotypic characters in kestrels. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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96
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Bots J, Van Dongen S, De Bruyn L, Van Houtte N, Van Gossum H. Clutch size and reproductive success in a female polymorphic insect. Evol Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-010-9362-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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97
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Ahola MP, Laaksonen T, Eeva T, Lehikoinen E. Great tits lay increasingly smaller clutches than selected for: a study of climate- and density-related changes in reproductive traits. J Anim Ecol 2009; 78:1298-306. [PMID: 19682140 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01596.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus P Ahola
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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98
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Dell'Omo G, Costantini D, Lucini V, Antonucci G, Nonno R, Polichetti A. Magnetic fields produced by power lines do not affect growth, serum melatonin, leukocytes and fledging success in wild kestrels. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2009; 150:372-6. [PMID: 19524062 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2009.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2009] [Revised: 06/04/2009] [Accepted: 06/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nesting on high voltage transmission line towers exposes birds to electric and magnetic fields for long periods. Nestlings are exposed from their development in ovo until fledging. This is a critical period for them because the quality of the developmental environment may affect their fitness at adulthood. We carried out a field study on Eurasian kestrels, Falco tinnunculus, to compare chicks from pairs nesting on high voltage power lines vs. those nesting in control sites in similar habitats. The magnetic field (MF) was measured in each nest-box and analysed in relation to growth curves, melatonin levels, leukocyte counts, and fledging success. None of the variables differed between exposed and control nestlings. Wing length (proxy of age) showed a negative covariation with serum melatonin concentration. Our findings suggest that exposure to MFs produced by high voltage power lines during the embryonic and post-hatching period (until fledging) does not have significant short-term physiological effects on kestrel nestlings.
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99
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Fort J, Porter WP, Grémillet D. Thermodynamic modelling predicts energetic bottleneck for seabirds wintering in the northwest Atlantic. J Exp Biol 2009; 212:2483-90. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.032300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Studying the energetics of marine top predators such as seabirds is essential to understand processes underlying adult winter survival and its impact on population dynamics. Winter survival is believed to be the single most important life-history trait in long-lived species but its determinants are largely unknown. Seabirds are inaccessible during this season, so conventional metabolic studies are extremely challenging and new approaches are needed. This paper describes and uses a state-of-the-art mechanistic model, Niche Mapper™, to predict energy expenditure and food requirements of the two main seabird species wintering in the northwest Atlantic. We found that energy demand increased throughout the winter phase in both species. Across this period, mean estimated daily energy requirements were 1306 kJ day–1 for Brünnich's guillemots (Uria lomvia) and 430 kJ day–1 for little auks (Alle alle) wintering off Greenland and Newfoundland. Mean estimated daily food requirements were 547 g wet food day–1 for Brünnich's guillemots, and 289 g wet food day–1 for little auks. For both species and both wintering sites, our model predicts a sharp increase in energy expenditure between November and December, primarily driven by climatic factors such as air temperature and wind speed. These findings strongly suggest the existence of an energetic bottleneck for North Atlantic seabirds towards the end of the year, a challenging energetic phase which might explain recurrent events of winter mass-mortality, so called `seabird winter wrecks'. Our study therefore emphasizes the relevance of thermodynamics/biophysical modelling for investigating the energy balance of wintering marine top predators and its interplay with survival and population dynamics in the context of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Fort
- CNRS-CEFE – UMR 5175, 1919 Route de Mende, 34 293 Montpellier cedex 5,France
- CNRS-DEPE-IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 02, France
| | - Warren P. Porter
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 250 N. Mills Street, Madison,WI 53706, USA
| | - David Grémillet
- CNRS-CEFE – UMR 5175, 1919 Route de Mende, 34 293 Montpellier cedex 5,France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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100
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Rohwer S, Ricklefs RE, Rohwer VG, Copple MM. Allometry of the duration of flight feather molt in birds. PLoS Biol 2009; 7:e1000132. [PMID: 19529759 PMCID: PMC2690433 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2009] [Accepted: 05/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Replacement of flight feathers takes disproportionately more time for large birds than it does for small birds, because feather length increases with body size almost twice as fast as feather growth rate increases. We used allometric scaling to explain why the regular replacement of the primary flight feathers requires disproportionately more time for large birds. Primary growth rate scales to mass (M) as M0.171, whereas the summed length of the primaries scales almost twice as fast (M0.316). The ratio of length (mm) to rate (mm/day), which would be the time needed to replace all the primaries one by one, increases as the 0.14 power of mass (M0.316/M0.171 = M0.145), illustrating why the time required to replace the primaries is so important to life history evolution in large birds. Smaller birds generally replace all their flight feathers annually, but larger birds that fly while renewing their primaries often extend the primary molt over two or more years. Most flying birds exhibit one of three fundamentally different modes of primary replacement, and the size distributions of birds associated with these replacement modes suggest that birds that replace their primaries in a single wave of molt cannot approach the size of the largest flying birds without first transitioning to a more complex mode of primary replacement. Finally, we propose two models that could account for the 1/6 power allometry between feather growth rate and body mass, both based on a length-to-surface relationship that transforms the linear, cylindrical growing region responsible for producing feather tissue into an essentially two-dimensional structure. These allometric relationships offer a general explanation for flight feather replacement requiring disproportionately more time for large birds. The pace of life varies with body size and is generally slower among larger organisms. Larger size creates opportunities but also establishes constraints on time-dependent processes. Flying birds depend on large wing feathers that deteriorate over time and must be replaced through molting. The lengths of flight feathers increase as the 1/3 power of body mass, as one expects for a length-to-volume ratio. However, feather growth rate increases as only the 1/6 power of body mass, possibly because a two-dimensional feather is produced by a one-dimensional growing region. The longer time required to grow a longer feather constrains the way in which birds molt, because partially grown feathers reduce flight efficiency. Small birds quickly replace their flight feathers, often growing several feathers at a time in each wing. Larger species either prolong molt over two or more years, adopt complex patterns of multiple feather replacement to minimize gaps in the flight surface, or, among species that do not rely on flight for feeding, simultaneously molt all their flight feathers. We speculate that the extinct 70-kg raptor, Argentavis magnificens, must have undergone such a simultaneous molt, living off fat reserves for the duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sievert Rohwer
- Burke Museum and Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America.
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