1
|
Case BF, Groffen J, Galligan TM, Bodinof Jachowski CM, Hallagan JJ, Hildreth SB, Alaasam V, Keith Ray W, Helm RF, Hopkins WA. Androgen and glucocorticoid profiles throughout extended uniparental paternal care in the eastern hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 355:114547. [PMID: 38772453 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
The behavioral endocrinology associated with reproduction and uniparental male care has been studied in teleosts, but little is known about hormonal correlates of uniparental male care in other ectotherms. To address this gap, we are the first to document the seasonal steroid endocrinology of uniparental male hellbender salamanders during the transition from pre-breeding to nest initiation, and through the subsequent eight months of paternal care. In doing so, we investigated the correlates of nest fate and clutch size, exploring hellbenders' alignment with several endocrinological patterns observed in uniparental male fish. Understanding the endocrinology of hellbender paternal care is also vital from a conservation perspective because high rates of nest failure were recently identified as a factor causing population declines in this imperiled species. We corroborated previous findings demonstrating testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to be the primary androgens in hellbender reproduction, and that cortisol circulates as the most abundant glucocorticoid. However, we were unable to identify a prolactin or a "prolactin-like" peptide in circulation prior to or during parental care. We observed ∼ 80 % declines in both primary androgens during the transition from pre-breeding to nest initiation, and again as paternal care progressed past its first month. In the days immediately following nest initiation, testosterone and DHT trended higher in successful individuals, but did not differ with males' clutch size. We did not observe meaningful seasonality in baseline glucocorticoids associated with breeding or nesting. In contrast, stress-induced glucocorticoids were highest at pre-breeding and through the first two months of care, before declining during the latter-most periods of care as larvae approach emergence from the nest. Neither baseline nor stress-induced glucocorticoids varied significantly with either nest fate or clutch size. Both stress-induced cortisol and corticosterone were positively correlated with total length, a proxy for age in adult hellbenders. This is consistent with age-related patterns in some vertebrates, but the first such pattern observed in a wild amphibian population. Generally, we found that nesting hellbenders adhere to some but not all of the endocrinological patterns observed in uniparental male teleosts prior to and during parental care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian F Case
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
| | - Jordy Groffen
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Thomas M Galligan
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | | | - John J Hallagan
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Sherry B Hildreth
- Virginia Tech, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Valentina Alaasam
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - W Keith Ray
- Virginia Tech, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Richard F Helm
- Virginia Tech, Department of Biochemistry, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - William A Hopkins
- Virginia Tech, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Valiño G, Dunlap K, Quintana L. Androgen receptors rapidly modulate non-breeding aggression in male and female weakly electric fish (Gymnotus omarorum). Horm Behav 2024; 159:105475. [PMID: 38154435 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The South American weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum, displays territorial aggression year-round in both sexes. To examine the role of rapid androgen modulation in non-breeding aggression, we administered acetate cyproterone (CPA), a potent inhibitor of androgen receptors, to both male and females, just before staged agonistic interactions. Wild-caught fish were injected with CPA and, 30 min later, paired in intrasexual dyads. We then recorded the agonistic behavior which encompasses both locomotor displays and emission of social electric signals. We found that CPA had no discernible impact on the levels of aggression or the motivation to engage in aggressive behavior for either sex. However, CPA specifically decreased the expression of social electric signals in both males and female dyads. The effect was status-dependent as it only affected subordinate electrocommunication behavior, the emission of brief interruptions in their electric signaling ("offs"). This study is the first demonstration of a direct and rapid androgen effect mediated via androgen receptors on non-breeding aggression. Elucidating the mechanisms involved in non-breeding aggression in this teleost model allows us to better understand potentially conserved or convergent neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying aggression in vertebrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Valiño
- Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Kent Dunlap
- Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, United States
| | - Laura Quintana
- Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
König Kardgar A, Ghosh D, Sturve J, Agarwal S, Carney Almroth B. Chronic poly(l-lactide) (PLA)- microplastic ingestion affects social behavior of juvenile European perch (Perca fluviatilis). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 881:163425. [PMID: 37059150 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile perch were exposed to 2 % (w/w) poly(l-lactide) (PLA) microplastic particles (90-150 μm) in food pellets, or 2 % (w/w) kaolin particles, and a non-particle control food over 6 months. Chronic ingestion of PLA microplastics significantly affected the social behavior of juvenile perch, evident as a significantly increased reaction to the vision of conspecifics. PLA ingestion did not alter life cycle parameters, or gene expression levels. In addition to reactions to conspecifics, fish that ingested microplastic particles showed tendencies to decrease locomotion, internal schooling distance, and active predator responses. The ingestion of natural particles (kaolin) significantly downregulated the expression of genes related to oxidative stress and androgenesis in the liver of juvenile perch, and we found tendencies to downregulated expression of genes related to xenobiotic response, inflammatory response, and thyroid disruption. The present study demonstrated the importance of natural particle inclusion and the potential behavioral toxicity of one of the commercially available biobased and biodegradable polymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Azora König Kardgar
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Dipannita Ghosh
- Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Joachim Sturve
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Seema Agarwal
- Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Bethanie Carney Almroth
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Agues-Barbosa T, Andrade PVC, Silva PF, Moura CDA, Galvão NL, Freire FAM, Luchiari AC. Variation in nest building, aggression, learning, and steroid hormone levels in Betta splendens. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 323-324:114044. [PMID: 35472317 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Individuals within a population present behavioral responses that vary according to intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as ontogenetic phase, nutritional status, reproductive stage, and previous experiences. These differences can be explained by endogenous changes, such as hormone release, that can modulate reproductive behaviors, stress response, and cognitive processes. In order to investigate the relationship between behavior and hormonal levels in the fighting fish Betta splendens, the present study characterized nest building, aggressive behavior, learning of a task, and levels of cortisol and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) in 86 male Fighting fish. At the beginning of the experiment (days 1-4), fish were characterized as nest builders, intermediate builders, or non-builders. They were then sequentially tested for aggression (days 7-8), learning performance (days 11-21), and circulating hormone levels (day 23). Nest builders showed the lowest hormonal levels at the end of the experiment and low aggressiveness; Intermediate builders presented low cortisol, but high KT levels and best learned the task; Non-builders were the most aggressive animals with higher cortisol levels (at day 23). Our data suggest that in B. splendens, aggressive behavior and learning performance are related to the relative investment in reproduction and variation in circulating levels of corticosteroids and androgens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thais Agues-Barbosa
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Priscilla V C Andrade
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Priscila Fernandes Silva
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Clarissa de Almeida Moura
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Nicole L Galvão
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Fúlvio A M Freire
- Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Luchiari
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ekström A, Prystay TS, Abrams AEI, Carbajal A, Holder PE, Zolderdo AJ, Sandblom E, Cooke SJ. Impairment of branchial and coronary blood flow reduces reproductive fitness, but not cardiac performance in paternal smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 267:111165. [PMID: 35167975 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The capacity to extract oxygen from the water, and the ability of the heart to drive tissue oxygen transport, are fundamental determinants of important life-history performance traits in fish. Cardiac performance is in turn dependent on the heart's own oxygen supply, which in some teleost species is partly delivered via a coronary circulation originating directly from the gills that perfuses the heart, and is crucial for cardiac, metabolic and locomotory capacities. It is currently unknown, however, how a compromised branchial blood flow (e.g., by angling-induced hook damage to the gills), constraining oxygen uptake and coronary blood flow, affects the energetically demanding parental care behaviours and reproductive fitness in fish. Here, we tested the hypothesis that blocking ¼ of the branchial blood flow and abolishing coronary blood flow would negatively affect parental care behaviours, cardiac performance (heart rate metrics, via implanted Star-Oddi heart rate loggers) and reproductive fitness of paternal smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Our findings reveal that branchial/coronary ligation compromised reproductive fitness, as reflected by a lower proportion of broods reaching free-swimming fry and a tendency for a higher nest abandonment rate relative to sham operated control fish. While this was associated with a tendency for a reduced aggression in ligated fish, parental care behaviours were largely unaffected by the ligation. Moreover, the ligation did not impair any of the heart rate performance metrics. Our findings highlight that gill damage may compromise reproductive output of smallmouth bass populations during the spawning season. Yet, the mechanism(s) behind this finding remains elusive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Ekström
