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Fox JA, Wyatt Toure M, Heckley A, Fan R, Reader SM, Barrett RDH. Insights into adaptive behavioural plasticity from the guppy model system. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232625. [PMID: 38471561 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Behavioural plasticity allows organisms to respond to environmental challenges on short time scales. But what are the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie behavioural plasticity? The answer to this question is complex and requires experimental dissection of the physiological, neural and molecular mechanisms contributing to behavioural plasticity as well as an understanding of the ecological and evolutionary contexts under which behavioural plasticity is adaptive. Here, we discuss key insights that research with Trinidadian guppies has provided on the underpinnings of adaptive behavioural plasticity. First, we present evidence that guppies exhibit contextual, developmental and transgenerational behavioural plasticity. Next, we review work on behavioural plasticity in guppies spanning three ecological contexts (predation, parasitism and turbidity) and three underlying mechanisms (endocrinological, neurobiological and genetic). Finally, we provide three outstanding questions that could leverage guppies further as a study system and give suggestions for how this research could be done. Research on behavioural plasticity in guppies has provided, and will continue to provide, a valuable opportunity to improve understanding of the ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences of behavioural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janay A Fox
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - M Wyatt Toure
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York 10027-6902, NY, USA
| | - Alexis Heckley
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Raina Fan
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Simon M Reader
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada H3A 1B1
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2
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Magierecka A, Cooper B, Sloman KA, Metcalfe NB. Unpredictability of maternal environment shapes offspring behaviour without affecting stress-induced cortisol in an annual vertebrate. Horm Behav 2023; 154:105396. [PMID: 37399780 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105396] [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: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Exposure of females to stressful conditions during pregnancy or oogenesis has a profound effect on the phenotype of their offspring. For example, offspring behavioural phenotype may show altered patterns in terms of the consistency of behavioural patterns and their average level of performance. Maternal stress can also affect the development of the stress axis in offspring leading to alterations in their physiological stress response. However, the majority of evidence comes from studies utilising acute stressors or exogenous glucocorticoids, and little is known about the effect of chronic maternal stress, particularly in the context of stress lasting throughout entire reproductive lifespan. To bridge this knowledge gap, we exposed female sticklebacks to stressful and unpredictable environmental conditions throughout the breeding season. We quantified the activity, sheltering and anxiety-like behaviour of offspring from three successive clutches of these females, and calculated Intra-class Correlation Coefficients for these behaviours in siblings and half-siblings. We also exposed offspring to an acute stressor and measured their peak cortisol levels. An unpredictable maternal environment had no modifying effect on inter-clutch acute stress responsivity, but resulted in diversification of offspring behaviour, indicated by an increased between-individual variability within families. This may represent a bet-hedging strategy, whereby females produce offspring differing in behavioural phenotype, to increase the chance that some of these offspring will be better at coping with the anticipated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Magierecka
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK.
