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Azzolini JL, Pratt SC, DeNardo DF. Hydration state does not affect selected body temperature during gravidity or gravidity duration in pythons (Antaresia childreni). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024; 293:111624. [PMID: 38462029 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
The embryonic development of many ectothermic species are highly sensitive to temperature and typically have a higher thermal optima than do most other physiological processes. Thus, female ectotherms often maintain a higher and more carefully controlled body temperature when she is supporting developing embryos (early development in oviparous species, throughout development in viviparous species). Considering the positive correlation between body temperature and evaporative water loss, this response could potentially exacerbate female water imbalance in water-limited environments, suggesting that female water balance and egg development may be in conflict. Using Children's pythons (Antaresia childreni), we hypothesized that water deprivation reduces thermophily during gravidity. We split reproductive females into two thermal treatments: those provided with a continuously available thermal gradient of 25-45 °C and those kept at a constant 31 °C. We also had seven non-reproductive females that were provided a thermal gradient. Within each thermal treatment group, we alternatingly assigned females to either have or not have water throughout gravidity. We found that reproduction increased female body temperature, but this increase was not affected by water regime. Reproduction also increased plasma osmolality, and lack of water during gravidity exacerbated this effect. We also found that thermal treatment, but not water regime, significantly influenced gravidity duration, with females given a thermogradient having a shorter gravidity duration, likely as a result of having a higher average body temperature than did the females provided constant heat. Finally, we found that females provided water throughout gravidity had greater clutch masses than did females without water. Further research is needed to improve scientific understanding of the interactions among water balance, body temperature, and various physiological performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill L Azzolini
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281-4501, USA.
| | - Stephen C Pratt
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281-4501, USA
| | - Dale F DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281-4501, USA
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2
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Bestion E, San-Jose LM, Di Gesu L, Richard M, Sinervo B, Côte J, Calvez O, Guillaume O, Cote J. Plastic responses to warmer climates: a semi-natural experiment on lizard populations. Evolution 2023; 77:1634-1646. [PMID: 37098894 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Facing warming environments, species can exhibit plastic or microevolutionary changes in their thermal physiology to adapt to novel climates. Here, using semi-natural mesocosms, we experimentally investigated over two successive years whether a 2°C-warmer climate produces selective and inter- and intragenerational plastic changes in the thermal traits (preferred temperature and dorsal coloration) of the lizard Zootoca vivipara. In a warmer climate, the dorsal darkness, dorsal contrast, and preferred temperature of adults plastically decreased and covariances between these traits were disrupted. While selection gradients were overall weak, selection gradients for darkness were slightly different between climates and in the opposite direction to plastic changes. Contrary to adults, male juveniles were darker in warmer climates either through plasticity or selection and this effect was strengthened by intergenerational plasticity when juveniles' mothers also experienced warmer climates. While the plastic changes in adult thermal traits alleviate the immediate overheating costs of warming, its opposite direction to selective gradients and to juveniles' phenotypic responses may slow down evolutionary shifts toward phenotypes that are better adapted to future climates. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering inter- and intragenerational plasticity along with selective processes to better understand adaptation and population dynamics in light of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvire Bestion
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, UAR 2029, Moulis, France
| | - Luis M San-Jose
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174, Toulouse, France
| | - Lucie Di Gesu
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174, Toulouse, France
| | - Murielle Richard
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, UAR 2029, Moulis, France
| | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Coastal Biology Building, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Jessica Côte
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174, Toulouse, France
| | - Olivier Calvez
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, UAR 2029, Moulis, France
| | - Olivier Guillaume
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, UAR 2029, Moulis, France
| | - Julien Cote
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174, Toulouse, France
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3
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Virgin EE, Lewis EL, Lidgard AD, Kepas ME, Marchetti JR, Hudson SB, Smith GD, French SS. Egg viability and egg mass underlie immune tradeoffs and differences between urban and rural lizard egg yolk physiology. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 337:114258. [PMID: 36870544 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization can cause innumerable abiotic and biotic changes that have the potential to influence the ecology, behavior, and physiology of native resident organisms. Relative to their rural conspecifics, urban Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) populations in southern Utah have lower survival prospects and maximize reproductive investment via producing larger eggs and larger clutch sizes. While egg size is an important predictor of offspring quality, physiological factors within the egg yolk are reflective of the maternal environment and can alter offspring traits, especially during energetically costly processes, such as reproduction or immunity. Therefore, maternal effects may represent an adaptive mechanism by which urban-dwelling species can persist within a variable landscape. In this study, we assess urban and rural differences in egg yolk bacterial killing ability (BKA), corticosterone (CORT), oxidative status (d-ROMs), and energy metabolites (free glycerol and triglycerides), and their association with female immune status and egg quality. Within a laboratory setting, we immune challenged urban lizards via lipopolysaccharide injection (LPS) to test whether physiological changes associated with immune system activity impacted egg yolk investment. We found urban females had higher mite loads than rural females, however mite burden was related to yolk BKA in rural eggs, but not urban eggs. While yolk BKA differed between urban and rural sites, egg mass and egg viability (fertilized vs. unfertilized) were strong predictors of yolk physiology and may imply tradeoffs exist between maintenance and reproduction. LPS treatment caused a decrease in egg yolk d-ROMs relative to the control treatments, supporting results from previous research. Finally, urban lizards laid a higher proportion of unfertilized eggs, which differed in egg yolk BKA, CORT, and triglycerides in comparison to fertilized eggs. Because rural lizards laid only viable eggs during this study, these results suggest that reduced egg viability is a potential cost of living in an urban environment. Furthermore, these results help us better understand potential downstream impacts of urbanization on offspring survival, fitness, and overall population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Virgin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Audrey D Lidgard
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Megen E Kepas
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT 84770, USA
| | - Jack R Marchetti
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Geoffrey D Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT 84770, USA
| | - Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA; Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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4
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Palacios MG, Bronikowski AM, Amer A, Gangloff EJ. Transgenerational effects of maternal corticosterone across early life in a viviparous snake. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 331:114162. [PMID: 36356645 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114162] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are central mediators of vertebrate responses to intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli. Among the sources of variation in circulating GCs are transgenerational effects mediated by mothers. Here we studied potential maternal effects mediated by GCs on offspring phenotype in a live-bearing reptile, the western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans). We evaluated the association between baseline corticosterone (CORT) levels during gestation (i.e., preparturition) in field-captured mothers and 1) reproductive success and offspring sex ratios, 2) birth phenotypic traits of offspring born under common-garden laboratory conditions, and 3) neonate (age 3 months) and juvenile (age 12 months) traits of offspring raised under two thermal regimes ('warm' and 'cool') during their first year of life. Reproductive success and offspring sex ratios were not associated with preparturition maternal CORT, but pregnant snakes with higher CORT levels gave birth to smaller, lighter offspring, which tended to grow faster to age three months. Neonate baseline CORT varied with preparturition maternal CORT in a sex-specific manner (positive trend for females, negative for males). Maternal CORT effects on offspring phenotype were no longer detectable in juveniles at age one year. Instead, juvenile phenotypes were most influenced by rearing environment, with offspring raised under the cool regime showing higher baseline CORT and slower growth than those raised under warmer conditions. Our findings support the notion that offspring phenotype might be continuously adjusted in response to environmental cues -both pre- and post-natal- and that the strength of maternal CORT effects declines as offspring develop and experience unique environmental challenges. Our results contribute to a growing literature on transgenerational effects of hormones and help to fill a gap in our knowledge of these effects in ectothermic amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Palacios
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Centro Para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, CCT CONICET-CENPAT, Blvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - Ali Amer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA
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5
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Hagadorn MA, Hunter FK, DeLory T, Johnson MM, Pitts-Singer TL, Kapheim KM. Maternal body condition and season influence RNA deposition in the oocytes of alfalfa leafcutting bees ( Megachile rotundata). Front Genet 2023; 13:1064332. [PMID: 36685934 PMCID: PMC9845908 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1064332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal effects are an important source of phenotypic variance, whereby females influence offspring developmental trajectory beyond direct genetic contributions, often in response to changing environmental conditions. However, relatively little is known about the mechanisms by which maternal experience is translated into molecular signals that shape offspring development. One such signal may be maternal RNA transcripts (mRNAs and miRNAs) deposited into maturing oocytes. These regulate the earliest stages of development of all animals, but are understudied in most insects. Here we investigated the effects of female internal (body condition) and external (time of season) environmental conditions on maternal RNA in the maturing oocytes and 24-h-old eggs (24-h eggs) of alfalfa leafcutting bees. Using gene expression and WGCNA analysis, we found that females adjust the quantity of mRNAs related to protein phosphorylation, transcriptional regulation, and nuclease activity deposited into maturing oocytes in response to both poor body condition and shorter day lengths that accompany the late season. However, the magnitude of these changes was higher for time of season. Females also adjusted miRNA deposition in response to seasonal changes, but not body condition. We did not observe significant changes in maternal RNAs in response to either body condition or time of season in 24-h eggs, which were past the maternal-to-zygotic transition. Our results suggest that females adjust the RNA transcripts they provide for offspring to regulate development in response to both internal and external environmental cues. Variation in maternal RNAs may, therefore, be important for regulating offspring phenotype in response to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallory A. Hagadorn
- Department of Biology, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States
| | - Frances K. Hunter
- Department of Biology, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States
| | - Tim DeLory
- Department of Biology, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States
| | - Makenna M. Johnson
