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Santicchia F, Tranquillo C, Wauters LA, Palme R, Panzeri M, Preatoni D, Bisi F, Martinoli A. Physiological stress response to urbanisation differs between native and invasive squirrel species. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171336. [PMID: 38423339 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Novel pressures derived from urbanisation can alter native habitats and ultimately impact wildlife. Coping with such human-driven changes might induce shifts in species phenotypic traits, such as physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors. Preadaptation to face those challenges has been suggested to favour settlement and spread of invasive alien species in urbanised areas which, consequently, might respond differently than ecologically similar native species to stressors posed by urbanisation. The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the subsequent release of glucocorticoids (GCs) has been suggested to mediate responses to anthropogenic disturbance in vertebrates. Furthermore, intraspecific competition, in conjunction with stressors related to urbanisation, might affect invasive and native species physiological stress responses differently. Using a parallel pseudo-experimental study system we measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations of the native Eurasian red squirrel and the invasive alien Eastern grey squirrel along a rural-urban gradient and in relation to conspecific density. The two species responded differently to challenges posed by the synergic effect of urbanisation and intraspecific competition. Association of FGMs and conspecific density in native red squirrels varied between rural and suburban sites, potentially depending on differential HPA axis responses. In urban sites, this relationship did not differ significantly from that in rural and suburban ones. Conversely, invasive grey squirrels' FGMs did not vary in relation to conspecific density, nor differed along the rural-urban gradient. Improving knowledge about native and competing invasive species' physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors can support conservation strategies in habitats altered by man. Our findings suggested that the invasive squirrels might be preadapted to cope with these challenges in urbanised areas, potentially increasing their success under the future global change scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santicchia
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Claudia Tranquillo
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Lucas A Wauters
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy; Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Rupert Palme
- Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Mattia Panzeri
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Damiano Preatoni
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Francesco Bisi
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Adriano Martinoli
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
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2
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Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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3
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Weiss A, Feldblum JT, Altschul DM, Collins DA, Kamenya S, Mjungu D, Foerster S, Gilby IC, Wilson ML, Pusey AE. Personality traits, rank attainment, and siring success throughout the lives of male chimpanzees of Gombe National Park. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15083. [PMID: 37123001 PMCID: PMC10135409 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Personality traits in many taxa correlate with fitness. Several models have been developed to try to explain how variation in these traits is maintained. One model proposes that variation persists because it is linked to trade-offs between current and future adaptive benefits. Tests of this model's predictions, however, are scant in long-lived species. To test this model, we studied male chimpanzees living in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. We operationalized six personality traits using ratings on 19 items. We used 37 years of behavioral and genetic data to assemble (1) daily rank scores generated from submissive vocalizations and (2) records of male siring success. We tested whether the association between two personality traits, Dominance and Conscientiousness, and either rank or reproductive success, varied over the life course. Higher Dominance and lower Conscientiousness were associated with higher rank, but the size and direction of these relationships did not vary over the life course. In addition, independent of rank at the time of siring, higher Dominance and lower Conscientiousness were related to higher siring success. Again, the size and direction of these relationships did not vary over the life course. The trade-off model, therefore, may not hold in long-lived and/or slowly reproducing species. These findings also demonstrate that ratings are a valid way to measure animal personality; they are related to rank and reproductive success. These traits could therefore be used to test alternative models, including one that posits that personality variation is maintained by environmental heterogeneity, in studies of multiple chimpanzee communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Weiss
- National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Scottish Primate Research Group, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph T. Feldblum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
- Society of Fellows, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Drew M. Altschul
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Scottish Primate Research Group, United Kingdom
- Mental Health Data Science, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Shadrack Kamenya
- Gombe Stream Research Centre, Jane Goodall Institute, Kigoma, Tanzania
| | - Deus Mjungu
- Gombe Stream Research Centre, Jane Goodall Institute, Kigoma, Tanzania
| | - Steffen Foerster
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Ian C. Gilby
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Michael L. Wilson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Anne E. Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
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4
