1
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Loning H, Griffith SC, Naguib M. The ecology of zebra finch song and its implications for vocal communication in multi-level societies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230191. [PMID: 38768203 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signalling is crucial in affecting movements and in social interactions. In species with dynamic social structures, such as multi-level societies, acoustic signals can provide a key mechanism allowing individuals to identify and find or avoid each other and to exchange information. Yet, if the spacing between individuals regularly exceeds the maximum signalling range, the relation between movements and signals becomes more complex. As the best-studied songbird in captivity, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) is a species with individually distinct songs that are audible over just a few metres and a widely ranging dynamic multi-level social organization in the wild, raising questions on the actual role of its song in social cohesion and coordination. Here, we provide an overview of birdsong in social organizations (networks) and use the ecology of the zebra finch and male song to discuss how singing can facilitate social cohesion and coordination in species where the signal range is very short. We raise the question of the extent to which zebra finches are a representative species to understand the function of song in communication, and we broaden current views on the function of birdsong and its individual signature. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Loning
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research , 6708 WD, The Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research , 6708 WD, The Netherlands
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2
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Udino E, Oscos-Snowball MA, Buchanan KL, Mariette MM. A prenatal acoustic signal of heat reduces a biomarker of chronic stress at adulthood across seasons. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1348993. [PMID: 38617060 PMCID: PMC11009423 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1348993] [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: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
During development, phenotype can be adaptively modulated by environmental conditions, sometimes in the long-term. However, with weather variability increasing under climate change, the potential for maladaptive long-term responses to environmental variations may increase. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, parents emit "heat-calls" when experiencing heat during incubation, which adaptively affects offspring growth in the heat, and adult heat tolerance. This suggests that heat-call exposure may adjust individual phenotype to hot conditions, potentially compromising individual sensitivity to cool weather conditions. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated individual prenatal acoustic and postnatal thermal experiences during development, and sought to assess subsequent chronic responses to thermal fluctuations at adulthood. We thus measured heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratios in adults, when held in outdoor aviaries during two summers and two winters. We found that birds exposed to heat-calls as embryos, had consistently lower H/L ratios than controls at adulthood, indicative of lower chronic stress, irrespective of the season. Nonetheless, in all birds, the H/L ratio did vary with short-term weather fluctuations (2, 5 or 7 days), increasing at more extreme (low and high) air temperatures. In addition, the H/L ratio was higher in males than females. Overall, while H/L ratio may reflect how individuals were being impacted by temperature, heat-call exposed individuals did not show a stronger chronic response in winter, and instead appeared more resilient to thermal variability than control individuals. Our findings therefore suggest that heat-call exposure did not compromise individual sensitivity to low temperatures at adulthood. Our study also reveals that prenatal sound can lead to long-term differences in individual physiology or quality/condition, as reflected by H/L ratios, which are consistent with previously-demonstrated reproductive fitness differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Udino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Marja A. Oscos-Snowball
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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3
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Prior NH, Haakenson CM, Clough S, Ball GF, Sandkam BA. Varied impacts of social relationships on neuroendocrine state. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105403. [PMID: 37678093 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105403] [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: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Social relationships, affiliative social attachments, are important for many species. The best studied types of relationships are monogamous pair bonds. However, it remains unclear how generalizable models of pair bonding are across types of social attachments. Zebra finches are a fascinating system to explore the neurobiology of social relationships because they form various adult bonds with both same- and opposite-sex partners. To test whether different bonds are supported by a single brain network, we quantified individuals' neuroendocrine state after either 24 h or 2 weeks of co-housing with a novel same- or opposite-sex partner. We defined neuroendocrine state by the expression of 22 genes related to 4 major signaling pathways (dopamine, steroid, nonapeptide, and opioid) in six brain regions associated with affiliation or communication [nucleus accumbens (NAc), nucleus taeniae of the amygdala (TnA), medial preoptic area (POM), and periaqueductal gray (PAG), ventral tegmental area, and auditory cortex]. Overall, we found dissociable effects of social contexts (same- or opposite-sex partnerships) and duration of co-housing. Social bonding impacted the neuroendocrine state of four regions in males (NAc, TnA, POM, and PAG) and three regions in females (NAc, TnA, and POM). Monogamous pair bonding specifically appeared to impact male NAc. However, the patterns of gene expression in zebra finches were different than has previously been reported in mammals. Together, our results support the view that there are numerous mechanisms regulating social relationships and highlight the need to further our understanding of how social interactions shape social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America.
| | - Chelsea M Haakenson
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Savannah Clough
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Benjamin A Sandkam
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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4
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Hurley LL, Ton R, Rowe M, Buchanan KL, Griffith SC, Crino OL. Longitudinal covariation of testosterone and sperm quality across reproductive stages in the zebra finch. Horm Behav 2023; 153:105388. [PMID: 37276837 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105388] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Birds that breed opportunistically maintain partial activation of reproductive systems to rapidly exploit environmental conditions when they become suitable for breeding. Maintaining reproductive systems outside of a breeding context is costly. For males, these costs are thought to include continual exposure to testosterone. Males of seasonally breeding birds minimise these costs by downregulating testosterone production outside of a breeding context. Opportunistically breeding birds trade off the need to rapidly initiate reproduction with the costs of elevated testosterone production. One way opportunistically breeding males could minimise these costs is through fine scale changes in testosterone production across discrete reproductive stages which have a greater or lesser requirement for active sperm production. Although spermatogenesis broadly depends on testosterone production, whether changes in testosterone levels across the reproductive stages affect sperm quality and production is unknown. Here, we measured testosterone, sperm quality, and body condition in male zebra finches at discrete stages within reproductive bouts (egg laying, incubation, nestling provisioning, and fledging) and across two consecutive reproductive events in captive male zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis). We also examined associations between male testosterone, sperm quality/production, body condition, and nestling body condition. We found that testosterone levels varied across discrete reproductive stages with the lowest levels during incubation and the highest following chick fledging. Testosterone levels were positively associated with sperm velocity and the proportion of motile sperm but were not associated with male body condition. We found no associations between paternal body condition, testosterone levels, or sperm traits with nestling body condition (a proxy for the reproductive quality of a male and his partner). This study is the first to show that opportunistically breeding males vary testosterone synthesis and sperm traits at discrete stages within a reproductive event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Hurley
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Riccardo Ton
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Melissah Rowe
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6700 AB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Ondi L Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia; Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia.
