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Ferreira D, San‐Jose LM, Roulin A, Gaigher A, Fumagalli L. Limited associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success in a bird species with biparental care. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10950. [PMID: 38384825 PMCID: PMC10879840 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The selective pressure from pathogens on individuals can have direct consequences on reproduction. Genes from the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are central to the vertebrate adaptive immune system and pathogen resistance. In species with biparental care, each sex has distinct reproductive roles and levels of investment, and due to a trade-off with immunity, one can expect different selective regimes acting upon the MHC of each parent. Here, we addressed whether couples combine each other's variation at MHC loci to increase their breeding success. Specifically, we used a 23-year dataset from a barn owl population (Tyto alba) to understand how MHC class Iα and IIβ functional divergence and supertypes of each parent were associated with clutch size and fledging success. We did not detect associations between MHC diversity and supertypes with the clutch size or with the fledging success. In addition, to understand the relative contribution from the MHC of the genetic parents and the social parents, we analyzed the fledging success using only a cross-fostered dataset. We found several associations of weak-to-moderate effect sizes between the father's MHC and fledging success: (i) lower MHC-Iα divergence in the genetic father increases fledging success, which might improve paternal care during incubation, and (ii) one and two MHC-IIβ DAB2 supertypes in the social father decrease and increase, respectively, fledging success, which may affect the paternal care after hatching. Furthermore, fledging success increased when both parents did not carry MHC-IIβ DAB1 supertype 2, which could suggest conditional effects of this supertype. Although our study relied on a substantial dataset, we showed that the associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success remain scarce and of complex interpretation in the barn owl. Moreover, our results highlighted the need to incorporate more than one proxy of reproductive success and several MHC classes to capture more complex associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Ferreira
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Luis M. San‐Jose
- Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, CNRSUniversité Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRDToulouseFrance
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Arnaud Gaigher
- CIBIO‐InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic ResourcesUniversity of PortoVairãoPortugal
- Research Unit for Evolutionary Immunogenomics, Department of BiologyUniversity of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, BiophoreUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne‐GenevaLausanne University Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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2
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Exogenous corticosterone and melanin-based coloration explain variation in juvenile dispersal behaviour in the barn owl (Tyto alba). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256038. [PMID: 34492014 PMCID: PMC8423310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal dispersal affects many processes such as population dynamics. So far, most studies have examined the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determine the distance between the place of birth and of first breeding. In contrast, few researchers followed the first steps of dispersal soon after fledging. To study this gap, we radio-tracked 95 barn owl nestlings (Tyto alba) to locate their diurnal roost sites from the fledging stage until December. This was used to test whether the age of nest departure, post-fledging movements and dispersal distance were related to melanin-based coloration, which is correlated to fitness-related traits, as well as to corticosterone, a hormone that mediates a number of life history trade-offs and the physiological and behavioural responses to stressful situations. We found that the artificial administration of corticosterone delayed the age when juveniles left their parental home-range in females but not in males. During the first few months after fledging, longer dispersal distances were reached by females compared to males, by individuals marked with larger black feather spots compared to individuals with smaller spots, by larger individuals and by those experimentally treated with corticosterone. We conclude that the onset and magnitude of dispersal is sensitive to the stress hormone corticosterone, melanin-based coloration and body size.
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3
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Huffeldt NP, Tigano A, Erikstad KE, Goymann W, Jenni-Eiermann S, Moum T, Reiertsen TK. The relationship between daily behavior, hormones, and a color dimorphism in a seabird under natural continuous light. Horm Behav 2021; 130:104930. [PMID: 33497708 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The predictable oscillation between the light of day and the dark of night across the diel cycle is a powerful selective force that has resulted in anticipatory mechanisms in nearly all taxa. At polar latitude, however, this oscillation becomes highly attenuated during the continuous light of polar day during summer. A general understanding of how animals keep time under these conditions is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that the common murre (a seabird, Uria aalge) can use melatonin and corticosterone, hormones associated with timekeeping, to track the diel cycle despite continuous light. We also tested the assumption that common murres breeding during polar summer schedule their colony attendance by time of day and sex, as they do at subpolar latitude. In the Atlantic population, common murres have a plumage color dimorphism associated with fitness-related traits, and we investigated the relationship of this dimorphism with colony attendance, melatonin, and corticosterone. The common murres did not schedule their attendance behavior by time of day or sex, yet they had higher concentrations of melatonin and, to a more limited extent, corticosterone during "night" than "day". Melatonin also linked to behavioral state. The two color morphs tended to have different colony-attendance behavior and melatonin concentrations, lending support for balancing selection maintaining the plumage dimorphism. In common murres, melatonin can signal time of day despite continuous light, and the limited diel variation of corticosterone contributes to the mounting evidence that polar-adapted birds and mammals require little or no diel variation in circulating glucocorticoids during polar day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Per Huffeldt
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland; Arctic Ecosystem Ecology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA.
| | - Anna Tigano
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA; Hubbard Center for Genome Studies, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | - Truls Moum
- Genomics Division, Faculty of Bioscience and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8049 Bodø, Norway
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4
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Sirkiä PM, Qvarnström A. Adaptive coloration in pied flycatchers ( Ficedula hypoleuca)-The devil is in the detail. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:1501-1525. [PMID: 33613985 PMCID: PMC7882974 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the origin and persistence of phenotypic variation within and among populations is a major goal in evolutionary biology. However, the eagerness to find unadulterated explanatory models in combination with difficulties in publishing replicated studies may lead to severe underestimations of the complexity of selection patterns acting in nature. One striking example is variation in plumage coloration in birds, where the default adaptive explanation often is that brightly colored individuals signal superior quality across environmental conditions and therefore always should be favored by directional mate choice. Here, we review studies on the proximate determination and adaptive function of coloration traits in male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). From numerous studies, we can conclude that the dark male color phenotype is adapted to a typical northern climate and functions as a dominance signal in male-male competition over nesting sites, and that the browner phenotypes are favored by relaxed intraspecific competition with more dominant male collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) in areas where the two species co-occur. However, the role of avoidance of hybridization in driving character displacement in plumage between these two species may not be as important as initially thought. The direction of female choice on male coloration in pied flycatchers is not simply as opposite in direction in sympatry and allopatry as traditionally expected, but varies also in relation to additional contexts such as climate variation. While some of the heterogeneity in the observed relationships between coloration and fitness probably indicate type 1 errors, we strongly argue that environmental heterogeneity and context-dependent selection play important roles in explaining plumage color variation in this species, which probably also is the case in many other species studied in less detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Päivi M. Sirkiä
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryZoology UnitUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsAnimal EcologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
| | - Anna Qvarnström
- Department of Ecology and GeneticsAnimal EcologyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
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5
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Cruz-Miralles Á, Avilés JM, Chastel O, Expósito-Granados M, Parejo D. Phaeomelanin matters: Redness associates with inter-individual differences in behaviour and feather corticosterone in male scops owls (Otus scops). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241380. [PMID: 33175892 PMCID: PMC7657523 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanin based colouration has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of phaeomelanin in avian phenotype integration has been barely investigated. Here, we test for covariation between phaeomelanin-based colouration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, aggressiveness, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone in feathers in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops, a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colourations. In males, we observed that reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than more greyish ones. Behaviour and feather CORT were not associated to plumage colour in females. The found associations between redness, behaviour and feather CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype in scops owls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Cruz-Miralles
