151
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Sheriff MJ, Dantzer B, Love OP, Orrock JL. Error management theory and the adaptive significance of transgenerational maternal-stress effects on offspring phenotype. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6473-6482. [PMID: 30038749 PMCID: PMC6053571 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that circulating maternal stress hormones (glucocorticoids, GCs) can alter offspring phenotype. There is also a growing body of empirical work, within ecology and evolution, indicating that maternal GCs link the environment experienced by the mother during gestation with changes in offspring phenotype. These changes are considered to be adaptive if the maternal environment matches the offspring's environment and maladaptive if it does not. While these ideas are conceptually sound, we lack a testable framework that can be used to investigate the fitness costs and benefits of altered offspring phenotypes across relevant future environments. We present error management theory as the foundation for a framework that can be used to assess the adaptive potential of maternal stress hormones on offspring phenotype across relevant postnatal scenarios. To encourage rigorous testing of our framework, we provide field-testable hypotheses regarding the potential adaptive role of maternal stress across a diverse array of taxa and life histories, as well as suggestions regarding how our framework might provide insight into past, present, and future research. This perspective provides an informed lens through which to design and interpret experiments on the effects of maternal stress, provides a framework for predicting and testing variation in maternal stress across and within taxa, and also highlights how rapid environmental change that induces maternal stress may lead to evolutionary traps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and ManagementHuck Institute of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvania
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Departments of Psychology, Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of WindsorWindsorONCanada
| | - John L. Orrock
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WisconsinMadisonWisconsin
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152
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Petrová I, Petriláková M, Losík J, Gouveia A, Damugi IE, Tkadlec E. Density-related pattern of variation in body growth, body size and annual productivity in the common hamster. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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153
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Langen EMA, von Engelhardt N, Goerlich-Jansson VC. No evidence for sex-specific effects of the maternal social environment on offspring development in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 263:12-20. [PMID: 29684400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The social environment of reproducing females can cause physiological changes, with consequences for reproductive investment and offspring development. These prenatal maternal effects are often found to be sex-specific and may have evolved as adaptations, maximizing fitness of male and female offspring for their future environment. Female hormone levels during reproduction are considered a potential mechanism regulating sex allocation in vertebrates: high maternal androgens have repeatedly been linked to increased investment in sons, whereas high glucocorticoid levels are usually related to increased investment in daughters. However, results are not consistent across studies and therefore still inconclusive. In Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), we previously found that pair-housed females had higher plasma androgen levels and tended to have higher plasma corticosterone levels than group-housed females. In the current study we investigate whether these differences in maternal social environment and physiology affect offspring sex allocation and physiology. Counter to our expectations, we find no effects of the maternal social environment on offspring sex ratio, sex-specific mortality, growth, circulating androgen or corticosterone levels. Also, maternal corticosterone or androgen levels do not correlate with offspring sex ratio or mortality. The social environment during reproduction therefore does not necessarily modify sex allocation and offspring physiology, even if it causes differences in maternal physiology. We propose that maternal effects of the social environment strongly depend upon the type of social stimuli and the timing of changes in the social environment and hormones with respect to the reproductive cycle and meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther M A Langen
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Nikolaus von Engelhardt
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Vivian C Goerlich-Jansson
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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154
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Kristensen NP, Johansson J, Chisholm RA, Smith HG, Kokko H. Carryover effects from natal habitat type upon competitive ability lead to trait divergence or source-sink dynamics. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1341-1352. [PMID: 29938889 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Local adaptation to rare habitats is difficult due to gene flow, but can occur if the habitat has higher productivity. Differences in offspring phenotypes have attracted little attention in this context. We model a scenario where the rarer habitat improves offspring's later competitive ability - a carryover effect that operates on top of local adaptation to one or the other habitat type. Assuming localised dispersal, so the offspring tend to settle in similar habitat to the natal type, the superior competitive ability of offspring remaining in the rarer habitat hampers immigration from the majority habitat. This initiates a positive feedback between local adaptation and trait divergence, which can thereafter be reinforced by coevolution with dispersal traits that match ecotype to habitat type. Rarity strengthens selection on dispersal traits and promotes linkage disequilibrium between locally adapted traits and ecotype-habitat matching dispersal. We propose that carryover effects may initiate isolation by ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ryan A Chisholm
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Centre of Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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155
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Santicchia F, Dantzer B, van Kesteren F, Palme R, Martinoli A, Ferrari N, Wauters LA. Stress in biological invasions: Introduced invasive grey squirrels increase physiological stress in native Eurasian red squirrels. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1342-1352. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santicchia
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit; Guido Tosi Research Group; Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences; Università degli Studi dell'Insubria; Varese Italy
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan
| | | | - Rupert Palme
- Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology; Department of Biomedical Sciences; University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Adriano Martinoli
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit; Guido Tosi Research Group; Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences; Università degli Studi dell'Insubria; Varese Italy
| | - Nicola Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Sciences and Public Health; Università degli Studi di Milano; Milan Italy
| | - Lucas Armand Wauters
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit; Guido Tosi Research Group; Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences; Università degli Studi dell'Insubria; Varese Italy
- Department of Biology; Evolutionary Ecology Group; University of Antwerp; Wilrijk Belgium
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156
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Vitousek MN, Johnson MA, Donald JW, Francis CD, Fuxjager MJ, Goymann W, Hau M, Husak JF, Kircher BK, Knapp R, Martin LB, Miller ET, Schoenle LA, Uehling JJ, Williams TD. HormoneBase, a population-level database of steroid hormone levels across vertebrates. Sci Data 2018; 5:180097. [PMID: 29786693 PMCID: PMC5963335 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2018.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormones are central regulators of organismal function and flexibility that mediate a diversity of phenotypic traits from early development through senescence. Yet despite these important roles, basic questions about how and why hormone systems vary within and across species remain unanswered. Here we describe HormoneBase, a database of circulating steroid hormone levels and their variation across vertebrates. This database aims to provide all available data on the mean, variation, and range of plasma glucocorticoids (both baseline and stress-induced) and androgens in free-living and un-manipulated adult vertebrates. HormoneBase (www.HormoneBase.org) currently includes >6,580 entries from 476 species, reported in 648 publications from 1967 to 2015, and unpublished datasets. Entries are associated with data on the species and population, sex, year and month of study, geographic coordinates, life history stage, method and latency of hormone sampling, and analysis technique. This novel resource could be used for analyses of the function and evolution of hormone systems, and the relationships between hormonal variation and a variety of processes including phenotypic variation, fitness, and species distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Michele A Johnson
- Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Jeremy W Donald
- Coates Library, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Clinton D Francis
- Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | | | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Bonnie K Kircher
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Rosemary Knapp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | | | - Laura A Schoenle