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5
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Loning H, Verkade L, Griffith SC, Naguib M. The social role of song in wild zebra finches. Curr Biol 2023; 33:372-380.e3. [PMID: 36543166 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Male songbirds sing to establish territories and to attract mates.1,2 However, increasing reports of singing in non-reproductive contexts3 and by females4,5 show that song use is more diverse than previously considered. Therefore, alternative functions of song, such as social cohesion3 and synchronization of breeding, by and large, were overlooked even in such well-studied species such as the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). In these social songbirds, only the males sing, and pairs breed synchronously in loose colonies,6,7 following aseasonal rain events in their arid habitat.8,9 As males are not territorial, and pairs form long-term monogamous bonds early in life, conventional theory predicts that zebra finches should not sing much at all; however, they do and their song is the focus of hundreds of lab-based studies.10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22 We hypothesize that zebra finch song functions to maintain social cohesion and to synchronize breeding. Here, we test this idea using data from 5 years of field studies, including observational transects, focal and year-round audio recordings, and a large-scale playback experiment. We show that zebra finches frequently sing while in groups, that breeding status influences song output at the nest and at aggregations, that they sing year round, and that they predominantly sing when with their partner, suggesting that the song remains important after pair formation. Our playback reveals that song actively features in social aggregations as it attracts conspecifics. Together, these results demonstrate that birdsong has important functions beyond territoriality and mate choice, illustrating its importance in coordination and cohesion of social units within larger societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Loning
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Laura Verkade
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, 205A Culloden Road Marsfield, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, the Netherlands
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6
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Prior NH, Bentz EJ, Ophir AG. Reciprocal processes of sensory perception and social bonding: an integrated social-sensory framework of social behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12781. [PMID: 34905293 PMCID: PMC9744507 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Organisms filter the complexity of natural stimuli through their individual sensory and perceptual systems. Such perceptual filtering is particularly important for social stimuli. A shared "social umwelt" allows individuals to respond appropriately to the expected diversity of cues and signals during social interactions. In this way, the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of sociality and social bonding cannot be disentangled from perceptual mechanisms and sensory processing. While a degree of embeddedness between social and sensory processes is clear, our dominant theoretical frameworks favor treating the social and sensory processes as distinct. An integrated social-sensory framework has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying individual variation in social bonding and sociality more broadly. Here we leverage what is known about sensory processing and pair bonding in two common study systems with significant species differences in their umwelt (rodent chemosensation and avian acoustic communication). We primarily highlight that (1) communication is essential for pair bond formation and maintenance, (2) the neural circuits underlying perception, communication and social bonding are integrated, and (3) candidate neuromodulatory mechanisms that regulate pair bonding also impact communication and perception. Finally, we propose approaches and frameworks that more fully integrate sensory processing, communication, and social bonding across levels of analysis: behavioral, neurobiological, and genomic. This perspective raises two key questions: (1) how is social bonding shaped by differences in sensory processing?, and (2) to what extent is sensory processing and the saliency of signals shaped by social interactions and emerging relationships?
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Ehren J. Bentz
- Department of PsychologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
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7
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8
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Rose EM, Prior NH, Ball GF. The singing question: re-conceptualizing birdsong. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:326-342. [PMID: 34609054 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong has been the subject of broad research from a variety of sub-disciplines and has taught us much about the evolution, function, and mechanisms driving animal communication and cognition. Typically, birdsong refers to the specialized vocalizations produced by oscines. Historically, much of the research on birdsong was conducted in north temperate regions (specifically in Europe and North America) leading to multiple biases. Due to these historic biases these vocalizations are generally considered to be highly sexually dimorphic, heavily shaped by sexual selection and essential for courtship and territoriality. Song is also typically defined as a learned trait shaped by cultural evolution. Together, this framework focuses research specifically on males, particularly during the north temperate breeding season - reflecting and thereby reinforcing this framework. The physiological underpinnings of song often emphasize the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (associated with breeding changes) and the song control system (underlying vocal learning). Over the years there has been great debate over which features of song are essential to the definition of birdsong, which features apply broadly to contexts outside males in the north temperate region, and over the importance of having a definition at all. Importantly, the definitions we use can both guide and limit the progress of research. Here, we describe the history of these definitions, and how these definitions have directed and restricted research to focus on male song in sexually selected contexts. Additionally, we highlight the gaps in our scientific knowledge, especially with respect to the function and physiological mechanisms underlying song in females and in winter, as well as in non-seasonally breeding species. Furthermore, we highlight the problems with using complexity and learning as dichotomous variables to categorize songs and calls. Across species, no one characteristic of song - sexual dimorphism, seasonality, complexity, sexual selection, learning - consistently delineates song from other songbird vocal communication. We provide recommendations for next steps to build an inclusive information framework that will allow researchers to explore nuances in animal communication and promote comparative research. Specifically, we recommend that researchers should operationalize the axis of variation most relevant to their study/species by identifying their specific question and the variable(s) of focus (e.g. seasonality). Researchers should also identify the axis (axes) of variation (e.g. degree of control by testosterone) most relevant to their study and use language consistent with the question and axis (axes) of variation (e.g. control by testosterone in the seasonal vocal production of birds).
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangeline M Rose
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
| | - Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A.,Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 0219 Cole Student Activities Building, 4090 Union Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, U.S.A
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9
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European breeding phenology of the invasive common waxbill, a sub-Saharan opportunistic breeder. Acta Ethol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-021-00376-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Hauber ME, Louder MI, Griffith SC. Neurogenomic insights into the behavioral and vocal development of the zebra finch. eLife 2021; 10:61849. [PMID: 34106827 PMCID: PMC8238503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61849] [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: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a socially monogamous and colonial opportunistic breeder with pronounced sexual differences in singing and plumage coloration. Its natural history has led to it becoming a model species for research into sex differences in vocal communication, as well as behavioral, neural and genomic studies of imitative auditory learning. As scientists tap into the genetic and behavioral diversity of both wild and captive lineages, the zebra finch will continue to inform research into culture, learning, and social bonding, as well as adaptability to a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Matthew Im Louder
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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11
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Hurley LL, Crino OL, Rowe M, Griffith SC. Variation in female reproductive tract morphology across the reproductive cycle in the zebra finch. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10195. [PMID: 33240602 PMCID: PMC7666545 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In seasonally breeding birds, the reproductive tract undergoes a dramatic circannual cycle of recrudescence and regression, with oviduct size increasing 5–220 fold from the non-breeding to the breeding state. Opportunistically breeding birds can produce multiple clutches sequentially across an extended period in response primarily to environmental rather than seasonal cues. In the zebra finch, it has been shown that there is a significant reduction in gonadal morphology in non-breeding females. However, the scale of recrudescence and regression of reproductive tissue within a single breeding cycle is unknown and yet important to understand the cost of breeding, and the physiological readiness to breed in such flexible breeders. Methods We examined the reproductive tissue of breeding female zebra finches at six stages in the nesting cycle from pre-breeding to fledging offspring. We quantified the wet mass of the oviduct, the volume of the largest pre-ovulatory follicle, and the total number of pre-ovulatory follicles present on the ovary. Results Measures of the female reproductive tract were highest during nesting and laying stages and declined significantly in the later stages of the breeding cycle. Importantly, we found that the mass of reproductive tissue changes as much across a single reproductive event as that previously characterized between birds categorized as breeding and non-breeding. However, the regression of the ovary is less dramatic than that seen in seasonal breeders. This could reflect low-level maintenance of reproductive tissues in opportunistic breeders, but needs to be confirmed in wild non-breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ondi L Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