| | - Ben Cooper
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Katherine A Sloman
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
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3
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Winberg S, Sneddon L. Impact of intraspecific variation in teleost fishes: aggression, dominance status and stress physiology. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:278485. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.169250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Dominance-based social hierarchies are common among teleost fishes. The rank of an animal greatly affects its behaviour, physiology and development. The outcome of fights for social dominance is affected by heritable factors and previous social experience. Divergent stress-coping styles have been demonstrated in a large number of teleosts, and fish displaying a proactive coping style have an advantage in fights for social dominance. Coping style has heritable components, but it appears to be largely determined by environmental factors, especially social experience. Agonistic behaviour is controlled by the brain's social decision-making network, and its monoaminergic systems play important roles in modifying the activity of this neuronal network. In this Review, we discuss the development of dominance hierarchies, how social rank is signalled through visual and chemical cues, and the neurobiological mechanisms controlling or correlating with agonistic behaviour. We also consider the effects of social interactions on the welfare of fish reared in captivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svante Winberg
- Uppsala University 1 Behavioural Neuroendocrinology, Department of Medical Cell Biology , , 751 23 Uppsala , Sweden
| | - Lynne Sneddon
- University of Gothenburg 2 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences , , PO Box: 463, 405 31 Gothenburg , Sweden
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4
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Transgenerational effects of grandparental and parental diets combine with early-life learning to shape adaptive foraging phenotypes in Amblyseius swirskii. Commun Biol 2022; 5:246. [PMID: 35314761 PMCID: PMC8938427 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03200-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenerational effects abound in animals. While a great deal of research has been dedicated to the effects of maternal stressors such as diet deficiency, social deprivation or predation risk on offspring phenotypes, we have a poor understanding of the adaptive value of transgenerational effects spanning across multiple generations under benign conditions and the relative weight of multigenerational effects. Here we show that grandparental and parental diet experiences combine with personal early-life learning to form adaptive foraging phenotypes in adult plant-inhabiting predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii. Our findings provide insights into transgenerational plasticity caused by persistent versus varying conditions in multiple ancestral generations and show that transgenerational effects may be adaptive in non-matching ancestor and offspring environments. Exposure of grandparental and parental predatory mites to either a pollen diet or spider mite prey influences foraging behaviors and learning in progeny.
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5
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Lucon-Xiccato T, Montalbano G, Reddon AR, Bertolucci C. Social environment affects inhibitory control via developmental plasticity in a fish. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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6
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Salena MG, Turko AJ, Singh A, Pathak A, Hughes E, Brown C, Balshine S. Understanding fish cognition: a review and appraisal of current practices. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:395-406. [PMID: 33595750 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01488-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
With over 30,000 recognized species, fishes exhibit an extraordinary variety of morphological, behavioural, and life-history traits. The field of fish cognition has grown markedly with numerous studies on fish spatial navigation, numeracy, learning, decision-making, and even theory of mind. However, most cognitive research on fishes takes place in a highly controlled laboratory environment and it can therefore be difficult to determine whether findings generalize to the ecology of wild fishes. Here, we summarize four prominent research areas in fish cognition, highlighting some of the recent advances and key findings. Next, we survey the literature, targeting these four areas, and quantify the nearly ubiquitous use of captive-bred individuals and a heavy reliance on lab-based research. We then discuss common practices that occur prior to experimentation and within experiments that could hinder our ability to make more general conclusions about fish cognition, and suggest possible solutions. By complementing ecologically relevant laboratory-based studies with in situ cognitive tests, we will gain further inroads toward unraveling how fishes learn and make decisions about food, mates, and territories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Salena
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Andy J Turko
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Angad Singh
- Department of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Avani Pathak
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Hughes
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Culum Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sigal Balshine
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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7