- Department of Biology, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States,United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT, United States
| | - Theresa L. Pitts-Singer
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, UT, United States
| | - Karen M. Kapheim
- Department of Biology, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States,*Correspondence: Karen M. Kapheim ,
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6
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Cossin-Sevrin N, Hsu BY, Marciau C, Viblanc VA, Ruuskanen S, Stier A. Developmental plasticity of mitochondrial aerobic metabolism, growth and survival by prenatal glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones: an experimental test in wild great tits. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275345. [PMID: 35420125 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity is partly mediated by transgenerational effects, including those mediated by the maternal endocrine system. Glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones may play central roles in developmental programming through their action on metabolism and growth. However, the mechanisms by which they affect growth and development remain understudied. One hypothesis is that maternal hormones directly affect the production and availability of energy-carrying molecules (e.g. ATP) by their action on mitochondrial function. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally increased glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones in wild great tit eggs (Parus major) to investigate their impact on offspring mitochondrial aerobic metabolism (measured in blood cells), and subsequent growth and survival. We show that prenatal glucocorticoid supplementation affected offspring cellular aerobic metabolism by decreasing mitochondrial density, maximal mitochondrial respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, while increasing the proportion of the maximum capacity being used under endogenous conditions. Prenatal glucocorticoid supplementation only had mild effects on offspring body mass, size and condition during the rearing period, but led to a sex-specific (females only) decrease in body mass a few months after fledging. Contrary to our expectations, thyroid hormones supplementation did not affect offspring growth or mitochondrial metabolism. Recapture probabilities as juveniles or adults were not significantly affected by prenatal hormonal treatments. Our results demonstrate that prenatal glucocorticoids can affect post-natal mitochondrial density and aerobic metabolism. The weak effects on growth and apparent survival suggest that nestlings were mostly able to compensate for the transient decrease in mitochondrial aerobic metabolism induced by prenatal glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Cossin-Sevrin
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Coline Marciau
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
| | - Vincent A Viblanc
- Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178, 67087 Strasbourg, France
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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7
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Cui L, Yang C, Zhang D, Lin S, Zhao W, Liu P. Beneficial Effects of Warming Temperatures on Embryonic and Hatchling Development in a Low-Latitude Margin Population of the High-Latitude Lizard Lacerta agilis. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.845309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of warming temperatures on embryonic and hatchling development are critical for determining the vulnerability of species to climate warming. However, these effects have rarely been investigated in high-latitude oviparous species, particularly in their low-latitude margin populations. This study investigated the embryonic and hatchling development and fitness-related traits of a low-latitude margin population of a high-latitude lizard (Lacerta agilis). These traits were examined under present (24°C), moderate warming (27 and 30°C), and severe warming scenarios (33°C). Based on embryonic and hatchling responses to thermal variation, this study aimed to predict the vulnerability of the early life stages of low-latitude margin population of Lacerta agilis to climate warming. The incubation period of the low-latitude margin population of Lacerta agilis decreased as the temperature increased from 24 to 33°C. Hatching success was similar at 24, 27, and 30°C but decreased significantly at 33°C. No differences with temperature were observed for hatchling snout-vent length and hatchling body mass. The sprint speed was higher for hatchlings from temperatures of 24 and 33°C. The growth rate of hatchlings was highest at 30°C; however, the survival rate of hatchlings was not affected by the thermal environment. This study demonstrated that even for a low-latitude margin population of the high-latitude lizard, Lacerta agilis, moderate warming (i.e., 27 and 30°C) would benefit embryonic and hatchling development. This was indicated by the results showing higher hatching success, growth rate, and survival rate. However, if temperatures increase above 33°C, development and survival would be depressed significantly. Thus, low-latitude margin population of high-latitude species Lacerta agilis would benefit from climate warming in the near future but would be under stress if the nest temperature exceeded 30°C.
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8
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Shah SS, Rubenstein DR. Prenatal environmental conditions underlie alternative reproductive tactics that drive the formation of a mixed-kin cooperative society. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk2220. [PMID: 35196086 PMCID: PMC8865798 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk2220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although animal societies often evolve due to limited natal dispersal that results in kin clustering and facilitates cooperation among relatives, many species form cooperative groups with low kin structure. These groups often comprise residents and immigrants of the same sex that compete for breeding opportunities. To understand how these mixed-kin societies form, we investigated the causes and fitness consequences of dispersal decisions in male cooperatively breeding superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) inhabiting a climatically unpredictable environment. We show that the two alternative reproductive tactics-natal dispersal or philopatry-exhibit reproductive trade-offs resulting in equivalent lifetime inclusive fitness. Unexpectedly, an individual's tactic is related to the prenatal environment its parents experience before laying rather than the environment it experiences as a juvenile. Individuals that adopt the tactic not predicted by prenatal environmental conditions have lower fitness. Ultimately, climate-driven oscillating selection appears to stabilize mixed-kin societies despite the potential for social conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailee S. Shah
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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9
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Effects of prenatal testosterone on cumulative markers of oxidative damage to organs of young adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:303-312. [PMID: 35048181 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01525-y] [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: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that exposure of avian embryos to androgens in ovo entails long-term costs in the form of oxidative damage to vital cells and organs in adulthood. We injected zebra finch eggs with testosterone (T), monitored postnatal growth, and analyzed markers of oxidative damage in heart and liver in mature birds. We measured 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine and isoprostanes, markers of oxidative damage to DNA and membrane lipids, respectively. T treatment (1) reduced growth rates of female but not male nestlings vs. controls; (2) resulted in less accumulation of 8-oxo-dG, but not IsoPs, in liver tissue of 60-day-old females, but not males; and (3) a trend toward elevated 8-oxo-dG levels in heart tissue of males and females at 60 and 180 days old combined. These results generally support the testosterone oxidative damage hypothesis, in that embryonic exposure to higher T resulted in damage to DNA of heart tissue in both sexes. They also suggest that sex-specific effects of androgens on early growth rates may carry over as differences in some forms of oxidative damage in adults. This supports a basic tenet of evolutionary aging theory that developmental influences early in life can be linked to costs later on.
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10
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Miltiadous A, Buchanan KL. Experimental manipulation of maternal corticosterone: Hormone transfer to the yolk in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 313:113898. [PMID: 34492223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113898] [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: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Maternally-derived hormones affect offspring physiological and behavioural phenotype, plausibly as an adaptive response to maternal environmental conditions. Corticosterone (CORT), the principal avian glucocorticoid produced in response to stress, is recognised as a potential mediator of such maternal reproductive effects. Maternally-derived yolk CORT is implicated in mediating offspring growth and hatchling begging behaviour. However, determining the potential for maternal effects in opportunistic breeders subject to variable environments relies on understanding whether natural variation in maternal circulating hormones may directly impact the embryo during development. Therefore, we tested whether elevated maternal CORT concentrations increase yolk CORT concentrations in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) eggs. We remotely dosed breeding females with biologically-relevant doses of CORT, or the oil vehicle, 0-3 h prior to the predicted time of ovulation, and allowed pairs to produce two clutches, one under each treatment, in a crosswise, balanced design. CORT dosing elevated maternal plasma CORT and increased mean yolk CORT by a factor of 1.75 compared to the egg yolks of control mothers. Importantly, CORT concentrations did not differ between inner and outer layers of yolk. We found no egg lay order effect and maternal CORT dosing did not influence reproductive outputs (clutch initiation date, clutch size or egg mass). Our results confirm the direct impact of biologically-relevant increases in maternal CORT on yolk CORT, providing evidence that maternal CORT concentrations during yolk deposition to the follicle alters embryonic exogenous CORT exposure. Further research is required to determine the impact of maternal CORT on embryonic developmental programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Miltiadous
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
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11
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Meuthen D, Ferrari MCO, Chivers DP. Paternal care effects outweigh gamete-mediated and personal environment effects during the transgenerational estimation of risk in fathead minnows. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:187. [PMID: 34635051 PMCID: PMC8507329 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01919-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals can estimate risk by integrating prenatal with postnatal and personal information, but the relative importance of different information sources during the transgenerational response is unclear. The estimated level of risk can be tested using the cognitive rule of risk allocation, which postulates that under consistent high-risk, antipredator efforts should decrease so that individual metabolic requirements can be satisfied. Here we conduct a comprehensive study on transgenerational risk transmission by testing whether risk allocation occurs across 12 treatments that consist of different maternal, paternal, parental care (including cross-fostering) and offspring risk environment combinations in the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas, a small cyprinid fish with alloparental care. In each risk environment, we manipulated perceived risk by continuously exposing individuals from birth onwards to conspecific alarm cues or a control water treatment. Using 2810 1-month old individuals, we then estimated shoaling behaviour prior to and subsequent to a novel mechanical predator disturbance. RESULTS Overall, shoals estimating risk to be high were denser during the prestimulus period, and, following the risk allocation hypothesis, resumed normal shoaling densities faster following the disturbance. Treatments involving parental care consistently induced densest shoals and greatest levels of risk allocation. Although prenatal risk environments did not relate to paternal care intensity, greater care intensity induced more risk allocation when parents provided care for their own offspring as opposed to those that cross-fostered fry. In the absence of care, parental effects on shoaling density were relatively weak and personal environments modulated risk allocation only when parental risk was low. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights the high relative importance of parental care as opposed to other information sources, and its function as a mechanism underlying transgenerational risk transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Meuthen
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada.