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Jennifer J Uehling
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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157
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Brachetta V, Schleich CE, Cutrera AP, Merlo JL, Kittlein MJ, Zenuto RR. Prenatal predatory stress in a wild species of subterranean rodent: Do ecological stressors always have a negative effect on the offspring? Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:567-581. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Brachetta
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Cristian E. Schleich
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Ana P. Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Julieta L. Merlo
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Marcelo J. Kittlein
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Roxana R. Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
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158
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Kästner N, Richter SH, Bodden C, Palme R, Kaiser S, Sachser N. Varying Social Experiences in Adulthood Do Not Differentially Affect Anxiety-Like Behavior But Stress Hormone Levels. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:72. [PMID: 29740291 PMCID: PMC5928152 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social experiences can have profound effects on an individual’s level of anxiety. While various studies have addressed consequences of experiences of a specific type, e.g., social defeat, a recent study in mice investigated the impact of combinations of adverse and beneficial social experiences. Quite surprisingly, mice exposed to benefits during early life phases followed by escapable adversity in adulthood displayed lowest levels of anxiety, even compared to individuals having experienced throughout beneficial conditions. The present study aimed to elucidate whether this phenomenon is restricted to these specific life phases or whether it also exists when all these experiences are made in full adulthood. For this purpose, we compared anxiety-like behavior and stress response of adult male mice exposed to escapable social defeat following beneficial social experiences to that of mice exposed to either throughout adverse or throughout beneficial conditions. More precisely, we performed three established behavioral paradigms measuring anxiety-like behavior and assessed corticosterone metabolites non-invasively via feces sampling. Interestingly, we found no effects of social experience on anxiety-like behavior. In contrast to that, the animals’ stress hormone levels were profoundly affected by current social conditions: escapable social defeat (adverse condition) led to an increase in corticosterone metabolite concentrations, whereas living with a female (beneficial condition) led to a decrease. Thus, on the one hand this study suggests the importance of the timing of social experience for affecting an individual’s level of anxiety. On the other hand, it demonstrates that anxiety and stress hormone levels can be affected separately by social experience during adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Kästner
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Carina Bodden
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Münster Graduate School of Evolution, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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159
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Ruuskanen S, Hsu BY. Maternal Thyroid Hormones: An Unexplored Mechanism Underlying Maternal Effects in an Ecological Framework. Physiol Biochem Zool 2018; 91:904-916. [DOI: 10.1086/697380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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160
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Lane JE, McAdam AG, McFarlane SE, Williams CT, Humphries MM, Coltman DW, Gorrell JC, Boutin S. Phenological shifts in North American red squirrels: disentangling the roles of phenotypic plasticity and microevolution. J Evol Biol 2018. [PMID: 29518280 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Phenological shifts are the most widely reported ecological responses to climate change, but the requirements to distinguish their causes (i.e. phenotypic plasticity vs. microevolution) are rarely met. To do so, we analysed almost two decades of parturition data from a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Although an observed advance in parturition date during the first decade provided putative support for climate change-driven microevolution, a closer look revealed a more complex pattern. Parturition date was heritable [h2 = 0.14 (0.07-0.21 (HPD interval)] and under phenotypic selection [β = -0.14 ± 0.06 (SE)] across the full study duration. However, the early advance reversed in the second decade. Further, selection did not act on the genetic contribution to variation in parturition date, and observed changes in predicted breeding values did not exceed those expected due to genetic drift. Instead, individuals responded plastically to environmental variation, and high food [white spruce (Picea glauca) seed] production in the first decade appears to have produced a plastic advance. In addition, there was little evidence of climate change affecting the advance, as there was neither a significant influence of spring temperature on parturition date or evidence of a change in spring temperatures across the study duration. Heritable traits not responding to selection in accordance with quantitative genetic predictions have long presented a puzzle to evolutionary ecologists. Our results on red squirrels provide empirical support for one potential solution: phenotypic selection arising from an environmental, as opposed to genetic, covariance between the phenotypic trait and annual fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey E Lane
- Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala Universitet Biologiska Sektionen, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | | | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jamieson C Gorrell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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161
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Fauteux D, Gauthier G, Berteaux D, Palme R, Boonstra R. High Arctic lemmings remain reproductively active under predator-induced elevated stress. Oecologia 2018; 187:657-666. [PMID: 29651661 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4140-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Non-consumptive effects of predation have rarely been assessed in wildlife populations even though their impact could be as important as lethal effects. Reproduction of individuals is one of the most important demographic parameters that could be affected by predator-induced stress, which in turn can have important consequences on population dynamics. We studied non-consumptive effects of predation on the reproductive activity (i.e., mating and fertilization) of a cyclic population of brown lemmings exposed to intense summer predation in the Canadian High Arctic. Lemmings were live-trapped, their reproductive activity (i.e., testes visible in males, pregnancy/lactation in females) assessed, and predators were monitored during the summers of 2014 and 2015 within a 9 ha predator-reduction exclosure delimited by a fence and covered by a net, and on an 11 ha control area. Stress levels were quantified non-invasively with fecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM). We found that FCM levels of lemmings captured outside the predator exclosure (n = 50) were 1.6 times higher than inside (n = 51). The proportion of pregnant/lactating adult females did not differ between the two areas, nor did the proportion of adult scrotal males. We found that lemmings showed physiological stress reactions due to high predation risk, but had no sign of reduced mating activity or fertility. Thus, our results do not support the hypothesis of reproductive suppression by predator-induced stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Fauteux
- Department of Biology and Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada. .,Canadian Museum of Nature, P.O. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa, ON, K1P 6P4, Canada.
| | - Gilles Gauthier
- Department of Biology and Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Dominique Berteaux
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity and Centre d'études nordiques, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada
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162
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Bairos-Novak KR, Ryan CP, Freeman AR, Anderson WG, Hare JF. Like mother, like daughter: heritability of female Richardson's ground squirrel Urocitellus richardsonii cortisol stress responses. Curr Zool 2018; 64:153-163. [PMID: 30402055 PMCID: PMC5905375 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis liberates glucocorticoids, which provides an acute indication of an individual's response to stressors. The heritability of the stress response in wild mammals, however, remains poorly documented. We quantified the cortisol stress response of female Richardson's ground squirrels (RGSs) to handling and physical restraint, testing for: (1) the effects of individual age, time of day, and sample latency; (2) repeatability within individuals; (3) narrow-sense heritability; and (4) differences among individuals owing to potential genetic and/or environmental effects. We detected a positive linear relationship between baseline plasma cortisol (BL-cortisol) concentration and stress-induced plasma cortisol (SI-cortisol) concentration that defined each individual's cortisol stress response. BL-cortisol, SI-cortisol, and stress response did not differ according to the time the sample was taken, or by subject age. Cortisol stress response was highly repeatable within individuals, had a mother-offspring heritability of h 2 = 0.40 ± 0.24 (mean ± SE), full-sibling heritability ofh FS 2 = 0.37 ± 0.71 , and half-sibling heritability ofh HS 2 = 0.75 ± 1.41 . Stress responses of sibling groups, immediate-family groups, and squirrels within a given area did not differ, whereas those of individuals from more distantly related matrilines did. Our results highlight the natural variability in HPA axis reactivity among individuals by quantifying both BL- and SI-cortisol levels, demonstrate partial heritability of the stress response that is not attributable to environmental variation, and suggest that at least part of an individual's stress response can be accounted for by differences in matrilineal history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Bairos-Novak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5E2 Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, 60208 Illinois, USA