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Tanya S Prystay
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Alice E I Abrams
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Annaïs Carbajal
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Peter E Holder
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Aaron J Zolderdo
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Biology, Queen's University Biological Station, Elgin, ON, Canada
| | - Erik Sandblom
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chiara V, Velando A, Kim SY. Relationships between male secondary sexual traits, physiological state and offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:4. [PMID: 34996346 PMCID: PMC8742421 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01958-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual signals produced by males play a central role in sexual selection, but the relationship between these traits and the quality of the bearer are often ambiguous. Secondary sexual traits may represent genetic quality of the bearer, resulting in positive relationships with physiological state, or may be costly to produce, showing trade-off with physiological state. A number of studies have explored the relationships between secondary sexual traits and other functional traits, but few have studied their fitness consequences. We studied the link between diverse physiological traits and both morphological and behavioural sexual traits and examined how their interplay influences offspring viability in the three-spined stickleback. RESULTS Male sticklebacks showing nest building and courtship behaviour were smaller than those not investing in reproductive activities. There was no evidence that the expression of red nuptial colouration and the quality of courtship behaviour of males are positively related to their metabolic rates, swim ability, oxidative damage and mtDNA copy number. However, individuals showing larger red nuptial colour areas had higher levels of oxidative DNA damage in their sperm. Male courtship behaviour and aggressiveness, but not red colour area, were good predictors of offspring hatching and survival. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, in our study population at the southern edge of the species' distribution, sexual colouration of male sticklebacks was not a good indicator of their body state, but both courtship quality and aggressiveness during the courtship are reliable cues of their gamete quality, influencing the viability of their offspring. Thus, females that choose mates based on their courtship behaviour will have high fitness. In the study population, which represents a fast pace-of-life with high reproductive rate and short lifespan, sexual ornaments of males may not honestly signal their physiological and physical state because they invest at maximum in a single reproductive season despite high costs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Violette Chiara
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain.
| | - Alberto Velando
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - Sin-Yeon Kim
- Grupo Ecoloxía Animal, Torre CACTI, Centro de Investigación Mariña, Campus de Vigo, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
|
8
|
Zubizarreta L, Silva AC, Quintana L. The estrogenic pathway modulates non-breeding female aggression in a teleost fish. Physiol Behav 2020; 220:112883. [PMID: 32199998 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Aggressive behaviors are widespread among animals and are critical in the competition for resources. The physiological mechanisms underlying aggression have mostly been examined in breeding males, in which gonadal androgens, acting in part through their aromatization to estrogens, have a key role. There are two alternative models that contribute to further understanding hormonal mechanisms underlying aggression: aggression displayed in the non-breeding season, when gonadal steroids are low, and female aggression. In this study we approach, for the first time, the modulatory role of estrogens and androgens upon non-breeding aggression in a wild female teleost fish. We characterized female aggression in the weakly electric fish Gymnotus omarorum and carried out acute treatments 1 h prior to agonistic encounters in dyads treated with either an aromatase inhibitor or an antagonist of androgen receptors. Anti-androgen treatment had no effect on behavior whereas acute aromatase inhibition caused a strong distortion of aggressive behavior. Territorial non-breeding aggression was robust and depended on rapid estrogen actions to maintain high levels of aggression, and ultimately reach conflict resolution from which dominant/subordinate status emerged. Our results, taken together with our own reports in males and the contributions from non-breeding aggression in bird and mammal models, suggest a common strategy involving fast-acting estrogens in the control of this behavior across species. In addition, further analysis of female non-breeding aggression may shed light on potential sexual differences in the fine tuning of social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Zubizarreta
- Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Celular y Sináptica, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Avenida Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo, Uruguay; Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ana C Silva
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Laura Quintana
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Bonier F, Cox RM. Do hormone manipulations reduce fitness? A meta-analytic test of the Optimal Endocrine Phenotype Hypothesis. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 500:110640. [PMID: 31715223 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine traits (e.g., circulating hormone concentrations, receptor expression) can vary considerably among individuals within populations. Here, we develop two evolutionary hypotheses to explain this variation. Under the Optimal Endocrine Phenotype Hypothesis, adaptive plastic responses to environmental variation generate individual variation in endocrine traits and allow individuals to express near-optimal endocrine phenotypes. In contrast, under the Ongoing Selection Hypothesis, individual variation in endocrine traits reflects varying adaptive value, with some individuals expressing suboptimal phenotypes that are selected against. These two hypotheses generate distinct predictions for the effects of hormone manipulations on fitness. Under the Optimal Endocrine Phenotype Hypothesis, all hormone manipulations should incur fitness costs, whereas under the Ongoing Selection Hypothesis, manipulating endocrine phenotypes toward a putative optimum should increase fitness. Using a meta-analysis of findings from experimental field studies that involved manipulation of circulating glucocorticoids or androgens and measurement of fitness effects, we test and find some support for the Optimal Endocrine Phenotype Hypothesis. On average, fitness was reduced across 97 estimates of the effects of experimental hormone manipulations on fitness. However, the fitness effects of glucocorticoid manipulations varied with the sex of the individuals being studied. Fitness was more uniformly reduced by glucocorticoid manipulations in males and when both sexes were considered together. In females, effects on fitness varied from highly positive to highly negative. The effects of androgen manipulations varied across males and females, and depending upon whether fitness was estimated using measures of reproductive success or survival. Reproductive success was consistently decreased by androgen manipulation in females, but was increased almost as often as it was decreased across experiments in males. When survival was estimated as a component of fitness, it was fairly uniformly compromised by exogenous androgens in males. This variation in fitness effects of hormone manipulations across sexes and fitness metrics is consistent with the expectation that hormones differentially regulate life-history investment and that optimal endocrine phenotypes differ between males and females. Overall, our meta-analysis provides some support for the Optimal Endocrine Phenotype Hypothesis, but we await direct tests of the Ongoing Selection Hypothesis to determine the degree to which individual variation in endocrine traits continues to be shaped by natural selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frances Bonier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Robert M Cox
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sales CF, Barbosa Pinheiro AP, Ribeiro YM, Weber AA, Paes-Leme FDO, Luz RK, Bazzoli N, Rizzo E, Melo RMC. Effects of starvation and refeeding cycles on spermatogenesis and sex steroids in the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 500:110643. [PMID: 31711986 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Food restriction is part of the life cycle of many fish species; however, nutritional deficiency may negatively influence gametogenesis and gonadal maturation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of food restriction on the spermatogenesis of Nile tilapia. For this, adult males were submitted to starvation and refeeding cycles (alternating periods of starvation and feeding) for 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. After 7 days of starvation, glycaemic and lipid levels were significantly reduced, followed by reduction of plasma testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT). In addition, reduced proliferation of spermatogonia and increased apoptosis of spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa was observed in starvation groups. In the refeeding groups, the sex steroids and the proportion of germ cells had no significant alterations compared to the control group, except for spermatozoa. In this sense, the present study suggests that starvation after 7 days progressively reduces T and 11-TK, resulting in damage to the production of spermatogenic cells, while refeeding may delay spermatogenesis but does not lead to testicular impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camila Ferreira Sales
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Barbosa Pinheiro
