101
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The relationship of telomere length to baseline corticosterone levels in nestlings of an altricial passerine bird in natural populations. Front Zool 2016; 13:1. [PMID: 26759601 PMCID: PMC4710010 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0133-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Environmental stressors increase the secretion of glucocorticoids that in turn can shorten telomeres via oxidative damage. Modification of telomere length, as a result of adversity faced early in life, can modify an individual’s phenotype. Studies in captivity have suggested a relationship between glucocorticoids and telomere length in developing individuals, however less is known about that relationship in natural populations. Methods In order to evaluate the effect of early environmental stressors on telomere length in natural populations, we compared baseline corticosterone (CORT) levels and telomere length in nestlings of the same age. We collected blood samples for hormone assay and telomere determination from two geographically distinct populations of the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) that differed in brood size; nestlings body mass and primary productivity. Within each population we used path analysis to evaluate the relationship between brood size, body mass, baseline CORT and telomere length. Results Within each distinct population, path coefficients showed a positive relationship between brood size and baseline CORT and a strong and negative correlation between baseline CORT and telomere length. In general, nestlings that presented higher baseline CORT levels tended to present shorter telomeres. When comparing populations it was the low latitude population that presented higher levels of baseline CORT and shorter telomere length. Conclusions Taken together our results reveal the importance of the condition experienced early in life in affecting telomere length, and the relevance of integrative studies carried out in natural conditions.
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102
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Moore MP, Landberg T, Whiteman HH. Maternal investment mediates offspring life history variation with context-dependent fitness consequences. Ecology 2015; 96:2499-509. [DOI: 10.1890/14-1602.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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103
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Chaby LE, Sheriff MJ, Hirrlinger AM, Braithwaite VA. Does early stress prepare individuals for a stressful future? Stress during adolescence improves foraging under threat. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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104
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St-Cyr S, McGowan PO. Programming of stress-related behavior and epigenetic neural gene regulation in mice offspring through maternal exposure to predator odor. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:145. [PMID: 26082698 PMCID: PMC4450170 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 05/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Perinatal stress mediated through the mother can lead to long-term alterations in stress-related phenotypes in offspring. The capacity for adaptation to adversity in early life depends in part on the life history of the animal. This study was designed to examine the behavioral and neural response in adult offspring to prenatal exposure to predator odor: an ethologically-relevant psychological stressor. Pregnant mice were exposed daily to predator odors or distilled water control over the second half of the pregnancy. Predator odor exposure lead to a transient decrease in maternal care in the mothers. As adults, the offspring of predator odor-exposed mothers showed increased anti-predator behavior, a predator-odor induced decrease in activity and, in female offspring, an increased corticosterone (CORT) response to predator odor exposure. We found a highly specific response among stress-related genes within limbic brain regions. Transcript abundance of Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) was elevated in the amygdala in adult female offspring of predator odor-exposed mothers. In the hippocampus of adult female offspring, decreased Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transcript abundance was correlated with a site-specific decrease in DNA methylation in Bdnf exon IV, indicating the potential contribution of this epigenetic mechanism to maternal programming by maternal predator odor exposure. These data indicate that maternal predator odor exposure alone is sufficient to induce an altered stress-related phenotype in adulthood, with implications for anti-predator behavior in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie St-Cyr
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick O McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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105
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Sheriff MJ, McMahon EK, Krebs CJ, Boonstra R. Predator-induced maternal stress and population demography in snowshoe hares: the more severe the risk, the longer the generational effect. J Zool (1987) 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Sheriff
- Ecosystem Science and Management; Pennsylvania State University; University Park PA USA
| | - E. K. McMahon
- Ecosystem Science and Management; Pennsylvania State University; University Park PA USA
| | - C. J. Krebs
- Department of Zoology; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - R. Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto ON Canada
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106
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Effects of nest predation risk on female incubation behavior and offspring growth in great tits. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1910-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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107
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Kaiser K, Devito J, Jones CG, Marentes A, Perez R, Umeh L, Weickum RM, McGovern KE, Wilson EH, Saltzman W. Effects of anthropogenic noise on endocrine and reproductive function in White's treefrog, Litoria caerulea. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 3:cou061. [PMID: 27293682 PMCID: PMC4778486 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cou061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is a major driver of ecological change and comes with a suite of habitat modifications, including alterations to the local temperature, precipitation, light and noise regimes. Although many recent studies have investigated the behavioural and ecological ramifications of urbanization, physiological work in this area has lagged. We tested the hypothesis that anthropogenic noise is a stressor for amphibians and that chronic exposure to such noise leads to reproductive suppression. In the laboratory, we exposed male White's treefrogs, Litoria caerulea, to conspecific chorus noise either alone or coupled with pre-recorded traffic noise nightly for 1 week. Frogs presented with anthropogenic noise had significantly higher circulating concentrations of corticosterone and significantly decreased sperm count and sperm viability than did control frogs. These results suggest that in addition to having behavioural and ecological effects, anthropogenic change might alter physiology and Darwinian fitness. Future work should integrate disparate fields such as behaviour, ecology and physiology to elucidate fully organisms' responses to habitat change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Kaiser
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Julia Devito
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Caitlin G. Jones
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Adam Marentes
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Rachel Perez
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Lisa Umeh
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Regina M. Weickum
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Kathryn E. McGovern
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Emma H. Wilson
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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108