| | - Angela R Freeman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, 44242 Ohio, USA
| | - W Gary Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - James F Hare
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada
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163
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Edwards PD, Boonstra R. Glucocorticoids and CBG during pregnancy in mammals: diversity, pattern, and function. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 259:122-130. [PMID: 29155262 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Pregnancy is one of the defining characteristics of placental mammals. Key in the growth and development of the fetus during pregnancy are the dynamics of glucocorticoids (GCs) and their binding protein,corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), which determines how much of the GCs are free and biologically active. Out of more than 5000 species of placental mammals in 19 different orders, our understanding of the dynamics of maternal GCs and CBG during pregnancy is largely limited to the detailed study of 3 groups - sheep, laboratory rodents, and humans. The assumption is often made that what we see in these few species applies to the rest. To examine this generality, we compared patterns of maternal GCs over pregnancy from all placental mammals where data is available: in the blood of 13 species from 5 different orders and in metabolites in excreta in an additional 20 species from 9 orders. We found that maternal free GCs increase by late pregnancy in most taxa. This increase is achieved by either an increase in total GC secretion or a decrease in CBG. A major exception is found in the even-toed ungulates (sheep, cows, etc.) where maternal GCs and CBG remain stable, but where the fetal adrenals mature in late pregnancy and produce the majority of their own GCs. We conclude that patterns of change in maternal GCs and CBG during pregnancy are species-specific but are alternative means to the same end: increased fetal exposure to GCs in late pregnancy, which is essential for development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe D Edwards
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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164
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Sheriff MJ, Bell A, Boonstra R, Dantzer B, Lavergne SG, McGhee KE, MacLeod KJ, Winandy L, Zimmer C, Love OP. Integrating Ecological and Evolutionary Context in the Study of Maternal Stress. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:437-449. [PMID: 28957523 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress can prenatally influence offspring phenotypes and there are an increasing number of ecological studies that are bringing to bear biomedical findings to natural systems. This is resulting in a shift from the perspective that maternal stress is unanimously costly, to one in which maternal stress may be beneficial to offspring. However, this adaptive perspective is in its infancy with much progress to still be made in understanding the role of maternal stress in natural systems. Our aim is to emphasize the importance of the ecological and evolutionary context within which adaptive hypotheses of maternal stress can be evaluated. We present five primary research areas where we think future research can make substantial progress: (1) understanding maternal and offspring control mechanisms that modulate exposure between maternal stress and subsequent offspring phenotype response; (2) understanding the dynamic nature of the interaction between mothers and their environment; (3) integrating offspring phenotypic responses and measuring both maternal and offspring fitness outcomes under real-life (either free-living or semi-natural) conditions; (4) empirically testing these fitness outcomes across relevant spatial and temporal environmental contexts (both pre- and post-natal environments); (5) examining the role of maternal stress effects in human-altered environments-i.e., do they limit or enhance fitness. To make progress, it is critical to understand the role of maternal stress in an ecological context and to do that, we must integrate across physiology, behavior, genetics, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alison Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, Program in Neuroscience, and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, IL 61821, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sophia G Lavergne
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Katie E McGhee
- Department of Biology, the University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA
| | - Kirsty J MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Laurane Winandy
- CNRS, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, ENFA, UMR5174 (Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique), 31077 Toulouse, France.,CNRS, UMR5321, Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Cedric Zimmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
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165
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Lea AJ, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Developmental plasticity: Bridging research in evolution and human health. Evol Med Public Health 2018; 2017:162-175. [PMID: 29424834 PMCID: PMC5798083 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eox019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life experiences can have profound and persistent effects on traits expressed throughout the life course, with consequences for later life behavior, disease risk, and mortality rates. The shaping of later life traits by early life environments, known as 'developmental plasticity', has been well-documented in humans and non-human animals, and has consequently captured the attention of both evolutionary biologists and researchers studying human health. Importantly, the parallel significance of developmental plasticity across multiple fields presents a timely opportunity to build a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. We aim to facilitate this goal by highlighting key outstanding questions shared by both evolutionary and health researchers, and by identifying theory and empirical work from both research traditions that is designed to address these questions. Specifically, we focus on: (i) evolutionary explanations for developmental plasticity, (ii) the genetics of developmental plasticity and (iii) the molecular mechanisms that mediate developmental plasticity. In each section, we emphasize the conceptual gains in human health and evolutionary biology that would follow from filling current knowledge gaps using interdisciplinary approaches. We encourage researchers interested in developmental plasticity to evaluate their own work in light of research from diverse fields, with the ultimate goal of establishing a cross-disciplinary understanding of developmental plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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166
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Robertson JG, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Individual variation in the dear enemy phenomenon via territorial vocalizations in red squirrels. BEHAVIOUR 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Territoriality arises when the benefits of resources exceed the costs of defending them. The dear enemy phenomenon, where familiar territorial neighbours refrain from intruding on one another and mutually reduce their defensive efforts, allows for reduction of these costs but requires discrimination between conspecifics. We hypothesized that territorial vocalizations in red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) are used for this discrimination. We performed a speaker replacement experiment where red squirrels () were temporarily removed from their territories and replaced with a speaker broadcasting their own call, an unfamiliar call, or silence. Contrary to our prediction, there were no differences in overall intrusion risk among our three playbacks, but the identity of intruders did vary. Existing variation in familiarity within territorial neighbourhoods should be considered, rather than the binary classification of familiar or stranger, when studying dear enemy effects. We also discuss the variable importance of silence in acoustic territorial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack G. Robertson
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- bDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Murray M. Humphries
- cDepartment of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- dDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- eDepartment of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- fDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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167