| | - Melissah Rowe
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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12
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Halimubieke N, Kupán K, Valdebenito JO, Kubelka V, Carmona-Isunza MC, Burgas D, Catlin D, St Clair JJH, Cohen J, Figuerola J, Yasué M, Johnson M, Mencarelli M, Cruz-López M, Stantial M, Weston MA, Lloyd P, Que P, Montalvo T, Bansal U, McDonald GC, Liu Y, Kosztolányi A, Székely T. Successful breeding predicts divorce in plovers. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15576. [PMID: 32968190 PMCID: PMC7511398 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72521-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
When individuals breed more than once, parents are faced with the choice of whether to re-mate with their old partner or divorce and select a new mate. Evolutionary theory predicts that, following successful reproduction with a given partner, that partner should be retained for future reproduction. However, recent work in a polygamous bird, has instead indicated that successful parents divorced more often than failed breeders (Halimubieke et al. in Ecol Evol 9:10734-10745, 2019), because one parent can benefit by mating with a new partner and reproducing shortly after divorce. Here we investigate whether successful breeding predicts divorce using data from 14 well-monitored populations of plovers (Charadrius spp.). We show that successful nesting leads to divorce, whereas nest failure leads to retention of the mate for follow-up breeding. Plovers that divorced their partners and simultaneously deserted their broods produced more offspring within a season than parents that retained their mate. Our work provides a counterpoint to theoretical expectations that divorce is triggered by low reproductive success, and supports adaptive explanations of divorce as a strategy to improve individual reproductive success. In addition, we show that temperature may modulate these costs and benefits, and contribute to dynamic variation in patterns of divorce across plover breeding systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naerhulan Halimubieke
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
| | - Krisztina Kupán
- Behaviour Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - José O Valdebenito
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Vojtěch Kubelka
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.,Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK.,Department of Biodiversity Research, Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - María Cristina Carmona-Isunza
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.,Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Daniel Burgas
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Daniel Catlin
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blackburg, USA
| | - James J H St Clair
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Jonathan Cohen
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, USA
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Maï Yasué
- Quest University Canada, Squamish, Canada
| | - Matthew Johnson
- Forest Supervisor's Office, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest, Quincy, CA, USA
| | | | - Medardo Cruz-López
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar Y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Cd. México, Mexico
| | - Michelle Stantial
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, USA
| | - Michael A Weston
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
| | - Penn Lloyd
- FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pinjia Que
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, China
| | - Tomás Montalvo
- Servei de Vigilancia I Control de Plagues Urbanes, Agencia de Salud Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Udita Bansal
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Grant C McDonald
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - András Kosztolányi
- Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK.,Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
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13
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Prabhat A, Batra T, Kumar V. Effects of timed food availability on reproduction and metabolism in zebra finches: Molecular insights into homeostatic adaptation to food-restriction in diurnal vertebrates. Horm Behav 2020; 125:104820. [PMID: 32710887 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Food availability affects metabolism and reproduction in higher vertebrates including birds. This study tested the idea of adaptive homeostasis to time-restricted feeding (TRF) in diurnal zebra finches by using multiple (behavioral, physiological and molecular) assays. Adult birds were subjected for 1 week or 3 weeks to food restriction for 4 h in the evening (hour 8-12) of the 12 h light-on period, with controls on ad lib feeding. Birds on TRF showed enhanced exploratory behavior and plasma triglycerides levels, but did not show differences from ad lib birds in the overall food intake, body mass, and plasma corticosterone and thyroxine levels. As compared to ad lib feeding, testis size and circulation testosterone were reduced after first but not after third week of TRF. The concomitant change in the mRNA expression of metabolic and reproductive genes was also found after week 1 of TRF. Particularly, TRF birds showed increased expression of genes coding for gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in hypothalamus, and for receptors of androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER-alpha) in both hypothalamus and testes. However, genes coding for the deiodinases (Dio2, Dio3) and gonadotropin inhibiting hormone (GnIH) showed no difference between feeding conditions in both hypothalamus and testes. Further, increased Sirt1, Fgf10 and Ppar-alpha, and decreased Egr1 expression in the liver suggested TRF-effects on the overall metabolism. Importantly, TRF-effects on gene expressions by week 1 seemed alleviated to a considerable extent by week 3. These results on TRF-induced reproductive and metabolic effects suggest homeostatic adaptation to food-restriction in diurnal vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhilash Prabhat
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
| | - Twinkle Batra
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India.
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14
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Prior NH. What's in a Moment: What Can Be Learned About Pair Bonding From Studying Moment-To-Moment Behavioral Synchrony Between Partners? Front Psychol 2020; 11:1370. [PMID: 32848962 PMCID: PMC7417665 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the behavioral and physiological mechanisms of monogamy largely comes from studies of behavioral interactions unique to pair-bonded individuals. By focusing on these highly marked behaviors, a remarkable conservation in the mechanisms underlying pair bonding has been revealed; however, we continue to know very little about the range of behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that could explain the great diversity of pair-bonding phenotypes that exists both within and across species. In order to capture the dynamic nature of bonds over time and across contexts, we need specific, operationally-defined behavioral variables relevant across such a diversity of scenarios. Additionally, we need to be able to situate these behavioral variables within broader frameworks that allow us to interpret and compare patterns seen across species. Here I review what is known about behavioral synchrony with respect to pair bonding and discuss using synchrony as such a variable as well as a framework to expand on our understanding of pair bonding across timescales, contexts and species. First, I discuss the importance of behavioral synchrony and parental coordination for reproductive success in monogamous biparental bird species. Second, I highlight research documenting the critical importance of interpersonal coordination for human social relationships. Finally, I present recent work that experimentally bridges these lines of research by quantifying moment-to-moment behavioral synchrony during brief social interactions in zebra finch dyads. All together, these distinct perspectives support the notion that synchrony (1) is a shared premise for sociality across species, (2) is deeply shaped by social experiences, and (3) exists across timescales, behaviors, and levels of physiology. Conceptualizing pair bonding through the framework of behavioral synchrony is likely to facilitate a deeper understanding of the nuances of how social experiences and interactions impact the brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H. Prior
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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15
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Schreier KC, Grindstaff JL. Repeatable behavioural and immune defence strategies against infection are not traded off. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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16