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Maud C O Ferrari
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, WCVM, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Douglas P Chivers
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
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12
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Xu H, Niu C. Effect of maternal ammonia stress on population dynamics of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus offspring. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 239:105960. [PMID: 34500379 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Maternal effects play important roles in phenotypic variations among individuals and are thus considered to regulate population performance in responses to environmental stress. High ammonia levels are known to suppress population growth of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. However, it remains unclear whether maternal environmental ammonia stress influences the offspring phenotypic variation and, if so, how it affects the offspring population dynamics in the rotifer. The present work examined variations in life history, morphology, feeding and digestive activities of B. calyciflorus offspring affected by maternal ammonia stress and the effect of the above variations on offspring population dynamics. We observed increased fitness in the offspring population affected by the cumulative maternal effect. There was a trade-off between offspring (F1) survival and reproductive investment under maternal (F0) ammonia stress. Population growth of the offspring possibly increased via decreasing body size and posterolateral spine length while enhancing cellulase activity. Moreover, the absence of the posterolateral spine of the rotifer was a sensitive response to maternal ammonia stress. These findings underscore maternal environmental stress as an important source of phenotypic variations and highlight these multiple responses work together to affect population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanhuan Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Cuijuan Niu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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13
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Ruuskanen S, Hsu BY, Nord A. Endocrinology of thermoregulation in birds in a changing climate. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 519:111088. [PMID: 33227349 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.111088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to maintain a (relatively) stable body temperature in a wide range of thermal environments by use of endogenous heat production is a unique feature of endotherms such as birds. Endothermy is acquired and regulated via various endocrine and molecular pathways, and ultimately allows wide aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial distribution in variable environments. However, due to our changing climate, birds are faced with potential new challenges for thermoregulation, such as more frequent extreme weather events, lower predictability of climate, and increasing mean temperature. We provide an overview on thermoregulation in birds and its endocrine and molecular mechanisms, pinpointing gaps in current knowledge and recent developments, focusing especially on non-model species to understand the generality of, and variation in, mechanisms. We highlight plasticity of thermoregulation and underlying endocrine regulation, because thorough understanding of plasticity is key to predicting responses to changing environmental conditions. To this end, we discuss how changing climate is likely to affect avian thermoregulation and associated endocrine traits, and how the interplay between these physiological processes may play a role in facilitating or constraining adaptation to a changing climate. We conclude that while the general patterns of endocrine regulation of thermogenesis are quite well understood, at least in poultry, the molecular and endocrine mechanisms that regulate, e.g. mitochondrial function and plasticity of thermoregulation over different time scales (from transgenerational to daily variation), need to be unveiled. Plasticity may ameliorate climate change effects on thermoregulation to some extent, but the increased frequency of extreme weather events, and associated changes in resource availability, may be beyond the scope and/or speed for plastic responses. This could lead to selection for more tolerant phenotypes, if the underlying physiological traits harbour genetic and individual variation for selection to act on - a key question for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Andreas Nord
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37, SE-22362, Lund, Sweden
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Fokidis HB, Brock T. Hurricane Irma induces divergent behavioral and hormonal impacts on an urban and forest population of invasive Anolis lizards: evidence for an urban resilience hypothesis. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Hurricanes can have both profound short-term effects on animal populations and serve as long-term drivers of evolutionary change. Animals inhabiting varying habitats may differ in their response to hurricane impacts. Increasing evidence suggests that animals from urban areas exhibit different behavioral and physiological traits compared to rural counterparts, including attenuated hormonal stress responses and a lowered propensity for flight behavior. A unique opportunity was presented when Hurricane Irma hit Florida on 10 September 2017 and interrupted a study of invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) at an urban and a forest. Using data collected before and after Hurricane Irma, we documented that forest anoles exhibited a greater avoidance of people and more male territorial behavior for a longer period of time following the hurricane. Post-hurricane both populations increased corticosterone concentrations post-capture stress, but urban anoles recovered 2 weeks faster than forest conspecifics. A dexamethasone suppression experiment suggested that these population differences were the result of forest anoles having a less effective negative feedback regulating corticosterone secretion. In the brain, forest anoles had higher corticosterone concentrations within the amygdala and parts of the cortex associated with stress than urban lizards. One explanation may be Hurricane Irma brought flooding and debris that altered the landscape leading to behavioral instability, and urban lizards already exhibited ecological adjustments that permitted a more rapid recovery (i.e. the ‘urban resilience’ hypothesis). Testing if urban animals are more resilient to natural disasters can inform conservationists interested in understanding their role in facilitating invasive species expansion and what their increasing presence may indicate for animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bobby Fokidis
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499, USA
| | - Taylor Brock
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499, USA
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15
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Hobson L, Hurst JL, Stockley P. Increased sperm production linked to competition in the maternal social environment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201171. [PMID: 33489271 PMCID: PMC7813238 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Maternal or early life effects may prepare offspring for similar social conditions to those experienced by their mothers. For males, the ability to achieve mating and fertilization success is a key social challenge. Competitive conditions may therefore favour increased body size or ejaculate production in male offspring. We tested this experimentally by comparing reproductive traits of adult male bank voles (Myodes glareolus), whose mothers had experienced contrasting encounter regimes with female conspecifics while breeding. We found that daily sperm production rates and epididymis mass were significantly higher when dams had experienced more frequent encounters with female conspecifics. This response to maternal and early life experience was specific to sperm production and storage, with no evidence for effects on male body mass or the size of testes and accessory reproductive glands. Our findings reveal a potentially adaptive effect of maternal and early life experience on the development of sperm production, which is worthy of wider investigation.
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Schwabl H, Partecke J. Developmental programming of the adrenocortical stress response by yolk testosterone depends on sex and life history stage. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220152. [PMID: 32967995 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Developmental exposure of embryos to maternal hormones such as testosterone in the avian egg influences the expression of multiple traits, with certain effects being sex specific and lasting into adulthood. This pleiotropy, sex dependency and persistency may be the consequence of developmental programming of basic systemic processes such as adrenocortical activity or metabolic rate. We investigated whether experimentally increased in ovo exposure to testosterone influenced hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal function, i.e. baseline and stress-induced corticosterone secretion, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) of adult male and female house sparrows (Passer domesticus). In previous experiments with this passerine bird we demonstrated effects of embryonic testosterone exposure on adult agonistic and sexual behavior and survival. Here we report that baseline corticosterone levels and the stress secretion profile of corticosterone are modified by in ovo testosterone in a sex-specific and life history stage-dependent manner. Compared with controls, males from testosterone-treated eggs had higher baseline corticosterone levels, whereas females from testosterone-treated eggs showed prolonged stress-induced corticosterone secretion during the reproductive but not the non-reproductive phase. Adult RMR was unaffected by in ovo testosterone treatment but correlated with integrated corticosterone stress secretion levels. We conclude that exposure of the embryo to testosterone programs the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in a sex-specific manner that in females depends, in expression, on reproductive state. The modified baseline corticosterone levels in males and stress-induced corticosterone levels in females may explain some of the long-lasting effects of maternal testosterone in the egg on behavior and could be linked to previously observed reduced mortality of testosterone-treated females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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17
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Suvi R, Giovanna M, Katja A. Experimental copper exposure, but not heat stress, leads to elevated intraovarian thyroid hormone levels in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1431-1440. [PMID: 32975733 PMCID: PMC7581574 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-020-02278-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and pollution are some of the greatest anthropogenic threats to wild animals. Transgenerational plasticity-when parental exposure to environmental stress leads to changes in offspring phenotype-has been highlighted as a potential mechanism to respond to various environmental and anthropogenic changes across taxa. Transgenerational effects may be mediated via multiple mechanisms, such as transfer of maternal hormones to eggs/foetus. However, sources of variation in hormone transfer are poorly understood in fish, and thus the first step is to characterise whether environmental challenges alter transfer of maternal hormones to eggs. To this end, we explored the population variation and environmental variation (in response to temperature and endocrine disrupting copper) in maternal thyroid hormone (TH), transfer to offspring in a common fish model species, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) using multiple approaches: (i) We compared ovarian TH levels among six populations across a wide geographical range in the Baltic Sea, including two populations at high water temperature areas (discharge water areas of nuclear power plants) and we experimentally exposed fish to (ii) environmentally relevant heat stress and (iii) copper for 7 days. We found that populations did not differ in intraovarian TH levels, and short-term heat stress did not influence intraovarian TH levels. However, copper exposure increased both T4 and T3 levels in ovaries. The next step would be to evaluate if such alterations would lead to changes in offspring phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruuskanen Suvi
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | | | - Anttila Katja
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Warriner TR, Semeniuk CAD, Pitcher TE, Heath DD, Love OP. Mimicking Transgenerational Signals of Future Stress: Thermal Tolerance of Juvenile Chinook Salmon Is More Sensitive to Elevated Rearing Temperature Than Exogenously Increased Egg Cortisol. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.548939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Embryonic exposure to hyper glucocorticoids suppresses brown fat development and thermogenesis via REDD1. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2020; 66:478-489. [PMID: 33936858 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Maternal stress during pregnancy is prevailing worldwide, which exposes fetuses to intrauterine hyper glucocorticoids (GC), programming offspring to obesity and metabolic diseases. Despite the importance of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in maintaining long-term metabolic health, impacts of prenatal hyper GC on postnatal BAT thermogenesis and underlying regulations remain poorly defined. Pregnant mice were administrated with synthetic GC dexamethasone (DEX) at levels comparable to fetal GC exposure of stressed mothers. Prenatal GC exposure dose-dependently reduced BAT thermogenic activity, contributing to lower body temperature and higher mortality of neonates; such difference was abolished under thermoneutrality, underscoring BAT deficiency was the major contributor to adverse changes in postnatal thermogenesis due to excessive GC. Prenatal GC exposure highly activated Redd1 expression and reduced Ppargc1a transcription from the alternative promoter (Ppargc1a-AP) in neonatal BAT. During brown adipocyte differentiation, ectopic Redd1 expression reduced Ppargc1a-AP expression and mitochondrial biogenesis; and the inhibitory effects of GC on mitochondrial biogenesis and Ppargc1a-AP expression were blocked by Redd1 ablation. Redd1 reduced protein kinase A phosphorylation and suppressed cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) -responsive element-binding protein (CREB) binding to the cAMP regulatory element (CRE) in Ppargc1a-AP promoter, leading to Ppargc1a-AP inactivation. In summary, excessive maternal GC exposure during pregnancy dysregulates Redd1-Ppargc1a-AP axis, which impairs fetal BAT development, hampering postnatal thermogenic adaptation and metabolic health of offspring.