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, España
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, España
| | - Jesús M. Avilés
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, España
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Mónica Expósito-Granados
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, España
- Departamento de Economía y Empresa, Área de Economía Aplicada, Universidad de Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, España
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, España
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, España
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6
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Béziers P, Korner-Nievergelt F, Jenni L, Roulin A, Almasi B. Glucocorticoid levels are linked to lifetime reproductive success and survival of adult barn owls. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1689-1703. [PMID: 32945025 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones, such as corticosterone, are crucial in regulating daily life metabolism and energy expenditure, as well as promoting short-term physiological and behavioural responses to unpredictable environmental challenges. Therefore, glucocorticoids are considered to mediate trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Relatively little is known about how selection has shaped glucocorticoid levels. We used 15 years of capture-recapture and dead recovery data combined with 13 years of corticosterone and breeding success data taken on breeding barn owls (Tyto alba) to investigate such trade-offs. We found that survival was positively correlated with stress-induced corticosterone levels in both sexes, whereas annual and lifetime reproductive success (i.e. the sum of young successfully fledged during the entire reproductive career) was positively correlated with both baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels in females only. Our results suggest that, in the barn owl, the stress-induced corticosterone response is a good proxy for adult survival and lifetime reproductive success. However, selection pressure appears to act differently on corticosterone levels of males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Béziers
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Lukas Jenni
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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7
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Leary CJ, Baugh AT. Glucocorticoids, male sexual signals, and mate choice by females: Implications for sexual selection. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 288:113354. [PMID: 31830474 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We review work relating glucocorticoids (GCs), male sexual signals, and mate choice by females to understand the potential for GCs to modulate the expression of sexually selected traits and how sexual selection potentially feeds back on GC regulation. Our review reveals that the relationship between GC concentrations and the quality of male sexual traits is mixed, regardless of whether studies focused on structural traits (e.g., coloration) or behavioral traits (e.g., vocalizations) or were examined in developmental or activational frameworks. In contrast, the few mate choice experiments that have been done consistently show that females prefer males with low GCs, suggesting that mate choice by females favors males that maintain low levels of GCs. We point out, however, that just as sexual selection can drive the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies, it may also promote diversity in GC regulation. We then shift the focus to females where we highlight evidence indicating that stressors or high GCs can dampen female sexual proceptivity and the strength of preferences for male courtship signals. Hence, even in cases where GCs are tightly coupled with male sexual signals, the strength of sexual selection on aspects of GC physiology can vary depending on the endocrine status of females. Studies examining how GCs relate to sexual selection may shed light on how variation in stress physiology, sexual signals, and mate choice are maintained in natural populations and may be important in understanding context-dependent relationships between GC regulation and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Leary
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, PO Box 1848, University, MS 38677, USA.
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
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8
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Béziers P, Ducrest AL, San-Jose LM, Simon C, Roulin A. Expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor genes co-varies with a stress-related colour signal in barn owls. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 283:113224. [PMID: 31323230 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones are important intermediates between an organism and its environment. They enable an organism to adjust its behavioural and physiological processes in response to environmental changes by binding to mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) expressed in many tissues, including the integument. The regulation of glucocorticoids co-varies with melanin-based colouration in numerous species, an association that might result from pleiotropic effects of genes in the melanocortin system and evolve within a signalling context. Most studies have focused on the circulating levels of glucocorticoids disregarding the receptors that mediate their action, and that might partly account for the covariation between the regulation of stress and melanin-based colouration. We investigated the association of the expression levels of GR and MR genes with melanin-based colouration in the growing feathers of nestling barn owls (Tyto alba). We also explored the association between GR and MR expression levels and the expression of genes related to the melanocortin system and melanogenesis to better understand the origin of the link between the expression of receptors to which corticosterone binds and melanin-based colouration. Nestling barn owls displaying larger eumelanic black feather spots expressed GR and MR at lower levels than smaller-spotted individuals. However, we found that the expression of the GR and MR genes was positively rather than negatively correlated with the expression of genes involved in the deposition of melanin pigments at the time we sampled the nestlings. This provides mixed evidence of the association between melanin-based traits and MR and GR gene expression. The finding that the expression of GR and MR was positively associated with the expression of the PCSK2 gene (encoding one of the protein convertase responsible for the production of hormone peptide ACTH and α-MSH) suggests that the melanocortin system may be implicated in the establishment of the covariation between melanin-based colour and the expression of receptors to which glucocorticoids bind. However, further studies investigating the expression of melanin-based traits with stress-related endpoints at different time points of feather development will be necessary to understand better the proximate mechanism linking melanin-based traits with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Béziers
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Lyse Ducrest
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Céline Simon
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Roulin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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9
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Galván I. Predation risk determines pigmentation phenotype in nuthatches by melanin-related gene expression effects. J Evol Biol 2018; 31:1760-1771. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology; Doñana Biological Station; CSIC; Sevilla Spain
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10
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Raulo A, Dantzer B. Associations between glucocorticoids and sociality across a continuum of vertebrate social behavior. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7697-7716. [PMID: 30151183 PMCID: PMC6106170 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The causes and consequences of individual differences in animal behavior and stress physiology are increasingly studied in wild animals, yet the possibility that stress physiology underlies individual variation in social behavior has received less attention. In this review, we bring together these study areas and focus on understanding how the activity of the vertebrate neuroendocrine stress axis (HPA-axis) may underlie individual differences in social behavior in wild animals. We first describe a continuum of vertebrate social behaviors spanning from initial social tendencies (proactive behavior) to social behavior occurring in reproductive contexts (parental care, sexual pair-bonding) and lastly to social behavior occurring in nonreproductive contexts (nonsexual bonding, group-level cooperation). We then perform a qualitative review of existing literature to address the correlative and causal association between measures of HPA-axis activity (glucocorticoid levels or GCs) and each of these types of social behavior. As expected, elevated HPA-axis activity can inhibit social behavior associated with initial social tendencies (approaching conspecifics) and reproduction. However, elevated HPA-axis activity may also enhance more elaborate social behavior outside of reproductive contexts, such as alloparental care behavior. In addition, the effect of GCs on social behavior can depend upon the sociality of the stressor (cause of increase in GCs) and the severity of stress (extent of increase in GCs). Our review shows that the while the associations between stress responses and sociality are diverse, the role of HPA-axis activity behind social behavior may shift toward more facilitating and less inhibiting in more social species, providing insight into how stress physiology and social systems may co-evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of BiosciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Zoology DepartmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichigan
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11
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Henschen AE, Whittingham LA, Dunn PO. Male stress response is related to ornamentation but not resistance to oxidative stress in a warbler. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amberleigh E. Henschen
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
| | - Linda A. Whittingham
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
| | - Peter O. Dunn
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology GroupDepartment of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee Milwaukee WI USA
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12