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Mishra I, Agarwal N, Prabhat A, Batra T, Bhardwaj SK, Kumar V. Changes in brain peptides associated with reproduction and energy homeostasis: Putative roles of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-II and tyrosine hydroxylase in determining reproductive performance in response to daily food availability times in diurnal zebra finches. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12825. [PMID: 31889349 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12825] [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: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 12/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated 'quality-quantity' trade-offs with daily food availability times in zebra finches. Compared with food access ad lib., zebra finch pairs with restricted food access for 4 hours in the morning produced poor quality offspring, whereas those with the same food access in the evening produced fewer but better quality offspring. The present study investigated whether food-time-dependent differential effects on reproductive performance involved brain peptides associated with reproduction and energy homeostasis in zebra finches. We measured peptide/protein expression of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-I, GnRH-II, gonadotrophin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), cocaine- and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) and ZENK (a neuronal activation marker) by immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression of genes coding for the type 2 (DIO2) and type 3 (DIO3) deiodinase by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction in male and female zebra finches that were paired and kept under a 12:12 hour light/dark photocycle at 24 ± 2°C temperature for > 12 months with access to food ad lib., or for only 4 hours in the morning or evening. In both sexes, GnRH-I, DIO2 and DIO3 expression did not differ significantly between the three feeding conditions, although levels showed an overall food effect. However, in males, GnIH expression was significantly higher in evening-fed birds compared to ad lib. fed birds. Interestingly, GnRH-II and TH levels were significantly lower in restricted feeding compared to the ad lib. group and, importantly, GnRH-II and TH-immunoreactivity levels were negatively and positively correlated with egg laying latency and reproductive success (offspring/brood/pair), respectively. At the same time, we found no effect on the hypothalamic expression of orexigenic (NPY) and anorexigenic (CART) peptides, or ZENK protein (ie, the neuronal activity marker). These results suggest the involvement of reproductive neuropeptides, with putative roles for GnRH-II and TH, in the food-time-dependent effect on reproductive performance, albeit with subtle sex differences, in diurnal zebra finches, which possess the ability to reproduce year-round, in a manner similar to other continuously breeding vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ila Mishra
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Neha Agarwal
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Twinkle Batra
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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17
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18
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Halimubieke N, Valdebenito JO, Harding P, Cruz‐López M, Serrano‐Meneses MA, James R, Kupán K, Székely T. Mate fidelity in a polygamous shorebird, the snowy plover ( Charadrius nivosus). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10734-10745. [PMID: 31624577 PMCID: PMC6787864 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Social monogamy has evolved multiple times and is particularly common in birds. However, it is not well understood why some species live in long-lasting monogamous partnerships while others change mates between breeding attempts. Here, we investigate mate fidelity in a sequential polygamous shorebird, the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus), a species in which both males and females may have several breeding attempts within a breeding season with the same or different mates. Using 6 years of data from a well-monitored population in Bahía de Ceuta, Mexico, we investigated predictors and fitness implications of mate fidelity both within and between years. We show that in order to maximize reproductive success within a season, individuals divorce after successful nesting and re-mate with the same partner after nest failure. Therefore, divorced plovers, counterintuitively, achieve higher reproductive success than individuals that retain their mate. We also show that different mating decisions between sexes predict different breeding dispersal patterns. Taken together, our findings imply that divorce is an adaptive strategy to improve reproductive success in a stochastic environment. Understanding mate fidelity is important for the evolution of monogamy and polygamy, and these mating behaviors have implications for reproductive success and population productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naerhulan Halimubieke
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Milner Centre for EvolutionUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - José O. Valdebenito
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Milner Centre for EvolutionUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - Philippa Harding
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Milner Centre for EvolutionUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - Medardo Cruz‐López
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y LimnologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad UniversitariaCd. MéxicoMexico
| | | | - Richard James
- Department of Physics and Centre for Networks and Collective BehaviourUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - Krisztina Kupán
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Behaviour Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology Research GroupSeewiesenGermany
| | - Tamás Székely
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Milner Centre for EvolutionUniversity of BathBathUK
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human BiologyUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
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19
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Hidalgo Aranzamendi N, Hall ML, Kingma SA, van de Pol M, Peters A. Rapid plastic breeding response to rain matches peak prey abundance in a tropical savanna bird. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1799-1811. [PMID: 31407349 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Changes in climate are shifting the timing of life cycle events in the natural world. Compared to northern temperate areas, these effects are relatively poorly understood in tropical and southern regions, where there is limited information on how timing of breeding and food availability are affected by climatic factors, and where patterns of breeding activity are more unpredictable within and between years. Combining a new statistical modelling approach with 5 years of continuous individual-based monitoring of a monsoonal tropical insectivorous bird, we quantified (a) the proximate climatic drivers at two trophic levels: timing of breeding and abundance of arthropod prey; (b) the effect of climate variation on reproductive output and (c) the role of individual plasticity. Rainfall was identified as the main determinant of phenology at both trophic levels. Throughout the year, likelihood of egg laying increased very rapidly in response to even small amounts of rain during the preceding 0-3 weeks. Adult body mass and male sperm storage also increased rapidly after rain, suggesting high breeding preparedness. Additionally, females were flexible, since they were more likely to nest whether their previous attempt was longer ago and unsuccessful. Arthropod abundance also increased after rainfall, but more slowly, with a peak around 10 weeks. Therefore, the peak food availability coincided with the presence of dependent fledglings. Fitness benefits of nesting after more rain appeared to be linked to offspring quantity rather than quality: nest attempts following higher rainfall produced larger clutches, but showed no improvement in nestling mass or relative fledging success. The response of clutch size to rainfall was plastic, since repeated sampling showed that individual females laid larger clutches after more rain, possibly mediated by improved body mass. Rapid, individually flexible breeding in response to rainfall and slower increase in arthropod abundance also as a response to rainfall, might buffer insectivorous species living in tropical seasonal environments from climate change-induced phenological trophic mismatches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michelle L Hall
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Sjouke A Kingma
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
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20
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Morais MRPT, Teófilo TDS, Azevedo BKG, Cavalcanti DMLP, Fontenele-Neto JD. Drought leads to reproductive quiescence in smooth-billed anis: Phenotypic evidence for opportunistic breeding and reproductive readiness. J Morphol 2019; 280:968-981. [PMID: 31106908 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20995] [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: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani, Linnaeus, 1758) breeds opportunistically following unpredictable rainfall in drought areas. To obtain proof of this phenomenon, the present study described and compared reproductive morphology and cell proliferation in the gonads of free-living smooth-billed anis during a wet season (April to June 2012) and the following dry season (July to September 2012) in a semiarid area using light and electron microscopy (transmission and scanning) and the AgNOR method. The morphological findings indicated distinct levels of reproductive activity related to seasonal changes. Morphological and morphometric analyses of the gonads confirmed intense gametogenic activity during the wet season, whereas gonadal involution occurred after rainfall ceased. The sizes of the testes and ovaries were significantly reduced compared to those in the wet season. The volumetric fraction of the seminiferous tubules in the testis decreased considerably, and no preovulatory follicles were detected in the ovary in the dry season. Moreover, the AgNOR count in the gonads revealed a significant decline in cell recruitment for gametogenesis after rainfall ceased. The histological findings indicated partial gonadal activation throughout the dry season. The analysis of the seminiferous epithelium confirmed the early testicular recrudescence phase, and sporadic postovulatory follicles indicated random ovulation during this time. The excurrent ducts and the oviduct also underwent remarkable involution in the dry season. Taken together, these findings confirm opportunistic breeding by smooth-billed anis in a semiarid habitat and suggest that gonadal recrudescence has been established as a reproductive strategy to cope with unexpected precipitation events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mychel Raony Paiva Teixeira Morais
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.,Department of Cell and Development Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tiago da Silva Teófilo