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Bateson P, Gluckman P, Hanson M. The biology of developmental plasticity and the Predictive Adaptive Response hypothesis. J Physiol 2015; 592:2357-68. [PMID: 24882817 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.271460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 312] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many forms of developmental plasticity have been observed and these are usually beneficial to the organism. The Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR) hypothesis refers to a form of developmental plasticity in which cues received in early life influence the development of a phenotype that is normally adapted to the environmental conditions of later life. When the predicted and actual environments differ, the mismatch between the individual's phenotype and the conditions in which it finds itself can have adverse consequences for Darwinian fitness and, later, for health. Numerous examples exist of the long-term effects of cues indicating a threatening environment affecting the subsequent phenotype of the individual organism. Other examples consist of the long-term effects of variations in environment within a normal range, particularly in the individual's nutritional environment. In mammals the cues to developing offspring are often provided by the mother's plane of nutrition, her body composition or stress levels. This hypothetical effect in humans is thought to be important by some scientists and controversial by others. In resolving the conflict, distinctions should be drawn between PARs induced by normative variations in the developmental environment and the ill effects on development of extremes in environment such as a very poor or very rich nutritional environment. Tests to distinguish between different developmental processes impacting on adult characteristics are proposed. Many of the mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity involve molecular epigenetic processes, and their elucidation in the context of PARs and more widely has implications for the revision of classical evolutionary theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Bateson
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter Gluckman
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Mark Hanson
- Institute of Developmental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton and NIHR Nutrition Biomedical Research Centre, Universazity Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK
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109
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Dalmaz C, Noschang C, Krolow R, Raineki C, Lucion AB. How postnatal insults may program development: studies in animal models. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 10:121-47. [PMID: 25287539 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1372-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
During the postnatal period, the nervous system is modified and shaped by experience, in order to adjust it to the particular environment in which the animal will live. This plasticity, one of the most remarkable characteristics of the nervous system, promotes adaptive changes, but it also makes brain more vulnerable to insults. This chapter will focus on the effects of interventions during the postnatal development in animal models of neonatal handling (usually up to 15 min of handling) and maternal separation (usually at least for 3 h). Sex-specific changes and effects of prepubertal stress such as social isolation later on in life were also considered. These interventions during development induce long-lasting traces in the pups' nervous system, which will be reflected in changes in neuroendocrine functions, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axes; anxiety and cognitive performance; and feeding, sexual, and social behavior. These enduring changes may be adaptive or maladaptive, depending on the environment in which the animal will live. The challenge researchers facing now is to determine how to reverse the deleterious effects that may result from early-life stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Dalmaz
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porte Alegre, RS, Brazil
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110
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Krebs CJ, Bryant J, Kielland K, O’Donoghue M, Doyle F, Carriere S, DiFolco D, Berg N, Boonstra R, Boutin S, Kenney AJ, Reid DG, Bodony K, Putera J, Timm HK, Burke T, Maier JA, Golden H. What factors determine cyclic amplitude in the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle? CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuate in 9–10 year cycles throughout much of their North American range. These cycles show large variations in cyclic amplitude and we ask what factors could cause amplitude variation. We gathered data from 1976 to 2012 on hare numbers in the boreal forest of Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia to describe the amplitude of hare fluctuations and to evaluate four possible causes. First, weather could cause variation in amplitude via hare reproduction or survival, but this mechanism does not fit our data. Second, bottom-up processes involving forest succession could explain amplitude variation through changes in winter forage availability, but succession is too slow a variable in our study areas. Third, plant defenses entrained by hare over-browsing in one cycle can produce variation in plant quality and quantity in subsequent cycles. A mathematical model suggests this is a possible explanation. Fourth, predator recovery following the cyclic low is inversely related to hare cyclic amplitude, and the existing data are consistent with this mechanism. A standardized regional monitoring program is needed to improve our understanding of cyclic amplitude variation in hares and the possible role of predators and winter foods in affecting amplitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J. Krebs
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John Bryant
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Knut Kielland
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Mark O’Donoghue
- Yukon Fish and Wildlife Branch, Box 310, Mayo, YT Y0B 1M0, Canada
| | - Frank Doyle
- Wildlife Dynamics Consulting, Box 3596, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0, Canada
| | - Suzanne Carriere
- Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, Box 1320, Yellowknife, NWT X1A 2L9, Canada
| | - Donna DiFolco
- US National Park Service, Gates of the Arctic National Park, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA
| | - Nathan Berg
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Tok, AK 99780, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Alice J. Kenney
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Donald G. Reid
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, P.O. Box 31127, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5P7, Canada
| | - Karin Bodony
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Koyukuk/Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 287, Galena, AK 99741, USA
| | - Judy Putera
- US National Park Service, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573, USA
| | - Henry K. Timm
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Tok, AK 99780, USA
| | - Toby Burke
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 2139, Soldotna, AK 99669, USA
| | - Julie A.K. Maier
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Howard Golden
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518, USA
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111
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Bian JH, Du SY, Wu Y, Cao YF, Nie XH, He H, You ZB. Maternal effects and population regulation: maternal density-induced reproduction suppression impairs offspring capacity in response to immediate environment in root voles Microtus oeconomus. J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:326-36. [PMID: 25327547 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The hypothesis that maternal effects act as an adaptive bridge in translating maternal environments into offspring phenotypes, and thereby affecting population dynamics has not been studied in the well-controlled fields. In this study, the effects of maternal population density on offspring stress axis, reproduction and population dynamics were studied in root voles (Microtus oeconomus). Parental enclosures for breeding offspring were established by introducing six adults per sex into each of 4 (low density) and 30 adults per sex into each of another 4 (high density) enclosures. Live-trapping started 2 weeks after. Offspring captured at age of 20-30 days were removed to the laboratory, housed under laboratory conditions until puberty, and subsequently used to establish offspring populations in these same enclosures, after parental populations had been removed. [Correction added on 8 January 2015 after first online publication: '10-20 days' has been changed to '20-30 days.'] Offspring from each of the two parental sources were assigned into four enclosures with two for each of the two density treatments used in establishing parental populations (referred to as LL and LH for maternally unstressed offspring, assigned in low and high density, and HL and HH for maternally stressed offspring, assigned in low and high density). Faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) levels, offspring reproduction traits and population dynamics were tested following repeated live-trapping over two seasons. Differential fluctuations in population size were observed between maternally density-stressed and density-unstressed offspring. Populations in LL and LH groups changed significantly in responding to initial density and reached the similar levels at beginning of the second trapping season. Populations in HL and HH groups, however, were remained relatively steady, and in HL group, the low population size was sustained until end of experiment. Maternal density stress was associated with FCM elevations, reproduction suppression and body mass decrease at sexual maturity in offspring. The FCM elevations and reproduction suppression were independent of offspring population density and correlated with decreased offspring quality. These findings indicate that intrinsic state alterations induced by maternal stress impair offspring capacity in response to immediate environment, and these alterations are likely mediated by maternal stress system. The maladaptive reproduction suppression seen in HL group suggests intrinsic population density as one of ecological factors generating delayed density-dependent effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang-Hui Bian