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Hsu BY, Sarraude T, Cossin-Sevrin N, Crombecque M, Stier A, Ruuskanen S. Testing for context-dependent effects of prenatal thyroid hormones on offspring survival and physiology: an experimental temperature manipulation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14563. [PMID: 32884067 PMCID: PMC7471313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal effects via hormonal transfer from the mother to the offspring provide a tool to translate environmental cues to the offspring. Experimental manipulations of maternally transferred hormones have yielded increasingly contradictory results, which may be explained by differential effects of hormones under different environmental contexts. Yet context-dependent effects have rarely been experimentally tested. We therefore studied whether maternally transferred thyroid hormones (THs) exert context-dependent effects on offspring survival and physiology by manipulating both egg TH levels and post-hatching nest temperature in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) using a full factorial design. We found no clear evidence for context-dependent effects of prenatal THs related to postnatal temperature on growth, survival and potential underlying physiological responses (plasma TH levels, oxidative stress and mitochondrial density). We conclude that future studies should test for other key environmental conditions, such as food availability, to understand potential context-dependent effects of maternally transmitted hormones on offspring, and their role in adapting to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Yan Hsu
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Tom Sarraude
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- GELIFES, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nina Cossin-Sevrin
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mélanie Crombecque
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Antoine Stier
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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21
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Paquet M, Parenteau C, Ford LE, Ratz T, Richardson J, Angelier F, Smiseth PT. Females adjust maternal hormone concentration in eggs according to male condition in a burying beetle. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104708. [PMID: 32004551 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In birds and other vertebrates, there is good evidence that females adjust the allocation of hormones in their eggs in response to prenatal environmental conditions, such as food availability or male phenotype, with profound consequences for life history traits of offspring. In insects, there is also evidence that females deposit juvenile hormones (JH) and ecdysteroids (ESH) in their eggs, hormones that play a key role in regulating offspring growth and metamorphosis. However, it is unclear whether females adjust their hormonal deposition in eggs in response to prenatal environmental conditions. Here we address this gap by conducting an experiment on the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, in which we manipulated the presence of the male parent and the size of the carcass used for breeding at the time of laying. We also tested for effects of the condition (i.e., body mass) of the parents. We then recorded subsequent effects on JH and ESH concentrations in the eggs. We found no evidence for an effect of these prenatal environmental conditions (male presence and carcass size) on hormonal concentration in the eggs. However, we found that females reduced their deposition of JH when mated with heavier males. This finding is consistent with negative differential allocation of maternal hormones in response to variation in the body mass of the male parent. We encourage further work to investigate the role of maternally derived hormones in insect eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Paquet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Charline Parenteau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique- La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Lucy E Ford
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tom Ratz
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jon Richardson
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique- La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Per T Smiseth
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Warriner TR, Semeniuk CAD, Pitcher TE, Love OP. Exposure to exogenous egg cortisol does not rescue juvenile Chinook salmon body size, condition, or survival from the effects of elevated water temperatures. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2466-2477. [PMID: 32184994 PMCID: PMC7069292 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is leading to altered temperature regimes which are impacting aquatic life, particularly for ectothermic fish. The impacts of environmental stress can be translated across generations through maternally derived glucocorticoids, leading to altered offspring phenotypes. Although these maternal stress effects are often considered negative, recent studies suggest this maternal stress signal may prepare offspring for a similarly stressful environment (environmental match). We applied the environmental match hypothesis to examine whether a prenatal stress signal can dampen the effects of elevated water temperatures on body size, condition, and survival during early development in Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from Lake Ontario, Canada. We exposed fertilized eggs to prenatal exogenous egg cortisol (1,000 ng/ml cortisol or 0 ng/ml control) and then reared these dosed groups at temperatures indicative of current (+0°C) and future (+3°C) temperature conditions. Offspring reared in elevated temperatures were smaller and had a lower survival at the hatchling developmental stage. Overall, we found that our exogenous cortisol dose did not dampen effects of elevated rearing temperatures (environmental match) on body size or early survival. Instead, our eyed stage survival indicates that our prenatal cortisol dose may be detrimental, as cortisol-dosed offspring raised in elevated temperatures had lower survival than cortisol-dosed and control reared in current temperatures. Our results suggest that a maternal stress signal may not be able to ameliorate the effects of thermal stress during early development. However, we highlight the importance of interpreting the fitness impacts of maternal stress within an environmentally relevant context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa R. Warriner
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental ResearchUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
| | - Christina A. D. Semeniuk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental ResearchUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
| | - Trevor E. Pitcher
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental ResearchUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental ResearchUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
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Rodríguez-Ruiz G, López P, Martín J. Dietary vitamin D in female rock lizards induces condition-transfer effects in their offspring. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
One way that maternal effects may benefit the offspring is by informing them about the characteristics of the environment. Through gestation, environmentally induced maternal effects might promote in the offspring-specific behavioral responses like dispersal or residence according to their new habitat characteristics. Females of the Carpetan rock lizard (Iberolacerta cyreni) seem to choose their home ranges using the smell of provitamin D3 in scent marks produced by males. Here, we supplemented gravid females of I. cyreni with dietary provitamin D3 or vitamin D3 to examine whether these food resources, also associated with the scent of males, affect the motivation to disperse and the locomotor performance of their offspring. Our results suggest that the supplementary availability of the resource (vitamin D3) to mothers may provoke condition-transfer maternal effects that motivate the residence or the dispersal of the offspring in their postnatal habitat. Thus, hatchlings of supplemented females had a lower dispersal trend in spite of having a greater climbing ability than hatchlings from nonsupplemented females. This suggests that the levels of provitamin D3 and vitamin D3 inside the body of the mother could act as an informative compound of the habitat quality for the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Rodríguez-Ruiz
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar López
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Martín
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Goossens S, Wybouw N, Van Leeuwen T, Bonte D. The physiology of movement. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:5. [PMID: 32042434 PMCID: PMC7001223 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-0192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Movement, from foraging to migration, is known to be under the influence of the environment. The translation of environmental cues to individual movement decision making is determined by an individual's internal state and anticipated to balance costs and benefits. General body condition, metabolic and hormonal physiology mechanistically underpin this internal state. These physiological determinants are tightly, and often genetically linked with each other and hence central to a mechanistic understanding of movement. We here synthesise the available evidence of the physiological drivers and signatures of movement and review (1) how physiological state as measured in its most coarse way by body condition correlates with movement decisions during foraging, migration and dispersal, (2) how hormonal changes underlie changes in these movement strategies and (3) how these can be linked to molecular pathways. We reveale that a high body condition facilitates the efficiency of routine foraging, dispersal and migration. Dispersal decision making is, however, in some cases stimulated by a decreased individual condition. Many of the biotic and abiotic stressors that induce movement initiate a physiological cascade in vertebrates through the production of stress hormones. Movement is therefore associated with hormone levels in vertebrates but also insects, often in interaction with factors related to body or social condition. The underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms are currently studied in few model species, and show -in congruence with our insights on the role of body condition- a central role of energy metabolism during glycolysis, and the coupling with timing processes during migration. Molecular insights into the physiological basis of movement remain, however, highly refractory. We finalise this review with a critical reflection on the importance of these physiological feedbacks for a better mechanistic understanding of movement and its effects on ecological dynamics at all levels of biological organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Goossens
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nicky Wybouw
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas Van Leeuwen
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Partecke J, Hegyi G, Fitze PS, Gasparini J, Schwabl H. Maternal effects and urbanization: Variation of yolk androgens and immunoglobulin in city and forest blackbirds. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:2213-2224. [PMID: 32128150 PMCID: PMC7042752 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildlife inhabiting urban environments exhibit drastic changes in morphology, physiology, and behavior. It has often been argued that these phenotypic responses could be the result of micro-evolutionary changes following the urbanization process. However, other mechanisms such as phenotypic plasticity, maternal effects, and developmental plasticity could be involved as well. To address maternal effects as potential mechanisms, we compared maternal hormone and antibody concentrations in eggs between city and forest populations of European blackbirds (Turdus merula), a widely distributed species for which previous research demonstrated differences in behavioral and physiological traits. We measured egg and yolk mass, yolk concentrations of androgens (androstenedione [A4], testosterone [T], 5α-dihydrotestosterone [5α-DHT], and immunoglobulins [IgY]) and related them to population, clutch size, laying order, embryo sex, and progress of breeding season. We show (a) earlier onset of laying in the city than forest population, but similar egg and clutch size; (b) higher overall yolk androgen concentrations in the forest than the city population (sex-dependent for T); (c) greater among-female variation of yolk T and 5α-DHT concentrations in the forest than city population, but similar within-clutch variation; (d) similar IgY concentrations with a seasonal decline in both populations; and (e) population-specific positive (city) or negative (forest) association of yolk A4 and T with IgY concentrations. Our results are consistent with the hypotheses that hormone-mediated maternal effects contribute to differences in behavioral and physiological traits between city and forest individuals and that yolk androgen and immunoglobulin levels can exhibit population-specific relationships rather than trade-off against each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesko Partecke
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Reproductive BiologyWashington State University PullmanPullmanWAUSA
| | - Gergely Hegyi
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Reproductive BiologyWashington State University PullmanPullmanWAUSA
- Department of Systematic Zoology and EcologyEötvös Loránd UniversityBudapestHungary
| | | | - Julien Gasparini
- Sorbonne UniversitéUPECCNRSINRAIRDInstitut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de ParisParisFrance
| | - Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences and Center for Reproductive BiologyWashington State University PullmanPullmanWAUSA