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Bruna K G Azevedo
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Diogo Manuel Lopes Paiva Cavalcanti
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - José Domingues Fontenele-Neto
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
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21
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22
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Prior NH, Fernandez MSA, Soula HA, Vignal C. Water restriction influences intra-pair vocal behavior and the acoustic structure of vocalisations in the opportunistically breeding zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Behav Processes 2019; 162:147-156. [PMID: 30825505 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Seasonally-breeding species experience significant and predictable shifts in vocal behaviour; however, it is unclear to what extent this is true for species that breed opportunistically. The Australian zebra finch is an opportunistically breeding species, which means individuals must time breeding bouts based on many environmental factors. Here we tested the effect of experimental water restriction, which suppresses reproductive readiness in zebra finches, on vocal behaviour of males and females. More specifically, we quantified the effect of water restriction on three parameters of vocal behaviour in pair-bonded zebra finches: vocal activity, patterns of vocal exchanges, and the acoustic structure of vocalisations (calls and male song). We found that water restriction caused a decrease in vocal output (both song and call rate). Additionally, water restriction affected the composition of male songs. However, there was no effect of water restriction on the patterns of calling exchanges for monogamous partners (temporal coordination and turn taking). Finally, water restriction had vocalisation- and sex-specific effects on the acoustic structure of song syllables and calls. Because the direction of these effects were vocalisation- and sex- specific, there may be different mechanisms underlying the effects of water restriction on acoustic structure depending on context. These results contribute to the growing body of research highlighting the rich communicative potential of bird calls. Our current results raise the hypothesis that zebra finches may use changes in vocal behaviour and/or the structure of vocalisations of their conspecifics when making breeding decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Univ Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Neuro-PSI/ENES UMR 9197, F-42023, SAINT-ETIENNE, France; Biology/ Psychology Departments, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
| | - Marie S A Fernandez
- Univ Lyon, UJM-Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Neuro-PSI/ENES UMR 9197, F-42023, SAINT-ETIENNE, France; Univ Lyon, INRIA, Beagle, F-69100, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Hédi A Soula
- Univ Lyon, INRIA, Beagle, F-69100, Villeurbanne, France; Sorbonne Université, Inserm UMRS 1138, F-75006, Paris, France
| | - Clémentine Vignal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences UMR 7618, F-75005 Paris, France
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23
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Wild zebra finches do not use social information from conspecific reproductive success for nest site choice and clutch size decisions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2533-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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24
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Williams CT, Klaassen M, Barnes BM, Buck CL, Arnold W, Giroud S, Vetter SG, Ruf T. Seasonal reproductive tactics: annual timing and the capital-to-income breeder continuum. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0250. [PMID: 28993494 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tactics of resource use for reproduction are an important feature of life-history strategies. A distinction is made between 'capital' breeders, which finance reproduction using stored energy, and 'income' breeders, which pay for reproduction using concurrent energy intake. In reality, vertebrates use a continuum of capital-to-income tactics, and, for many species, the allocation of capital towards reproduction is a plastic trait. Here, we review how trophic interactions and the timing of life-history events are influenced by tactics of resource use in birds and mammals. We first examine how plasticity in the allocation of capital towards reproduction is linked to phenological flexibility via interactions between endocrine/neuroendocrine control systems and the sensory circuits that detect changes in endogenous state, and environmental cues. We then describe the ecological drivers of reproductive timing in species that vary in the degree to which they finance reproduction using capital. Capital can be used either as a mechanism to facilitate temporal synchrony between energy supply and demand or as a means of lessening the need for synchrony. Within many species, an individual's ability to cope with environmental change may be more tightly linked to plasticity in resource allocation than to absolute position on the capital-to-income breeder continuum.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wild clocks: integrating chronobiology and ecology to understand timekeeping in free-living animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - Brian M Barnes
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - C Loren Buck
- Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Walter Arnold
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvain Giroud
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian G Vetter
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Ruf
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria
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25
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Crino OL, Jensen SM, Buchanan KL, Griffith SC. Evidence for condition mediated trade-offs between the HPA- and HPG-axes in the wild zebra finch. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 259:189-198. [PMID: 29197553 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Opportunistic breeding is a strategy used to maximize reproductive success in unpredictable environments. Birds that breed opportunistically are thought to maintain partial activation of the reproductive axis in order to rapidly initiate breeding when environmental conditions become suitable. The physiological mechanisms that modulate reproduction in seasonally breeding birds have been well explored. In contrast, the physiological mechanisms that allow opportunistic breeding birds to maintain a continued state of reproductive readiness has not been well established. Here, we tested the hypothesis that reproductive readiness is modulated through condition-mediated effects on the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and its downstream effects on corticosterone (CORT) secretion in wild zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We examined the variation in body condition, HPA-axis activity (endogenous and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-induced responses), and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis activity activity (baseline and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) induced testosterone and estradiol levels) in zebra finches across five sites in the Northern Territory in Australia. We found that birds at the sites in the lowest condition had the highest level of baseline and peak CORT. Additionally, males at the sites in the lowest condition had the highest fold increase in testosterone following a GnRH challenge. Across sites, birds with low body condition had high baseline, peak, and ACTH-induced levels of CORT. Our data suggest that reproductive readiness in opportunistically breeding birds is modulated by condition-mediated trade-offs between the HPA- and the HPG-axes. Further work is needed to understand the environmental conditions that influence reproductive activation in opportunistically breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondi L Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3228 Victoria, Australia; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Sophia M Jensen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3228 Victoria, Australia
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia
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26
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Wilsterman K, Pepper A, Bentley GE. Low glucose availability stimulates progesterone production by mouse ovaries in vitro. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4583-4588. [PMID: 29097592 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.164384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Steroid production by the ovary is primarily stimulated by gonadotropins but can also be affected by biological cues that provide information about energy status and environmental stress. To further understand which metabolic cues the ovary can respond to, we exposed gonadotropin-stimulated mouse ovaries in vitro to glucose metabolism inhibitors and measured steroid accumulation in media. Gonadotropin-stimulated ovaries exposed to 2-deoxy-d-glucose increased progesterone production and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein mRNA levels. However, oocytes and granulosa cells in antral follicles do not independently mediate this response because targeted treatment of these cell types with a different inhibitor of glucose metabolism (bromopyruvic acid) did not affect progesterone production. Elevated progesterone production is consistent with the homeostatic role of progesterone in glucose regulation in mammals. It also may regulate follicle growth and/or atresia within the ovary. These results suggest that ovaries can regulate glucose homeostasis in addition to their primary role in reproductive activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Wilsterman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Aimee Pepper
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - George E Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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27