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Yves Moreira Ribeiro
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - André Alberto Weber
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fabíola de Oliveira Paes-Leme
- Laboratório de Aquacultura, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ronald Kennedy Luz
- Laboratório de Aquacultura, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nilo Bazzoli
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia de Vertebrados, 30535-610, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elizete Rizzo
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rafael Magno Costa Melo
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
de Souza GC, Viana MD, Goés LDM, Sanchez-Ortiz BL, Silva GAD, Pinheiro WBDS, Santos CBRD, Carvalho JCT. Reproductive toxicity of the hydroethanolic extract of the flowers ofAcmella oleraceaand spilanthol in zebrafish: In vivo and in silico evaluation. Hum Exp Toxicol 2019; 39:127-146. [DOI: 10.1177/0960327119878257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Hydroethanolic preparations of Acmella oleracea is used in the north of Brazil as a female aphrodisiac. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the action of the hydroethanolic extract of Acmella oleracea (EHFAo) flowers (21.873 and 44.457 mg/kg) and spilanthol (3 mg/kg) administered orally on reproductive performance and effects on the embryonic development of zebrafish F1 generation. It was observed that in the groups in which males and females received EHFAo and spilanthol, the spawning was interrupted, whereas in the groups in which only the females were treated, spawning occurred during the 21 days. Thus, in the histopathological evaluation of the gonads, it was possible to observe that the percentage of mature cells in the spermatozoa and females was significantly reduced. Only the embryo groups in which parental generation was treated with EHFAo showed lethal and teratogenic effects. On the other hand, the parental groups treated with the spilanthol presented only the lethality. Spilanthol and some metabolites showed good oral availability and important toxicological properties. Thus, it is suggested that the treatment of parental generation of zebrafish with EHFAo and spilanthol caused severe changes in the gonads and on fertility. However, on the embryo, the most striking effects in the development were recorded in the groups in which the parental generation was treated with the EHFAo, while the spilanthol influenced the lethality of the embryos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- GC de Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação Farmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fármacos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| | - MD Viana
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fármacos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| | - LDM Goés
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação Farmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| | - BL Sanchez-Ortiz
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fármacos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| | - GA da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - WB de Souza Pinheiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - CB Rodrigues dos Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação Farmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
- Laboratório de Modelagem e Química Computacional, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| | - JC Tavares Carvalho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inovação Farmacêutica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fármacos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Rieger NS, Stanton EH, Marler CA. Division of labour in territorial defence and pup retrieval by pair-bonded California mice, Peromyscus californicus. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
|
13
|
Lawrence MJ, Godin JGJ, Zolderdo AJ, Cooke SJ. Chronic Plasma Cortisol Elevation Does Not Promote Riskier Behavior in a Teleost Fish: A Test of the Behavioral Resiliency Hypothesis. Integr Org Biol 2019; 1:obz009. [PMID: 33791525 PMCID: PMC7671160 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obz009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Stressed fish have been shown to have higher predator-induced mortality than unstressed conspecifics, suggesting a role for the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis in modifying risk-taking behaviors. Yet, there is also evidence of behavioral resiliency in the face of chronic stressors. Here, we tested the behavioral resiliency hypothesis, which posits that animals can maintain consistent behavioral phenotypes in the face of significant physiological challenges. We determined whether chronic plasma cortisol elevation promotes risk-taking behaviors in a model teleost fish, the pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). Experimental fish were implanted with cocoa butter either as a sham or with cortisol. At 48 h post-implantation, the behavior of individual focal fish was tested in an experimental arena comprising of a simulated physical refuge, an open zone containing a constrained conspecific shoal, and a compartment containing either a model of a northern pike (Esox lucius) paired with corresponding pike olfactory cues in lake water or no pike model (control) paired with sham lake water cues only. The fish were assayed individually for their refuge utilization, shoaling tendency, and general activity. Neither cortisol treatment nor predation-risk treatment influenced any of these behaviors. This suggests that sunfish, in the context of our experiment, were behaviorally resilient to the physiological effects of chronic plasma cortisol elevation and in the face of an apparent threat of predation. Our results thus provide support for the behavioral resiliency hypothesis in fish under both physiological and ecological stressors. We posit that behavioral resiliency is an evolutionary adaptation ensuring appropriate responses to environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.,Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jean-Guy J Godin
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Aaron J Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.,Queen's University Biological Station, Queen's University, Elgin, Ontario, Canada K0G 1E0
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Prystay TS, Lawrence MJ, Zolderdo AJ, Brownscombe JW, de Bruijn R, Eliason EJ, Cooke SJ. Exploring relationships between cardiovascular activity and parental care behavior in nesting smallmouth bass: A field study using heart rate biologgers. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 234:18-27. [PMID: 31004808 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Research in a variety of vertebrate taxa has found that cardiac function is a major limiting factor in the ability of animals to cope with physiological challenges, and thus is suggested to play an important role in mediating fitness-related behaviors in the wild. Yet, there remains a paucity of empirical assessments of the relationships between physiological performance and biological fitness in wild animals, partially due to challenges in measuring these metrics remotely. Using male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) as a model, we tested for relationships between cardiac performance (measured using heart rate biologgers) and fitness-related behaviors (assessed using videography and snorkeler observations) in the wild during the parental care period. Our results showed that heart rates were not significantly related to any measured parental care behaviors (e.g., nest tending) except for individual aggression level. After accounting for the effect of water temperature on heart rate, we found within-individual heart rate differed between days and also differed between nights. There was, however, evidence of diel variation in heart rate, where heart rate was higher during the day than at night. Although fitness is thought to be dependent on physiological capacity for exercise in wild animals, inter-individual variation in heart rate alone does not appear to relate to parental care behavior in smallmouth bass at the temporal scales examined here (i.e., hours to days). Further studies are required to confirm relationships between physiological performance and parental care behavior to elucidate the apparently complex relationships between physiology, behavior, and fitness in wild animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tanya S Prystay
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Michael J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Aaron J Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Robert de Bruijn
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Erika J Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Lawrence MJ, Zolderdo AJ, Godin JGJ, Mandelman JW, Gilmour KM, Cooke SJ. Cortisol does not increase risk of mortality to predation in juvenile bluegill sunfish: A manipulative experimental field study. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:253-261. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Aaron J. Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | | | - John W. Mandelman
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium; Boston Massachusetts
| | | | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Ligocki IY, Earley RL, Hamilton IM. How individual and relative size affect participation in territorial defense and cortisol levels in a social fish. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:217-226. [PMID: 30650252 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
For many species, behaviors such as territory defense and parental care are energetically costly, but are nonetheless can provide substantial fitness gains. In systems in which both parents provide parental care, each of the parents benefits from exhibiting (or having their partner exhibit) these behaviors. However, in many cases, costs and benefits differ between parents due to factors such as size or sex. Different intruder types may also impose different costs on parents. Predatory intruders might consume offspring, whereas conspecifics might threaten the social status of a parent, or provide benefits as a potential group joiner or mate. Responses to these intrusions may also be associated with variation in individual stress responses. We investigated associations among male and female sizes, and the interaction between these, with defense against conspecific and heterospecific territorial intruders by members of successfully breeding pairs in the cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher. We also investigated whether cortisol levels were associated with size or participation in territory defense because each may be a cause or consequence of individual variation in the stress response. We found that females paired with large males performed fewer defensive behaviors than females paired with smaller males. Males paired with relatively large females had higher baseline cortisol levels than those paired with smaller females. Collectively, individual characteristics such as size have consequences for each individual's behavior, and also influence the behavior, and endocrine state of social partners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Y Ligocki