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Storey AE, Ryan MG, Fitzsimmons MG, Kouwenberg AL, Takahashi LS, Robertson GJ, Wilhelm SI, McKay DW, Herzberg GR, Mowbray FK, MacMillan L, Walsh CJ. Balancing personal maintenance with parental investment in a chick-rearing seabird: physiological indicators change with foraging conditions. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox055. [PMID: 28979786 PMCID: PMC5622326 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 08/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Seabird parents use a conservative breeding strategy that favours long-term survival over intensive parental investment, particularly under harsh conditions. Here, we examine whether variation in several physiological indicators reflects the balance between parental investment and survival in common murres (Uria aalge) under a wide range of foraging conditions. Blood samples were taken from adults during mid-chick rearing from 2007 to 2014 and analysed for corticosterone (CORT, stress hormone), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BUTY, lipid metabolism reflecting ongoing mass loss), and haematocrit (reflecting blood oxygen capacity). These measures, plus body mass, were related to three levels of food availability (good, intermediate, and poor years) for capelin, the main forage fish for murres in this colony. Adult body mass and chick-feeding rates were higher in good years than in poor years and heavier murres were more likely to fledge a chick than lighter birds. Contrary to prediction, BUTY levels were higher in good years than in intermediate and poor years. Murres lose body mass just after their chicks hatch and these results for BUTY suggest that mass loss may be delayed in good years. CORT levels were higher in intermediate years than in good or poor years. Higher CORT levels in intermediate years may reflect the necessity of increasing foraging effort, whereas extra effort is not needed in good years and it is unlikely to increase foraging success in poor years. Haematocrit levels were higher in poor years than in good years, a difference that may reflect either their poorer condition or increased diving requirements when food is less available. Our long-term data set provided insight into how decisions about resource allocation under different foraging conditions are relating to physiological indicators, a relationship that is relevant to understanding how seabirds may respond to changes in marine ecosystems as ocean temperatures continue to rise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E Storey
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Morag G Ryan
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Michelle G Fitzsimmons
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Amy-Lee Kouwenberg
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Linda S Takahashi
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce St., Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1N 4T3
| | - Sabina I Wilhelm
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce St., Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1N 4T3
| | - Donald W McKay
- Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3V6
| | - Gene R Herzberg
- Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Frances K Mowbray
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 5667, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1C 5×1
| | - Luke MacMillan
- Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
| | - Carolyn J Walsh
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada A1B 3×9
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13
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Lewis AC, Rankin KJ, Pask AJ, Stuart-Fox D. Stress-induced changes in color expression mediated by iridophores in a polymorphic lizard. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8262-8272. [PMID: 29075447 PMCID: PMC5648675 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is an important potential factor mediating a broad range of cellular pathways, including those involved in condition‐dependent (i.e., honest) color signal expression. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the relationship between stress and color expression are largely unknown. We artificially elevated circulating corticosterone levels in male tawny dragon lizards, Ctenophorus decresii, to assess the effect of stress on the throat color signal. Corticosterone treatment increased luminance (paler throat coloration) and decreased the proportion of gray, thereby influencing the gray reticulations that produce unique patterning. The magnitude of change in luminance for corticosterone‐treated individuals in our study was around 6 “just noticeable differences” to the tawny dragon visual system, suggesting that lizards are likely to be able to perceive the measured variation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of iridophore cells indicated that luminance increased with increasing density of iridophore cells and increased spacing (and/or reduced size) of crystalline guanine platelets within them. Crystal spacing within iridophores also differed between skin colors, being greater in cream than either gray or yellow skin and greater in orange than yellow skin. Our results demonstrate that stress detectably impacts signal expression (luminance and patterning), which may provide information on individual condition. This effect is likely to be mediated, at least in part, by structural coloration produced by iridophore cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Lewis
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic Australia
| | - Katrina J Rankin
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic Australia
| | - Andrew J Pask
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic Australia
| | - Devi Stuart-Fox
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic Australia
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14
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Corti M, Bazzi G, Costanzo A, Podofillini S, Saino N, Rubolini D, Romano A. Behavioural stress response and melanin-based plumage colouration in barn swallow nestlings. BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Consistent and correlated inter-individual differences in behaviours, the so-called ‘personalities’, have been identified in many vertebrates. The ability to respond to stressful events is part of personalities and can have important fitness consequences, as it determines how individuals cope with environmental challenges. As a consequence of pleiotropic effects of genes involved in several functions, inter-individual differences in behavioural responses can be associated with phenotypic traits, like melanin-based plumage colouration in birds. We examined the association between three proxies of the behavioural stress response and breast plumage colouration in barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) nestlings. We found that nestling behavioural responses were consistent within individuals and similar among siblings, thus suggesting that these behaviours may contribute to define individual ‘personalities’. However, nestling behavioural stress response was not significantly predicted by variation in breast plumage colouration, indicating that in juveniles of this species melanin-based colouration does not convey to conspecifics reliable information on individual ability to cope with stressful events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Corti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Gaia Bazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandra Costanzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Podofillini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Nicola Saino
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Romano
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
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15
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Griffith SC, Crino OL, Andrew SC, Nomano FY, Adkins-Regan E, Alonso-Alvarez C, Bailey IE, Bittner SS, Bolton PE, Boner W, Boogert N, Boucaud ICA, Briga M, Buchanan KL, Caspers BA, Cichoń M, Clayton DF, Derégnaucourt S, Forstmeier W, Guillette LM, Hartley IR, Healy SD, Hill DL, Holveck MJ, Hurley LL, Ihle M, Tobias Krause E, Mainwaring MC, Marasco V, Mariette MM, Martin-Wintle MS, McCowan LSC, McMahon M, Monaghan P, Nager RG, Naguib M, Nord A, Potvin DA, Prior NH, Riebel K, Romero-Haro AA, Royle NJ, Rutkowska J, Schuett W, Swaddle JP, Tobler M, Trompf L, Varian-Ramos CW, Vignal C, Villain AS, Williams TD. Variation in Reproductive Success Across Captive Populations: Methodological Differences, Potential Biases and Opportunities. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Ondi L. Crino
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Samuel C. Andrew
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Fumiaki Y. Nomano
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
- Department of Psychology and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior; Cornell University; Ithaca NY USA
| | - Carlos Alonso-Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; Ciudad Real Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - Ida E. Bailey
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | | | - Peri E. Bolton
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Neeltje Boogert
- School of Psychology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | - Ingrid C. A. Boucaud
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Michael Briga
- Behavioural Biology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Jagiellonian University; Cracow Poland
| | - David F. Clayton
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology; Queen Mary University of London; London UK
| | | | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | | | - Ian R. Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Susan D. Healy
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | - Davina L. Hill
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Marie-Jeanne Holveck
- Institute of Biology; University of Leiden; Leiden The Netherlands
- Biodiversity Research Centre; Earth and Life Institute; Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL); Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium
| | - Laura L. Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Malika Ihle
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - E. Tobias Krause
- Department of Animal Behaviour; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry; Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut; Celle Germany
| | - Mark C. Mainwaring
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Valeria Marasco
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong VIC Australia
| | - Meghan S. Martin-Wintle
- Conservation and Research Department; PDXWildlife; Portland OR USA
- Applied Animal Ecology; Institute for Conservation Research; San Diego Zoo Global; Escondido CA USA
| | - Luke S. C. McCowan
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Maeve McMahon
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology; Queen Mary University of London; London UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Ruedi G. Nager
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group; Department of Animal Sciences; Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Nord