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810001, China
| | - Shou-Yang Du
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810001, China.,Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yan Wu
- School of Life and Environment Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Yi-Fan Cao
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810001, China
| | - Xu-Heng Nie
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810001, China.,Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hui He
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810001, China.,Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhi-Bing You
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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112
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Bennett AM, Murray DL. Maternal body condition influences magnitude of anti-predator response in offspring. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20141806. [PMID: 25253460 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms exhibit plasticity in response to their environment, but there is large variation even within populations in the expression and magnitude of response. Maternal influence alters offspring survival through size advantages in growth and development. However, the relationship between maternal influence and variation in plasticity in response to predation risk is unknown. We hypothesized that variation in the magnitude of plastic responses between families is at least partly due to maternal provisioning and examined the relationship between maternal condition, egg provisioning and magnitude of plastic response to perceived predation risk (by dragonfly larvae: Aeshna spp.) in northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens). Females in better body condition tended to lay more (clutch size) larger (egg diameter) eggs. Tadpoles responded to predation risk by increasing relative tail depth (morphology) and decreasing activity (behaviour). We found a positive relationship between morphological effect size and maternal condition, but no relationship between behavioural effect size and maternal condition. These novel findings suggest that limitations imposed by maternal condition can constrain phenotypic variation, ultimately influencing the capacity of populations to respond to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Bennett
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9L 7B8
| | - Dennis L Murray
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9L 7B8
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113
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Sheriff MJ, Thaler JS. Ecophysiological effects of predation risk; an integration across disciplines. Oecologia 2014; 176:607-11. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3105-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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114
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Lee C. Intergenerational health consequences of in utero exposure to maternal stress: Evidence from the 1980 Kwangju uprising. Soc Sci Med 2014; 119:284-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Revised: 06/19/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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115
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Hanson MA, Gluckman PD. Early developmental conditioning of later health and disease: physiology or pathophysiology? Physiol Rev 2014; 94:1027-76. [PMID: 25287859 PMCID: PMC4187033 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00029.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 722] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive experimental animal studies and epidemiological observations have shown that environmental influences during early development affect the risk of later pathophysiological processes associated with chronic, especially noncommunicable, disease (NCD). This field is recognized as the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). We discuss the extent to which DOHaD represents the result of the physiological processes of developmental plasticity, which may have potential adverse consequences in terms of NCD risk later, or whether it is the manifestation of pathophysiological processes acting in early life but only becoming apparent as disease later. We argue that the evidence suggests the former, through the operation of conditioning processes induced across the normal range of developmental environments, and we summarize current knowledge of the physiological processes involved. The adaptive pathway to later risk accords with current concepts in evolutionary developmental biology, especially those concerning parental effects. Outside the normal range, effects on development can result in nonadaptive processes, and we review their underlying mechanisms and consequences. New concepts concerning the underlying epigenetic and other mechanisms involved in both disruptive and nondisruptive pathways to disease are reviewed, including the evidence for transgenerational passage of risk from both maternal and paternal lines. These concepts have wider implications for understanding the causes and possible prevention of NCDs such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, for broader social policy and for the increasing attention paid in public health to the lifecourse approach to NCD prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Hanson
- Academic Unit of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, and NIHR Nutrition Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom; and Liggins Institute and Gravida (National Centre for Growth and Development), University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - P D Gluckman
- Academic Unit of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, and NIHR Nutrition Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom; and Liggins Institute and Gravida (National Centre for Growth and Development), University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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116
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Impact of high predation risk on genome-wide hippocampal gene expression in snowshoe hares. Oecologia 2014; 176:613-24. [PMID: 25234370 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3053-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The population dynamics of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are fundamental to the ecosystem dynamics of Canada's boreal forest. During the 8- to 11-year population cycle, hare densities can fluctuate up to 40-fold. Predators in this system (lynx, coyotes, great-horned owls) affect population numbers not only through direct mortality but also through sublethal effects. The chronic stress hypothesis posits that high predation risk during the decline severely stresses hares, leading to greater stress responses, heightened ability to mobilize cortisol and energy, and a poorer body condition. These effects may result in, or be mediated by, differential gene expression. We used an oligonucleotide microarray designed for a closely-related species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), to characterize differences in genome-wide hippocampal RNA transcript abundance in wild hares from the Yukon during peak and decline phases of a single cycle. A total of 106 genes were differentially regulated between phases. Array results were validated with quantitative real-time PCR, and mammalian protein sequence similarity was used to infer gene function. In comparison to hares from the peak, decline phase hares showed increased expression of genes involved in metabolic processes and hormone response, and decreased expression of immune response and blood cell formation genes. We found evidence for predation risk effects on the expression of genes whose putative functions correspond with physiological impacts known to be induced by predation risk in snowshoe hares. This study shows, for the first time, a link between changes in demography and alterations in neural RNA transcript abundance in a natural population.