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Ryan L Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
| | - Ian M Hamilton
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.,Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Forsatkar MN, HedayatiRad M, Luchiari AC. "Not tonight zebrafish": the effects of Ruta graveolens on reproduction. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY 2018; 56:60-66. [PMID: 29295655 PMCID: PMC6130722 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2017.1421234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT There is growing interest in the pharmacological evaluation of Rue due to its potential to treat a variety of clinical diseases. The plant seems to present potent endocrine disrupting effects, and its excretion and disposal are not a concern. OBJECTIVE The effects of Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae) ethanol extract (RE) on reproductive behaviour, fertility, and steroid and thyroid hormone levels in zebrafish were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS We exposed subjects to varying concentrations of RE, and one-tenth the LC50 concentration (2.37 ppm) was established as the sublethal dose. After 2 weeks exposure, reproductive behaviour, cumulative number of eggs laid, percentage of fertilized eggs, and whole body steroid and thyroid hormones were measured. RESULTS Reproductive association behaviour did not differ between control and RE-exposed animals, but spawning attempts were reduced in RE exposed animals. Cumulative egg production between days 9 to 14, RE exposed fish laid 672 eggs while control fish laid 1242 eggs. Also, percentage of fertilized eggs was higher for the control than for the RE exposed fish. Estradiol-17β (E2) levels were reduced in females exposed to RE and testosterone (T) was statistically lower in both males and females treated with RE. Furthermore, thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) declined in fish treated with RE. CONCLUSION RE has endocrine disrupting potential in fish, which has important implications for studying the effects of unintentional pharmaceutical exposure. Moreover, the results demonstrate that drug exposure may affect more than just the overall level of behaviour, emphasizing the relevance of examining the effects of individual exposure. We reinforce the use of zebrafish as a model organism in physiology and behaviour, and raise concerns about the toxic effects of RE in non-target organisms such as aquatic vertebrates, which may ultimately affect human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maryam HedayatiRad
- Young Researchers and Elite Club, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ana Carolina Luchiari
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Tucker EK, Suski CD, Philipp MA, Jeffrey JD, Hasler CT. Glucocorticoid and behavioral variation in relation to carbon dioxide avoidance across two experiments in freshwater teleost fishes. Biol Invasions 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-018-1842-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
19
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
DeAngelis R, Dodd L, Snyder A, Rhodes JS. Dynamic regulation of brain aromatase and isotocin receptor gene expression depends on parenting status. Horm Behav 2018; 103:62-70. [PMID: 29928890 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Fathering behavior is critical for offspring survival in many species across diverse taxa, but our understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating paternal care is limited in part because of the few primarily paternal species among the common animal models. However, many teleosts display primarily paternal care, and among the teleosts, anemonefish species are particularly well suited for isolating molecular mechanisms of fathering as they perform parental care in isolation of many other typically competing behaviors such as territorial defense and nest building. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which whole brain gene expression levels of isotocin receptors, arginine vasotocin receptors, and aromatase as well as circulating levels of the bioactive sex steroid hormones estradiol (E2) and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) vary in association with parenting behavior in Amphiprion ocellaris. Brain aromatase and IT receptor gene expression were higher in both males and females that were parenting versus not. IT receptor expression was overall higher in males than females, which we interpret is a reflection of the greater parental effort that males display. Aromatase was overall higher in females than males, which we conclude is related to the higher circulating E2, which crosses into the brain and increases aromatase transcription. Results suggest both aromatase and IT receptors are dynamically upregulated in the brains of A. ocellaris males and females to support high levels of parental effort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ross DeAngelis
- Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Logan Dodd
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Amanda Snyder
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Justin S Rhodes
- Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Fraser TWK, Khezri A, Lewandowska-Sabat AM, Henry T, Ropstad E. Endocrine disruptors affect larval zebrafish behavior: Testing potential mechanisms and comparisons of behavioral sensitivity to alternative biomarkers. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2017; 193:128-135. [PMID: 29078070 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) are a tool for assessing endocrine disruption during early development. Here, we investigated the extent to which a simple light/dark behavioral test at five days post fertilization could compliment current methods within the field. We exposed fertilized embryos to hormones (17β-estradiol, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, 11-ketotestosterone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, progesterone, and hydrocortisone) and other relevant compounds (17α ethinylestradiol, bisphenol A, bisphenol S, nonylphenol, flutamide, nilutamide, linuron, drospirenone, potassium perchlorate, mifepristone, and fadrozole) to screen for behavioral effects between 96 and 118h post fertilization (hpf). With the exception of progesterone, all the hormones tested resulted in altered behaviors. However, some inconsistencies were observed regarding the age of the larvae at testing. For example, the xenoestrogens 17α- ethinylestradiol and nonylphenol had behavioral effects at 96hpf, but not at 118hpf. Furthermore, although thyroxine exposure had pronounced effects on behavior, the thyroid disruptor potassium perchlorate did not. Finally, we were unable to demonstrate a role of nuclear receptors following testosterone and 17α- ethinylestradiol exposure, as neither the androgen receptor antagonist flutamide nor the general estrogen receptor inhibitor fulvestrant (ICI) could rescue the observed behavioral effects, respectively. Similarly, molecular markers for androgen and estrogen disruption were upregulated at concentrations below which behavioral effects were observed. These results demonstrate hormones and endocrine disruptors can alter the behavior of larval zebrafish, but the mechanistic pathways remain unclear.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W K Fraser
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Abdolrahman Khezri
- Department of Basic Science and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna M Lewandowska-Sabat
- Department of Basic Science and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Theodore Henry
- Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Erik Ropstad
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Algera DA, Brownscombe JW, Gilmour KM, Lawrence MJ, Zolderdo AJ, Cooke SJ. Cortisol treatment affects locomotor activity and swimming behaviour of male smallmouth bass engaged in paternal care: A field study using acceleration biologgers. Physiol Behav 2017; 181:59-68. [PMID: 28866027 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Paternal care, where the male provides sole care for the developing brood, is a common form of reproductive investment among teleost fish and ubiquitous in the Centrarchidae family. Throughout the parental care period, nesting males expend energy in a variety of swimming behaviours, including routine and burst swimming, vigilantly monitoring the nest area and protecting the brood from predators. Parental care is an energetically demanding period, which is presumably made even more difficult if fish are exposed to additional challenges such as those arising from human disturbance, resulting in activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis (i.e., elevation of cortisol). To study this situation, we examined the effects of experimental manipulation of the stress hormone cortisol on locomotor activity and behaviour of nest guarding male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). We exogenously elevated circulating cortisol levels (via intracoelomic implants) and attached tri-axial accelerometers to wild smallmouth bass for three days. During the recovery period (i.e., ≤4h post-release), cortisol-treated fish exhibited significantly reduced locomotor activity and performed significantly less burst and routine swimming relative to control fish, indicating cortisol uptake was rapid, as were the associated behavioural responses. Post-recovery (i.e., >4h post-release), fish with high cortisol exhibited lower locomotor activity and reduced routine swimming relative to controls. Fish were less active and reduced routine and burst swimming at night compared to daylight hours, an effect independent of cortisol treatment. Collectively, our results suggest that cortisol treatment (as a proxy for anthropogenic disturbance and stress) contributed to altered behaviour, and consequently cortisol-treated males decreased parental investment in their brood, which could have potential fitness implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk A Algera
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kathleen M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michael J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Aaron J Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Lawrence MJ, Eliason EJ, Brownscombe JW, Gilmour KM, Mandelman JW, Cooke SJ. An experimental evaluation of the role of the stress axis in mediating predator-prey interactions in wild marine fish. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 207:21-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