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Josserand R, Haussy C, Agostini S, Decencière B, Le Galliard JF, Meylan S. Chronic elevation of glucorticoids late in life generates long lasting changes in physiological state without a life history switch. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 285:113288. [PMID: 31557468 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stressors have profound impacts on phenotypes and life history strategies on the short term, but delayed effects of stress experienced late in life remain poorly investigated in wild populations. Here, we used a combined laboratory and field experiment to test if chronic stress late in life has immediate and delayed effects on physiological and demographic traits in the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. We increased plasma corticosterone levels in adults and yearlings during three weeks of the post-reproductive season. We quantified immediate responses in the laboratory, delayed intra-generational effects in field enclosures one month and one year later during the next reproductive season, and delayed inter-generational effects in the first generation of offspring. Our phenotypic assays included metabolism, immune capacities, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. Relative to placebos, lizards treated with corticosterone had higher body condition and lower oxidative damages but an increased skin swelling response directly after the manipulation. Delayed responses in field enclosures were of three types. First, we found catch-up growth for body mass such the placebos had similar body conditions one month after the laboratory manipulation. Second, we found persistent differences in oxidative damages during one month but not one year later. Third, during the next reproductive season, corticosterone-treated females had higher levels of plasma triglycerides, whereas corticosterone-treated individuals had a higher skin swelling response. We found no delayed inter-generational effects on demographic traits of offspring. Our study demonstrates the potential for long-lasting physiological consequences of chronic corticosterone enhancement despite no obvious changes in life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémy Josserand
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Claudy Haussy
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Simon Agostini
- Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 78 rue du château, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Beatriz Decencière
- Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 78 rue du château, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France; Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, PSL Research University, UMS 3194, 78 rue du château, 77140 Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France; ESPE de Paris, Sorbonne Université, 10 rue Molitor, 75016 Paris, France.
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27
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Ledecka D, Zeman M, Okuliarova M. Genetic variation in maternal yolk testosterone allocation predicts female mating decisions in Japanese quail. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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28
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Guindre-Parker S, Mcadam AG, van Kesteren F, Palme R, Boonstra R, Boutin S, Lane JE, Dantzer B. Individual variation in phenotypic plasticity of the stress axis. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190260. [PMID: 31337294 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity-one individual's capacity for phenotypic variation under different environments-is critical for organisms facing fluctuating conditions within their lifetime. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) experience drastic among-year fluctuations in conspecific density. This shapes juvenile competition over vacant territories and overwinter survival. To help young cope with competition at high densities, mothers can increase offspring growth rates via a glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effect. However, this effect is only adaptive under high densities, and faster growth often comes at a cost to longevity. While red squirrels can adjust hormones in response to fluctuating density, the degree to which mothers differ in glucocorticoid plasticity across changing densities remains unknown. Findings from our reaction norm approach revealed significant individual variation not only in a female red squirrel's mean endocrine phenotype but also in endocrine plasticity in response to changes in local density. Future work on proximate and ultimate drivers of variation in endocrine plasticity and maternal effects is needed, particularly in free-living animals experiencing fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrew G Mcadam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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29
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Dupont SM, Grace JK, Brischoux F, Angelier F. Post-natal corticosterone exposure affects ornaments in adult male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 276:45-51. [PMID: 30831120 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In vertebrates, the ontogeny of several crucial organismal systems is known to occur early in life. Developmental conditions can ultimately have important consequences on adult fitness by affecting individual phenotype. These developmental effects are thought to be primarily mediated by endocrine systems, and especially by glucocorticoids. In this study, we tested how post-natal exposure to corticosterone (the primary avian glucocorticoid) may subsequently affect the expression of ornaments in adult male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Specifically, we investigated the long-term consequences of this manipulation on the size and color of several visual signals: badge, wing bar, tarsus and beak. Post-natal corticosterone exposure had a strong negative impact on the size, but not the color, of some male ornaments (badge and wing bar surface area). Because wing bar and badge surface area are used as sexual and/or hierarchical signals in house sparrow, we showed that early life stress can affect some aspect of attractiveness and social status in this species with potentially important fitness consequences (e.g. sexual selection and reproductive performance). Future studies need now to explore the costs and benefits of this developmental plasticity for individuals (i.e. fitness).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie M Dupont
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-ULR, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
| | - Jacquelyn K Grace
- Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - François Brischoux
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-ULR, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS-ULR, UMR 7372, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France
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30
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Bleu J, Agostini S, Angelier F, Biard C. Experimental increase in temperature affects eggshell thickness, and not egg mass, eggshell spottiness or egg composition in the great tit (Parus major). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 275:73-81. [PMID: 30735670 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic effects of global warming have been documented in many different taxa. However, the importance of transgenerational phenotypic plasticity in these adaptations are seldom studied. In birds, temperature could affect egg characteristics. Higher temperatures during egg-laying may reduce maintenance costs for females and allow a higher investment in reproduction. Yet, females may also use temperatures as a cue for the risk of mismatch latter in the season. Thus, higher temperatures may be correlated to an acceleration of embryonic development (e.g. via hormonal manipulation). We performed an experiment in which night-time temperature was increased in the nestbox by approximately 1 °C throughout the entire laying period in great tits (Parus major). We collected one pre-treatment egg (beginning of the laying sequence) and one post-treatment egg (end of the laying sequence). Egg content (yolk androgens and lysozymes in the albumen), eggshell coloration, eggshell mass, egg mass, and shape were not affected by the treatment. However, last-laid eggs in clutches from control nestboxes had a thicker eggshell than last-laid eggs from heated nestboxes, suggesting a putative slight decrease of maternal investment with the experimental increase of temperature. We also observed effects of the laying sequence on egg characteristics. Eggs that were laid late in the laying sequence were heavier, larger, had larger spots and higher yolk androgens than eggs laid earlier. Lysozyme concentration decrease with the laying sequence in late clutches only. Thus, effects of temperature may also change with the laying sequence and it would be interesting in the future to tests the effects on first-laid eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefa Bleu
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Simon Agostini
- CEREEP-Ecotron Ile-de-France, UMS 3194, École Normale Supérieure, St-Pierre-les-Nemours, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de la Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Clotilde Biard
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Université Paris Diderot, Université Paris-Est Créteil, UMR 7618, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 75005 Paris, France
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31
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Valcu CM, Scheltema RA, Schweiggert RM, Valcu M, Teltscher K, Walther DM, Carle R, Kempenaers B. Life history shapes variation in egg composition in the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus. Commun Biol 2019; 2:6. [PMID: 30740542 PMCID: PMC6320336 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0247-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal investment directly shapes early developmental conditions and therefore has long-term fitness consequences for the offspring. In oviparous species prenatal maternal investment is fixed at the time of laying. To ensure the best survival chances for most of their offspring, females must equip their eggs with the resources required to perform well under various circumstances, yet the actual mechanisms remain unknown. Here we describe the blue tit egg albumen and yolk proteomes and evaluate their potential to mediate maternal effects. We show that variation in egg composition (proteins, lipids, carotenoids) primarily depends on laying order and female age. Egg proteomic profiles are mainly driven by laying order, and investment in the egg proteome is functionally biased among eggs. Our results suggest that maternal effects on egg composition result from both passive and active (partly compensatory) mechanisms, and that variation in egg composition creates diverse biochemical environments for embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina-Maria Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Richard A. Scheltema
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ralf M. Schweiggert
- Plant Foodstuff Technology and Analysis, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Mihai Valcu
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Kim Teltscher
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Dirk M. Walther
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Reinhold Carle
- Plant Foodstuff Technology and Analysis, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
- Biological Science Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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32
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Schell CJ, Young JK, Lonsdorf EV, Santymire RM, Mateo JM. Parental habituation to human disturbance over time reduces fear of humans in coyote offspring. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12965-12980. [PMID: 30619597 PMCID: PMC6308887 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental tenet of maternal effects assumes that maternal variance over time should have discordant consequences for offspring traits across litters. Yet, seldom are parents observed across multiple reproductive bouts, with few studies considering anthropogenic disturbances as an ecological driver of maternal effects. We observed captive coyote (Canis latrans) pairs over two successive litters to determine whether among‐litter differences in behavior (i.e., risk‐taking) and hormones (i.e., cortisol and testosterone) corresponded with parental plasticity in habituation. Thus, we explicitly test the hypothesis that accumulating experiences of anthropogenic disturbance reduces parental fear across reproductive bouts, which should have disparate phenotypic consequences for first‐ and second‐litter offspring. To quantify risk‐taking behavior, we used foraging assays from 5–15 weeks of age with a human observer present as a proxy for human disturbance. At 5, 10, and 15 weeks of age, we collected shaved hair to quantify pup hormone levels. We then used a quantitative genetic approach to estimate heritability, repeatability, and between‐trait correlations. We found that parents were riskier (i.e., foraged more frequently) with their second versus first litters, supporting our prediction that parents become increasingly habituated over time. Second‐litter pups were also less risk‐averse than their first‐litter siblings. Heritability for all traits did not differ from zero (0.001–0.018); however, we found moderate support for repeatability in all observed traits (r = 0.085–0.421). Lastly, we found evidence of positive phenotypic and cohort correlations among pup traits, implying that cohort identity (i.e., common environment) contributes to the development of phenotypic syndromes in coyote pups. Our results suggest that parental habituation may be an ecological cue for offspring to reduce their fear response, thus emphasizing the role of parental plasticity in shaping their pups’ behavioral and hormonal responses toward humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Schell
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois.,School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences University of Washington Tacoma Tacoma Washington