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Crino OL, Buchanan KL, Trompf L, Mainwaring MC, Griffith SC. Stress reactivity, condition, and foraging behavior in zebra finches: effects on boldness, exploration, and sociality. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 244:101-107. [PMID: 26828818 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The arid and semi-arid zones of Australia are characterized by highly variable and unpredictable environmental conditions which affect resources for flora and fauna. Environments which are highly unpredictable in terms of both resource access and distribution are likely to select for a variety of adaptive behavioral strategies, intrinsically linked to the physiological control of behavior. How unpredictable resource distribution has affected the coevolution of behavioral strategies and physiology has rarely been quantified, particularly not in Australian birds. We used a captive population of wild-derived zebra finches to test the relationships between behavioral strategies relating to food access and physiological responses to stress and body condition. We found that individuals that were in poorer body condition and had higher peak corticosterone levels entered baited feeders earlier in the trapping sequence of birds within the colony. We also found that individuals in poorer body condition fed in smaller social groups. Our data show that the foraging decisions which individuals make represent not only a trade-off between food access and risk of exposure, but their underlying physiological response to stress. Our data also suggest fundamental links between social networks and physiological parameters, which largely remain untested. These data demonstrate the fundamental importance of physiological mechanisms in controlling adaptive behavioral strategies and the dynamic interplay between physiological control of behavior and life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- O L Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3216 Victoria, Australia; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3216 Victoria, Australia
| | - Larissa Trompf
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark C Mainwaring
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia; Lancaster Envrionment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia
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Prior NH, Yap KN, Mainwaring MC, Adomat HH, Crino OL, Ma C, Guns ES, Griffith SC, Buchanan KL, Soma KK. Sex steroid profiles in zebra finches: Effects of reproductive state and domestication. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 244:108-117. [PMID: 26899721 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The zebra finch is a common model organism in neuroscience, endocrinology, and ethology. Zebra finches are generally considered opportunistic breeders, but the extent of their opportunism depends on the predictability of their habitat. This plasticity in the timing of breeding raises the question of how domestication, a process that increases environmental predictability, has affected their reproductive physiology. Here, we compared circulating steroid levels in various "strains" of zebra finches. In Study 1, using radioimmunoassay, we examined circulating testosterone levels in several strains of zebra finches (males and females). Subjects were wild or captive (Captive Wild-Caught, Wild-Derived, or Domesticated). In Study 2, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we examined circulating sex steroid profiles in wild and domesticated zebra finches (males and females). In Study 1, circulating testosterone levels in males differed across strains. In Study 2, six steroids were detectable in plasma from wild zebra finches (pregnenolone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), testosterone, androsterone, and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT)). Only pregnenolone and progesterone levels changed across reproductive states in wild finches. Compared to wild zebra finches, domesticated zebra finches had elevated levels of circulating pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, androstenedione, and androsterone. These data suggest that domestication has profoundly altered the endocrinology of this common model organism. These results have implications for interpreting studies of domesticated zebra finches, as well as studies of other domesticated species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Kang Nian Yap
- Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark C Mainwaring
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hans H Adomat
- The Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ondi L Crino
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chunqi Ma
- Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Emma S Guns
- The Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Bölting S, von Engelhardt N. Effects of the social environment during adolescence on the development of social behaviour, hormones and morphology in male zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata). Front Zool 2017; 14:5. [PMID: 28149319 PMCID: PMC5267386 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0190-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Individual differences in behaviour are widespread in the animal kingdom and often influenced by the size or composition of the social group during early development. In many vertebrates the effects of social interactions early in life on adult behaviour are mediated by changes in maturation and physiology. Specifically, increases in androgens and glucocorticoids in response to social stimulation seem to play a prominent role in shaping behaviour during development. In addition to the prenatal and early postnatal phase, adolescence has more recently been identified as an important period during which adult behaviour and physiology are shaped by the social environment, which so far has been studied mostly in mammals. We raised zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) under three environmental conditions differing in social complexity during adolescence - juvenile pairs, juvenile groups, and mixed-age groups - and studied males’ behavioural, endocrine, and morphological maturation, and later their adult behaviour. Results As expected, group-housed males exhibited higher frequencies of social interactions. Group housing also enhanced song during adolescence, plumage development, and the frequency and intensity of adult courtship and aggression. Some traits, however, were affected more in juvenile groups and others in mixed-age groups. Furthermore, a testosterone peak during late adolescence was suppressed in groups with adults. In contrast, corticosterone concentrations did not differ between rearing environments. Unexpectedly, adult courtship in a test situation was lowest in pair-reared males and aggression depended upon the treatment of the opponent with highest rates shown by group-reared males towards pair-reared males. This contrasts with previous findings, possibly due to differences in photoperiod and the acoustic environment. Conclusion Our results support the idea that effects of the adolescent social environment on adult behaviour in vertebrates are mediated by changes in social interactions affecting behavioural and morphological maturation. We found no evidence that long-lasting differences in behaviour reflect testosterone or corticosterone levels during adolescence, although differences between juvenile and mixed-age groups suggest that testosterone and song behaviour during late adolescence may be associated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Bölting
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nikolaus von Engelhardt
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.,Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA UK
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Beaulieu M. A Bird in the House: The Challenge of Being Ecologically Relevant in Captivity. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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Griffith SC, Crino OL, Andrew SC, Nomano FY, Adkins-Regan E, Alonso-Alvarez C, Bailey IE, Bittner SS, Bolton PE, Boner W, Boogert N, Boucaud ICA, Briga M, Buchanan KL, Caspers BA, Cichoń M, Clayton DF, Derégnaucourt S, Forstmeier W, Guillette LM, Hartley IR, Healy SD, Hill DL, Holveck MJ, Hurley LL, Ihle M, Tobias Krause E, Mainwaring MC, Marasco V, Mariette MM, Martin-Wintle MS, McCowan LSC, McMahon M, Monaghan P, Nager RG, Naguib M, Nord A, Potvin DA, Prior NH, Riebel K, Romero-Haro AA, Royle NJ, Rutkowska J, Schuett W, Swaddle JP, Tobler M, Trompf L, Varian-Ramos CW, Vignal C, Villain AS, Williams TD. Variation in Reproductive Success Across Captive Populations: Methodological Differences, Potential Biases and Opportunities. Ethology 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Ondi L. Crino
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Samuel C. Andrew
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Fumiaki Y. Nomano
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
- Department of Psychology and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior; Cornell University; Ithaca NY USA
| | - Carlos Alonso-Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; Ciudad Real Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC; Madrid Spain
| | - Ida E. Bailey
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | | | - Peri E. Bolton
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Neeltje Boogert
- School of Psychology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | - Ingrid C. A. Boucaud
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Michael Briga
- Behavioural Biology; University of Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Jagiellonian University; Cracow Poland
| | - David F. Clayton
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology; Queen Mary University of London; London UK
| | | | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | | | - Ian R. Hartley
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Susan D. Healy
- School of Biology; University of St Andrews; St Andrews, Fife UK
| | - Davina L. Hill
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Marie-Jeanne Holveck
- Institute of Biology; University of Leiden; Leiden The Netherlands
- Biodiversity Research Centre; Earth and Life Institute; Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL); Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium
| | - Laura L. Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Malika Ihle
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Seewiesen Germany
| | - E. Tobias Krause
- Department of Animal Behaviour; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry; Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut; Celle Germany
| | - Mark C. Mainwaring
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Valeria Marasco
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong VIC Australia
| | - Meghan S. Martin-Wintle
- Conservation and Research Department; PDXWildlife; Portland OR USA
- Applied Animal Ecology; Institute for Conservation Research; San Diego Zoo Global; Escondido CA USA
| | - Luke S. C. McCowan