|
24
|
Muller MN. Testosterone and reproductive effort in male primates. Horm Behav 2017; 91:36-51. [PMID: 27616559 PMCID: PMC5342957 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Considerable evidence suggests that the steroid hormone testosterone mediates major life-history trade-offs in vertebrates, promoting mating effort at the expense of parenting effort or survival. Observations from a range of wild primates support the "Challenge Hypothesis," which posits that variation in male testosterone is more closely associated with aggressive mating competition than with reproductive physiology. In both seasonally and non-seasonally breeding species, males increase testosterone production primarily when competing for fecund females. In species where males compete to maintain long-term access to females, testosterone increases when males are threatened with losing access to females, rather than during mating periods. And when male status is linked to mating success, and dependent on aggression, high-ranking males normally maintain higher testosterone levels than subordinates, particularly when dominance hierarchies are unstable. Trade-offs between parenting effort and mating effort appear to be weak in most primates, because direct investment in the form of infant transport and provisioning is rare. Instead, infant protection is the primary form of paternal investment in the order. Testosterone does not inhibit this form of investment, which relies on male aggression. Testosterone has a wide range of effects in primates that plausibly function to support male competitive behavior. These include psychological effects related to dominance striving, analgesic effects, and effects on the development and maintenance of the armaments and adornments that males employ in mating competition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Midwood JD, Peiman KS, Burt AEW, Sarker MY, Nannini MA, Wahl DH, Cooke SJ. Size-Dependent Consequences of Exogenous Cortisol Manipulation on Overwinter Survival and Condition of Largemouth Bass. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2017; 327:5-17. [PMID: 28229559 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 12/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the size-dependent consequences of stressors on wild animals, which is particularly relevant during winter where size-specific trends in survival are common. Here, exogenous cortisol manipulation was used to investigate the effect of a physiological challenge on overwinter mortality and spring condition of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) across a range of body sizes. Fish were wild-caught in the fall, assigned into either control or cortisol manipulated treatments, and held in replicated experimental ponds. For bass that survived the winter, length, mass, and health metrics (e.g., gonadosomatic index [GSI], hepatosomatic index [HSI], and water content) were determined in the spring. Winter survival was marginally lower for cortisol treated bass; however, there was no influence of initial length, mass, or condition on overwinter survival. When bass were grouped by size, survival was significantly higher for bass 300-350 mm in length compared to those <200 mm. The treatment did not strongly influence spring health metrics, suggesting that largemouth bass that survived the winter were able to recover from the effects of the cortisol elevation. Initial size and sex were linked to some spring health metrics, with large females having the highest GSI and HSI scores. Overall, results from this study do not support the notion that there are size-dependent responses to cortisol manipulation in a teleost fish. Rather, this type of physiological challenge may modulate the natural rates of winter mortality that are primarily driven by starvation and predation, independent of body size, in subadult and adult largemouth bass.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Midwood
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kathryn S Peiman
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aja E W Burt
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohammed Yusuf Sarker
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael A Nannini
- Sam Parr Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Kinmundy, Illinois
| | - David H Wahl
- Sam Parr Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Kinmundy, Illinois.,Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Siegenthaler PF, Bain P, Riva F, Fent K. Effects of antiandrogenic progestins, chlormadinone and cyproterone acetate, and the estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and their mixtures: Transactivation with human and rainbowfish hormone receptors and transcriptional effects in zebrafish (Danio rerio) eleuthero-embryos. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2017; 182:142-162. [PMID: 27907851 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic progestins act as endocrine disrupters in fish but their risk to the environment is not sufficiently known. Here, we focused on an unexplored antiandrogenic progestin, chlormadinone acetate (CMA), and the antiandrogenic progestin cyproterone acetate (CPA). The aim was to evaluate whether their in vitro interaction with human and rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) sex hormone receptors is similar. Furthermore, we investigated their activity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) eleuthero-embryos. First, we studied agonistic and antagonistic activities of CMA, CPA, and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), in recombinant yeast expressing either the human progesterone (PGR), androgen (AR), or estrogen receptor. The same compounds were also investigated in vitro in a stable transfection cell system expressing rainbowfish nuclear steroid receptors. For human receptors, both progestins exhibited progestogenic, androgenic and antiestrogenic activity with no antiandrogenic or estrogenic activity. In contrast, interactions with rainbowfish receptors showed no progestogenic, but antiandrogenic, antiglucocorticoid, and some antiestrogenic activity. Thus, interaction with and transactivation of human and rainbowfish PGR and AR were distinctly different. Second, we analyzed transcriptional alterations in zebrafish eleuthero-embryos at 96 and 144h post fertilization after exposure to CPA, CMA, EE2, and binary mixtures of CMA and CPA with EE2, mimicking the use in oral contraceptives. CMA led to slight down-regulation of the ar transcript, while CPA down-regulated ar and pgr transcripts. EE2 exposure resulted in significant transcriptional alterations of several genes, including esr1, pgr, vtg1, cyp19b, and gonadotropins (fshb, lhb). The mixture activity of CMA and EE2 followed the independent action model, while CPA and EE2 mixtures showed additive action in transcriptional alterations. Third, we analyzed the interactions of binary mixtures of CMA and CPA, and of CMA and EE2 for their joint activity in vitro and in eleuthero-embryos. Both mixtures behaved according to the concentration addition model in their in vitro interaction with human and rainbowfish receptors, often showing antagonism. In zebrafish eleuthero-embryos, binary mixtures of CMA and EE2 showed the same expression patterns as EE2 alone, indicating an independent action in vivo. Our study demonstrates that CMA and CPA interact distinctly with human and rainbowfish receptors, suggesting that activities of these and possibly additional environmental steroids determined with yeast expressing human receptors cannot simply be translated to fish. The lack of agonistic activities of both progestins to rainbowfish PGR and AR is the probable reason for the low activity found in zebrafish eleuthero-embryos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Franziska Siegenthaler
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), School of Life Sciences, Gründenstrasse 40, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Peter Bain
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Land and Water Flagship, PMB2, Glen Osmond, 5064 South Australia, Australia
| | - Francesco Riva
- IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Environmental Biomarkers Unit, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via La Masa 19, I-20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Karl Fent
- University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), School of Life Sciences, Gründenstrasse 40, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollution Dynamics, Department of Environmental System Sciences, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Algera DA, Gutowsky LFG, Zolderdo AJ, Cooke SJ. Parental Care in a Stressful World: Experimentally Elevated Cortisol and Brood Size Manipulation Influence Nest Success Probability and Nest-Tending Behavior in a Wild Teleost Fish. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:85-95. [PMID: 28051942 DOI: 10.1086/689678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Parental care is an advantageous reproductive behavior, as the fitness of the caregiver is increased through improving the chances of its offspring's survival. Parental care occurs in a variety of teleost fishes. The body size of parental fish and the size of their brood can affect nest abandonment decisions, where compared with smaller fish with smaller broods, larger fish with larger broods typically invest more energy into reproductive events because they have less future reproductive potential. Although essential for basal metabolism and body maintenance functions, when glucocorticoid hormones (e.g., cortisol) are chronically elevated, as can occur during stress, fish may experience impairments in behavior and immune function, leading to compromised health and condition. Anthropogenic stressors during parental care can lead to elevated stress, therefore making it necessary to understand how stress influences an already-challenging period. Using smallmouth bass as a model, a gradient of body sizes, and experimentally manipulated brood size (i.e., reducing large broods and supplementing small broods) and cortisol levels (i.e., elevated via slow-release intraperitoneal cocoa butter implants containing cortisol versus controls), we tested the hypothesis that the reproductive success and parental care behaviors (i.e., aggression, nest tending) of nest-guarding male smallmouth bass are influenced by parental body size, brood size, and cortisol level. Overall, there was a relationship between cortisol treatment and nest success in which larger fish exhibited lower success when cortisol levels were elevated. Brood size had a significant effect on fish-tending behavior, independent of cortisol level and body size. Lending partial support to our hypothesis, the results of this study indicate that the reproductive success of guarding male smallmouth bass is influenced by cortisol level and that tending behavior is affected by brood size.