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Cattelan S, Herbert-Read J, Panizzon P, Devigili A, Griggio M, Pilastro A, Morosinotto C. Maternal predation risk increases offspring’s exploration but does not affect schooling behavior. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The environment that parents experience can influence their reproductive output and their offspring’s fitness via parental effects. Perceived predation risk can affect both parent and offspring phenotype, but it remains unclear to what extent offspring behavioral traits are affected when the mother is exposed to predation risk. This is particularly unclear in live-bearing species where maternal effects could occur during embryogenesis. Here, using a half-sib design to control for paternal effects, we experimentally exposed females of a live-bearing fish, the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), to visual predator cues and conspecific alarm cues during their gestation. Females exposed to predation risk cues increased their antipredator behaviors throughout the entire treatment. Offspring of mothers exposed to the predation stimuli exhibited more pronounced exploratory behavior, but did not show any significant differences in their schooling behavior, compared to controls. Thus, while maternally perceived risk affected offspring’s exploration during early stages of life, offspring’s schooling behavior could be influenced more by direct environmental experience rather than via maternal cues. Our results suggest a rather limited role in predator-induced maternal effects on the behavior of juvenile guppies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Herbert-Read
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Biology, Aquatic Ecology Unit, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Paolo Panizzon
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Griggio
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Morosinotto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Bioeconomy Research Team, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Ekenäs, Finland
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Hentges RF, Graham SA, Plamondon A, Tough S, Madigan S. A Developmental Cascade from Prenatal Stress to Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. J Pediatr Psychol 2020; 44:1057-1067. [PMID: 31166597 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsz044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study utilized a developmental cascade approach to test alternative theories about the underlying mechanisms behind the association of maternal prenatal stress and child psychopathology. The fetal programming hypothesis suggests that prenatal stress affects fetal structural and physiological systems responsible for individual differences in child temperament, which further increases risk for internalizing and externalizing problems. Interpersonal models of stress transmission suggest that maternal stress influences child mental health via early parenting behaviors. We also examined a continuation of stress hypothesis, in which prenatal stress predicts child mental health via the continuation of maternal stress in the postpartum period. METHODS Participants were 1,992 mother-child pairs drawn from a prospective pregnancy cohort. Mothers reported on their perceived stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy and at 4-month postpartum. Birthweight was assessed via medical records of birthweight. At 4-month postpartum, hostile-reactive parenting behaviors were assessed. Child temperamental negative affect was measured at age 3. Child internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed at age 5. RESULTS Prenatal stress was associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems via postnatal stress and child temperament. Prenatal stress was also associated with externalizing behaviors via increased hostile-reactive parenting. After accounting for postnatal factors, prenatal stress continued to have a direct effect on child internalizing, but not externalizing, symptoms. CONCLUSION Results provide support for the fetal programming, interpersonal stress transmission, and continuation of stress models. Findings highlight the need for prenatal preventative programs that continue into the early postnatal period, targeting maternal stress and parenting behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle F Hentges
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
| | - Susan A Graham
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
| | - Andre Plamondon
- Department des fondements et pratiques en éducation, Université Laval.,Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto
| | - Suzanne Tough
- Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.,Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary
| | - Sheri Madigan
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary.,Owerko Centre, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
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9
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Ord J, Holmes KE, Holt WV, Fazeli A, Watt PJ. Premature birth stunts early growth and is a possible driver of stress-induced maternal effects in the guppy Poecilia reticulata. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2020; 96:506-515. [PMID: 31846081 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We tested the effects of gestational stress, principally in the form of alarm cue extracted from the skin of conspecifics, on reproduction in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) and the growth and behaviour of their offspring. Offspring from mothers exposed to alarm cue exhibited stunted growth in the first few days post-partum, which appeared to be mediated by shortening of the gestation period, the length of which directly correlated with growth rate within the first 6 days post-partum. Mature offspring did not differ in behaviour or stress responses compared with controls and so the effects of maternal predation stress did not appear to persist into adulthood. A different form of gestational stress, dietary restriction, did not significantly affect offspring growth, though brood size was reduced, suggesting that the effects of predation stress were not mediated by differences in resource demand or consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Ord
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kelle E Holmes
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - William V Holt
- Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Alireza Fazeli
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Penelope J Watt
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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10