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117
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Zanette LY, Clinchy M, Suraci JP. Diagnosing predation risk effects on demography: can measuring physiology provide the means? Oecologia 2014; 176:637-51. [PMID: 25234371 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3057-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Predators kill prey thereby affecting prey survival and, in the traditional top-down view of predator limitation, that is their sole effect. Bottom-up food limitation alters the physiological condition of individuals affecting both fecundity and survival. Predators of course also scare prey inducing anti-predator defences that may carry physiological costs powerful enough to reduce prey fecundity and survival. Here, we consider whether measuring physiology can be used as a tool to unambiguously diagnose predation risk effects. We begin by providing a review of recent papers reporting physiological effects of predation risk. We then present a conceptual framework describing the pathways by which predators and food can affect prey populations and give an overview of predation risk effects on demography in various taxa. Because scared prey typically eat less the principal challenge we see will be to identify measures that permit us to avoid mistaking predator-induced reductions in food intake for absolute food shortage. To construct an effective diagnostic toolkit we advocate collecting multiple physiological measures and utilizing multivariate statistical procedures. We recommend conducting two-factor predation risk × food manipulations to identify those physiological effects least likely to be mistaken for responses to bottom-up food limitation. We suggest there is a critical need to develop a diagnostic tool that can be used when it is infeasible to experimentally test for predation risk effects on demography, as may often be the case in wildlife conservation, since failing to consider predation risk effects may cause the total impact of predators to be dramatically underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana Y Zanette
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada,
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118
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Abstract
In a wide range of organisms, including humans, mothers can influence offspring via the care they provide. Comparatively little is known about the effects of fathering on offspring. Here, we test the hypothesis that fathers are capable of programming their offspring for the type of environment they are likely to encounter. Male threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, were either exposed to predation risk while fathering or not. Fathers altered their paternal behaviour when exposed to predation risk, and consequently produced adult offspring with phenotypes associated with strong predation pressure (smaller size, reduced body condition, reduced behavioural activity). Moreover, more attentive fathers produced offspring that showed stronger antipredator responses. These results are consistent with behaviourally mediated paternal programming: fathers can alter offspring phenotypes to match their future environment and influence offspring traits well into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Stein
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Alison M Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
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119
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Basso A, Coslovsky M, Richner H. Parasite- and predator-induced maternal effects in the great tit ( Parus major ). Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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120
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Crespi EJ, Unkefer MK. Development of food intake controls: neuroendocrine and environmental regulation of food intake during early life. Horm Behav 2014; 66:74-85. [PMID: 24727079 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Energy Balance". The development of neuroendocrine regulation of food intake during early life has been shaped by natural selection to allow for optimal growth and development rates needed for survival. In vertebrates, neonates or early larval forms typically exhibit "feeding drive," characterized by a developmental delay in 1) responsiveness of the hypothalamus to satiety signals (e.g., leptin, melanocortins) and 2) sensitivity to environmental cues that suppress food intake. Homeostatic regulation of food intake develops once offspring transition to later life history stages when growth is slower, neuroendocrine systems are more mature, and appetite becomes more sensitive to environmental or social cues. Across vertebrate groups, there is a tremendous amount of developmental plasticity in both food intake regulation and stress responsiveness depending on the environmental conditions experienced during early life history stages or by pregnant/brooding mothers. This plasticity is mediated through the organizing effects of hormones acting on the food intake centers of the hypothalamus during development, which alter epigenetic expression of genes associated with ingestive behaviors. Research is still needed to reveal the mechanisms through which environmental conditions during development generate and maintain these epigenetic modifications within the lifespan or across generations. Furthermore, more research is needed to determine whether observed patterns of plasticity are adaptive or pathological. It is clear, however, that developmental programming of food intake has important effects on fitness, and therefore, has ecological and evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica J Crespi
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
| | - Margaret K Unkefer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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121
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Abstract
Behavioral, hormonal, and genetic processes interact reciprocally, and differentially affect behavior depending on ecological and social contexts. When individual differences are favored either between or within environments, developmental plasticity would be expected. Parental effects provide a rich source for phenotypic plasticity, including anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits, because parents respond to dynamic cues in their environment and can, in turn, influence offspring accordingly. Because these inter-generational changes are plastic, parents can respond rapidly to changing environments and produce offspring whose phenotypes are well suited for current conditions more quickly than occurs with changes based on evolution through natural selection. I review studies on developmental plasticity and resulting phenotypes in Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi), an ideal species, given the competing demands to avoid predation while gaining sufficient weight to survive an upcoming hibernation, and the need for young to learn their survival behaviors. I will show how local environments and perceived risk of predation influence not only foraging, vigilance, and anti-predator behaviors, but also adrenal functioning, which may be especially important for obligate hibernators that face competing demands on the storage and mobilization of glucose. Mammalian behavioral development is sensitive to the social and physical environments provided by mothers during gestation and lactation. Therefore, maternal effects on offspring's phenotypes, both positive and negative, can be particularly strong.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Mateo
- Department of Comparative Human Development, 5730 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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122
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Ferreira SM, Hofmeyr M. Managing Charismatic Carnivores in Small Areas: Large Felids in South Africa. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.3957/056.044.0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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123