| | - Julie K Young
- USDA-WS-NWRC Predator Research Facility, Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan Utah
| | | | - Rachel M Santymire
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois.,Conservation and Science Department Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago Illinois
| | - Jill M Mateo
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois
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33
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Endriss SB, Vahsen ML, Bitume EV, Grey Monroe J, Turner KG, Norton AP, Hufbauer RA. The importance of growing up: juvenile environment influences dispersal of individuals and their neighbours. Ecol Lett 2018; 22:45-55. [PMID: 30450720 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Dispersal is a key ecological process that is strongly influenced by both phenotype and environment. Here, we show that juvenile environment influences dispersal not only by shaping individual phenotypes, but also by changing the phenotypes of neighbouring conspecifics, which influence how individuals disperse. We used a model system (Tribolium castaneum, red flour beetles) to test how the past environment of dispersing individuals and their neighbours influences how they disperse in their current environment. We found that individuals dispersed especially far when exposed to a poor environment as adults if their phenotype, or even one-third of their neighbours' phenotypes, were shaped by a poor environment as juveniles. Juvenile environment therefore shapes dispersal both directly, by influencing phenotype, as well as indirectly, by influencing the external social environment. Thus, the juvenile environment of even a minority of individuals in a group can influence the dispersal of the entire group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy B Endriss
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Megan L Vahsen
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Ellyn V Bitume
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Exotic and Invasive Weeds Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service, Albany, CA, USA
| | - J Grey Monroe
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Kathryn G Turner
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Andrew P Norton
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Ruth A Hufbauer
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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34
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Diele-Viegas LM, Rocha CFD. Unraveling the influences of climate change in Lepidosauria (Reptilia). J Therm Biol 2018; 78:401-414. [PMID: 30509664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In recent decades, changes in climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and across the oceans and many species have shifted their geographic ranges, seasonal activities, migration patterns, abundances and interactions in response to these changes. Projections of future climate change are uncertain, but the Earth's warming is likely to exceed 4.8 °C by the end of 21th century. The vulnerability of a population, species, group or system due to climate change is a function of impact of the changes on the evaluated system (exposure and sensitivity) and adaptive capacity as a response to this impact, and the relationship between these elements will determine the degree of species vulnerability. Predicting the potential future risks to biodiversity caused by climate change has become an extremely active field of research, and several studies in the last two decades had focused on determining possible impacts of climate change on Lepidosaurians, at a global, regional and local level. Here we conducted a systematic review of published studies in order to seek to what extent the accumulated knowledge currently allow us to identify potential trends or patterns regarding climate change effects on lizards, snakes, amphisbaenians and tuatara. We conducted a literature search among online literature databases/catalogues and recorded 255 studies addressing the influence of climate change on a total of 1918 species among 49 Lepidosaurian's families. The first study addressing this subject is dated 1999. Most of the studies focused on species distribution, followed by thermal biology, reproductive biology, behavior and genetics. We concluded that an integrative approach including most of these characteristics and also bioclimatic and environmental variables, may lead to consistent and truly effective strategies for species conservation, aiming to buffer the climate change effects on this group of reptiles.
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35
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Crocker KC, Hunter MD. Social density, but not sex ratio, drives ecdysteroid hormone provisioning to eggs by female house crickets ( Acheta domesticus). Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10257-10265. [PMID: 30397463 PMCID: PMC6206184 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Social environment profoundly influences the fitness of animals, affecting their probability of survival to adulthood, longevity, and reproductive output. The social conditions experienced by parents at the time of reproduction can predict the social environments that offspring will face. Despite clear challenges in predicting future environmental conditions, adaptive maternal effects provide a mechanism of passing environmental information from parent to offspring and are now considered pervasive in natural systems. Maternal effects have been widely studied in vertebrates, especially in the context of social environment, and are often mediated by steroid hormone (SH) deposition to eggs. In insects, although many species dramatically alter phenotype and life-history traits in response to social density, the mechanisms of these alterations, and the role of hormone deposition by insect mothers into their eggs, remains unknown. In the experiments described here, we assess the effects of social environment on maternal hormone deposition to eggs in house crickets (Acheta domesticus). Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that variable deposition of ecdysteroid hormones (ESH) to eggs is affected by both maternal (a) social density and (b) social composition. We found that while maternal hormone deposition to eggs does not respond to social composition (sex ratio), it does reflect social density; females provision their eggs with higher ESH doses under low-density conditions. This finding is consistent with the interpretation that variable ESH provisioning is an adaptive maternal response to social environment and congruent with similar patterns of variable maternal provisioning across the tree of life. Moreover, our results confirm that maternal hormone provisioning may mediate delayed density dependence by introducing a time lag in the response of offspring phenotype to population size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Crocker
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University New York New York
| | - Mark D Hunter
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
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36
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Ensminger DC, Langkilde T, Owen DAS, MacLeod KJ, Sheriff MJ. Maternal stress alters the phenotype of the mother, her eggs and her offspring in a wild-caught lizard. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1685-1697. [PMID: 30074248 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
While biomedical researchers have long appreciated the influence of maternally derived glucocorticoids (GCs) on offspring phenotype, ecologists have only recently begun exploring its impact in wild animals. Interpreting biomedical findings within an ecological context has posited that maternal stress, mediated by elevations of maternal GCs, may play an adaptive role preparing offspring for a stressful or rigorous environment. Yet, the influence of maternal stress on offspring phenotype has been little studied in wild animals. We experimentally elevated GCs to ecologically relevant levels (mimicking increases in maternal stress hormones following a nonlethal predator encounter, a heat challenge, or a chasing or confinement stressor) in female eastern fence lizards Sceloporus undulatus during gestation. We tested the hypothesis that maternally derived stress hormones themselves are sufficient to alter offspring phenotype. Specifically, we examined the effects of experimentally elevated maternal GCs on fitness-relevant traits of the mother, her eggs and her subsequent offspring. We found that daily maternal GC elevation: (a) increased maternal antipredator behaviours and postlaying glucose levels; (b) had no effect on egg morphology or caloric value, but altered yolk hormone (elevated GC) and nutrient content; and (c) altered offspring phenotype including stress-relevant physiology, morphology and behaviour. These findings reveal that maternally derived GCs alone can alter offspring phenotype in a wild animal, changes that may be mediated via maternal behaviour, and egg hormone and nutrient content. Understanding the ecological consequences of these effects under different environmental conditions will be critical for determining the adaptive significance of elevated maternal GCs for offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Ensminger
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Dustin A S Owen
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Kirsty J MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
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37
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Langen EMA, von Engelhardt N, Goerlich-Jansson VC. No evidence for sex-specific effects of the maternal social environment on offspring development in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 263:12-20. [PMID: 29684400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The social environment of reproducing females can cause physiological changes, with consequences for reproductive investment and offspring development. These prenatal maternal effects are often found to be sex-specific and may have evolved as adaptations, maximizing fitness of male and female offspring for their future environment. Female hormone levels during reproduction are considered a potential mechanism regulating sex allocation in vertebrates: high maternal androgens have repeatedly been linked to increased investment in sons, whereas high glucocorticoid levels are usually related to increased investment in daughters. However, results are not consistent across studies and therefore still inconclusive. In Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), we previously found that pair-housed females had higher plasma androgen levels and tended to have higher plasma corticosterone levels than group-housed females. In the current study we investigate whether these differences in maternal social environment and physiology affect offspring sex allocation and physiology. Counter to our expectations, we find no effects of the maternal social environment on offspring sex ratio, sex-specific mortality, growth, circulating androgen or corticosterone levels. Also, maternal corticosterone or androgen levels do not correlate with offspring sex ratio or mortality. The social environment during reproduction therefore does not necessarily modify sex allocation and offspring physiology, even if it causes differences in maternal physiology. We propose that maternal effects of the social environment strongly depend upon the type of social stimuli and the timing of changes in the social environment and hormones with respect to the reproductive cycle and meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther M A Langen
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Nikolaus von Engelhardt
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Vivian C Goerlich-Jansson
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Animals in Science and Society, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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38
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Faria AM, Lopes AF, Silva CSE, Novais SC, Lemos MFL, Gonçalves EJ. Reproductive trade-offs in a temperate reef fish under high pCO 2 levels. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 137:8-15. [PMID: 29500051 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.02.027] [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: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fishes are currently facing novel types of anthropogenic stressors that have never experienced in their evolutionary history, such as ocean acidification. Under these stressful conditions, energetically costly processes, such as reproduction, may be sacrificed for increased chances of survival. This trade-off does not only affect the organism itself but may result in reduced offspring fitness. In the present study, the effects of exposure to high pCO2 levels were tested on the reproductive performance of a temperate species, the two-spotted goby, Gobiusculus flavescens. Breeding pairs were kept under control (∼600 μatm, pH∼ 8.05) and high pCO2 levels (∼2300 μatm, pH∼ 7.60) conditions for a 4-month period. Additionally, oxidative stress and energy metabolism-related biomarkers were measured. Results suggest that reproductive activity is stimulated under high pCO2 levels. Parental pairs in the simulated ocean acidification conditions exhibited increased reproductive output, with 50% more clutches and 44% more eggs per clutch than pairs under control conditions. However, there was an apparent trade-off between offspring number and size, as larvae of parental pairs under high pCO2 levels hatched significantly smaller, suggesting differences in parental provisioning, which could be related to the fact that these females produce more eggs. Moreover, results support the hypothesis of different energy allocation strategies used by females under high pCO2 conditions. These changes might, ultimately, affect individual fitness and population replenishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Faria
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal.