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Braga Goncalves I, Morris-Drake A, Kennedy P, Radford AN. Fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. eLife 2022; 11:e74550. [PMID: 35833830 PMCID: PMC9282852 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In social species across the animal kingdom, conspecific outsiders threaten the valuable resources of groups and their members. This outgroup conflict is recognised as a powerful selection pressure, but we argue that studies explicitly quantifying the fitness consequences need to be broader in scope: more attention should be paid to delayed, cumulative, and third-party fitness consequences, not just those arising immediately to group members involved in physical contests. In the first part of this review, we begin by documenting how single contests can have survival and reproductive consequences either immediately or with a delay. Then, we step beyond contests to describe fitness consequences that can also result from interactions with cues of rival presence and the general landscape of outgroup threat, and beyond single interactions to describe cumulative effects of territorial pressure and elevated outgroup-induced stress. Using examples from a range of taxa, we discuss which individuals are affected negatively and positively, considering both interaction participants and third-party group members of the same or the next generation. In the second part of the review, we provide suggestions about how to move forward. We highlight the importance of considering how different types of outgroup conflict can generate different selection pressures and of investigating variation in fitness consequences within and between species. We finish by discussing the value of theoretical modelling and long-term studies of natural populations, experimental manipulations, and meta-analyses to develop further our understanding of this crucial aspect of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Patrick Kennedy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
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5
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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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6
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Ow MC, Nichitean AM, Hall SE. Somatic aging pathways regulate reproductive plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2021; 10:61459. [PMID: 34236316 PMCID: PMC8291976 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In animals, early-life stress can result in programmed changes in gene expression that can affect their adult phenotype. In C. elegans nematodes, starvation during the first larval stage promotes entry into a stress-resistant dauer stage until environmental conditions improve. Adults that have experienced dauer (postdauers) retain a memory of early-life starvation that results in gene expression changes and reduced fecundity. Here, we show that the endocrine pathways attributed to the regulation of somatic aging in C. elegans adults lacking a functional germline also regulate the reproductive phenotypes of postdauer adults that experienced early-life starvation. We demonstrate that postdauer adults reallocate fat to benefit progeny at the expense of the parental somatic fat reservoir and exhibit increased longevity compared to controls. Our results also show that the modification of somatic fat stores due to parental starvation memory is inherited in the F1 generation and may be the result of crosstalk between somatic and reproductive tissues mediated by the germline nuclear RNAi pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Ow
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States
| | | | - Sarah E Hall
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States
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7
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Nichols HJ, Arbuckle K, Sanderson JL, Vitikainen EIK, Marshall HH, Thompson FJ, Cant MA, Wells DA. A double pedigree reveals genetic but not cultural inheritance of cooperative personalities in wild banded mongooses. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1966-1975. [PMID: 34176203 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Personality traits, such as the propensity to cooperate, are often inherited from parents to offspring, but the pathway of inheritance is unclear. Traits could be inherited via genetic or parental effects, or culturally via social learning from role models. However, these pathways are difficult to disentangle in natural systems as parents are usually the source of all of these effects. Here, we exploit natural 'cross fostering' in wild banded mongooses to investigate the inheritance of cooperative behaviour. Our analysis of 800 adult helpers over 21 years showed low but significant genetic heritability of cooperative personalities in males but not females. Cross fostering revealed little evidence of cultural heritability: offspring reared by particularly cooperative helpers did not become more cooperative themselves. Our results demonstrate that cooperative personalities are not always highly heritable in wild, and that the basis of behavioural traits can vary within a species (here, by sex).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazel J Nichols
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.,Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kevin Arbuckle
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Jennifer L Sanderson
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Emma I K Vitikainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harry H Marshall
- Centre for Research in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Faye J Thompson
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Michael A Cant
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - David A Wells
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.,School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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8
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Westrick SE, van Kesteren F, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. Maternal glucocorticoids have minimal effects on HPA axis activity and behavior of juvenile wild North American red squirrels. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.236620. [PMID: 33795416 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.236620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
As a response to environmental cues, maternal glucocorticoids (GCs) may trigger adaptive developmental plasticity in the physiology and behavior of offspring. In North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), mothers exhibit increased GCs when conspecific density is elevated, and selection favors more aggressive and perhaps more active mothers under these conditions. We tested the hypothesis that elevated maternal GCs cause shifts in offspring behavior that may prepare them for high-density conditions. We experimentally elevated maternal GCs during gestation or early lactation. We measured two behavioral traits (activity and aggression) in weaned offspring using standardized behavioral assays. Because maternal GCs may influence offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dynamics, which may in turn affect behavior, we also measured the impact of our treatments on offspring HPA axis dynamics (adrenal reactivity and negative feedback), and the association between offspring HPA axis dynamics and behavior. Increased maternal GCs during lactation, but not gestation, slightly elevated activity levels in offspring. Offspring aggression and adrenal reactivity did not differ between treatment groups. Male, but not female, offspring from mothers treated with GCs during pregnancy exhibited stronger negative feedback compared with those from control mothers, but there were no differences in negative feedback between lactation treatment groups. Offspring with higher adrenal reactivity from mothers treated during pregnancy (both controls and GC-treated) exhibited lower aggression and activity. These results suggest that maternal GCs during gestation or early lactation alone may not be a sufficient cue to produce substantial changes in behavioral and physiological stress responses in offspring in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Westrick