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Trojan Genes and Transparent Genomes: Sexual Selection, Regulatory Evolution and the Real Hopeful Monsters. Evol Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-014-9276-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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124
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Thayer ZM, Kuzawa CW. Early origins of health disparities: material deprivation predicts maternal evening cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity in the first few weeks of life. Am J Hum Biol 2014; 26:723-30. [PMID: 24599586 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Maternal hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis function regulates production of the stress hormone cortisol, which during pregnancy can cross the placenta and have lasting impacts on fetal growth and development. This article provides a preliminary test of the hypothesis that a woman's socioeconomic status (SES) predicts her cortisol during pregnancy and her offspring's cortisol during the early postnatal period among an ethnically diverse sample in Auckland, New Zealand to evaluate whether differences in cortisol contribute to the intergenerational inheritance of health disparities within this population. METHODS Maternal saliva samples were collected at waking and prior to sleep on 2 days in late pregnancy (34-36 weeks gestation; N = 55), and a subset of offspring saliva was collected before (N = 48) and 20 min after a standard vaccination at 6 weeks of age (N = 19). SES was quantified using a locally validated index of material deprivation, the NZ Deprivation Index for individuals (NZiDep). RESULTS We found that, after controlling for ethnicity and other covariates, women with higher NZiDep scores had significantly higher evening but similar morning cortisol, consistent with a pattern of chronic strain. Infants of women reporting greater material deprivation had elevated cortisol response to vaccination. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that maternal SES experience impacts maternal cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity soon after birth, with potential long-term effects on offspring biology and health. Additional research is needed to clarify how biological and behavioral factors in both the prenatal and postnatal period facilitate this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, 80202
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125
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Mukherjee S, Heithaus MR, Trexler JC, Ray-Mukherjee J, Vaudo J. Perceived risk of predation affects reproductive life-history traits in Gambusia holbrooki, but not in Heterandria formosa. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88832. [PMID: 24551171 PMCID: PMC3923821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 01/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Key to predicting impacts of predation is understanding the mechanisms through which predators impact prey populations. While consumptive effects are well-known, non-consumptive predator effects (risk effects) are increasingly being recognized as important. Studies of risk effects, however, have focused largely on how trade-offs between food and safety affect fitness. Less documented, and appreciated, is the potential for predator presence to directly suppress prey reproduction and affect life-history characteristics. For the first time, we tested the effects of visual predator cues on reproduction of two prey species with different reproductive modes, lecithotrophy (i.e. embryonic development primarily fueled by yolk) and matrotrophy (i.e. energy for embryonic development directly supplied by the mother to the embryo through a vascular connection). Predation risk suppressed reproduction in the lecithotrophic prey (Gambusia holbrokii) but not the matrotroph (Heterandria formosa). Predator stress caused G. holbrooki to reduce clutch size by 43%, and to produce larger and heavier offspring compared to control females. H. formosa, however, did not show any such difference. In G. holbrooki we also found a significantly high percentage (14%) of stillbirths in predator-exposed treatments compared to controls (2%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first direct empirical evidence of predation stress affecting stillbirths in prey. Our results suggest that matrotrophy, superfetation (clutch overlap), or both decrease the sensitivity of mothers to environmental fluctuation in resource (food) and stress (predation risk) levels compared to lecithotrophy. These mechanisms should be considered both when modeling consequences of perceived risk of predation on prey-predator population dynamics and when seeking to understand the evolution of reproductive modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shomen Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, United States of America
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Michael R. Heithaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Joel C. Trexler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jayanti Ray-Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, United States of America
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa
| | - Jeremy Vaudo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, United States of America
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126
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Stratmann A, Taborsky B. Antipredator defences of young are independently determined by genetic inheritance, maternal effects and own early experience in mouthbrooding cichlids. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Stratmann
- Behavioural Ecology; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Wohlenstrasse 50A CH-3032 Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Division of Animal Welfare; Veterinary Public Health Institute; University of Bern; Burgerweg 22 CH-3052 Zollikofen Switzerland
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Wohlenstrasse 50A CH-3032 Hinterkappelen Switzerland
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127
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Ezard THG, Prizak R, Hoyle RB. The fitness costs of adaptation via phenotypic plasticity and maternal effects. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H. G. Ezard
- Department of Mathematics Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford SurreyGU2 7XHUK
- Centre for Biological Sciences University of Southampton Life Sciences Building 85 Highfield Campus Southampton SO17 1BJUK
| | - Roshan Prizak
- Department of Mathematics Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford SurreyGU2 7XHUK
- Department of Electrical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai Mumbai400076India
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria Am Campus 1 Klosterneuburg A‐3400Austria
| | - Rebecca B. Hoyle
- Department of Mathematics Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford SurreyGU2 7XHUK
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128
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Abstract
Animal models of early-life stress and variation in social experience across the lifespan have contributed significantly to our understanding of the environmental regulation of the developing brain. Plasticity in neurobiological pathways regulating stress responsivity, cognition, and reproductive behavior is apparent during the prenatal period and continues into adulthood, suggesting a lifelong sensitivity to environmental cues. Recent evidence suggests that dynamic epigenetic changes--molecular modifications that alter gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence--account for this plasticity. In this review, we highlight studies of laboratory rodents that illustrate the association between the experience of prenatal stress, maternal separation, maternal care, abusive caregiving in infancy, juvenile social housing, and adult social stress and variation in DNA methylation and histone modification. Moreover, we discuss emerging evidence for the transgenerational impact of these experiences. These experimental paradigms have yielded insights into the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating the effects of the environment on human development and also indicate that consideration of the sensitivity of laboratory animals to environmental cues may be an important factor in predicting long-term health and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Gudsnuk