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Colson V, Cousture M, Damasceno D, Valotaire C, Nguyen T, Le Cam A, Bobe J. Maternal temperature exposure impairs emotional and cognitive responses and triggers dysregulation of neurodevelopment genes in fish. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6338. [PMID: 30723624 PMCID: PMC6360074 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish are sensitive to temperature, but the intergenerational consequences of maternal exposure to high temperature on offspring behavioural plasticity and underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that a thermal maternal stress induces impaired emotional and cognitive responses in offspring rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Thermal stress in mothers triggered the inhibition of locomotor fear-related responses upon exposure to a novel environment and decreased spatial learning abilities in progeny. Impaired behavioural phenotypes were associated with the dysregulation of several genes known to play major roles in neurodevelopment, including auts2 (autism susceptibility candidate 2), a key gene for neurodevelopment, more specifically neuronal migration and neurite extension, and critical for the acquisition of neurocognitive function. In addition, our analysis revealed the dysregulation of another neurodevelopment gene (dpysl5) as well as genes associated with human cognitive disorders (arv1, plp2). We observed major differences in maternal mRNA abundance in the eggs following maternal exposure to high temperature indicating that some of the observed intergenerational effects are mediated by maternally-inherited mRNAs accumulated in the egg. Together, our observations shed new light on the intergenerational determinism of fish behaviour and associated underlying mechanisms. They also stress the importance of maternal history on fish behavioural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violaine Colson
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | | | | | | | - Thaovi Nguyen
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | - Aurélie Le Cam
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
| | - Julien Bobe
- Fish Physiology and Genomics, INRA LPGP UR1037, Rennes, France
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11
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Chouinard-Thuly L, Reddon AR, Leris I, Earley RL, Reader SM. Developmental plasticity of the stress response in female but not in male guppies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172268. [PMID: 29657818 PMCID: PMC5882742 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
To survive, animals must respond appropriately to stress. Stress responses are costly, so early-life experiences with potential stressors could adaptively tailor adult stress responses to local conditions. However, how multiple stressors influence the development of the stress response remains unclear, as is the role of sex. Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are small fish with extensive life-history differences between the sexes and population variation in predation pressure and social density. We investigated how sex and early-life experience influence hormonal stress responses by manipulating conspecific density and perceived predation risk during development. In adults, we sampled cortisol twice to measure initial release and change over time in response to a recurring stressor. The sexes differed considerably in their physiological stress response. Males released more cortisol for their body mass than females and did not reduce cortisol release over time. By contrast, all females, except those reared at high density together with predation cues, reduced cortisol release over time. Cortisol responses of males were thus less dynamic in response to current circumstances and early-life experiences than females, consistent with life-history differences between the sexes. Our study underscores the importance of early-life experiences, interacting ecological factors and sex differences in the organization of the stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Chouinard-Thuly
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- Author for correspondence: L. Chouinard-Thuly e-mail:
| | - A. R. Reddon
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - I. Leris
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- Department of Biology and Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - R. L. Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - S. M. Reader
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
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12
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Poisson A, Valotaire C, Borel F, Bertin A, Darmaillacq AS, Dickel L, Colson V. Embryonic exposure to a conspecific alarm cue triggers behavioural plasticity in juvenile rainbow trout. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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13
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Tamilselvan P, Sloman K. Developmental social experience of parents affects behaviour of offspring in zebrafish. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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14
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Effects of maternal cortisol treatment on offspring size, responses to stress, and anxiety-related behavior in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Physiol Behav 2017; 180:15-24. [PMID: 28782525 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Cortisol, the main glucocorticoid stress hormone in teleost fish, is of interest as a mediator of maternal stress on offspring characteristics because it plays an organizational role during early development. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal exposure to cortisol treatment prior to spawn affects offspring phenotype using wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Baseline and stress-induced cortisol concentrations, body size (i.e. length and mass), and behavior (i.e. anxiety, exploration, boldness, and aggression) were assessed at different offspring life-stages and compared between offspring of control and cortisol-treated females. Cortisol administration did not affect spawning success or timing, nor were whole-body cortisol concentrations different between embryos from cortisol-treated and control females. However, maternal cortisol treatment had significant effects on offspring stress responsiveness, mass, and behavior. Compared to offspring of control females, offspring of cortisol-treated females exhibited larger mass right after hatch, and young-of-the-year mounted an attenuated cortisol response to an acute stressor, and exhibited less thigmotaxic anxiety, exploratory behavior, boldness and aggression. Thus, offspring phenotype was affected by elevated maternal cortisol levels despite the absence of a significant increase in embryo cortisol concentrations, suggesting that a mechanism other than the direct deposition of cortisol into eggs mediates effects on offspring. The results of the present raise questions about the mechanisms through which maternal stress influences offspring behavior and physiology, as well as the impacts of such phenotypic changes on offspring fitness.