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Maeve McMahon
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology; Queen Mary University of London; London UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Ruedi G. Nager
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine; College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences; University of Glasgow; Glasgow UK
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group; Department of Animal Sciences; Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Nord
- Department of Biology; Lund University; Lund Sweden
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Dominique A. Potvin
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research; University of Western Ontario; London ON Canada
| | - Nora H. Prior
- Zoology Department; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK
| | - Ana A. Romero-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; Ciudad Real Spain
| | - Nick J. Royle
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter; Penryn UK
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Jagiellonian University; Cracow Poland
| | - Wiebke Schuett
- Zoological Institute; University of Hamburg; Hamburg Germany
| | - John P. Swaddle
- Biology Department; Institute for Integrative Bird Behaviour Studies; The College of William and Mary; Williamsburg VA USA
| | | | - Larissa Trompf
- Department of Biological Sciences; Macquarie University; Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Claire W. Varian-Ramos
- Biology Department; Institute for Integrative Bird Behaviour Studies; The College of William and Mary; Williamsburg VA USA
| | - Clémentine Vignal
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Avelyne S. Villain
- CNRS UMR 9197 NeuroPSI/ENES; Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne; Saint-Etienne France
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby BC Canada
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Voigt C, Goymann W, Leitner S. Green Matters! Growing Vegetation Stimulates Breeding under Short-Day Conditions in Wild Canaries (Serinus canaria). J Biol Rhythms 2016; 22:554-7. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730407306928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Voigt
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Seewiesen, Germany, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department Biological Rhythms & Behaviour, Andechs, Germany
| | - Stefan Leitner
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Seewiesen, Germany, School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK,
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Smiley KO, Adkins-Regan E. Relationship between prolactin, reproductive experience, and parental care in a biparental songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 232:17-24. [PMID: 26602378 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Hormonal systems have long been thought to play an important role in stimulating the onset of parental behavior, a critical component of reproductive success in a variety of taxa. Elevations in the peptide hormone prolactin (PRL) have been repeatedly positively correlated with the onset and maintenance of parental care across vertebrate species. A causal role for PRL in parental care has been established in several mammalian species, but less evidence for a causal role of PRL and parental care exists in birds. The zebra finch, a socially monogamous, biparental songbird, is an exceptionally useful animal model to study parental care and other close social relationships. Both sexes share parental care equally, exhibit the same parental behaviors, and show a marked improvement in breeding success with experience. We hypothesize that PRL is critically involved in the expression of zebra finch parental care and predict that circulating PRL levels will increase with breeding experience. To begin testing this, we measured plasma PRL concentrations in 14 male-female zebra finch pairs (N=28) across two breeding cycles, using a repeated measures design. PRL was measured in the birds' first, reproductively inexperienced, breeding cycle beginning at courtship and extending through chick fledging. PRL was measured again during the birds' second, reproductively experienced, breeding cycle, beginning with egg laying until chick fledging. We found that plasma PRL is significantly elevated from non-breeding concentrations during late incubation and early post-hatch care and that this elevation is greater in the reproductively experienced cycle compared to the inexperienced cycle. Findings of this study will be used to inform hypotheses and predictions for future experimental manipulations of PRL during parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina O Smiley
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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Krause ET, Naguib M. Zebra finch males compensate in plumage ornaments at sexual maturation for a bad start in life. Front Zool 2016; 12 Suppl 1:S11. [PMID: 26816511 PMCID: PMC4722338 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An individual's fitness in part depends on the characteristics of the mate so that sexually attractive ornaments, as signals of quality, are used in mate choice. Often such ornaments develop already early in life and thus are affected by nutritional conditions experienced then. Individuals thus should benefit by compensating as soon as possible for poor initial development of ornaments, to be attractive already at sexual maturity. Here, we tested whether early nutritional stress affects the cheek patch size of male Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), which are important in mate choice, and whether a small cheek patch size early on is compensated at sexual maturation. Furthermore we tested whether exploration behaviour is affected by such a compensation, as shown for other compensatory growth trajectories. Results Zebra finch males which were raised under poorer nutritional conditions initially expressed smaller cheek patches at day 50 post-hatching but then compensated in cheek patch size already at 65 days, i.e. when becoming sexually mature. Furthermore, compensatory growth in cheek patch during adolescence was negatively correlated with activity and exploration behaviour, measured in a novel environment. Conclusion This compensation in cheek patch size benefits male attractiveness but also was related to less exploration behaviour, an established proxy for avian personality traits. We discuss the possibility that compensatory priorities exist so that not all deficits from a bad start are caught-up at the same time. Resource allocation to compensate for poorly expressed traits is likely to have evolved to optimise traits by the time they are most beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Tobias Krause
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University Bielefeld, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Institute of Animal Welfare and Husbandry, Friedrich-Loeffler Institute, Doernbergstr. 25-27, 29223 Celle, Germany
| | - Marc Naguib
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University Bielefeld, Konsequenz 45, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Ernst DK, Bentley GE. Neural and neuroendocrine processing of a non-photic cue in an opportunistically-breeding songbird. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:783-9. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies of the onset of breeding in long-day photoperiodic breeders have focused on the roles of type 2 and 3 iodothyronine deiodinases (DIO2 and DIO3) in the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3) and subsequent activation of the reproductive axis. It has been hypothesized that an increase in DIO2 and reciprocal decrease in DIO3 causes the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, setting off a reproductive cascade, and that this DIO mechanism for GnRH release is conserved across vertebrate taxa. We sought to test whether social cues that are known to stimulate reproductive behaviors can activate the DIO system to initiate reproduction in a non-photoperiodic bird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Isolation of males and subsequent presentation of females did not increase DIO2 or GnRH expression in the hypothalamus, nor did it decrease gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) or DIO3. Males receiving a female stimulus showed significantly higher mRNA expression and immunoreactive cell count of the immediate early gene early growth response protein 1 (EGR-1) than isolated males, indicating hypothalamic activation in response to a female. Cells immunoreactive for EGR-1 were not co-localized with those immunoreactive for GnRH. Reproductive behaviors (singing, copulation attempts, and overall activity) were significantly higher in males receiving a female stimulus. This study presents a social effect on behavior and EGR-1 expression in the hypothalamus of males in response to females, but more research is needed to determine if the DIO2 system and the GnRH system are responsive to social stimulation in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy K. Ernst
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - George E. Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Sex steroid profiles and pair-maintenance behavior of captive wild-caught zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 202:35-44. [PMID: 26610331 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-1050-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Here, we studied the life-long monogamous zebra finch, to examine the relationship between circulating sex steroid profiles and pair-maintenance behavior in pairs of wild-caught zebra finches (paired in the laboratory for >1 month). We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to examine a total of eight androgens and progestins [pregnenolone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenediol, pregnan-3,17-diol-20-one, androsterone, androstanediol, and testosterone]. In the plasma, only pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone were above the limit of quantification. Sex steroid profiles were similar between males and females, with only circulating progesterone levels significantly different between the sexes (female > male). Circulating pregnenolone levels were high in both sexes, suggesting that pregnenolone might serve as a circulating prohormone for local steroid synthesis in zebra finches. Furthermore, circulating testosterone levels were extremely low in both sexes. Additionally, we found no correlations between circulating steroid levels and pair-maintenance behavior. Taken together, our data raise several interesting questions about the neuroendocrinology of zebra finches.