- Department of Biology; Lund University; Lund Sweden
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Dominique A. Potvin
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research; University of Western Ontario; London ON Canada
| | - Nora H. Prior
- Zoology Department; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Ana A. Romero-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; Ciudad Real Spain
| | - Nick J. Royle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter; Penryn UK
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Jagiellonian University; Cracow Poland
| | - Wiebke Schuett
- Zoological Institute; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
| | - John P. Swaddle
- Biology Department; Institute for Integrative Bird Behaviour Studies; The College of William and Mary; Williamsburg VA USA
| | | | - Larissa Trompf
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Claire W. Varian-Ramos
- Biology Department; Institute for Integrative Bird Behaviour Studies; The College of William and Mary; Williamsburg VA USA
| | - Clémentine Vignal
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Avelyne S. Villain
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
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16
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Sumasgutner P, Tate GJ, Koeslag A, Amar A. Family morph matters: factors determining survival and recruitment in a long-lived polymorphic raptor. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1043-55. [PMID: 26990283 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
From an evolutionary perspective, recruitment into the breeding population represents one of the most important life-history stages and ultimately determines the effective population size. In order to contribute to the next generation, offspring must survive to sexual maturity, secure a territory and find a mate. In this study, we explore factors influencing both offspring survival and their subsequent recruitment into the local breeding population in a long-lived urban raptor, the black sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus). Adult black sparrowhawks show discrete colour polymorphism (dark and light morphs), and in South Africa, morphs are distributed clinally with the highest proportion of dark morphs (c.75%) present in our study population on the Cape Peninsula. Parental morph was associated with both survival and recruitment. For survival, parental morph combination was important - with young produced by pairs of contrasting morphs having higher survival rates than young fledged from like-pairs. The association between recruitment and morph was more complex; with an interaction between male morph and breeding time, whereby recruitment of offspring from dark morph fathers was more likely when fledging earlier in the season. The opposite relationship was found for light morph fathers, with their offspring more likely to be recruited if fledged later in the season. This interaction may be due to differential morph-specific hunting success of fathers (males contribute most food provisioning), linked to background matching and crypsis in different weather conditions. Dark morph males may hunt more successfully in rainier and cloudier conditions, which occur more frequently earlier in the breeding season, and light morph males may be more successful later on, when weather conditions become increasingly brighter and drier. Our results reveal a complex situation whereby the family morph combination influences survival, and the father morphs specifically recruitment, revealing morph-specific benefits dependent on the timing of breeding. These empirical data are among the first to support the idea that differential fitness consequence of morph combination may explain balanced polymorphism in a vertebrate population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Sumasgutner
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Gareth J Tate
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ann Koeslag
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arjun Amar
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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17
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Galván I, Solano F. Bird Integumentary Melanins: Biosynthesis, Forms, Function and Evolution. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:520. [PMID: 27070583 PMCID: PMC4848976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17040520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanins are the ubiquitous pigments distributed in nature. They are one of the main pigments responsible for colors in living cells. Birds are among the most diverse animals regarding melanin-based coloration, especially in the plumage, although they also pigment bare parts of the integument. This review is devoted to the main characteristics of bird melanins, including updated views of the formation and nature of melanin granules, whose interest has been raised in the last years for inferring the color of extinct birds and non-avian theropod dinosaurs using resistant fossil feathers. The molecular structure of the two main types of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin, and the environmental and genetic factors that regulate avian melanogenesis are also presented, establishing the main relationship between them. Finally, the special functions of melanin in bird feathers are also discussed, emphasizing the aspects more closely related to these animals, such as honest signaling, and the factors that may drive the evolution of pheomelanin and pheomelanin-based color traits, an issue for which birds have been pioneer study models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Francisco Solano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology B & Immunology, School of Medicine and IMIB, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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18
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Hennin HL, Wells-Berlin AM, Love OP. Baseline glucocorticoids are drivers of body mass gain in a diving seabird. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:1702-11. [PMID: 26925215 PMCID: PMC4755010 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Life-history trade-offs are influenced by variation in individual state, with individuals in better condition often completing life-history stages with greater success. Although resource accrual significantly impacts key life-history decisions such as the timing of reproduction, little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving resource accumulation. Baseline corticosterone (CORT, the primary avian glucocorticoid) mediates daily and seasonal energetics, responds to changes in food availability, and has been linked to foraging behavior, making it a strong potential driver of individual variation in resource accrual and deposition. Working with a captive colony of white-winged scoters (Melanitta fusca deglandi), we aimed to causally determine whether variation in baseline CORT drives individual body mass gains mediated through fattening rate (plasma triglycerides corrected for body mass). We implanted individuals with each of three treatment pellets to elevate CORT within a baseline range in a randomized order: control, low dose of CORT, high dose of CORT, then blood sampled and recorded body mass over a two-week period to track changes in baseline CORT, body mass, and fattening rates. The high CORT treatment significantly elevated levels of plasma hormone for a short period of time within the biologically relevant, baseline range for this species, but importantly did not inhibit the function of the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis. Furthermore, an elevation in baseline CORT resulted in a consistent increase in body mass throughout the trial period compared to controls. This is some of the first empirical evidence demonstrating that elevations of baseline CORT within a biologically relevant range have a causal, direct, and positive influence on changes in body mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly L Hennin
- Department of Biological Sciences and Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
| | | | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences and Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
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19
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Hau M, Casagrande S, Ouyang J, Baugh A. Glucocorticoid-Mediated Phenotypes in Vertebrates. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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20
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Sopinka NM, Patterson LD, Redfern JC, Pleizier NK, Belanger CB, Midwood JD, Crossin GT, Cooke SJ. Manipulating glucocorticoids in wild animals: basic and applied perspectives. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 3:cov031. [PMID: 27293716 PMCID: PMC4778459 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cov031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
One of the most comprehensively studied responses to stressors in vertebrates is the endogenous production and regulation of glucocorticoids (GCs). Extensive laboratory research using experimental elevation of GCs in model species is instrumental in learning about stressor-induced physiological and behavioural mechanisms; however, such studies fail to inform our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes in the wild. We reviewed emerging research that has used GC manipulations in wild vertebrates to assess GC-mediated effects on survival, physiology, behaviour, reproduction and offspring quality. Within and across taxa, exogenous manipulation of GCs increased, decreased or had no effect on traits examined in the reviewed studies. The notable diversity in responses to GC manipulation could be associated with variation in experimental methods, inherent differences among species, morphs, sexes and age classes, and the ecological conditions in which responses were measured. In their current form, results from experimental studies may be applied to animal conservation on a case-by-case basis in contexts such as threshold-based management. We discuss ways to integrate mechanistic explanations for changes in animal abundance in altered environments with functional applications that inform conservation practitioners of which species and traits may be most responsive to environmental change or human disturbance. Experimental GC manipulation holds promise for determining mechanisms underlying fitness impairment and population declines. Future work in this area should examine multiple life-history traits, with consideration of individual variation and, most importantly, validation of GC manipulations within naturally occurring and physiologically relevant ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M. Sopinka
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Lucy D. Patterson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Julia C. Redfern
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Naomi K. Pleizier
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Cassia B. Belanger