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Ren T, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Dantzer B, Gorrell JC, Coltman DW, McAdam AG, Wu M. Seasonal, spatial, and maternal effects on gut microbiome in wild red squirrels. MICROBIOME 2017; 5:163. [PMID: 29268780 PMCID: PMC5740981 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-017-0382-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our understanding of gut microbiota has been limited primarily to findings from human and laboratory animals, but what shapes the gut microbiota in nature remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted a comprehensive study of gut microbiota of a well-studied North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) population. Red squirrels are territorial, solitary, and live in a highly seasonal environment and therefore represent a very attractive system to study factors that drive the temporal and spatial dynamics of gut microbiota. RESULT For the first time, this study revealed significant spatial patterns of gut microbiota within a host population, suggesting limited dispersal could play a role in shaping and maintaining the structure of gut microbial communities. We also found a remarkable seasonal rhythm in red squirrel's gut microbial composition manifested by a tradeoff between relative abundance of two genera Oscillospira and Corpococcus and clearly associated with seasonal variation in diet availability. Our results show that in nature, environmental factors exert a much stronger influence on gut microbiota than host-associated factors including age and sex. Despite strong environmental effects, we found clear evidence of individuality and maternal effects, but host genetics did not seem to be a significant driver of the gut microbial communities in red squirrels. CONCLUSION Taken together, the results of this study emphasize the importance of external ecological factors rather than host attributes in driving temporal and spatial patterns of gut microbiota in natural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Ren
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
| | - Murray M. Humphries
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Jamieson C. Gorrell
- Biology Department, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario Canada
| | - Martin Wu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA USA
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168
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Bonier F, Martin PR. How can we estimate natural selection on endocrine traits? Lessons from evolutionary biology. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1887. [PMID: 27881753 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
An evolutionary perspective can enrich almost any endeavour in biology, providing a deeper understanding of the variation we see in nature. To this end, evolutionary endocrinologists seek to describe the fitness consequences of variation in endocrine traits. Much of the recent work in our field, however, follows a flawed approach to the study of how selection shapes endocrine traits. Briefly, this approach relies on among-individual correlations between endocrine phenotypes (often circulating hormone levels) and fitness metrics to estimate selection on those endocrine traits. Adaptive plasticity in both endocrine and fitness-related traits can drive these correlations, generating patterns that do not accurately reflect natural selection. We illustrate why this approach to studying selection on endocrine traits is problematic, referring to work from evolutionary biologists who, decades ago, described this problem as it relates to a variety of other plastic traits. We extend these arguments to evolutionary endocrinology, where the likelihood that this flaw generates bias in estimates of selection is unusually high due to the exceptional responsiveness of hormones to environmental conditions, and their function to induce adaptive life-history responses to environmental variation. We end with a review of productive approaches for investigating the fitness consequences of variation in endocrine traits that we expect will generate exciting advances in our understanding of endocrine system evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Bonier
- Biology Department, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
| | - Paul R Martin
- Biology Department, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
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169
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Douhard M, Loe LE, Stien A, Bonenfant C, Irvine RJ, Veiberg V, Ropstad E, Albon S. The influence of weather conditions during gestation on life histories in a wild Arctic ungulate. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1760. [PMID: 27798304 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The internal predictive adaptive response (internal PAR) hypothesis predicts that individuals born in poor conditions should start to reproduce earlier if they are likely to have reduced performance in later life. However, whether this is the case remains unexplored in wild populations. Here, we use longitudinal data from a long-term study of Svalbard reindeer to examine age-related changes in adult female life-history responses to environmental conditions experienced in utero as indexed by rain-on-snow (ROSutero). We show that females experiencing high ROSutero had reduced reproductive success only from 7 years of age, independent of early reproduction. These individuals were able to maintain the same annual reproductive success between 2 and 6 years as phenotypically superior conspecifics that experienced low ROSutero Young females born after high ROSutero engage in reproductive events at lower body mass (about 2.5 kg less) than those born after low ROSutero The mean fitness of females that experienced poor environmental conditions in early life was comparable with that of females exposed to good environmental conditions in early life. These results are consistent with the idea of internal PAR and suggest that the life-history responses to early-life conditions can buffer the delayed effects of weather on population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Douhard
- Université de Lyon, 69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, 69622 Villeurbanne, France .,Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway
| | - Leif Egil Loe
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway
| | - Audun Stien
- Department for Arctic Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- Université de Lyon, 69000, Lyon; Université Lyon 1; CNRS, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Vebjørn Veiberg
- Department for Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Erik Ropstad
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 0033 Oslo, Norway
| | - Steve Albon
- The James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
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170
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Berghänel A, Heistermann M, Schülke O, Ostner J. Prenatal stress effects in a wild, long-lived primate: predictive adaptive responses in an unpredictable environment. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1304. [PMID: 27655764 PMCID: PMC5046897 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal maternal stress affects offspring phenotype in numerous species including humans, but it is debated whether these effects are evolutionarily adaptive. Relating stress to adverse conditions, current explanations invoke either short-term developmental constraints on offspring phenotype resulting in decelerated growth to avoid starvation, or long-term predictive adaptive responses (PARs) resulting in accelerated growth and reproduction in response to reduced life expectancies. Two PAR subtypes were proposed, acting either on predicted internal somatic states or predicted external environmental conditions, but because both affect phenotypes similarly, they are largely indistinguishable. Only external (not internal) PARs rely on high environmental stability particularly in long-lived species. We report on a crucial test case in a wild long-lived mammal, the Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis), which evolved and lives in an unpredictable environment where external PARs are probably not advantageous. We quantified food availability, growth, motor skills, maternal caretaking style and maternal physiological stress from faecal glucocorticoid measures. Prenatal maternal stress was negatively correlated to prenatal food availability and led to accelerated offspring growth accompanied by decelerated motor skill acquisition and reduced immune function. These results support the ‘internal PAR’ theory, which stresses the role of stable adverse internal somatic states rather than stable external environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Berghänel
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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171
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Prenatal stress accelerates offspring growth to compensate for reduced maternal investment across mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10658-E10666. [PMID: 29180423 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707152114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Across mammals, prenatal maternal stress (PREMS) affects many aspects of offspring development, including offspring growth. However, how PREMS translates to offspring growth is inconsistent, even within species. To explain the full range of reported effects of prenatal adversity on offspring growth, we propose an integrative hypothesis: developmental constraints and a counteracting adaptive growth plasticity work in opposition to drive PREMS effects on growth. Mothers experiencing adversity reduce maternal investment leading to stunted growth (developmental constraints). Concomitantly, the pace of offspring life history is recalibrated to partly compensate for these developmental constraints (adaptive growth plasticity). Moreover, the relative importance of each process changes across ontogeny with increasing offspring independence. Thus, offspring exposed to PREMS may grow at the same rate as controls during gestation and lactation, but faster after weaning when direct maternal investment has ceased. We tested these predictions with a comparative analysis on the outcomes of 719 studies across 21 mammal species. First, the observed growth changes in response to PREMS varied across offspring developmental periods as predicted. We argue that the observed growth acceleration after weaning is not "catch-up growth," because offspring that were small for age grew slower. Second, only PREMS exposure early during gestation produced adaptive growth plasticity. Our results suggest that PREMS effects benefit the mother's future reproduction and at the same time accelerate offspring growth and possibly maturation and reproductive rate. In this sense, PREMS effects on offspring growth allow mother and offspring to make the best of a bad start.