Collapse
|
28
|
DeAngelis RS, Rhodes JS. Sex Differences in Steroid Hormones and Parental Effort across the Breeding Cycle inAmphiprion ocellaris. COPEIA 2016. [DOI: 10.1643/ci-15-305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
29
|
Zolderdo AJ, Algera DA, Lawrence MJ, Gilmour KM, Fast MD, Thuswaldner J, Willmore WG, Cooke SJ. Stress, nutrition and parental care in a teleost fish: exploring mechanisms with supplemental feeding and cortisol manipulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:1237-48. [PMID: 26896551 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.135798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Parental care is an essential life-history component of reproduction for many animal species, and it entails a suite of behavioural and physiological investments to enhance offspring survival. These investments can incur costs to the parent, reducing their energetic and physiological condition, future reproductive capabilities and survival. In fishes, relatively few studies have focused on how these physiological costs are mediated. Male smallmouth bass provide parental care for developing offspring until the brood reaches independence. During this energetically demanding life stage, males cease active foraging as they vigorously defend their offspring. Experimental manipulation of cortisol levels (via implantation) and food (via supplemental feeding) in parental males was used to investigate the fitness consequences of parental care. Improving the nutritional condition of nest-guarding males increased their reproductive success by reducing premature nest abandonment. However, supplemental feeding and cortisol treatment had no effect on parental care behaviours. Cortisol treatment reduced plasma lymphocyte numbers, but increased neutrophil and monocyte concentrations, indicating a shift in immune function. Supplemental feeding improved the physiological condition of parental fish by reducing the accumulation of oxidative injury. Specifically, supplemental feeding reduced the formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) on DNA nucleotides. Increasing the nutritional condition of parental fish can reduce the physiological cost associated with intensive parental activity and improve overall reproductive success, illustrating the importance of nutritional condition as a key modulator of parental fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A J Zolderdo
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - D A Algera
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - M J Lawrence
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - K M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - M D Fast
- Pathology and Microbiology Department, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4P3
| | - J Thuswaldner
- Department of Biology and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - W G Willmore
- Department of Biology and Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - S J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6 Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
LaLone CA, Berninger JP, Villeneuve DL, Ankley GT. Leveraging existing data for prioritization of the ecological risks of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals to aquatic organisms. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 369:rstb.2014.0022. [PMID: 25405975 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Medicinal innovation has led to the discovery and use of thousands of human and veterinary drugs. With this comes the potential for unintended effects on non-target organisms exposed to pharmaceuticals inevitably entering the environment. The impracticality of generating whole-organism chronic toxicity data representative of all species in the environment has necessitated prioritization of drugs for focused empirical testing as well as field monitoring. Current prioritization strategies typically emphasize likelihood for exposure (i.e. predicted/measured environmental concentrations), while incorporating only rather limited consideration of potential effects of the drug to non-target organisms. However, substantial mammalian pharmacokinetic and mechanism/mode of action (MOA) data are produced during drug development to understand drug target specificity and efficacy for intended consumers. An integrated prioritization strategy for assessing risks of human and veterinary drugs would leverage available pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic data for evaluation of the potential for adverse effects to non-target organisms. In this reiview, we demonstrate the utility of read-across approaches to leverage mammalian absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination data; analyse cross-species molecular target conservation and translate therapeutic MOA to an adverse outcome pathway(s) relevant to aquatic organisms as a means to inform prioritization of drugs for focused toxicity testing and environmental monitoring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlie A LaLone
- Water Resources Center, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1985 Buford Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Mid-Continent Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Jason P Berninger
- National Research Council, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Daniel L Villeneuve
- Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Mid-Continent Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Gerald T Ankley
- Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Mid-Continent Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, 6201 Congdon Boulevard, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Birba A, Ramallo MR, Lo Nostro F, Guimarães Moreira R, Pandolfi M. Reproductive and parental care physiology of Cichlasoma dimerus males. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 221:193-200. [PMID: 25688482 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The South American cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus presents a high breeding frequency and biparental care of the eggs and larvae. The male parental care period was divided in four different phases according to the developmental degree of the offspring: pre-spawning activity (MP, day 0), guarding eggs (ME, one day after fertilization (1 DAF)), guarding hatched larvae (MHL, 3 DAF), and guarding swimming larvae (MSL, 8 DAF). The aim of this study was to characterize male reproductive physiology by measuring steroid hormone plasma levels and analyzing testes cellular composition. Males exhibiting pre-spawning activity showed 8.4 times higher 11-ketotestosterone and 5.63 times higher testosterone levels than MHL. No differences were observed in estradiol and cortisol levels among the different phases. The cellular composition of the testes varied during the reproductive and parental care periods. Testes of MP were composed of 50% of spermatozoa, whereas spermatogonia type B and spermatocytes were predominant in the subsequent parental phases. A morphometric analysis of Leydig cells nuclear area revealed that MP and ME's Leydig cells averaged 1.27 times larger than that those of MHL and MSL and was positively correlated with circulating 11-KT and T levels. Hence, C. dimerus males showed important changes in its hormonal profiles and testicular cellular composition throughout the reproductive and parental care period.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Birba
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Roberto Ramallo
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fabiana Lo Nostro
- IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología Acuática, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Renata Guimarães Moreira
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Traversa 14, 321, São Paulo 05508-090, SP, Brazil
| | - Matías Pandolfi
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología y Comportamiento, DBBE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; IBBEA-CONICET-UBA, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Pleizier N, Wilson ADM, Shultz AD, Cooke SJ. Puffed and bothered: Personality, performance, and the effects of stress on checkered pufferfish. Physiol Behav 2015; 152:68-78. [PMID: 26375573 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although consistent individual-level differences in behaviour are widespread and potentially important in evolutionary and ecological processes, relatively few studies focus on the physiological mechanisms that might underlie and regulate these individual-level differences in wild populations. We conducted experiments to determine whether checkered pufferfish (Sphoeroides testudineus), which were collected from a dynamic (in terms of depth and water temperature) tidal mangrove creek environment in The Bahamas, have consistent individual-level differences in locomotor activity and the response to a simulated predator threat, as well as swimming performance and puffing in response to stressors. The relationships between personality and performance traits were evaluated to determine whether they represented stress-coping styles or syndromes. Subsequently, a displacement study was conducted to determine how personality and performance in the laboratory compared to movements in the field. In addition, we tested whether a physiological dose of the stress hormone cortisol would alter individual consistency in behavioural and performance traits. We found that pufferfish exhibited consistent individual differences in personality traits over time (e.g., activity and the duration of a response to a threat) and that performance was consistent between the lab and the natural enclosure. Locomotor activity and the duration of startled behaviour were not associated with swimming and puffing performance. Locomotor activity, puffing performance, and swimming performance were not related to whether fish returned to the tidal creek of capture after displacement. Similarly, a cortisol treatment did not modify behaviour or performance in the laboratory. The results reveal that consistent individual-level differences in behaviour and performance were present in a population from a fluctuating and physiologically challenging environment but that such traits are not necessarily correlated. We also determined that certain individual performance traits were repeatable between the lab and a natural enclosure. However, we found no evidence of a relationship between exogenous cortisol levels and behavioural traits or performance in these fish, which suggests that other internal and external mechanisms may underlie the behaviours and performance tested.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Pleizier
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Alexander D M Wilson
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada; Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216 Australia
| | - Aaron D Shultz
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Cape Eleuthera Institute, Eleuthera, The Bahamas
| | - Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Forsatkar MN, Dadda M, Nematollahi MA. Lateralization of Aggression during Reproduction in Male Siamese Fighting Fish. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Dadda
- Department of General Psychology; University of Padova; Padova Italy
- Centro di Neuroscienze Cognitive; Università di Padova; Padova Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Evolutionary Fate of the Androgen Receptor-Signaling Pathway in Ray-Finned Fishes with a Special Focus on Cichlids. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2015; 5:2275-83. [PMID: 26333839 PMCID: PMC4632047 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.020685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the steroid system is coupled to the evolution of multicellular animals. In vertebrates in particular, the steroid receptor repertoire has been shaped by genome duplications characteristic to this lineage. Here, we investigate for the first time the composition of the androgen receptor–signaling pathway in ray-finned fish genomes by focusing in particular on duplicates that emerged from the teleost-specific whole-genome duplication. We trace lineage- and species-specific duplications and gene losses for the genomic and nongenomic pathway of androgen signaling and subsequently investigate the sequence evolution of these genes. In one particular fish lineage, the cichlids, we find evidence for differing selection pressures acting on teleost-specific whole-genome duplication paralogs at a derived evolutionary stage. We then look into the expression of these duplicated genes in four cichlid species from Lake Tanganyika indicating, once more, rapid changes in expression patterns in closely related fish species. We focus on a particular case, the cichlid specific duplication of the rac1 GTPase, which shows possible signs of a neofunctionalization event.