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jon D. Midwood
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Glenn T. Crossin
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
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21
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Qvarnström A, Ålund M, McFarlane SE, Sirkiä PM. Climate adaptation and speciation: particular focus on reproductive barriers in Ficedula flycatchers. Evol Appl 2015; 9:119-34. [PMID: 27087843 PMCID: PMC4780377 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate adaptation is surprisingly rarely reported as a cause for the build‐up of reproductive isolation between diverging populations. In this review, we summarize evidence for effects of climate adaptation on pre‐ and postzygotic isolation between emerging species with a particular focus on pied (Ficedula hypoleuca) and collared (Ficedula albicollis) flycatchers as a model for research on speciation. Effects of climate adaptation on prezygotic isolation or extrinsic selection against hybrids have been documented in several taxa, but the combined action of climate adaptation and sexual selection is particularly well explored in Ficedula flycatchers. There is a general lack of evidence for divergent climate adaptation causing intrinsic postzygotic isolation. However, we argue that the profound effects of divergence in climate adaptation on the whole biochemical machinery of organisms and hence many underlying genes should increase the likelihood of genetic incompatibilities arising as side effects. Fast temperature‐dependent co‐evolution between mitochondrial and nuclear genomes may be particularly likely to lead to hybrid sterility. Thus, how climate adaptation relates to reproductive isolation is best explored in relation to fast‐evolving barriers to gene flow, while more research on later stages of divergence is needed to achieve a complete understanding of climate‐driven speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Qvarnström
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Murielle Ålund
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
| | - Päivi M Sirkiä
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden; Finnish Museum of Natural History Zoology Unit University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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22
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Bolton PE, Rollins LA, Griffith SC. The danger within: the role of genetic, behavioural and ecological factors in population persistence of colour polymorphic species. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:2907-15. [PMID: 25870951 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Revised: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Polymorphic species have been the focus of important work in evolutionary biology. It has been suggested that colour polymorphic species have specific evolutionary and population dynamics that enable them to persist through environmental changes better than less variable species. We suggest that recent empirical and theoretical work indicates that polymorphic species may be more vulnerable to extinction than previously thought. This vulnerability arises because these species often have a number of correlated sexual, behavioural, life history and ecological traits, which can have a simple genetic underpinning. When exacerbated by environmental change, these alternate strategies can lead to conflict between morphs at the genomic and population levels, which can directly or indirectly affect population and evolutionary dynamics. In this perspective, we identify a number of ways in which the nature of the correlated traits, their underpinning genetic architecture, and the inevitable interactions between colour morphs can result in a reduction in population fitness. The principles illustrated here apply to all kinds of discrete polymorphism (e.g. behavioural syndromes), but we focus primarily on colour polymorphism because they are well studied. We urge further empirical investigation of the genetic architecture and interactions in polymorphic species to elucidate the impact on population fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peri E Bolton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Lee A Rollins
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., 3217, Australia
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
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23
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Carletti G, Nervo G, Cattivelli L. Flavonoids and Melanins: a common strategy across two kingdoms. Int J Biol Sci 2014; 10:1159-70. [PMID: 25516714 PMCID: PMC4261200 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.9672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV) radiations alter a number of metabolic functions in vivant. They produce damages to lipids, nucleic acids and proteins, generating reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen (O2), hydroxyl radical (HO) and superoxide anion (O2-). Plants and animals, after their water emersion, have developed biochemical mechanisms to protect themselves from that environmental threat through a common strategy. Melanins in animals and flavonoids in plants are antioxidant pigments acting as free radical scavenging mechanisms. Both are phenol compounds constitutively synthesized and enhanced after exposure to UV rays, often conferring a red-brown-dark tissue pigmentation. Noteworthy, beside anti-oxidant scavenging activity, melanins and flavonoids have acquired secondary functions that, both in plants and animals, concern reproductions and fitness. Plants highly pigmented are more resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses. Darker wild vertebrates are generally more aggressive, sexually active and resistant to stress than lighter individuals. Flavonoids have been associated with signal attraction between flowers and insects and with plant-plant interaction. Melanin pigmentation has been proposed as trait in bird communication, acting as honest signals of quality. This review shows how the molecular mechanisms leading to tissue pigmentation have many functional analogies between plants and animals and how their origin lies in simpler organisms such as Cyanobacteria. Comparative studies between plant and animal kingdoms can reveal new insight of the antioxidant strategies in vivant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Carletti
- 1. Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Research Unit for Intensive Wood Production, Strada Frassineto 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato, AL, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nervo
- 1. Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Research Unit for Intensive Wood Production, Strada Frassineto 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato, AL, Italy
| | - Luigi Cattivelli
- 2. Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Genomics Research Centre, via S Protaso 302, I-29107 Fiorenzuola d'Arda, PC, Italy
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25
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Jeffrey JD, Cooke SJ, Gilmour KM. Regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis function in male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) during parental care. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 204:195-202. [PMID: 24879931 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) provide sole parental care until offspring reach independence, a period of several weeks. During the early parental care period when males are guarding fresh eggs (MG-FE), cortisol responsiveness is attenuated; the response is re-established when males reach the end of the parental care period and are guarding free-swimming fry (MG-FSF). It was hypothesized that attenuation of the cortisol response in male smallmouth bass during early parental care reflected modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis function. Male smallmouth bass were sampled at the beginning (MG-FE) and end of the parental care period (MG-FSF), before and/or 25 min after exposure to a standardized stressor consisting of 3 min of air exposure. Repeated sampling of stressed fish for analysis of plasma cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels was carried out. Males significantly elevated both plasma cortisol and ACTH levels when guarding free-swimming fry but not during early parental care. Control and stressed fish were terminally sampled for tissue mRNA abundance of preoptic area (POA) and hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) as well as head kidney melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc). No significant differences in either hypothalamus CRF or head kidney P450scc mRNA abundance were found across parental care stages or in response to stress. However, POA CRF mRNA abundance and interrenal cell MC2R and StAR mRNA abundances failed to increase in response to stress in MG-FE. Thus, the attenuated cortisol response in males guarding fresh eggs may be explained by hypoactive HPI axis function in response to stress. The present is one of few studies, and the first teleost study, to address the mechanisms underlying resistance to stress during the reproductive/parental care period.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - S J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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D'Alba L, Van Hemert C, Spencer KA, Heidinger BJ, Gill L, Evans NP, Monaghan P, Handel CM, Shawkey MD. Melanin-Based Color of Plumage: Role of Condition and of Feathers' Microstructure. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:633-44. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
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27
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Thierry AM, Brajon S, Spée M, Raclot T. Differential effects of increased corticosterone on behavior at the nest and reproductive output of chick-rearing Adélie penguins. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1685-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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28