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172
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Dupoué A, Le Galliard J, Josserand R, DeNardo DF, Decencière B, Agostini S, Haussy C, Meylan S. Water restriction causes an intergenerational trade‐off and delayed mother–offspring conflict in a viviparous lizard. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andréaz Dupoué
- CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES ParisUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie Paris France
| | - Jean‐François Le Galliard
- CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES ParisUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie Paris France
- Département de biologieEcole normale supérieureCNRSPSL Research University Saint‐Pierre‐lès‐Nemours France
| | - Rémy Josserand
- CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES ParisUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie Paris France
| | - Dale F. DeNardo
- School of Life SciencesArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - Béatriz Decencière
- Département de biologieEcole normale supérieureCNRSPSL Research University Saint‐Pierre‐lès‐Nemours France
| | - Simon Agostini
- Département de biologieEcole normale supérieureCNRSPSL Research University Saint‐Pierre‐lès‐Nemours France
| | - Claudy Haussy
- CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES ParisUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie Paris France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES ParisUniversité Pierre et Marie Curie Paris France
- ESPE de ParisUniversité Sorbonne Paris IV Paris France
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173
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Siracusa E, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Gorrell JC, Coltman DW, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Familiarity with neighbours affects intrusion risk in territorial red squirrels. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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174
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Lea JMD, Walker SL, Kerley GIH, Jackson J, Matevich SC, Shultz S. Non‐invasive physiological markers demonstrate link between habitat quality, adult sex ratio and poor population growth rate in a vulnerable species, the Cape mountain zebra. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M. D. Lea
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Manchester Manchester UK
- North of England Zoological SocietyChester Zoo Upton‐by‐Chester UK
| | - Susan L. Walker
- North of England Zoological SocietyChester Zoo Upton‐by‐Chester UK
| | - Graham I. H. Kerley
- Centre for African Conservation EcologyNelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
| | - John Jackson
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | | | - Susanne Shultz
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Manchester Manchester UK
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175
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Boonstra R, Dušek A, Lane JE, Boutin S. When the ball is in the female's court: How the scramble-competition mating system of the North American red squirrel has shaped male physiology and testosterone dynamics. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017. [PMID: 28648995 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Male reproductive success in most mammals is determined by their success in direct inter-male competition through aggression and conflict, resulting in female-defense mating systems being predominant. This is linked to male testosterone levels and its dynamics. However, in certain environments, a scramble-competition mating system has evolved, where female reproductive behavior takes precedence and male testosterone dynamics are unlikely to be related to inter-male competition. We studied the North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), a species with a well-established scramble-competition system. Using an ACTH hormonal challenge protocol as a proxy for competitive interactions, we compared the testosterone dynamics in breeding males in late winter with that in nonbreeding males in late spring in the Yukon. To gain an integrated picture of their physiological state, we also assessed changes in their stress response, body mass, energy mobilization, and indices of immune function. Testosterone levels at the base bleed were high in breeding males (2.72ng/mL) and virtually absent in non-breeding males (0.04ng/mL). Breeding males were in better condition (heavier body mass, higher hematocrit, and higher erythrocytes), had higher indices of immune function (neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio), but a similar ability to mobilize energy (glucose) compared with non-breeding males. Though total cortisol was higher in non-breeding males, free cortisol was twice as high in breeding males as their corticosteroid binding globulin levels were half as high. In response to the ACTH challenge, testosterone levels in breeding males declined 49% over the first hour and increased 36% over the next hour; in non-breeding males levels showed no change. Free cortisol increased only modestly (26% in breeding males; 23% in non-breeding males). Glucose levels changed similarly in breeding and nonbreeding males, declining for the first 30min and then increasing for the next 60min. Thus, testosterone and components of the stress axis function in a profoundly different manner in male red squirrels than in males of mammals with female-defense mating systems. There are four probable interrelated reasons for these adaptations in male red squirrels: the marginal benefits of each mating, the constraints of mate searching away from their own resource-based territories, energy mobilization in a harsh environment, and a long life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Adam Dušek
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Praha CZ-104 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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176
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177
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Newman AEM, Hess H, Woodworth BK, Norris DR. Time as tyrant: The minute, hour and day make a difference for corticosterone concentrations in wild nestlings. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 250:80-84. [PMID: 28577897 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been studied extensively in adults, but the HPA axis in early life is not well characterized, and there is an immense amount of unexplained variation in glucocorticoid levels during early life, especially in wild animals. To characterize population-wide natural variation in early-life HPA axis function, we compared plasma corticosterone levels (at baseline and after 30min acute restraint-stress) from seven-day-old nestlings (n=123) from a free-living, marked population of Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). We found a surprising sensitivity of the HPA axis to timing of sample collection across time scales. Even within the accepted 3-min framework to collect baseline samples, time to collect blood had a significant effect on baseline corticosterone concentrations. Daily rhythms also influenced baseline levels, which increased significantly during the relatively short window of sample collection (1100 and 1600). On a broader timeframe, there was a strong effect of hatch date (over a 2month period) on HPA axis responsiveness, where nestlings hatched later in the breeding season had lower stress-induced corticosterone levels than those hatched earlier. The ecophysiological mechanisms and implications of these patterns warrant future investigation; meanwhile this study highlights the critical need to consider, and potentially restrict, time across scales when collecting blood samples from wild birds to assess stress physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E M Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Helmi Hess
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Bradley K Woodworth
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - D Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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178
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Fitness consequences of peak reproductive effort in a resource pulse system. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9335. [PMID: 28839275 PMCID: PMC5571191 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09724-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The age trajectory of reproductive performance of many iteroparous species features an early - life increase in performance followed by a late - life senescent decline. The largest contribution of lifetime reproductive success is therefore gained at the age at which reproductive performance peaks. Using long term data on North American red squirrels we show that the environmental conditions individuals encountered could cause variation among individuals in the “height” and timing of this peak, contributing to life history variation and fitness in this population that experiences irregular resource pulses. As expected, high peak effort was positively associated with lifetime reproductive output up to a high level of annual effort. Furthermore, individuals that matched their peak reproductive effort to an anticipated resource pulse gained substantial fitness benefits through recruiting more offspring over their lifetime. Individual variation in peak reproductive effort thus has strong potential to shape life history evolution by facilitating adaptation to fluctuating environments.
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179
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Markham AC, Gesquiere LR. Costs and benefits of group living in primates: an energetic perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160239. [PMID: 28673916 PMCID: PMC5498300 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Group size is a fundamental component of sociality, and has important consequences for an individual's fitness as well as the collective and cooperative behaviours of the group as a whole. This review focuses on how the costs and benefits of group living vary in female primates as a function of group size, with a particular emphasis on how competition within and between groups affects an individual's energetic balance. Because the repercussions of chronic energetic stress can lower an animal's fitness, identifying the predictors of energetic stress has important implications for understanding variation in survivorship and reproductive success within and between populations. Notably, we extend previous literature on this topic by discussing three physiological measures of energetic balance-glucocorticoids, c-peptides and thyroid hormones. Because these hormones can provide clear signals of metabolic states and processes, they present an important complement to field studies of spatial and temporal changes in food availability. We anticipate that their further application will play a crucial role in elucidating the adaptive significance of group size in different social and ecological contexts.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Catherine Markham
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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180
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Kelly AM, Vitousek MN. Dynamic modulation of sociality and aggression: an examination of plasticity within endocrine and neuroendocrine systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160243. [PMID: 28673919 PMCID: PMC5498303 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine and neuroendocrine systems are key mediators of behavioural plasticity and allow for the ability to shift social behaviour across dynamic contexts. These systems operate across timescales, modulating both rapid responses to environmental changes and developmental plasticity in behavioural phenotypes. Thus, not only do endocrine systems mediate behavioural plasticity, but also the systems themselves exhibit plasticity in functional capabilities. This flexibility at both the mechanistic and behavioural levels can be crucial for reproduction and survival. Here, we discuss how plasticity in nonapeptide and steroid actions may influence the expression of, and allow rapid shifts between, sociality and aggression-behavioural shifts that can be particularly important for social interactions. Recent findings of overlap in the mechanisms that modulate social and aggressive behaviour suggest the potential for a mechanistic continuum between these behaviours. We briefly discuss the potential for a sociality-aggression continuum and novel techniques that will enable probing of the functional connectivity of social behaviours. From an evolutionary perspective, we suggest that plasticity in endocrine and neuroendocrine mechanisms of behaviour may be important targets of selection, and discuss the conditions under which we would predict selection to have resulted in differences in endocrine plasticity across species that differ in social organization.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 229 Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E237 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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181