Collapse
|
35
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Costa DC, de Souza e Silva W, Melillo Filho R, Miranda Filho KC, Epaminondas dos Santos JC, Kennedy Luz R. Capture, adaptation and artificial control of reproduction of Lophiosilurus alexandri: A carnivorous freshwater species. Anim Reprod Sci 2015; 159:148-54. [PMID: 26112799 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2015.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study describes the capture adaptation and reproduction of wild Lophiosilurus alexandri broodstock in laboratory conditions. There were two periods when capturing was performed in natural habitats. The animals were placed in four tanks of 5m(3) with water temperatures at 28°C with two tanks having sand bottoms. Thirty days after the temperature increased (during the winter) the first spawning occurred naturally, but only in tanks with sand on the bottom. During the breeding season, there were 24 spawning bouts with egg mass collections occurring as a result of the spawning bouts that occurred in the tanks. The hatching rates for eggs varied from 0% to 95%. The spawning bouts were mainly at night and on weekends. In the second reproductive period, the animals were sexed by cannulation and distributed in four tanks with all animals being maintained in tanks with sand on the bottom at 28°C. During this phase, there were 36 spawning bouts. Findings in the present study contribute to the understanding of the reproductive biology of this endangered species during captivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deliane Cristina Costa
- Laboratório de Aquacultura da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Walisson de Souza e Silva
- Laboratório de Aquacultura da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo Melillo Filho
- Laboratório de Aquacultura da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Kleber Campos Miranda Filho
- Laboratório de Aquacultura da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Ronald Kennedy Luz
- Laboratório de Aquacultura da Escola de Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Crossin GT, Love OP, Cooke SJ, Williams TD. Glucocorticoid manipulations in free‐living animals: considerations of dose delivery, life‐history context and reproductive state. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Glenn T. Crossin
- Biology Department Dalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Biology Department University of Windsor Windsor Ontario Canada
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology & Conservation Physiology Laboratory Institute of Environmental Science and Department of Biology Carleton University Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences Simon Fraser University Burnaby British Columbia Canada
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Partridge C, Rodgers CM, Knapp R, Neff BD. Androgen effects on immune gene expression during parental care in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). CAN J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive efforts are energetically costly and often result in significant trade-offs with other metabolic processes. In many animals, androgens influence how this energy is allocated during the breeding period. In this study, androgen levels of parental bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819) were manipulated by implanting males with either 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) or flutamide (an androgen receptor antagonist) shortly after spawning. Parental behaviours were assessed for 3 days after implantation. Differential brain gene expression between the two groups was examined using a 44 000 microarray gene chip. We found that 11-KT-implanted males exhibited lower levels of expression of genes related to immune function compared with flutamide-implanted males, suggesting that high androgen levels negatively affect the male immune system. These data thus indicate that a significant trade-off may exist between maintaining high levels of androgens and decreased immune function in parental male bluegill.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlyn Partridge
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Chandra M.C. Rodgers
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Rosemary Knapp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Bryan D. Neff
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Cull F, Suski CD, Shultz A, Danylchuk AJ, O'Connor CM, Murchie KJ, Cooke SJ. Consequences of experimental cortisol manipulations on the thermal biology of the checkered puffer (Sphoeroides testudineus) in laboratory and field environments. J Therm Biol 2014; 47:63-74. [PMID: 25526656 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2014] [Revised: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change is altering temperature regimes for coastal marine fishes. However, given that temperature changes will not occur in isolation of other stressors, it is necessary to explore the potential consequences of stress on the thermal tolerances and preferences of tropical marine fish in order to understand the thresholds for survival, and predict the associated coastal ecological consequences. In this study, we used exogenous cortisol injections to investigate the effects of a thermal challenge on checkered puffers (Sphoeroides testudineus) as a secondary stressor. There were no significant differences between control and cortisol-treated fish 48h following cortisol treatment for swimming ability (using a chase to exhaustion protocol), blood glucose concentrations or standard metabolic rate. In the lab, control and cortisol-treated puffers were exposed to ambient (29.1±1.5°C), ambient +5°C (heat shock) and ambient -5°C (cold shock) for 4h and to evaluate the consequences of abrupt temperature change on puff performance and blood physiology. Following cold shock, control fish exhibited increases in cortisol levels and weak 'puff' performance. Conversely, fish dosed with cortisol exhibited consistently high cortisol levels independent of thermal treatment, although there was a trend for an attenuated cortisol response in the cortisol-treated fish to the cold shock treatment. A 20-day complementary field study conducted in the puffer's natural habitat, a tidal creek in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, revealed that cortisol-injected fish selected significantly cooler temperatures, measured using accumulated thermal units, when compared to controls. These results, and particularly the discrepancies between consequences documented in the laboratory and the ecological trends observed in the field, highlight the need to establish the link between laboratory and field data to successfully develop management policies and conservation initiatives with regards to anthropogenic climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Cull
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.
| | - C D Suski
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61801, USA.
| | - A Shultz
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61801, USA; Cape Eleuthera Institute, Eleuthera, Bahamas.
| | - A J Danylchuk
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - C M O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L8.
| | - K J Murchie
- Department of Biology, The College of The Bahamas, Box F-2766, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas.
| | - S J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6; Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Stoot LJ, Cairns NA, Cull F, Taylor JJ, Jeffrey JD, Morin F, Mandelman JW, Clark TD, Cooke SJ. Use of portable blood physiology point-of-care devices for basic and applied research on vertebrates: a review. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 2:cou011. [PMID: 27293632 PMCID: PMC4806731 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cou011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Non-human vertebrate blood is commonly collected and assayed for a variety of applications, including veterinary diagnostics and physiological research. Small, often non-lethal samples enable the assessment and monitoring of the physiological state and health of the individual. Traditionally, studies that rely on blood physiology have focused on captive animals or, in studies conducted in remote settings, have required the preservation and transport of samples for later analysis. In either situation, large, laboratory-bound equipment and traditional assays and analytical protocols are required. The use of point-of-care (POC) devices to measure various secondary blood physiological parameters, such as metabolites, blood gases and ions, has become increasingly popular recently, due to immediate results and their portability, which allows the freedom to study organisms in the wild. Here, we review the current uses of POC devices and their applicability to basic and applied studies on a variety of non-domesticated species. We located 79 individual studies that focused on non-domesticated vertebrates, including validation and application of POC tools. Studies focused on a wide spectrum of taxa, including mammals, birds and herptiles, although the majority of studies focused on fish, and typical variables measured included blood glucose, lactate and pH. We found that calibrations for species-specific blood physiology values are necessary, because ranges can vary within and among taxa and are sometimes outside the measurable range of the devices. In addition, although POC devices are portable and robust, most require durable cases, they are seldom waterproof/water-resistant, and factors such as humidity and temperature can affect the performance of the device. Overall, most studies concluded that POC devices are suitable alternatives to traditional laboratory devices and eliminate the need for transport of samples; however, there is a need for greater emphasis on rigorous calibration and validation of these units and appreciation of their limitations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J. Stoot
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
- Corresponding author: Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6. Tel: +1 613 520 2600.