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Harris BN, de Jong TR, Yang V, Saltzman W. Chronic variable stress in fathers alters paternal and social behavior but not pup development in the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). Horm Behav 2013; 64:799-811. [PMID: 24157379 PMCID: PMC3894746 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2013] [Revised: 10/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Stress and chronically elevated glucocorticoid levels have been shown to disrupt parental behavior in mothers; however, almost no studies have investigated corresponding effects in fathers. The present experiment tested the hypothesis that chronic variable stress inhibits paternal behavior and consequently alters pup development in the monogamous, biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). First-time fathers were assigned to one of three experimental groups: chronic variable stress (CVS, n=8), separation control (SC, n=7), or unmanipulated control (UC, n=8). The CVS paradigm (3 stressors per day for 7 days) successfully stressed mice, as evidenced by increased baseline plasma corticosterone concentrations, increased adrenal mass, decreased thymus mass, and a decrease in body mass over time. CVS altered paternal and social behavior of fathers, but major differences were observed only on day 6 of the 7-day paradigm. At that time point, CVS fathers spent less time with their pairmate and pups, and more time autogrooming, as compared to UC fathers; SC fathers spent more time behaving paternally and grooming the female mate than CVS and UC fathers. Thus, CVS blocked the separation-induced increase in social behaviors observed in the SC fathers. Nonetheless, chronic stress in fathers did not appear to alter survival or development of their offspring: pups from the three experimental conditions did not differ in body mass gain over time, in the day of eye opening, or in basal or post-stress corticosterone levels. These results demonstrate that chronic stress can transiently disrupt paternal and social behavior in P. californicus fathers, but does not alter pup development or survival under controlled, non-challenging laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanna N Harris
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
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29
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Jenkins BR, Vitousek MN, Safran RJ. Signaling stress? An analysis of phaeomelanin-based plumage color and individual corticosterone levels at two temporal scales in North American barn swallows, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. Horm Behav 2013; 64:665-72. [PMID: 24013040 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Revised: 08/16/2013] [Accepted: 08/20/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Sexually selected traits confer greater reproductive benefits to individuals with more elaborate forms of the signal. However, whether these signals convey reliable information about the physiology underlying trait development remains unknown in many species. The steroid hormone corticosterone (CORT) mediates important physiological and behavioral processes during the vertebrate stress response, and CORT secretion itself can be modulated by melanocortins. Thus, sexually selected melanin-based plumage coloration could function as an honest signal of an individual's ability to respond to stressors. This hypothesis was tested in North American barn swallows, Hirundo rustica erythrogaster, where males with darker ventral plumage color exhibit higher phaeomelanin content and are more successful at reproduction. Because reproductive behavior occurs months after plumage signals are developed, we also addressed the potential temporal disconnect of physiological state during trait development and trait advertisement by analyzing three different measurements of CORT levels in adult males during the breeding season (trait advertisement) and in nestling males while they were growing their feathers (trait development). Variation in adult plumage color did not predict baseline or stress-induced CORT, or stress responsiveness. Likewise, there was no relationship between nestling plumage color and any of the CORT measurements, but heavier nestlings had significantly lower baseline CORT. Our finding that a predominantly phaeomelanin-based trait is unrelated to circulating CORT suggests that phaeomelanin and eumelanin signals may convey different physiological information, and highlights the need for further study on the biochemical links between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the production of different melanin-based pigments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany R Jenkins
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ramaley N122, UCB 334, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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30
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Almasi B, Roulin A, Jenni L. Corticosterone shifts reproductive behaviour towards self-maintenance in the barn owl and is linked to melanin-based coloration in females. Horm Behav 2013; 64:161-71. [PMID: 23583559 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2012] [Revised: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Trade-offs between the benefits of current reproduction and the costs to future reproduction and survival are widely recognized. However, such trade-offs might only be detected when resources become limited to the point where investment in one activity jeopardizes investment in others. The resolution of the trade-off between reproduction and self-maintenance is mediated by hormones such as glucocorticoids which direct behaviour and physiology towards self-maintenance under stressful situations. We investigated this trade-off in male and female barn owls in relation to the degree of heritable melanin-based coloration, a trait that reflects the ability to cope with various sources of stress in nestlings. We increased circulating corticosterone in breeding adults by implanting a corticosterone-releasing-pellet, using birds implanted with a placebo-pellet as controls. In males, elevated corticosterone reduced the activity (i.e. reduced home-range size and distance covered within the home-range) independently of coloration, while we could not detect any effect on hunting efficiency. The effect of experimentally elevated corticosterone on female behaviour was correlated with their melanin-based coloration. Corticosterone (cort-) induced an increase in brooding behaviour in small-spotted females, while this hormone had no detectable effect in large-spotted females. Cort-females with small eumelanic spots showed the normal body-mass loss during the early nestling period, while large spotted cort-females did not lose body mass. This indicates that corticosterone induced a shift towards self-maintenance in males independently on their plumage, whereas in females this shift was observed only in large-spotted females.
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31
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Saino N, Canova L, Costanzo A, Rubolini D, Roulin A, Møller AP. Immune and Stress Responses Covary with Melanin-Based Coloration in the Barn Swallow. Evol Biol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-013-9228-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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32
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Viability is associated with melanin-based coloration in the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). PLoS One 2013; 8:e60426. [PMID: 23573254 PMCID: PMC3616026 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigmentation of body surface in animals can have multiple determinants and accomplish diverse functions. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are the main animal pigments, being responsible of yellow, brownish-red and black hues, and have partly common biosynthetic pathways. Many populations of vertebrates show individual variation in melanism, putatively with large heritable component. Genes responsible for eu- or pheomelanogenesis have pleiotropic but contrasting effects on life-history traits, explaining the patterns of covariation observed between melanization and physiology (e.g. immunity and stress response), sexual behavior and other characters in diverse taxa. Yet, very few studies in the wild have investigated if eu- and pheomelanization predict major fitness traits like viability or fecundity. In this correlative study, by contrasting adult barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) matched for age, sex, breeding site, and year and date of sampling, we show that males but not females that survived until the next year had paler, relatively more eu- than pheomelanic pigmentation of ventral body feathers. Better performance of individuals that allocate relatively more to eumelanogenesis was expected based on previous evidence on covariation between eumelanic pigmentation and specific traits related to immunity and susceptibility to stress. However, together with the evidence of no covariation between viability and melanization among females, this finding raises the question of the mechanisms that maintain variation in genes for melanogenesis. We discuss the possibility that eu- and pheomelanization are under contrasting viability and sexual selection, as suggested by larger breeding and sperm competition success of darker males from other barn swallow subspecies.
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33
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Galván I, Møller AP. Pheomelanin-Based Plumage Coloration Predicts Survival Rates in Birds. Physiol Biochem Zool 2013; 86:184-92. [DOI: 10.1086/668871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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34
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Schmid B, Tam-Dafond L, Jenni-Eiermann S, Arlettaz R, Schaub M, Jenni L. Modulation of the adrenocortical response to acute stress with respect to brood value, reproductive success and survival in the Eurasian hoopoe. Oecologia 2013; 173:33-44. [PMID: 23386047 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2598-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Reproducing parents face the difficult challenge of trading-off investment in current reproduction against presumed future survival and reproduction. Glucocorticoids are supposed to mediate this trade-off because the adrenocortical response to stress disrupts normal reproductive behaviour in favour of self-maintenance and own survival. According to the brood-value hypothesis, individuals with a low survival probability until the next reproductive season have to invest in current reproduction, a process driven by a down-regulation of their adrenocortical response. If the adrenocortical response to stress effectively mediates the trade-off between current reproduction versus future survival and reproduction, we expect a negative relationship with reproductive success and a positive correlation of the adrenocortical stress response with survival. We studied the relationship between corticosterone secretion in parents and their current brood value, reproductive success and survival in a short-lived multi-brooded bird, the Eurasian hoopoe Upupa epops. The adrenocortical response to acute handling stress was correlated with the brood value within the individual (first and second broods of the year) and between individuals. Birds breeding late in the season mounted a lower total corticosterone response to acute stress than birds breeding earlier, while females showed lower levels than males. We observed a negative relationship between the adrenocortical stress response and rearing success or fledging success in females, as predicted by the brood-value hypothesis. However, we could not evidence a clear link between the adrenocortical stress response and survival. Future research testing the brood-value hypothesis and trade-offs between current reproduction and future survival should also measure free corticosterone and carefully differentiate between cross-sectional (i.e. between-individual) and individual-based experimental studies.