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109-1043, USA
| | - Freya van Kesteren
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109-1043, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E9
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E2
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0334, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109-1043, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1085, USA
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9
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Cusick JA, Wellman CL, Demas GE. The call of the wild: using non-model systems to investigate microbiome-behaviour relationships. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb224485. [PMID: 33988717 PMCID: PMC8180253 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
On and within most sites across an animal's body live complex communities of microorganisms. These microorganisms perform a variety of important functions for their hosts, including communicating with the brain, immune system and endocrine axes to mediate physiological processes and affect individual behaviour. Microbiome research has primarily focused on the functions of the microbiome within the gastrointestinal tract (gut microbiome) using biomedically relevant laboratory species (i.e. model organisms). These studies have identified important connections between the gut microbiome and host immune, neuroendocrine and nervous systems, as well as how these connections, in turn, influence host behaviour and health. Recently, the field has expanded beyond traditional model systems as it has become apparent that the microbiome can drive differences in behaviour and diet, play a fundamental role in host fitness and influence community-scale dynamics in wild populations. In this Review, we highlight the value of conducting hypothesis-driven research in non-model organisms and the benefits of a comparative approach that assesses patterns across different species or taxa. Using social behaviour as an intellectual framework, we review the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome and host behaviour, and identify understudied mechanisms by which these effects may be mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Cusick
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Biology Building 142, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Cara L. Wellman
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7007, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Psychology Building, 1101 E 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47405-2204, USA
| | - Gregory E. Demas
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Biology Building 142, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Psychology Building, 1101 E 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47405-2204, USA
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10
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Sachser N, Zimmermann TD, Hennessy MB, Kaiser S. Sensitive phases in the development of rodent social behavior. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020; 36:63-70. [PMID: 34337112 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Here, we summarize recent advances on how environmental influences during sensitive phases alter the social behavioral phenotype of rodents later in life. Current studies support the view that the prenatal, early postnatal and adolescent periods of life can be regarded as sensitive phases. Environmental cues acting on the organism during these phases have a wide variety of effects on adult social behavior. One pattern that emerges across species and sensitive phases is that adversity tends to reduce social interactions and particularly affiliative social behavior. Concerning underlying mechanisms, various hormones can be involved; however, glucocorticoids frequently serve as the signal instigating plasticity. There is also increasing appreciation of non-endocrine mechanisms, specifically epigenetics and the microbiome. Concerning function, some evidence exists that sensitive phase outcomes adjust the individual's social phenotype to the nature of the social environment to be present during adulthood and breeding, though additional empirical support is still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tobias D Zimmermann
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Michael B Hennessy
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany
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11
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Edwards PD, Mooney SJ, Bosson CO, Toor I, Palme R, Holmes MM, Boonstra R. The stress of being alone: Removal from the colony, but not social subordination, increases fecal cortisol metabolite levels in eusocial naked mole-rats. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104720. [PMID: 32081743 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In many social species, hierarchical status within the group is associated with differences in basal adrenocortical activity. We examined this relationship in naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber), eusocial rodents with arguably the most extreme social hierarchies of all mammals. This species lives in colonies where breeding is restricted to one socially dominant 'queen' and her male consorts, and all other individuals are reproductively suppressed 'subordinates'. The relationship between cortisol and social status in naked mole-rats has not fully been elucidated, as prior results on this topic have been contradictory. We used non-invasive feces sampling to measure baseline cortisol levels in eight laboratory colonies of naked mole-rats, to either replicate or reject rank differences. First, we successfully validated an assay to measure fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs). Removal from the colony for the validation experiment, either alone or with an opposite sex conspecific, induced prolonged elevation of FCM levels on a scale of days to weeks. This increase in cortisol did not prevent the removed animals from sexually maturing. In colony-housed animals, we found no relationship between rank in the social hierarchy and FCM levels. Further, queens, breeding males, and reproductively suppressed subordinates all had equivalent FCM levels. We conclude that this species shows little evidence of the 'stress of dominance' or 'stress of subordination' and that reproductive suppression in naked mole-rats is not driven by elevated cortisol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe D Edwards
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Skyler J Mooney
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Curtis O Bosson
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Ilapreet Toor
- Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Melissa M Holmes
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; Dept. of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