| | - Nicholas A. Cairns
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Felicia Cull
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jessica J. Taylor
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jennifer D. Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Félix Morin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - John W. Mandelman
- John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110-3399, USA
| | - Timothy D. Clark
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Townsville 4810, Queensland, Australia
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
- Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Giassi ACC, Duarte TT, Ellis W, Maler L. Organization of the gymnotiform fish pallium in relation to learning and memory: II. Extrinsic connections. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:3338-68. [PMID: 22430442 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the extrinsic connections of the dorsal telencephalon (pallium) of gymnotiform fish. We show that the afferents to the dorsolateral and dorsomedial pallial subdivisions of gymnotiform fish arise from the preglomerular complex. The preglomerular complex receives input from four clearly distinct regions: (1) descending input from the pallium itself (dorsomedial and dorsocentral subdivisions and nucleus taenia); (2) other diencephalic nuclei (centroposterior, glomerular, and anterior tuberal nuclei and nucleus of the posterior tuberculum); (3) mesencephalic sensory structures (optic tectum, dorsal and ventral torus semicircularis); and (4) basal forebrain, preoptic area, and hypothalamic nuclei. Previous studies have implicated the majority of the diencephalic and mesencephalic nuclei in electrosensory, visual, and acousticolateral functions. Here we discuss the implications of preglomerular/pallial electrosensory-associated afferents with respect to a major functional dichotomy of the electric sense. The results allow us to hypothesize that a functional distinction between electrocommunication vs. electrolocation is maintained within the input and output pathways of the gymnotiform pallium. Electrocommunication information is conveyed to the pallium through complex indirect pathways that originate in the nucleus electrosensorius, whereas electrolocation processing follows a conservative pathway inherent to all vertebrates, through the optic tectum. We hypothesize that cells responsive to communication signals do not converge onto the same targets in the preglomerular complex as cells responsive to moving objects. We also hypothesize that efferents from the dorsocentral (DC) telencephalon project to the dorsal torus semicircularis to regulate processing of electrocommunication signals, whereas DC efferents to the tectum modulate sensory control of movement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana C C Giassi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nagrodski A, Murchie KJ, Stamplecoskie KM, Suski CD, Cooke SJ. Effects of an experimental short-term cortisol challenge on the behaviour of wild creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus in mesocosm and stream environments. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2013; 82:1138-1158. [PMID: 23557296 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/16/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The consequences of stress on the behaviour of wild creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus outside the reproductive period were studied using a single intra-coelomic injection of cortisol, suspended in coconut butter, to experimentally raise plasma cortisol levels. Behaviour between cortisol-treated, sham-treated (injected with coconut butter) and control S. atromaculatus was compared in a mesocosm system, using a passive integrated transponder array, and in a natural stream system (excluding shams), using surgically implanted radio transmitters. While laboratory time-course studies revealed that the cortisol injection provided a physiologically relevant challenge, causing prolonged (c. 3 days) elevations of plasma cortisol similar to that achieved with a standardized chasing protocol, no differences in fine-scale movements were observed between cortisol-treated, sham-treated and control S. atromaculatus nor in the large-scale movements of cortisol-treated and control S. atromaculatus. Moreover, no differences were observed in diel activity patterns among treatments. Differential mortality, however, occurred starting 10 days after treatment where cortisol-treated S. atromaculatus exhibited nearly twice as many mortalities as shams and controls. These results suggest that, although the experimental manipulation of cortisol titres was sufficient to cause mortality in some individuals, there were compensatory mechanisms that maintained behaviours (i.e. including activity and movement) prior to death. This study is one of the first to use experimental cortisol implants outside a laboratory environment and during the non-reproductive period and yields insight into how wild animals respond to additional challenges (in this case elevated cortisol) using ecologically meaningful endpoints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Nagrodski
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Zuckerman ZC, Suski CD. Predator burden and past investment affect brood abandonment decisions in a parental care‐providing teleost. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary C. Zuckerman
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Turner Hall MC‐047, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave Urbana IL61801 USA
- Illinois Natural History Survey Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois 1816 S. Oak St Champaign IL61820 USA
| | - Cory D. Suski
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois Turner Hall MC‐047, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave Urbana IL61801 USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Crespi EJ, Williams TD, Jessop TS, Delehanty B. Life history and the ecology of stress: how do glucocorticoid hormones influence life-history variation in animals? Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 269] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erica J. Crespi
- School of Biological Sciences; Washington State University; Box 644236; Pullman; Washington; USA
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby; British Columbia; V5A 1S6; Canada
| | - Tim S. Jessop
- Department of Zoology; University of Melbourne; Melbourne; Victoria; 3010; Australia
| | - Brendan Delehanty
- Department of Biological Sciences; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
O'Connor CM, Nannini M, Wahl DH, Wilson SM, Gilmour KM, Cooke SJ. Sex-Specific Consequences of Experimental Cortisol Elevation in Pre-Reproductive Wild Largemouth Bass. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 319:23-31. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 09/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Constance M. O'Connor
- FishEcology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory; Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology, Carleton University; Ottawa; Ontario; Canada
| | - Michael Nannini
- Sam Parr Biological Station; Illinois Natural History Survey; Kinmundy, Illinois
| | - David H. Wahl
- Kaskaskia Biological Station; Illinois Natural History Survey; Sullivan, Illinois
| | - Samantha M. Wilson
- FishEcology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory; Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology, Carleton University; Ottawa; Ontario; Canada
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Creel S, Dantzer B, Goymann W, Rubenstein DR. The ecology of stress: effects of the social environment. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 326] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott Creel
- Conservation Biology & Ecology Program; Department of Ecology; Montana State University; Bozeman; Montana; 59717; USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Zoology; Michigan State University; East Lansing; Michigan; 48824; USA
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Abteilung Verhaltensneurobiologie; Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie; Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße; Haus 6a; D-82319; Seewiesen; Germany
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology; Columbia University; 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension; MC 5557; 1200 Amsterdam Avenue; New York; New York; 10027; USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Rodgers CMC, Neff BD, Knapp R. Effects of Exogenous Testosterone on Parental Care Behaviours in Male Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Ethology 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2012.02051.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Bryan D. Neff
- Department of Biology; Western University; London; ON; Canada
| | - Rosemary Knapp
- Department of Zoology; University of Oklahoma; Norman; OK; USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
McCONNACHIE SARAHH, O'CONNOR CONSTANCEM, GILMOUR KATHLEENM, IWAMA GEORGEK, COOKE STEVENJ. Supraphysiological Cortisol Elevation Alters the Response of Wild Bluegill Sunfish to Subsequent Stressors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 317:321-32. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2011] [Revised: 12/19/2011] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- SARAH H. McCONNACHIE
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory; Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa; Ontario; Canada
| | - CONSTANCE M. O'CONNOR
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory; Department of Biology; Carleton University; Ottawa; Ontario; Canada
| | | | - GEORGE K. IWAMA
- University of Northern British Columbia; Prince George; British Columbia; Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
O’Connor CM, Barthel BL, Gilmour KM, Philipp DP, Van Der Kraak G, Cooke SJ. Reproductive History and Nest Environment Are Correlated with Circulating Androgen and Glucocorticoid Concentrations in a Parental Care–Providing Teleost Fish. Physiol Biochem Zool 2012; 85:209-18. [DOI: 10.1086/665272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|