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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129
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Montiglio PO, Garant D, Bergeron P, Messier GD, Réale D. Pulsed resources and the coupling between life-history strategies and exploration patterns in eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:720-8. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Olivier Montiglio
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en écologie comportementale; Département des Sciences Biologiques; Université du Québec à Montréal; CP 8888 succursale centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3P8 Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de biologie; Faculté des sciences; Université de Sherbrooke; 2500 boul. de l'Université Sherbrooke QC J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Patrick Bergeron
- Département de biologie; Faculté des sciences; Université de Sherbrooke; 2500 boul. de l'Université Sherbrooke QC J1K 2R1 Canada
| | - Gabrielle Dubuc Messier
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en écologie comportementale; Département des Sciences Biologiques; Université du Québec à Montréal; CP 8888 succursale centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3P8 Canada
| | - Denis Réale
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en écologie comportementale; Département des Sciences Biologiques; Université du Québec à Montréal; CP 8888 succursale centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3P8 Canada
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130
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Kenny SL, Wright LD, Green AD, Mashoodh R, Perrot TS. Expression of maternal behavior and activation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during predatory threat exposure: Modulatory effects of transport stress. Physiol Behav 2014; 123:148-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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131
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Bourbonnais ML, Nelson TA, Cattet MRL, Darimont CT, Stenhouse GB. Spatial analysis of factors influencing long-term stress in the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population of Alberta, Canada. PLoS One 2013; 8:e83768. [PMID: 24386273 PMCID: PMC3873976 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive measures for assessing long-term stress in free ranging mammals are an increasingly important approach for understanding physiological responses to landscape conditions. Using a spatially and temporally expansive dataset of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) generated from a threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population in Alberta, Canada, we quantified how variables representing habitat conditions and anthropogenic disturbance impact long-term stress in grizzly bears. We characterized spatial variability in male and female HCC point data using kernel density estimation and quantified variable influence on spatial patterns of male and female HCC stress surfaces using random forests. Separate models were developed for regions inside and outside of parks and protected areas to account for substantial differences in anthropogenic activity and disturbance within the study area. Variance explained in the random forest models ranged from 55.34% to 74.96% for males and 58.15% to 68.46% for females. Predicted HCC levels were higher for females compared to males. Generally, high spatially continuous female HCC levels were associated with parks and protected areas while low-to-moderate levels were associated with increased anthropogenic disturbance. In contrast, male HCC levels were low in parks and protected areas and low-to-moderate in areas with increased anthropogenic disturbance. Spatial variability in gender-specific HCC levels reveal that the type and intensity of external stressors are not uniform across the landscape and that male and female grizzly bears may be exposed to, or perceive, potential stressors differently. We suggest observed spatial patterns of long-term stress may be the result of the availability and distribution of foods related to disturbance features, potential sexual segregation in available habitat selection, and may not be influenced by sources of mortality which represent acute traumas. In this wildlife system and others, conservation and management efforts can benefit by understanding spatial- and gender-based stress responses to landscape conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu L. Bourbonnais
- Spatial Pattern Analysis and Research Lab, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Trisalyn A. Nelson
- Spatial Pattern Analysis and Research Lab, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marc R. L. Cattet
- Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Chris T. Darimont
- Applied Conservation Science Lab, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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132
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Trojan Genes or Transparent Genomes? Sexual Selection and Potential Impacts of Genetically Modified Animals in Natural Ecosystems. Evol Biol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-013-9268-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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133
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Yan C, Stenseth NC, Krebs CJ, Zhang Z. Linking climate change to population cycles of hares and lynx. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2013; 19:3263-3271. [PMID: 23846828 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The classic 10-year population cycle of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus, Erxleben 1777) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis, Kerr 1792) in the boreal forests of North America has drawn much attention from both population and community ecologists worldwide; however, the ecological mechanisms driving the 10-year cyclic dynamic pattern are not fully revealed yet. In this study, by the use of historic fur harvest data, we constructed a series of generalized additive models to study the effects of density dependence, predation, and climate (both global climate indices of North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO), Southern Oscillation index (SOI) and northern hemispheric temperature (NHT) and local weather data including temperature, rainfall, and snow). We identified several key pathways from global and local climate to lynx with various time lags: rainfall shows a negative, and snow shows a positive effect on lynx; NHT and NAO negatively affect lynx through their positive effect on rainfall and negative effect on snow; SOI positively affects lynx through its negative effect on rainfall. Direct or delayed density dependency effects, the prey effect of hare on lynx and a 2-year delayed negative effect of lynx on hare (defined as asymmetric predation) were found. The simulated population dynamics is well fitted to the observed long-term fluctuations of hare and lynx populations. Through simulation, we find density dependency and asymmetric predation, only producing damped oscillation, are necessary but not sufficient factors in causing the observed 10-year cycles; while extrinsic climate factors are important in producing and modifying the sustained cycles. Two recent population declines of lynx (1940-1955 and after 1980) were likely caused by ongoing climate warming indirectly. Our results provide an alternative explanation to the mechanism of the 10-year cycles, and there is a need for further investigation on links between disappearance of population cycles and global warming in hare-lynx system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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134