| | - A F Lopes
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal
| | - C S E Silva
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal
| | - S C Novais
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal; Department of Ecological Science, Vrije University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M F L Lemos
- MARE -Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal
| | - E J Gonçalves
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA- Instituto Universitário, Portugal
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39
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Dupoué A, Rutschmann A, Le Galliard JF, Clobert J, Blaimont P, Sinervo B, Miles DB, Haussy C, Meylan S. Reduction in baseline corticosterone secretion correlates with climate warming and drying across wild lizard populations. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1331-1341. [PMID: 29701285 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Climate change should lead to massive loss of biodiversity in most taxa, but the detailed physiological mechanisms underlying population extinction remain largely elusive so far. In vertebrates, baseline levels of hormones such as glucocorticoids (GCs) may be indicators of population state as their secretion to chronic stress can impair survival and reproduction. However, the relationship between GC secretion, climate change and population extinction risk remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether levels of baseline corticosterone (the main GCs in reptiles) correlate with environmental conditions and associated extinction risk across wild populations of the common lizard Zootoca vivipara. First, we performed a cross-sectional comparison of baseline corticosterone levels along an altitudinal gradient among 14 populations. Then, we used a longitudinal study in eight populations to examine the changes in corticosterone levels following the exposure to a heatwave period. Unexpectedly, baseline corticosterone decreased with increasing thermal conditions at rest in females and was not correlated with extinction risk. In addition, baseline corticosterone levels decreased after exposure to an extreme heatwave period. This seasonal corticosterone decrease was more pronounced in populations without access to standing water. We suggest that low basal secretion of corticosterone may entail downregulating activity levels and limit exposure to adverse climatic conditions, especially to reduce water loss. These new insights suggest that rapid population decline might be preceded by a downregulation of the corticosterone secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréaz Dupoué
- CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Alexis Rutschmann
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, UMR 5321, Saint Girons, France
| | - Jean François Le Galliard
- CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, UMS 3194, PSL Research University, Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, UMR 5321, Saint Girons, France
| | - Pauline Blaimont
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Barry Sinervo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Donald B Miles
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, UMR 5321, Saint Girons, France.,Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
| | - Claudy Haussy
- CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Meylan
- CNRS, iEES Paris, UMR 7618, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,ESPE de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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40
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Sheriff MJ, Bell A, Boonstra R, Dantzer B, Lavergne SG, McGhee KE, MacLeod KJ, Winandy L, Zimmer C, Love OP. Integrating Ecological and Evolutionary Context in the Study of Maternal Stress. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:437-449. [PMID: 28957523 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress can prenatally influence offspring phenotypes and there are an increasing number of ecological studies that are bringing to bear biomedical findings to natural systems. This is resulting in a shift from the perspective that maternal stress is unanimously costly, to one in which maternal stress may be beneficial to offspring. However, this adaptive perspective is in its infancy with much progress to still be made in understanding the role of maternal stress in natural systems. Our aim is to emphasize the importance of the ecological and evolutionary context within which adaptive hypotheses of maternal stress can be evaluated. We present five primary research areas where we think future research can make substantial progress: (1) understanding maternal and offspring control mechanisms that modulate exposure between maternal stress and subsequent offspring phenotype response; (2) understanding the dynamic nature of the interaction between mothers and their environment; (3) integrating offspring phenotypic responses and measuring both maternal and offspring fitness outcomes under real-life (either free-living or semi-natural) conditions; (4) empirically testing these fitness outcomes across relevant spatial and temporal environmental contexts (both pre- and post-natal environments); (5) examining the role of maternal stress effects in human-altered environments-i.e., do they limit or enhance fitness. To make progress, it is critical to understand the role of maternal stress in an ecological context and to do that, we must integrate across physiology, behavior, genetics, and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alison Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, Program in Neuroscience, and Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, IL 61821, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sophia G Lavergne
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Katie E McGhee
- Department of Biology, the University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA
| | - Kirsty J MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biology, Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Laurane Winandy
- CNRS, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, ENFA, UMR5174 (Laboratoire Évolution and Diversité Biologique), 31077 Toulouse, France.,CNRS, UMR5321, Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Cedric Zimmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
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41
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Langenhof MR, Komdeur J. Why and how the early-life environment affects development of coping behaviours. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:34. [PMID: 29449757 PMCID: PMC5805793 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2452-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the ways in which individuals cope with threats, respond to challenges, make use of opportunities and mediate the harmful effects of their surroundings is important for predicting their ability to function in a rapidly changing world. Perhaps one of the most essential drivers of coping behaviour of adults is the environment experienced during their early-life development. Although the study of coping, defined as behaviours displayed in response to environmental challenges, has a long and rich research history in biology, recent literature has repeatedly pointed out that the processes through which coping behaviours develop in individuals are still largely unknown. In this review, we make a move towards integrating ultimate and proximate lines of coping behaviour research. After broadly defining coping behaviours (1), we review why, from an evolutionary perspective, the development of coping has become tightly linked to the early-life environment (2), which relevant developmental processes are most important in creating coping behaviours adjusted to the early-life environment (3), which influences have been shown to impact those developmental processes (4) and what the adaptive significance of intergenerational transmission of coping behaviours is, in the context of behavioural adaptations to a fast changing world (5). Important concepts such as effects of parents, habitat, nutrition, social group and stress are discussed using examples from empirical studies on mammals, fish, birds and other animals. In the discussion, we address important problems that arise when studying the development of coping behaviours and suggest solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Rohaa Langenhof
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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42
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Gilbert AL, Miles DB. Natural selection on thermal preference, critical thermal maxima and locomotor performance. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2017.0536. [PMID: 28814653 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is resulting in a radical transformation of the thermal quality of habitats across the globe. Whereas species have altered their distributions to cope with changing environments, the evidence for adaptation in response to rising temperatures is limited. However, to determine the potential of adaptation in response to thermal variation, we need estimates of the magnitude and direction of natural selection on traits that are assumed to increase persistence in warmer environments. Most inferences regarding physiological adaptation are based on interspecific analyses, and those of selection on thermal traits are scarce. Here, we estimate natural selection on major thermal traits used to assess the vulnerability of ectothermic organisms to altered thermal niches. We detected significant directional selection favouring lizards with higher thermal preferences and faster sprint performance at their optimal temperature. Our analyses also revealed correlational selection between thermal preference and critical thermal maxima, where individuals that preferred warmer body temperatures with cooler critical thermal maxima were favoured by selection. Recent published estimates of heritability for thermal traits suggest that, in concert with the strong selective pressures we demonstrate here, evolutionary adaptation may promote long-term persistence of ectotherms in altered thermal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L Gilbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
| | - Donald B Miles
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
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43
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Sheriff MJ, Boonstra R, Palme R, Buck CL, Barnes BM. Coping with differences in snow cover: the impact on the condition, physiology and fitness of an arctic hibernator. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox065. [PMID: 29218224 PMCID: PMC5710611 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The Earth's climate is changing at an unprecedented rate and, as ecologists, we are challenged with the difficult task of predicting how individuals and populations will respond to climate-induced changes to local and global ecosystems. Although we are beginning to understand some of the responses to changing seasonality, the physiological mechanisms that may drive these responses remain unknown. Using long-term data comparing two nearby populations (<20 km apart) of free-living arctic ground squirrels in northern Alaska, we have previously shown that the timing of spring snowmelt greatly influences their phenology of hibernation and reproduction in a population and site-specific manner. Here, we integrate these site-specific phenologies with body condition, stress physiology, reproductive success and juvenile recruitment to understand phenotypic selection in the two populations. We found that at the site with relatively late spring snowmelt and early autumn snow cover: (i) adult females were larger and in better body condition but had significantly higher stress hormone levels; (ii) females had similar numbers of comparably sized offspring, but offspring had higher stress hormone levels; and (iii) offspring density was lower just prior to hibernation. Thus, adult females at the two sites appear to use different coping strategies that allow them to maintain reproductive fitness; however, marked shortening of the active season because of later snowmelt in spring and earlier snow cover in autumn may compromise juvenile recruitment. We discuss the significance of these findings within the broader context of changing animal-environment relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Huck Institute of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - C Loren Buck
- Center for Bioengineering Innovation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - Brian M Barnes
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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44
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Romero-Diaz C, Breedveld MC, Fitze PS. Climate Effects on Growth, Body Condition, and Survival Depend on the Genetic Characteristics of the Population. Am Nat 2017; 190:649-662. [DOI: 10.1086/693780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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45