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Fisher DN, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Humphries MM, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Multilevel and sex-specific selection on competitive traits in North American red squirrels. Evolution 2017; 71:1841-1854. [PMID: 28543051 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Individuals often interact more closely with some members of the population (e.g., offspring, siblings, or group members) than they do with other individuals. This structuring of interactions can lead to multilevel natural selection, where traits expressed at the group-level influence fitness alongside individual-level traits. Such multilevel selection can alter evolutionary trajectories, yet is rarely quantified in the wild, especially for species that do not interact in clearly demarcated groups. We quantified multilevel natural selection on two traits, postnatal growth rate and birth date, in a population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). The strongest level of selection was typically within-acoustic social neighborhoods (within 130 m of the nest), where growing faster and being born earlier than nearby litters was key, while selection on growth rate was also apparent both within-litters and within-study areas. Higher population densities increased the strength of selection for earlier breeding, but did not influence selection on growth rates. Females experienced especially strong selection on growth rate at the within-litter level, possibly linked to the biased bequeathal of the maternal territory to daughters. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering multilevel and sex-specific selection in wild species, including those that are territorial and sexually monomorphic.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, Michigan, 48109.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour, Michigan, 48109
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, H9 × 3V9, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
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182
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Davy CM, Mastromonaco GF, Riley JL, Baxter-Gilbert JH, Mayberry H, Willis CKR. Conservation implications of physiological carry-over effects in bats recovering from white-nose syndrome. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2017; 31:615-624. [PMID: 27641049 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Although it is well documented that infectious diseases can pose threats to biodiversity, the potential long-term consequences of pathogen exposure on individual fitness and its effects on population viability have rarely been studied. We tested the hypothesis that pathogen exposure causes physiological carry-over effects with a pathogen that is uniquely suited to this question because the infection period is specific and time limited. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats, which either die due to the infection while hibernating or recover following emergence from hibernation. The fungus infects all exposed individuals in an overwintering site simultaneously, and bats that survive infection during hibernation clear the pathogen within a few weeks following emergence. We quantified chronic stress during the active season, when bats are not infected, by measuring cortisol in bat claws. Free-ranging Myotis lucifugus who survived previous exposure to P. destructans had significantly higher levels of claw cortisol than naïve individuals. Thus, cryptic physiological carry-over effects of pathogen exposure may persist in asymptomatic, recovered individuals. If these effects result in reduced survival or reproductive success, they could also affect population viability and even act as a third stream in the extinction vortex. For example, significant increases in chronic stress, such as those indicated here, are correlated with reduced reproductive success in a number of species. Future research should directly explore the link between pathogen exposure and the viability of apparently recovered populations to improve understanding of the true impacts of infectious diseases on threatened populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Davy
- Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensics Centre, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Canada, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | | | - Julia L Riley
- Division of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2122, Australia
| | - James H Baxter-Gilbert
- Division of Brain, Behaviour and Evolution, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2122, Australia
| | - Heather Mayberry
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Canada, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Craig K R Willis
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg Canada, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
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183
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Hayes LD, Ebensperger LA, Kelt DA, Meserve PL, Pillay N, Viblanc VA, Schradin C. Long-term field studies on rodents. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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184
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Beehner JC, Bergman TJ. The next step for stress research in primates: To identify relationships between glucocorticoid secretion and fitness. Horm Behav 2017; 91:68-83. [PMID: 28284709 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are hormones that mediate the energetic demands that accompany environmental challenges. It is therefore not surprising that these metabolic hormones have come to dominate endocrine research on the health and fitness of wild populations. Yet, several problems have been identified in the vertebrate research that also apply to the non-human primate research. First, glucocorticoids should not be used as a proxy for fitness (unless a link has previously been established between glucocorticoids and fitness for a particular population). Second, stress research in behavioral ecology has been overly focused on "chronic stress" despite little evidence that chronic stress hampers fitness in wild animals. Third, research effort has been disproportionately focused on the causes of glucocorticoid variation rather than the fitness consequences. With these problems in mind, we have three objectives for this review. We describe the conceptual framework behind the "stress concept", emphasizing that high glucocorticoids do not necessarily indicate a stress response, and that a stress response does not necessarily indicate an animal is in poor health. Then, we conduct a comprehensive review of all studies on "stress" in wild primates, including any study that examined environmental factors, the stress response, and/or fitness (or proxies for fitness). Remarkably, not a single primate study establishes a connection between all three. Finally, we provide several recommendations for future research in the field of primate behavioral endocrinology, primarily the need to move beyond identifying the factors that cause glucocorticoid secretion to additionally focus on the relationship between glucocorticoids and fitness. We believe that this is an important next step for research on stress physiology in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
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185
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Kravchenko LB, Moskvitina NS, Zavyalov EL. Dynamics of the fecal corticosterone content in males of red, gray-sided, and bank voles (Myodes, Rodentia, Cricetidae) upon sexual maturation. BIOL BULL+ 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359016090053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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186
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Pre-breeding food restriction promotes the optimization of parental investment in house mice, Mus musculus. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173985. [PMID: 28328991 PMCID: PMC5362082 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Litter size is one of the most reliable state-dependent life-history traits that indicate parental investment in polytocous (litter-bearing) mammals. The tendency to optimize litter size typically increases with decreasing availability of resources during the period of parental investment. To determine whether this tactic is also influenced by resource limitations prior to reproduction, we examined the effect of experimental, pre-breeding food restriction on the optimization of parental investment in lactating mice. First, we investigated the optimization of litter size in 65 experimental and 72 control families (mothers and their dependent offspring). Further, we evaluated pre-weaning offspring mortality, and the relationships between maternal and offspring condition (body weight), as well as offspring mortality, in 24 experimental and 19 control families with litter reduction (the death of one or more offspring). Assuming that pre-breeding food restriction would signal unpredictable food availability, we hypothesized that the optimization of parental investment would be more effective in the experimental rather than in the control mice. In comparison to the controls, the experimental mice produced larger litters and had a more selective (size-dependent) offspring mortality and thus lower litter reduction (the proportion of offspring deaths). Selective litter reduction helped the experimental mothers to maintain their own optimum condition, thereby improving the condition and, indirectly, the survival of their remaining offspring. Hence, pre-breeding resource limitations may have facilitated the mice to optimize their inclusive fitness. On the other hand, in the control females, the absence of environmental cues indicating a risky environment led to “maternal optimism” (overemphasizing good conditions at the time of breeding), which resulted in the production of litters of super-optimal size and consequently higher reproductive costs during lactation, including higher offspring mortality. Our study therefore provides the first evidence that pre-breeding food restriction promotes the optimization of parental investment, including offspring number and developmental success.
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187
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Petelle MB, Dang BN, Blumstein DT. The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots. Horm Behav 2017; 89:86-91. [PMID: 28062231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects can have significant and long-term consequences on offspring behavior and survival, while consistent individual differences (i.e., personality) can have profound impacts on individual fitness. Thus, both can influence population dynamics. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine variation in personality traits are poorly understood. Maternal effects are one potential mechanism that may explain personality variation. We capitalized on a long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) to identify maternal effects on juvenile docility. To do so, we partitioned the variance in juvenile docility using a quantitative genetic modeling approach to isolate potential maternal effects. We also directly tested whether maternal stress, measured through fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels during lactation of 82 mothers, was associated with offspring docility. Docility scores were estimated for 645 juveniles trapped between 2002 and 2012. We found an interaction between maternal glucocorticoid levels and dam age on juvenile docility. We also found significant maternal, litter, permanent environment, and year effects. These results suggest that a mother's life history stage interacts with stress to influence offspring personality. This early life influence can have long lasting effects on an individual's docility throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Petelle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State Qwaqwa, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa.