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35
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Thierry AM, Ropert-Coudert Y, Raclot T. Elevated corticosterone levels decrease reproductive output of chick-rearing Adélie penguins but do not affect chick mass at fledging. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 1:cot007. [PMID: 27293591 PMCID: PMC4732446 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cot007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Study of physiological mechanisms can help us to understand how animals respond to changing environmental conditions. In particular, stress hormones (i.e. glucocorticoids, such as corticosterone) are described as mediating resource allocation, allowing animals to adjust their physiology and behaviour to predictable and unpredictable changes in the environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of an experimental increase in baseline corticosterone levels on the breeding effort and the reproductive output of chick-rearing male Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). The number of chicks per nest, their body mass, and their size were monitored throughout the study. Direct observations allowed measurement of the time spent foraging at sea and caring for the young on the nest. At the end of the treatment, blood samples were collected for isotope analysis. Although all birds raised at least one chick, reproductive output was decreased by 42% in corticosterone-treated birds compared with control birds. The increase in corticosterone levels during the guard stage did not affect the mass of surviving chicks or the brood mass at fledging. Corticosterone-treated males spent on average 21% more time at the nest than control birds. However, the duration of foraging trips was similar between both groups. In addition, the similarity of isotopic signatures suggests that both groups foraged at similar locations and ingested the same prey species. The detailed on-land behaviour of birds should be examined in further studies to clarify the possible links between corticosterone levels, brooding time, and reproductive output. Understanding the relationships between glucocorticoids, fitness, and ultimately population dynamics is fundamental to enabling conservation physiology as a discipline to be successful in helping to manage species of conservation concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Mathilde Thierry
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Thierry Raclot
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France
- CNRS, UMR7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
- Corresponding author: IPHC, DEPE, UMR 7178 CNRS-UdS, 23 rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
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36
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Monti DM, Raia P, Vroonen J, Maselli V, Van Damme R, Fulgione D. Physiological change in an insular lizard population confirms the reversed island syndrome. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02019.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daria Maria Monti
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology; University of Naples Federico II; 80126; Naples; Italy
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Department of Earth Science; University of Naples Federico II; L.go San Marcellino 10; 80138; Naples; Italy
| | - Jessica Vroonen
- Functional Morphology, Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1; BE-2610; Wilrijk; Belgium
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Environmental Science; University of Naples 2 SUN; Via Vivaldi; 81100; Caserta; Italy
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Functional Morphology, Department of Biology; University of Antwerp; Universiteitsplein 1; BE-2610; Wilrijk; Belgium
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Structural and Functional Biology; University of Naples Federico II; 80126; Naples; Italy
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37
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Kristensen DL, Erikstad KE, Reiertsen TK, Moum T, Barrett RT, Jenni-Eiermann S. Are female offspring from a single-egg seabird more costly to raise? Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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38
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Rector ME, Kouwenberg AL, Wilhelm SI, Robertson GJ, McKay DW, Fitzsimmons MG, Baker CR, Cameron-Macmillan ML, Walsh CJ, Storey AE. Corticosterone levels of Atlantic puffins vary with breeding stage and sex but are not elevated in poor foraging years. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 178:408-16. [PMID: 22732081 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2011] [Revised: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Corticosterone (CORT) levels in seabirds fluctuate across breeding stages and in different foraging conditions. Here we use a ten-year data set to examine whether CORT levels in Atlantic puffins differ in years with high or low availability of capelin, the preferred forage species. Female puffins had higher CORT levels than males, possibly related to cumulative costs of egg production and higher parental investment. Puffins had higher CORT levels and body mass during pre-breeding than during chick rearing. Yearly mean chick growth rates were higher in years when adults had higher body mass and in years where adults brought chicks a lower percentage of non-fish (invertebrates/larval fish) food. Unlike most results from seabird species with shorter chick-rearing periods, higher CORT levels in puffins were not associated with lower capelin abundance. Puffins may suppress CORT levels to conserve energy in case foraging conditions improve later in the prolonged chick-rearing period. Alternatively, CORT levels may be lowest both when food is very abundant (years not in our sample) or very scarce (e.g., 2009 in this study), and increase when extra foraging effort will increase foraging efficiency (most years in this study). If these data primarily represent years with medium to poor foraging, it is possible that CORT responses to variation in foraging conditions are similar for puffins and other seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Rector
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Graduate Program, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada A1B 3X9
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39
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Galván I, Erritzøe J, Wakamatsu K, Møller AP. High prevalence of cataracts in birds with pheomelanin-based colouration. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2012; 162:259-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2012] [Revised: 03/22/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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40
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Galván I, Alonso-Alvarez C, Negro JJ. Relationships between hair melanization, glutathione levels, and senescence in wild boars. Physiol Biochem Zool 2012; 85:332-47. [PMID: 22705484 DOI: 10.1086/666606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The synthesis of melanins, which are the most common animal pigments, is influenced by glutathione (GSH), a key intracellular antioxidant. At high GSH levels, pheomelanin (the lightest melanin form) is produced, whereas production of eumelanin (the darkest melanin form) does not require GSH. Oxidative damage typically increases with age, and age-related decreases in GSH have accordingly been found in diverse organisms. Therefore, there should be positive associations between the capacity to produce eumelanic traits, GSH levels, and senescence, whereas there should be negative associations between the capacity to produce pheomelanic traits, GSH levels, and senescence. We explored this hypothesis in a free-ranging population of wild boars Sus scrofa of different ages. As expected from the fact that pheomelanogenesis consumes GSH, levels of this antioxidant in muscle tended to be negatively related to pheomelanization and positively related to eumelanization in pelage, and the degree of pelage pheomelanization was positively related to oxidative damage as reflected by levels of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARS), which is consistent with the hypothesis that pheomelanin synthesis has physiological costs. In our cross-sectional sample, GSH levels did not show senescence effects, and we did not detect senescence effects in pelage melanization. Prime body condition and low TBARS levels were also associated with hair graying, which is attributable to a loss of melanin produced by oxidative stress, thus raising the possibility that hair graying constitutes a signal of resistance to oxidative stress in wild boars. Our results suggest that the degree of melanization is linked to GSH levels in wild boars and that their antioxidant damage shows senescence effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
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41
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ALMASI B, ROULIN A, KORNER-NIEVERGELT F, JENNI-EIERMANN S, JENNI L. Coloration signals the ability to cope with elevated stress hormones: effects of corticosterone on growth of barn owls are associated with melanism. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:1189-99. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02508.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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42
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Galván I, Ghanem G, Møller AP. Has removal of excess cysteine led to the evolution of pheomelanin? Bioessays 2012; 34:565-8. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201200017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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43
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Mateos-Gonzalez F, Senar JC. Melanin-based trait predicts individual exploratory behaviour in siskins, Carduelis spinus. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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44