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15
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Van Eeckhoven J, Huyghe K, Van Damme R. Artificial selection in guppies: male and female phenotypes produced by inter‐ and intrasexual selection. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Van Eeckhoven
- Research group of Functional Morphology Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - K. Huyghe
- Research group of Functional Morphology Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
| | - R. Van Damme
- Research group of Functional Morphology Department of Biology University of Antwerp Wilrijk Belgium
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16
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Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46125. [PMID: 28387355 PMCID: PMC5384203 DOI: 10.1038/srep46125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
An interesting aspect of developmental programming is the existence of transgenerational effects that influence offspring characteristics and performance later in life. These transgenerational effects have been hypothesized to allow individuals to cope better with predictable environmental fluctuations and thus facilitate adaptation to changing environments. Here, we test for the first time how early-life stress drives developmental programming and transgenerational effects of maternal exposure to early-life stress on several phenotypic traits in their offspring in a functionally relevant context using a fully factorial design. We manipulated pre- and/or post-natal stress in both Japanese quail mothers and offspring and examined the consequences for several stress-related traits in the offspring generation. We show that pre-natal stress experienced by the mother did not simply affect offspring phenotype but resulted in the inheritance of the same stress-coping traits in the offspring across all phenotypic levels that we investigated, shaping neuroendocrine, physiological and behavioural traits. This may serve mothers to better prepare their offspring to cope with later environments where the same stressors are experienced.
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17
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Jeffrey JD, Gilmour KM. Programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis by maternal social status in zebrafish (Danio rerio). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:1734-43. [PMID: 27045091 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.138826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined the effects of maternal social status, with subordinate status being a chronic stressor, on development and activity of the stress axis in zebrafish embryos and larvae. Female zebrafish were confined in pairs for 48 h to establish dominant/subordinate hierarchies; their offspring were reared to 144 h post-fertilization (hpf) and sampled at five time points over development. No differences were detected in maternal cortisol contribution, which is thought to be an important programmer of offspring phenotype. However, once zebrafish offspring began to synthesize cortisol de novo (48 hpf), larvae of dominant females exhibited significantly lower baseline cortisol levels than offspring of subordinate females. These lower cortisol levels may reflect reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis activity, because corticotropin-releasing factor (crf) and cytochrome p450 side chain cleavage enzyme (p450scc) mRNA levels also were lower in larvae from dominant females. Moreover, baseline mRNA levels of HPI axis genes continued to be affected by maternal social status beyond 48 hpf. At 144 hpf, stress-induced cortisol levels were significantly lower in offspring of subordinate females. These results suggest programming of stress axis function in zebrafish offspring by maternal social status, emphasizing the importance of maternal environment and experience on offspring stress axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Jeffrey
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Kathleen M Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
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19
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Sopinka NM, Donaldson MR, O’Connor CM, Suski CD, Cooke SJ. Stress Indicators in Fish. FISH PHYSIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-802728-8.00011-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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20
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Cortez Ghio S, Boudreau Leblanc A, Audet C, Aubin-Horth N. Effects of maternal stress and cortisol exposure at the egg stage on learning, boldness and neophobia in brook trout. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The environment experienced by females can have long-lasting effects on offspring phenotype. The objective of this study was to determine if maternal stress-induced behaviour reprogramming in offspring is found in brook char and to test whether cortisol is the main mediator, by separating the potential effects of cortisol from that of other potential maternal factors. We exposed female brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to different parallel treatments during the oogenesis period: undisturbed as controls (1) fed cortisol through food (2) or physically stressed by handling once a week (3). Additionally, we exposed half of the control eggs to a cortisol suspension before fertilisation (4). Cortisol consumption and handling did not elevate either maternal plasma or egg cortisol, although egg cortisol level was significantly increased when eggs were bathed in the suspension. We measured spatial learning and memory, boldness and neophobia in 6 month-old offspring and found no effects of treatments on learning, memory or behaviour. Our results suggest that the relationship between maternal stress, circulating and egg cortisol levels, other maternal factors, and behavioural reprogramming is context and species-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Cortez Ghio
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Antoine Boudreau Leblanc
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Céline Audet
- Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada G5L 2Z9
| | - Nadia Aubin-Horth
- Département de Biologie and Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6
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