| | - Brian N Dang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
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188
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Burton NO, Furuta T, Webster AK, Kaplan REW, Baugh LR, Arur S, Horvitz HR. Insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline controls progeny response to osmotic stress. Nat Cell Biol 2017; 19:252-257. [PMID: 28166192 PMCID: PMC5332277 DOI: 10.1038/ncb3470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In 1893 August Weismann proposed that information about the environment could not pass from somatic cells to germ cells, a hypothesis now known as the Weismann barrier. However, recent studies have indicated that parental exposure to environmental stress can modify progeny physiology and that parental stress can contribute to progeny disorders. The mechanisms regulating these phenomena are poorly understood. We report that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can protect itself from osmotic stress by entering a state of arrested development and can protect its progeny from osmotic stress by increasing the expression of the glycerol biosynthetic enzyme GPDH-2 in progeny. Both of these protective mechanisms are regulated by insulin-like signalling: insulin-like signalling to the intestine regulates developmental arrest, while insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline regulates glycerol metabolism in progeny. Thus, there is a heritable link between insulin-like signalling to the maternal germline and progeny metabolism and gene expression. We speculate that analogous modulation of insulin-like signalling to the germline is responsible for effects of the maternal environment on human diseases that involve insulin signalling, such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas O Burton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Tokiko Furuta
- Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Amy K Webster
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Rebecca E W Kaplan
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - L Ryan Baugh
- Department of Biology Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Swathi Arur
- Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - H Robert Horvitz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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189
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Sopinka NM, Jeffrey JD, Burnett NJ, Patterson DA, Gilmour KM, Hinch SG. Maternal programming of offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 242:30-37. [PMID: 26718080 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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: 06/09/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In fishes, maternal exposure to a stressor can influence offspring size and behavior. However, less is known about how maternal stress influences physiological processes in offspring, such as function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis. We examined the impact of chronic maternal exposure to an acute chase stressor on the stress response/HPI activity of progeny in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Resting plasma cortisol and brain preoptic area (POA) corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA levels did not vary between offspring reared from undisturbed, control females and offspring reared from females exposed to the stressor. However, resting levels of POA glucocorticoid receptors (GR1 and GR2), and head kidney melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) were elevated in offspring reared from stressor-exposed females. Offspring reared from stressor-exposed females had lower plasma cortisol levels 1-h after an acute chase stressor compared to cortisol levels in offspring reared from control females. In offspring reared from chased females, mRNA levels of genes associated with cortisol biosynthesis were reduced in the head kidney post-chase. In offspring reared from control females, mRNA levels in the head kidney did not vary pre- to post-chase. Together, the results of the present study suggest maternal programming of progeny with respect to baseline and stressor-induced mediators of HPI axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M Sopinka
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - J D Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - N J Burnett
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - D A Patterson
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science Branch, Pacific Region, Cooperative Resource Management Institute, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - S G Hinch
- Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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190
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Stothart MR, Bobbie CB, Schulte-Hostedde AI, Boonstra R, Palme R, Mykytczuk NCS, Newman AEM. Stress and the microbiome: linking glucocorticoids to bacterial community dynamics in wild red squirrels. Biol Lett 2017; 12:20150875. [PMID: 26740566 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial diversity within animals is emerging as an essential component of health, but it is unknown how stress may influence the microbiome. We quantify a proximate link between the oral microbiome and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) in wild red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Not only was bacterial diversity lower at higher levels of FGM, but also between capture periods a change in bacterial relative abundance was related to an increase in FGM. These linkages between the HPA axis and microbiome communities represent a powerful capacity for stress to have multi-dimensional effects on health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason R Stothart
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Colleen B Bobbie
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6
| | | | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - Nadia C S Mykytczuk
- Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3E 2C6
| | - Amy E M Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
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191
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Capelle PM, Semeniuk CAD, Sopinka NM, Heath JW, Love OP. Prenatal Stress Exposure Generates Higher Early Survival and Smaller Size without Impacting Developmental Rate in a Pacific Salmon. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 325:641-650. [PMID: 28101914 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to elevated glucocorticoids can act as a signal of environmental stress, resulting in modifications to offspring phenotype. While "negative" phenotypic effects (i.e., smaller size, slower growth) are often reported, recent research coupling phenotype with other fitness-related traits has suggested positive impacts of prenatal stress. Using captive Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), we treated eggs with biologically relevant cortisol levels-low (300 ng mL-1 ), high (1,000 ng mL-1 ), or control (0 ng mL-1 )-to examine the early-life impacts of maternally transferred stress hormones on offspring. Specifically, we measured early survival, rate of development, and multiple measures of morphology. Low and high cortisol dosing of eggs resulted in significantly higher survival compared to controls (37% and 24% higher, respectively). Fish reared from high dose eggs were structurally smaller compared to control fish, but despite this variation in structural size, exposure to elevated cortisol did not impact developmental rate. These results demonstrate that elevations in egg cortisol can positively influence offspring fitness through an increase in early survival while also altering phenotype at a critical life-history stage. Overall, these results suggest that exposure to prenatal stress may not always produce apparently negative impacts on offspring fitness and further proposes that complex phenotypic responses should be examined in relevant environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline M Capelle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Christina A D Semeniuk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Natalie M Sopinka
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - John W Heath
- Yellow Island Aquaculture Ltd, Heriot Bay, BC, V0P 1H0, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada.,Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
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192
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Siracusa E, Morandini M, Boutin S, Humphries M, Dantzer B, Lane J, McAdam A. Red squirrel territorial vocalizations deter intrusions by conspecific rivals. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In many species, territory advertisement is thought to be one of the primary functions of acoustic communication. North American red squirrels are a territorial species in which ‘rattles’ have long been thought to be the principal signal communicating territory ownership. These vocalizations have been assumed to deter intruders, thus reducing energetic costs and the risk of injury associated with direct aggressive interactions. However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested. Here we used a speaker occupation experiment to test whether red squirrel rattles function to deter conspecific rivals. We studied 29 male squirrels and removed each individual from his territory twice in a paired design. During the experimental treatment, we simulated the owner’s presence after its removal by broadcasting the owner’s rattle from a loudspeaker at the centre of the territory once every 7 min. During the control treatment, the territory was left in silence following the temporary removal of the owner. We found that the presence of a speaker replacement reduced the probability of intrusion by 34% and increased the latency to first intrusion by 7%, providing support for the hypothesis that rattles play an active role in reducing intrusion risk. However, intrusions were not completely averted by the speaker replacement, indicating that for some individuals vocalizations alone are not a sufficient deterrent without other cues of the territory owner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Siracusa
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Marina Morandini
- bSchool of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- cDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Murray M. Humphries
- dDepartment of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- eDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- fDepartment of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- gDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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193
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Cooper E, Taylor R, Kelley A, Martinig A, Boutin S, Humphries M, Dantzer B, Lane J, McAdam A. Personality is correlated with natal dispersal in North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Individual natal dispersal behaviour is often difficult to predict as it can be influenced by multiple extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Individual differences in personality have been shown to be an important correlate of dispersal behaviour. However, the relationships between personality traits and dispersal are often inconsistent within and across studies and the causes of these discrepancies are often unknown. Here we sought to determine how individual differences in activity and aggression, as measured in an open-field trial, were related to natal dispersal distance in a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). For 14 cohorts, while individual aggression consistently had no association with dispersal distance, the association between activity and dispersal fluctuated through time, mediated by population density. The environmental-dependence of the relationship between personality and dispersal in this population is indicative of the importance of considering external conditions when predicting dispersal behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve B. Cooper