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Sild E, Sepp T, Hõrak P. Behavioural trait covaries with immune responsiveness in a wild passerine. Brain Behav Immun 2011; 25:1349-54. [PMID: 21473910 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2011.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 03/31/2011] [Accepted: 03/31/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune system is highly integrated with the nervous and endocrine systems, which is thought to result in covariation between behavioural syndromes and stress- and immune-associated diseases. Very little is known about the associations between behaviour and immune traits in wild animals. Here we describe such an association in passerine birds, the greenfinches (Carduelis chloris). When wild-caught greenfinches are brought into captivity, some individuals damage their tail feathers against cage walls due to excited behaviour, while others retain their feathers in intact condition. We show that damage to tail feathers was associated with flapping flight movements and the frequency of such flapping bouts was individually consistent over 57 days. Birds with intact tails, i.e., relatively 'calm' individuals mounted stronger antibody response to a novel Brucella abortus antigen and their circulating phagocytes were capable of producing stronger oxidative burst in response to stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide in vitro. As the behavioural trait was assessed 13-25 days before measuring immune responsiveness, our results demonstrate that individuals' coping styles with captivity predicted how these individuals would respond to forthcoming immune challenges. This is a novel evidence about covariation between immune responsiveness and a behavioural trait in a wild-caught animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin Sild
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, The Centre of Excellence FIBIR, Tartu University, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
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45
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Roulin A, Ducrest AL. Association between melanism, physiology and behaviour: A role for the melanocortin system. Eur J Pharmacol 2011; 660:226-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2010] [Revised: 12/22/2010] [Accepted: 01/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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46
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Galván I, Mousseau TA, Møller AP. Bird population declines due to radiation exposure at Chernobyl are stronger in species with pheomelanin-based coloration. Oecologia 2010; 165:827-35. [PMID: 21136083 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1860-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Eumelanin and pheomelanin are the most common pigments providing color to the integument of vertebrates. While pheomelanogenesis requires high levels of a key intracellular antioxidant (glutathione, GSH), eumelanogenesis is inhibited by GSH. This implies that species that possess the molecular basis to produce large amounts of pheomelanin might be more limited in coping with environmental conditions that generate oxidative stress than species that produce eumelanin. Exposure to ionizing radiation produces free radicals and depletes antioxidant resources. GSH is particularly susceptible to radiation, so that species with large proportions of pheomelanic integument may be limited by the availability of GSH to combat oxidative stress and may thus suffer more from radiation effects. We tested this hypothesis in 97 species of birds censused in areas with varying levels of radioactive contamination around Chernobyl. After controlling for the effects of carotenoid-based color, body mass and similarity among taxa due to common phylogenetic descent, the proportion of pheomelanic plumage was strongly negatively related to the slope estimates of the relationship between abundance and radiation levels, while no effect of eumelanic color proportion was found. This represents the first report of an effect of the expression of melanin-based coloration on the capacity to resist the effects of ionizing radiation. Population declines were also stronger in species that exhibit carotenoid-based coloration and have large body mass. The magnitude of population declines had a relatively high phylogenetic signal, indicating that certain groups of birds, especially non-corvid passeriforms, are particularly susceptible to suffer from the effects of radioactive contamination due to phylogenetic inertia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica De Doñana, CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
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Lendvai AZ, Chastel O. Natural variation in stress response is related to post-stress parental effort in male house sparrows. Horm Behav 2010; 58:936-42. [PMID: 20851701 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2010] [Revised: 09/07/2010] [Accepted: 09/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The central life-history trade-off between current and future reproductive effort seems to be mediated by corticosterone in birds. However, still little is known about how naturally occurring corticosterone levels during an acute stress may influence subsequent parental behavior. In this study we observed the parental behavior of free-living male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) both before and after they were subjected to a standard capture-handling stress. We investigated the relationships between corticosterone levels, pre- and post-stress parental behavior, while we statistically controlled for a number of other variables using a multivariate regression method, the path analysis. We found that males' baseline feeding rate predicted the body mass of the nestlings, indicating that male parental care is directly linked to fitness. Corticosterone levels were not explained by baseline feeding rate, but both baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels had a negative influence on the males' post-stress feeding behavior. Moreover, males with large bib size had a stronger stress response and lower post-stress feeding rate than small bibbed males. These results indicate that naturally occurring variation in baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels may influence subsequent parental decisions: individuals mounting a robust stress response are likely to reduce their parental commitment. Parental effort may be regulated in a complex manner, with corticosterone mediating the life-history trade-off between current reproduction and survival. However, different resolutions of this trade-off were apparent only following the stress, therefore the ability to modulate the stress response and maintain parental care in stressful situations may be important in life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adám Z Lendvai
- Institute of Biology, College of Nyíregyháza, Sóstói út 31/b, Nyíregyháza, Hungary.
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Dey CJ, O'Connor CM, Gilmour KM, Van Der Kraak G, Cooke SJ. Behavioral and physiological responses of a wild teleost fish to cortisol and androgen manipulation during parental care. Horm Behav 2010; 58:599-605. [PMID: 20615409 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2010] [Revised: 06/06/2010] [Accepted: 06/26/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Proximate mediators of reproductive behaviors in vertebrates have a long history of study. In fishes, relatively few studies have focused on hormonal control of parental care, despite a comprehensive background on the general physiology of fishes, and the frequent occurrence of parental care behaviors. Studies on this taxon have repeatedly found that the relationships between androgens and paternal care do not follow the predictions made in the avian and mammalian literature. Glucocorticoids may also have a role in mediating parental behaviors, possibly through their role as regulators of metabolism. As such, we investigated the role of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and cortisol in mediating parental effort of male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) by manipulating hormone titers in wild fish. In smallmouth bass, males spawn annually with a single female and defend a single brood for up to 30 days. Treatment of parental fish with cyproterone acetate (CYA; an androgen receptor antagonist) resulted in a decrease in nest defense in response to a simulated brood predator; however, no changes in nest success, nest tending or biochemical indicators of nutritional status were detected. Treatment with exogenous cortisol did not change parental behavior, but did increase the rate of nest failure, possibly owing to the energetic cost of chronically elevated cortisol concentrations. We discuss these findings in the context of resource-driven trade-offs and highlight life history as an important factor controlling parental effort in species with costly parental care behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody J Dey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Darker eumelanic barn owls better withstand food depletion through resistance to food deprivation and lower appetite. Oecologia 2010; 164:65-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1680-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2010] [Accepted: 05/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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50
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ROULIN A, SALAMIN N. Insularity and the evolution of melanism, sexual dichromatism and body size in the worldwide-distributed barn owl. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:925-34. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.01961.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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