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Barraquand F. Functional responses and predator–prey models: a critique of ratio dependence. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-013-0201-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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135
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Angelier F, Wingfield JC. Importance of the glucocorticoid stress response in a changing world: theory, hypotheses and perspectives. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 190:118-28. [PMID: 23770214 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2013] [Revised: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In this perspective paper, we emphasize the importance that integrative mechanisms, and especially the GC (glucocorticoid) stress response, can play in the ability of vertebrates to cope with ongoing global change. The GC stress response is an essential mediator of allostasis (i.e., the responses of an organism to a perturbation) that aims at maintaining stability (homeostasis) despite changing conditions. The GC stress response is a complex mechanism that depends on several physiological components and aims at promoting immediate survival at the expense of other life-history components (e.g., reproduction) when a labile perturbation factor (LPF) occurs. Importantly, this mechanism is somewhat flexible and its degree of activation can be adjusted to the fitness costs and benefits that result from the GC stress response. Therefore, this GC stress response mediates life-history decisions and is involved in the regulation of important life-history trade-offs. By inducing abrupt and rapid changes in the regime of LPFs, we believe that global change can affect the efficiency of the GC stress response to maintain homeostasis and to appropriately regulate these trades-offs. This dysfunction may result in an important mismatch between new LPFs and the associated GC stress response and, thus, in the inability of vertebrates to cope with a changing world. In that context, it is essential to better understand how the GC stress response can be adjusted to new LPFs through micro-evolution, phenotypic plasticity and phenotypic flexibility (habituation and sensitization). This paper sets up a theoretical framework, hypotheses and new perspectives that will allow testing and better understanding how the GC stress response can help or constrain individuals, populations and species to adjust to ongoing global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
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136
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Goswami S, Rodríguez-Sierra O, Cascardi M, Paré D. Animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder: face validity. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:89. [PMID: 23754973 PMCID: PMC3668155 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that develops in a proportion of individuals following a traumatic event. Despite recent advances, ethical limitations associated with human research impede progress in understanding PTSD. Fortunately, much effort has focused on developing animal models to help study the pathophysiology of PTSD. Here, we provide an overview of animal PTSD models where a variety of stressors (physical, psychosocial, or psychogenic) are used to examine the long-term effects of severe trauma. We emphasize models involving predator threat because they reproduce human individual differences in susceptibility to, and in the long-term consequences of, psychological trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Goswami
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University Newark, NJ, USA
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137
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Jochym M, Halle S. Influence of predation risk on recruitment and litter intervals in common voles (Microtus arvalis). CAN J ZOOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2012-0249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Research on mammals and birds has shown that predation may have indirect effects on prey reproduction. Some of the indirect effects may give prey an adaptive advantage. Females of several vole species respond to the presence of predators from the genus Mustela L., 1758 with suppressed breeding; this response increases females’ chances of survival. However, breeding suppression is observed only in a certain part of the female population; it is unclear whether predation risk affects the remaining females. We investigated this in a capture–mark–recapture experiment on reproductive effort of female common voles (Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778)) facing simulated presence of mustelid predators. We measured two parameters: the number of recruits per litter and the litter interval. Compared with control populations, the number of recruits per litter was not affected, but the litter interval was longer in females facing mustelid risk of predation. This indicates that predation risk affects females in a more complex way than originally proposed: it induces breeding suppression in some, but also influences litter frequency in others. Our result suggests that predatory stress deregulates the estrous cycle. Decreased frequency of litters can be a viable antipredatory adaptation in iteroparous organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Jochym
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Dornburger Straße 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - S. Halle
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Dornburger Straße 159, D-07743 Jena, Germany
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138
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Mitchell TS, Warner DA, Janzen FJ. Phenotypic and fitness consequences of maternal nest-site choice across multiple early life stages. Ecology 2013; 94:336-45. [DOI: 10.1890/12-0343.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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139
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Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Sheriff
- Institute of Arctic Biology; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks; AK; USA
| | - O. P. Love
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; Windsor; ON; Canada
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140
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Macbeth BJ, Cattet MRL, Obbard ME, Middel K, Janz DM. Evaluation of hair cortisol concentration as a biomarker of long-term stress in free-ranging polar bears. WILDLIFE SOC B 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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141
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Breuner CW, Delehanty B, Boonstra R. Evaluating stress in natural populations of vertebrates: total CORT is not good enough. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Creagh W. Breuner
- Wildlife Biology and Organismal Biology and Ecology; University of Montana; Missoula; Montana; 59812; USA
| | - Brendan Delehanty
- Department of Biological Sciences; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
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142
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Boonstra R. Reality as the leading cause of stress: rethinking the impact of chronic stress in nature. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 320] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
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143
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Love OP, McGowan PO, Sheriff MJ. Maternal adversity and ecological stressors in natural populations: the role of stress axis programming in individuals, with implications for populations and communities. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02040.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver P. Love