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12
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Kuijper B, Hanson MA, Vitikainen EIK, Marshall HH, Ozanne SE, Cant MA. Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20190039. [PMID: 30966882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in early-life conditions can trigger developmental switches that lead to predictable individual differences in adult behaviour and physiology. Despite evidence for such early-life effects being widespread both in humans and throughout the animal kingdom, the evolutionary causes and consequences of this developmental plasticity remain unclear. The current issue aims to bring together studies of early-life effects from the fields of both evolutionary ecology and biomedicine to synthesise and advance current knowledge of how information is used during development, the mechanisms involved, and how early-life effects evolved. We hope this will stimulate further research into early-life effects, improving our understanding of why individuals differ and how this might influence their susceptibility to disease. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Kuijper
- 1 Environment and Sustainability Institute , Penryn Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 IEZ , UK
| | - Mark A Hanson
- 3 Institute of Developmental Sciences and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, Southampton University Hospital and University of Southampton , UK
| | - Emma I K Vitikainen
- 2 Centre for Ecology and Conservation , Penryn Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 IEZ , UK.,4 Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Harry H Marshall
- 2 Centre for Ecology and Conservation , Penryn Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 IEZ , UK.,5 Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton , London SW15 4JD , UK
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- 6 University of Cambridge - Department of Clinical Biochemistry , Hills Road, Addenbrookes Level 4, Box 232 Cambridge CB2 2QR , UK
| | - Michael A Cant
- 2 Centre for Ecology and Conservation , Penryn Campus, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 IEZ , UK
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13
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Dantzer B, van Kesteren F, Westrick SE, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Lane JE, Gillespie R, Majer A, Haussmann MF, Monaghan P. Maternal glucocorticoids promote offspring growth without inducing oxidative stress or shortening telomeres in wild red squirrels. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb212373. [PMID: 31796605 PMCID: PMC10668338 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.212373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Elevations in glucocorticoid (GC) levels in breeding females may induce adaptive shifts in offspring life histories. Offspring produced by mothers with elevated GCs may be better prepared to face harsh environments, where a faster pace of life is beneficial. We examined how experimentally elevated GCs in pregnant or lactating North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) affected offspring postnatal growth, structural size and oxidative stress levels (two antioxidants and oxidative protein damage) in three different tissues (blood, heart and liver) and liver telomere lengths. We predicted that offspring from mothers treated with GCs would grow faster but would also have higher levels of oxidative stress and shorter telomeres, which may predict reduced longevity. Offspring from mothers treated with GCs during pregnancy were 8.3% lighter around birth but grew (in body mass) 17.0% faster than those from controls, whereas offspring from mothers treated with GCs during lactation grew 34.8% slower than those from controls and did not differ in body mass around birth. Treating mothers with GCs during pregnancy or lactation did not alter the oxidative stress levels or telomere lengths of their offspring. Fast-growing offspring from any of the treatment groups did not have higher oxidative stress levels or shorter telomere lengths, indicating that offspring that grew faster early in life did not exhibit oxidative costs after this period of growth. Our results indicate that elevations in maternal GCs may induce plasticity in offspring growth without long-term oxidative costs to the offspring that might result in a shortened lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Freya van Kesteren
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sarah E Westrick
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E2
| | - Robert Gillespie
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Ariana Majer
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | - Mark F Haussmann
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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14
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Dantzer B, Dubuc C, Goncalves IB, Cram DL, Bennett NC, Ganswindt A, Heistermann M, Duncan C, Gaynor D, Clutton-Brock TH. The development of individual differences in cooperative behaviour: maternal glucocorticoid hormones alter helping behaviour of offspring in wild meerkats. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180117. [PMID: 30966876 PMCID: PMC6460081 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The phenotype of parents can have long-lasting effects on the development of offspring as well as on their behaviour, physiology and morphology as adults. In some cases, these changes may increase offspring fitness but, in others, they can elevate parental fitness at a cost to the fitness of their offspring. We show that in Kalahari meerkats ( Suricata suricatta), the circulating glucocorticoid (GC) hormones of pregnant females affect the growth and cooperative behaviour of their offspring. We performed a 3-year experiment in wild meerkats to test the hypothesis that GC-mediated maternal effects reduce the potential for offspring to reproduce directly and therefore cause them to exhibit more cooperative behaviour. Daughters (but not sons) born to mothers treated with cortisol during pregnancy grew more slowly early in life and exhibited significantly more of two types of cooperative behaviour (pup rearing and feeding) once they were adults compared to offspring from control mothers. They also had lower measures of GCs as they aged, which could explain the observed increases in cooperative behaviour. Because early life growth is a crucial determinant of fitness in female meerkats, our results indicate that GC-mediated maternal effects may reduce the fitness of offspring, but may elevate parental fitness as a consequence of increasing the cooperative behaviour of their daughters. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Constance Dubuc
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Dominic L. Cram
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andre Ganswindt
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa
- Endocrine Research Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Chris Duncan
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - David Gaynor
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, South Africa
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