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Ryan W. Taylor
- bDepartment of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amanda D. Kelley
- cDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Stan Boutin
- cDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Murray M. Humphries
- dDepartment of Natural Resource Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- eDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- fDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- gDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- aDepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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194
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Paitz RT, Bukhari SA, Bell AM. Stickleback embryos use ATP-binding cassette transporters as a buffer against exposure to maternally derived cortisol. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152838. [PMID: 26984623 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring from females that experience stressful conditions during reproduction often exhibit altered phenotypes and many of these effects are thought to arise owing to increased exposure to maternal glucocorticoids. While embryos of placental vertebrates are known to regulate exposure to maternal glucocorticoids via placental steroid metabolism, much less is known about how and whether egg-laying vertebrates can control their steroid environment during embryonic development. We tested the hypothesis that threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) embryos can regulate exposure to maternal steroids via active efflux of maternal steroids from the egg. Embryos rapidly (within 72 h) cleared intact steroids, but blocking ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters inhibited cortisol clearance. Remarkably, this efflux of cortisol was sufficient to prevent a transcriptional response of embryos to exogenous cortisol. Taken together, these findings suggest that, much like their placental counterparts, developing fish embryos can actively regulate their exposure to maternal cortisol. These findings highlight the fact that even in egg-laying vertebrates, the realized exposure to maternal steroids is mediated by both maternal and embryonic processes and this has important implications for understanding how maternal stress influences offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Paitz
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | - Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Alison M Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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195
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Shonfield J, Gorrell JC, Coltman DW, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Wilson DR, McAdam AG. Using playback of territorial calls to investigate mechanisms of kin discrimination in red squirrels. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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196
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Remmes J, Bodden C, Richter SH, Lesting J, Sachser N, Pape HC, Seidenbecher T. Impact of Life History on Fear Memory and Extinction. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:185. [PMID: 27757077 PMCID: PMC5047906 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00185] [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: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral profiles are strongly shaped by an individual's whole life experience. The accumulation of negative experiences over lifetime is thought to promote anxiety-like behavior in adulthood (“allostatic load hypothesis”). In contrast, the “mismatch hypothesis” of psychiatric disease suggests that high levels of anxiety-like behavior are the result of a discrepancy between early and late environment. The aim of the present study was to investigate how different life histories shape the expression of anxiety-like behavior and modulate fear memory. In addition, we aimed to clarify which of the two hypotheses can better explain the modulation of anxiety and fear. For this purpose, male mice grew up under either adverse or beneficial conditions during early phase of life. In adulthood they were further subdivided in groups that either matched or mismatched the condition experienced before, resulting in four different life histories. The main results were: (i) Early life benefit followed by late life adversity caused decreased levels of anxiety-like behavior. (ii) Accumulation of adversity throughout life history led to impaired fear extinction learning. Late life adversity as compared to late life benefit mainly affected extinction training, while early life adversity as compared to early life benefit interfered with extinction recall. Concerning anxiety-like behavior, the results do neither support the allostatic load nor the mismatch hypothesis, but rather indicate an anxiolytic effect of a mismatched early beneficial and later adverse life history. In contrast, fear memory was strongly affected by the accumulation of adverse experiences over the lifetime, therefore supporting allostatic load hypothesis. In summary, this study highlights that anxiety-like behavior and fear memory are differently affected by specific combinations of adverse or beneficial events experienced throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Remmes
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
| | - Carina Bodden
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Department of Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany
| | - Jörg Lesting
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Department of Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
| | - Hans-Christian Pape
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
| | - Thomas Seidenbecher
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-UniversityMünster, Germany
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197
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Mariette MM, Buchanan KL. Prenatal acoustic communication programs offspring for high posthatching temperatures in a songbird. Science 2016; 353:812-4. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf7049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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198
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Reed WL, Clark ME. Timing of Breeding Determines Growth and Development in a Long-Distance Migratory Bird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL GENETICS AND PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 325:467-477. [PMID: 27510648 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The timing of breeding can have significant consequences for adult and offspring fitness, yet our current hypotheses of seasonal timing focus on the parent perspective. When offspring survival is affected by timing of breeding, we expect to see offspring mechanisms to detect and respond to cues of seasonal timing. Avian embryos respond to photoperiod and seasonal cues during development and in this study we evaluate the influence of photoperiod and season on posthatching growth and development in Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan). Early- and late-season chicks exposed to short and long photoperiods during development were reared under common garden conditions. Photoperiod had no effect on posthatching growth and development, but seasonal effects present in the egg (maternal egg effects or genetic) did influence posthatching growth and development. Late-season chicks grew body mass and primary flight feathers at faster rates than early-season chicks, which we hypothesize facilitates independence and readiness for migration. Growth rates are complex phenotypes and we propose a general growth model that incorporates delays in negative feedback systems regulating growth. We show that the timing of breeding programs intrinsic growth rates in offspring, which suggests that many of the metrics used to describe seasonal patterns of reproductive success may be biased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy L Reed
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota
| | - Mark E Clark
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota.
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199
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Diaz-Real J, Kim SY, Velando A. Hatching hierarchy but not egg-related effects governs behavioral phenotypes in gull chicks. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
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200
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Schell CJ, Young JK, Lonsdorf EV, Mateo JM, Santymire RM. Olfactory attractants and parity affect prenatal androgens and territoriality of coyote breeding pairs. Physiol Behav 2016; 165:43-54. [PMID: 27378509 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Hormones are fundamental mediators of personality traits intimately linked with reproductive success. Hence, alterations to endocrine factors may dramatically affect individual behavior that has subsequent fitness consequences. Yet it is unclear how hormonal or behavioral traits change with environmental stressors or over multiple reproductive opportunities, particularly for biparental fauna. To simulate an environmental stressor, we exposed captive coyote (Canis latrans) pairs to novel coyote odor attractants (i.e. commercial scent lures) mid-gestation to influence territorial behaviors, fecal glucocorticoid (FGMs) and fecal androgen metabolites (FAMs). In addition, we observed coyote pairs as first-time and experienced breeders to assess the influence of parity on our measures. Treatment pairs received the odors four times over a 20-day period, while control pairs received water. Odor-treated pairs scent-marked (e.g. urinated, ground scratched) and investigated odors more frequently than control pairs, and had higher FAMs when odors were provided. Pairs had higher FAMs as first-time versus experienced breeders, indicating that parity also affected androgen production during gestation. Moreover, repeatability in scent-marking behaviors corresponded with FGMs and FAMs, implying that coyote territoriality during gestation is underpinned by individually-specific hormone profiles. Our results suggest coyote androgens during gestation are sensitive to conspecific olfactory stimuli and prior breeding experience. Consequently, fluctuations in social or other environmental stimuli as well as increasing parity may acutely affect coyote traits essential to reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Schell
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Culver Hall 402, Chicago, IL 60637, United States.
| | - Julie K Young
- USDA-WS-NWRC, Predator Research Facility, Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, USU - BNR 163, Logan, UT 84322, United States
| | - Elizabeth V Lonsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17603, United States
| | - Jill M Mateo
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Culver Hall 402, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Rachel M Santymire
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1025 E. 57th Street, Culver Hall 402, Chicago, IL 60637, United States; Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614, United States
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