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Beyer JE, Hambright KD. Maternal effects are no match for stressful conditions: a test of the maternal match hypothesis in a common zooplankter. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E. Beyer
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman OK USA
| | - K. David Hambright
- Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Plankton Ecology and Limnology Laboratory Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman OK USA
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46
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Guida L, Awruch C, Walker TI, Reina RD. Prenatal stress from trawl capture affects mothers and neonates: a case study using the southern fiddler ray (Trygonorrhina dumerilii). Sci Rep 2017; 7:46300. [PMID: 28401959 PMCID: PMC5388872 DOI: 10.1038/srep46300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing fishing effects on chondrichthyan populations has predominantly focused on quantifying mortality rates. Consequently, sub-lethal effects of capture stress on the reproductive capacity of chondrichthyans are largely unknown. We investigated the reproductive consequences of capture on pregnant southern fiddler rays (Trygonorrhina dumerilii) collected from Swan Bay, Australia, in response to laboratory-simulated trawl capture (8 h) followed immediately by air exposure (30 min). Immediately prior to, and for up to 28 days post trawling, all females were measured for body mass (BM), sex steroid concentrations (17-β estradiol, progesterone, testosterone) and granulocyte to lymphocyte (G:L) ratio. At parturition, neonates were measured for total length (TL), BM and G:L ratio. Trawling reduced maternal BM and elevated the G:L ratio for up to 28 days. Trawling did not significantly affect any sex steroid concentrations relative to controls. Neonates from trawled mothers were significantly lower in BM and TL than control animals, and had an elevated G:L ratio. Our results show that capture of pregnant T. dumerilii can influence their reproductive potential and affect the fitness of neonates. We suggest other viviparous species are likely to be similarly affected. Sub-lethal effects of capture, particularly on reproduction, require further study to improve fisheries management and conservation of chondrichthyans.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Guida
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - C Awruch
- CESIMAR (Centro Para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos) - CENPAT- CONICET, Puerto Madryn, Chubut U9120ACD, Argentina.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - T I Walker
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - R D Reina
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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47
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Capelle PM, Semeniuk CAD, Sopinka NM, Heath JW, Love OP. Prenatal Stress Exposure Generates Higher Early Survival and Smaller Size without Impacting Developmental Rate in a Pacific Salmon. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 325:641-650. [PMID: 28101914 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to elevated glucocorticoids can act as a signal of environmental stress, resulting in modifications to offspring phenotype. While "negative" phenotypic effects (i.e., smaller size, slower growth) are often reported, recent research coupling phenotype with other fitness-related traits has suggested positive impacts of prenatal stress. Using captive Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), we treated eggs with biologically relevant cortisol levels-low (300 ng mL-1 ), high (1,000 ng mL-1 ), or control (0 ng mL-1 )-to examine the early-life impacts of maternally transferred stress hormones on offspring. Specifically, we measured early survival, rate of development, and multiple measures of morphology. Low and high cortisol dosing of eggs resulted in significantly higher survival compared to controls (37% and 24% higher, respectively). Fish reared from high dose eggs were structurally smaller compared to control fish, but despite this variation in structural size, exposure to elevated cortisol did not impact developmental rate. These results demonstrate that elevations in egg cortisol can positively influence offspring fitness through an increase in early survival while also altering phenotype at a critical life-history stage. Overall, these results suggest that exposure to prenatal stress may not always produce apparently negative impacts on offspring fitness and further proposes that complex phenotypic responses should be examined in relevant environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline M Capelle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Christina A D Semeniuk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Natalie M Sopinka
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - John W Heath
- Yellow Island Aquaculture Ltd, Heriot Bay, BC, V0P 1H0, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada.,Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
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48
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Sopinka NM, Capelle PM, Semeniuk CAD, Love OP. Glucocorticoids in Fish Eggs: Variation, Interactions with the Environment, and the Potential to Shape Offspring Fitness. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:15-33. [PMID: 28051944 DOI: 10.1086/689994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Wild and captive vertebrates face multiple stressors that all have the potential to induce chronic maternal stress (i.e., sustained, elevated plasma glucocorticoids), resulting in embryo exposure to elevated maternally derived glucocorticoids. In oviparous taxa such as fish, maternally derived glucocorticoids in eggs are known for their capacity to shape offspring phenotype. Using a variety of methodologies, scientists have quantified maternally derived levels of egg cortisol, the primary glucocorticoid in fishes, and examined the cascading effects of egg cortisol on progeny phenotype. Here we summarize and interpret the current state of knowledge on egg cortisol in fishes and the relationships linking maternal stress/state to egg cortisol and offspring phenotype/fitness. Considerable variation in levels of egg cortisol exists across species and among females within a species; this variation is hypothesized to be due to interspecific differences in reproductive life history and intraspecific differences in female condition. Outcomes of experimental studies manipulating egg cortisol vary both inter- and intraspecifically. Moreover, while exogenous elevation of egg cortisol (as a proxy for maternal stress) induces phenotypic changes commonly considered to be maladaptive (e.g., smaller offspring size), emerging work in other taxa suggests that there can be positive effects on fitness when the offspring's environment is taken into account. Investigations into (i) mechanisms by which egg cortisol elicits phenotypic change in offspring (e.g., epigenetics), (ii) maternal and offspring buffering capacity of cortisol, and (iii) factors driving natural variation in egg cortisol and how this variation affects offspring phenotype and fitness are all germane to discussions on egg glucocorticoids as signals of maternal stress.
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49
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Garland T, Cadney MD, Waterland RA. Early-Life Effects on Adult Physical Activity: Concepts, Relevance, and Experimental Approaches. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:1-14. [PMID: 28051947 PMCID: PMC6397655 DOI: 10.1086/689775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion is a defining characteristic of animal life and plays a crucial role in most behaviors. Locomotion involves physical activity, which can have far-reaching effects on physiology and neurobiology, both acutely and chronically. In human populations and in laboratory rodents, higher levels of physical activity are generally associated with positive health outcomes, although excessive exercise can have adverse consequences. Whether and how such relationships occur in wild animals is unknown. Behavioral variation among individuals arises from genetic and environmental factors and their interactions as well as from developmental programming (persistent effects of early-life environment). Although tremendous progress has been made in identifying genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in behavior, early-life effects are not well understood. Early-life effects can in some cases persist across multiple generations following a single exposure and, in principle, may constrain or facilitate the rate of evolution at multiple levels of biological organization. Understanding the mechanisms of such transgenerational effects (e.g., exposure to stress hormones in utero, inherited epigenetic alterations) may prove crucial to explaining unexpected and/or sex-specific responses to selection as well as limits to adaptation. One area receiving increased attention is early-life effects on adult physical activity. Correlational data from epidemiological studies suggest that early-life nutritional stress can (adversely) affect adult human activity levels and associated physiological traits (e.g., body composition, metabolic health). The few existing studies of laboratory rodents demonstrate that both maternal and early-life exercise can affect adult levels of physical activity and related phenotypes. Going forward, rodents offer many opportunities for experimental studies of (multigenerational) early-life effects, including studies that use maternal exposures and cross-fostering designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore Garland
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Marcell D. Cadney
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521
| | - Robert A. Waterland
- Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Houston, Texas 77030
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50
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Ruuskanen S, Groothuis TGG, Schaper SV, Darras VM, de Vries B, Visser ME. Temperature-induced variation in yolk androgen and thyroid hormone levels in avian eggs. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 235:29-37. [PMID: 27255366 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [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: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Global warming has substantially changed the environment, but the mechanisms to cope with these changes in animals, including the role of maternal effects, are poorly understood. Maternal effects via hormones deposited in eggs, have important environment-dependent effects on offspring development and fitness: thus females are expected to adjust these hormones to the environment, such as the ambient temperature. Longer-term temperature variation could function as a cue, predicting chick rearing conditions to which yolk hormone levels are adjusted, while short-term temperature variation during egg formation may causally affect hormone transfer to eggs. We studied the effects of ambient temperature on yolk androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) and thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) in great tits (Parus major) using data from unmanipulated clutches from a wild population and from aviary birds (ad libitum food) exposed to different experimental temperature treatments during five years. Both in the wild and in captivity, longer-term pre-laying ambient temperature was not associated with clutch mean yolk hormone levels, while the way androstenedione and thyroxine levels varied across the laying sequence did associate with pre-laying temperature in the wild. Yolk testosterone levels were positively correlated with short-term temperature (during yolk formation) changes within clutches in both wild and captivity. We also report, for the first time in a wild bird, that yolk thyroxine levels correlated with a key environmental factor: thyroxine levels were negatively correlated with ambient temperature during egg formation. Thus, yolk hormone levels, especially testosterone, seem to be causally affected by ambient temperature. These short-term effects might reflect physiological changes in females with changes in ambient temperature. The adaptive value of the variation with ambient temperatures pre-laying or during egg formation should be studied with hormone manipulations in different thermal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Ruuskanen
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), The Netherlands.
| | - Ton G G Groothuis
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Sonja V Schaper
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), The Netherlands.
| | - Veerle M Darras
- Laboratory of Comparative Endocrinology, Biology Department, KU Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bonnie de Vries
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), The Netherlands.
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