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; 401 Sunset Avenue; Windsor; Ontario; N9B 3P4; Canada
| | - Patrick O. McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Toronto Scarborough; 1265 Military Trail; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
| | - Michael J. Sheriff
- Institute of Arctic Biology; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 902 N. Koyukuk Dr; Fairbanks; Alaska; 99775; USA
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144
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Legagneux P, Gauthier G, Berteaux D, Bêty J, Cadieux MC, Bilodeau F, Bolduc E, McKinnon L, Tarroux A, Therrien JF, Morissette L, Krebs CJ. Disentangling trophic relationships in a High Arctic tundra ecosystem through food web modeling. Ecology 2012; 93:1707-16. [DOI: 10.1890/11-1973.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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145
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McGhee KE, Pintor LM, Suhr EL, Bell AM. Maternal exposure to predation risk decreases offspring antipredator behaviour and survival in threespined stickleback. Funct Ecol 2012; 26:932-940. [PMID: 22962510 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02008.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
1. Adaptive maternal programming occurs when mothers alter their offspring's phenotype in response to environmental information such that it improves offspring fitness. When a mother's environment is predictive of the conditions her offspring are likely to encounter, such transgenerational plasticity enables offspring to be better-prepared for this particular environment. However, maternal effects can also have deleterious effects on fitness.2. Here, we test whether female threespined stickleback fish exposed to predation risk adaptively prepare their offspring to cope with predators. We either exposed gravid females to a model predator or not, and compared their offspring's antipredator behaviour and survival when alone with a live predator. Importantly, we measured offspring behaviour and survival in the face of the same type of predator that threatened their mothers (Northern pike).3. We did not find evidence for adaptive maternal programming; offspring of predator-exposed mothers were less likely to orient to the predator than offspring from unexposed mothers. In our predation assay, orienting to the predator was an effective antipredator behaviour and those that oriented, survived for longer.4. In addition, offspring from predator-exposed mothers were caught more quickly by the predator on average than offspring from unexposed mothers. The difference in antipredator behaviour between the maternal predator-exposure treatments offers a potential behavioural mechanism contributing to the difference in survival between maternal treatments.5. However, the strength and direction of the maternal effect on offspring survival depended on offspring size. Specifically, the larger the offspring from predator-exposed mothers, the more vulnerable they were to predation compared to offspring from unexposed mothers.6. Our results suggest that the predation risk perceived by mothers can have long-term behavioural and fitness consequences for offspring in response to the same predator. These stress-mediated maternal effects can have nonadaptive consequences for offspring when they find themselves alone with a predator. In addition, complex interactions between such maternal effects and offspring traits such as size can influence our conclusions about the adaptive nature of maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E McGhee
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, U.S.A
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146
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Jochym M, Halle S. To breed, or not to breed? Predation risk induces breeding suppression in common voles. Oecologia 2012; 170:943-53. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2372-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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147
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BERNSTEIN ROBINM, SETCHELL JOANNAM, VERRIER DELPHINE, KNAPP LESLIEA. Maternal Effects and the Endocrine Regulation of Mandrill Growth. Am J Primatol 2012; 74:890-900. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2011] [Revised: 03/26/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- ROBIN M. BERNSTEIN
- Department of Anthropology; The George Washington University; Washington; DC
| | | | - DELPHINE VERRIER
- Primate Center and Ecology of Health Research Unit; International Center for Medical Research of Franceville (CIRMF); Franceville; Gabon
| | - LESLIE A. KNAPP
- Department of Biological Anthropology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge; United Kingdom
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148
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Haapakoski M, Sundell J, Ylönen H. Predation risk and food: opposite effects on overwintering survival and onset of breeding in a boreal rodent. J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:1183-1192. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.02005.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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149
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Curno O, Reader T, McElligott AG, Behnke JM, Barnard CJ. Infection before pregnancy affects immunity and response to social challenge in the next generation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 366:3364-74. [PMID: 22042914 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural selection should favour parents that are able to adjust their offspring's life-history strategy and resource allocation in response to changing environmental and social conditions. Pathogens impose particularly strong and variable selective pressure on host life histories, and parental genes will benefit if offspring are appropriately primed to meet the immunological challenges ahead. Here, we investigated transgenerational immune priming by examining reproductive resource allocation by female mice in response to direct infection with Babesia microti prior to pregnancy. Female mice previously infected with B. microti gained more weight over pregnancy, and spent more time nursing their offspring. These offspring generated an accelerated response to B. microti as adults, clearing the infection sooner and losing less weight as a result of infection. They also showed an altered hormonal response to novel social environments, decreasing instead of increasing testosterone production upon social housing. These results suggest that a dominance-resistance trade-off can be mediated by cues from the previous generation. We suggest that strategic maternal investment in response to an infection leads to increased disease resistance in the following generation. Offspring from previously infected mothers downregulate investment in acquisition of social dominance, which in natural systems would reduce access to mating opportunities. In doing so, however, they avoid the reduced disease resistance associated with increased testosterone and dominance. The benefits of accelerated clearance of infection and reduced weight loss during infection may outweigh costs associated with reduced social dominance in an environment where the risk of disease is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Curno
- School of Biology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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150
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Montiglio PO, Pelletier F, Palme R, Garant D, Réale D, Boonstra R. Noninvasive Monitoring of Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus): Validation and Comparison of Two Enzyme Immunoassays. Physiol Biochem Zool 2012; 85:183-93. [DOI: 10.1086/664592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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