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Prior NH, Soma KK. Neuroendocrine regulation of long-term pair maintenance in the monogamous zebra finch. Horm Behav 2015; 76:11-22. [PMID: 25935729 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "SBN 2014". Understanding affiliative behavior is critical to understanding social organisms. While affiliative behaviors are present across a wide range of taxa and contexts, much of what is known about the neuroendocrine regulation of affiliation comes from studies of pair-bond formation in prairie voles. This leaves at least three gaps in our current knowledge. First, little is known about long-term pair-bond maintenance. Second, few studies have examined non-mammalian systems, even though monogamy is much more common in birds than in mammals. Third, the influence of breeding condition on affiliation is largely unknown. The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an excellent model system for examining the neuroendocrine regulation of affiliative behaviors, including the formation and maintenance of a long-term pair bond. Zebra finches form genetically monogamous pair bonds, which they actively maintain throughout the year. The genomic and neuroanatomical resources, combined with the wealth of knowledge on the ecology and ethology of wild zebra finches, give this model system unique advantages to study the neuroendocrine regulation of pair bonding. Here, we review the endocrinology of opportunistic breeding in zebra finches, the sex steroid profiles of breeding and non-breeding zebra finches (domesticated and wild), and the roles of sex steroids and other signaling molecules in pair-maintenance behaviors in the zebra finch and other monogamous species. Studies of zebra finches and other songbirds will be useful for broadly understanding the neuroendocrine regulation of affiliative behaviors, including pair bonding and monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Mariette MM, Buchanan KL, Buttemer WA, Careau V. Tough decisions: Reproductive timing and output vary with individuals' physiology, behavior and past success in a social opportunistic breeder. Horm Behav 2015; 76:23-33. [PMID: 25917863 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "SBN 2014". Photoperiod and the hormonal response it triggers are key determinants of reproductive timing in birds. However, other cues and physiological traits may permit flexibility in the timing of breeding and perhaps facilitate adaptation to global change. Opportunistic breeders are excellent models to study the adaptive significance of this flexibility, especially at the individual level. Here, we sought to quantify whether particular male physiological and behavioral traits were linked to reproductive timing and output in wild-derived zebra finches. We repeatedly assessed male stress-induced corticosterone levels (CORT), basal metabolic rate (BMR), and activity before releasing them into outdoor aviaries and quantifying each pair's breeding timing, investment, and output over a seven-month period. Despite unlimited access to food and water, the colony breeding activity occurred in waves, probably due to interpair social stimulations. Pairs adjusted their inter-clutch interval and clutch size to social and temperature cues, respectively, but only after successful breeding attempts, suggesting a facultative response to external cues. When these effects were controlled for statistically or experimentally, breeding intervals were repeatable within individuals across reproductive attempts. In addition, males' first laying date and total offspring production varied with complex interactions between pre-breeding CORT, BMR and activity levels. These results suggest that no one trait is under selection but that, instead, correlational selection acts on hormone levels, metabolism, and behavior. Together our results suggest that studying inter-individual variation in breeding strategy and their multiple physiological and behavioral underpinnings may greatly improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the evolution of breeding decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - William A Buttemer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
| | - Vincent Careau
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia
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Gill LF, Goymann W, Ter Maat A, Gahr M. Patterns of call communication between group-housed zebra finches change during the breeding cycle. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26441403 PMCID: PMC4592938 DOI: 10.7554/elife.07770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal signals such as calls play a crucial role for survival and successful reproduction, especially in group-living animals. However, call interactions and call dynamics within groups remain largely unexplored because their relation to relevant contexts or life-history stages could not be studied with individual-level resolution. Using on-bird microphone transmitters, we recorded the vocalisations of individual zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) behaving freely in social groups, while females and males previously unknown to each other passed through different stages of the breeding cycle. As birds formed pairs and shifted their reproductive status, their call repertoire composition changed. The recordings revealed that calls occurred non-randomly in fine-tuned vocal interactions and decreased within groups while pair-specific patterns emerged. Call-type combinations of vocal interactions changed within pairs and were associated with successful egg-laying, highlighting a potential fitness relevance of calling dynamics in communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa F Gill
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | | | - Manfred Gahr
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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Perfito N, Zann RA, Hau M, Bentley GE. Seasonal-like variation in song control system volume of wild zebra finches. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 323:586-91. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.1956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Perfito
- Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology; Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Integrative Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute; University of California at Berkeley; Berkeley California
| | - Richard A. Zann
- Department of Zoology; La Trobe University; Melbourne Australia
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max-Planck Institute for Ornithology; Radolfzell Germany
| | - George E. Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute; University of California at Berkeley; Berkeley California
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Stojanovic D, Terauds A, Westgate MJ, Webb MH, Roshier DA, Heinsohn R. Exploiting the richest patch has a fitness pay-off for the migratory swift parrot. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1194-201. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dejan Stojanovic
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Aleks Terauds
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Martin J. Westgate
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Matthew H. Webb
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | | | - Robert Heinsohn
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; Australian National University; Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
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Lynn SE, Perfito N, Guardado D, Bentley GE. Food, stress, and circulating testosterone: Cue integration by the testes, not the brain, in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 215:1-9. [PMID: 25849310 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Revised: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Food abundance is closely associated with reproductive readiness in vertebrates. Food scarcity can activate the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, decrease sex steroid secretion, and dampen reproductive behavior. However, the mechanisms underlying these transient effects are unclear. Gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH), a neuropeptide present in the brain and gonads, is also influenced by glucocorticoids and fasting in some species. We investigated whether fasting stress activated the GnIH system in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), with the potential for downstream effects on reproductive physiology and behavior. We fasted or fed males ad libitum for 10h. Fasting increased corticosterone and decreased testosterone in circulation. To assess whether the decrease in testosterone was mediated by changes in the hypothalamus and/or the gonads, we (1) quantified GnRH- and GnIH-positive neurons in the hypothalamus, (2) assessed hypothalamic gene expression for GnRH and GnIH, and (3) examined gene expression for proteins involved in testosterone synthesis in fasted and control birds. No measure of hypothalamic neuropeptides was related to treatment or circulating steroids. However, birds with higher corticosterone had higher testicular GnIH expression and lower testosterone. StAR and LHR expression were lower in the testes of fasted birds than controls. Thus, the decrease in testosterone was not likely mediated by hypothalamic GnIH, but rather by direct actions of fasting and/or corticosterone on the testes, indicating that the testes can integrate and respond to cues of stress directly. Such local inhibition of testosterone synthesis may allow for rapid and reversible changes in physiology and behavior when conditions are inappropriate for breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon E Lynn
- Department of Biology, The College of Wooster, 931 College Mall, Wooster, OH 44619, United States.
| | - Nicole Perfito
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of California, Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Daisy Guardado
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of California, Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - George E Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of California, Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
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43
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Sánchez-Macouzet O, Rodríguez C, Drummond H. Better stay together: pair bond duration increases individual fitness independent of age-related variation. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:rspb.2013.2843. [PMID: 24827435 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prolonged pair bonds have the potential to improve reproductive performance of socially monogamous animals by increasing pair familiarity and enhancing coordination and cooperation between pair members. However, this has proved very difficult to test robustly because of important confounds such as age and reproductive experience. Here, we address limitations of previous studies and provide a rigorous test of the mate familiarity effect in the socially monogamous blue-footed booby, Sula nebouxii, a long-lived marine bird with a high divorce rate. Taking advantage of a natural disassociation between age and pair bond duration in this species, and applying a novel analytical approach to a 24 year database, we found that those pairs which have been together for longer establish their clutches five weeks earlier in the season, hatch more of their eggs and produce 35% more fledglings, regardless of age and reproductive experience. Our results demonstrate that pair bond duration increases individual fitness and further suggest that synergistic effects between a male and female's behaviour are likely to be involved in generating a mate familiarity effect. These findings help to explain the age- and experience-independent benefits of remating and their role in life-history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Sánchez-Macouzet
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-275, México D.F., 04510, Mexico
| | - Cristina Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-275, México D.F., 04510, Mexico
| | - Hugh Drummond
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-275, México D.F., 04510, Mexico
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44
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Pooley EL, Kennedy MW, Nager RG. Maternal inbreeding reduces parental care in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Ryan CP, Dawson A, Sharp PJ, Meddle SL, Williams TD. Circulating breeding and pre-breeding prolactin and LH are not associated with clutch size in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 202:26-34. [PMID: 24768674 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Clutch size is a fundamental predictor of avian fitness, widely-studied from evolutionary and ecological perspectives, but surprisingly little is known about the physiological mechanisms regulating clutch size variation. The only formal mechanistic hypothesis for avian clutch-size determination predicts an anti-gonadal effect of circulating prolactin (PRL) via the inhibition of luteinizing hormone (LH), and has become widely-accepted despite little experimental support. Here we investigated the relationship between pre-breeding and breeding plasma PRL and LH and clutch-size in captive-breeding female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Using a repeated-measures design, we followed individual females from pre-breeding, through multiple breeding attempts, and attempted to decrease PRL using the D2-receptor agonist, bromocriptine. Clutch size was independent of variation in pre-breeding PRL or LH, although pre-breeding LH was negatively correlated with the time between pairing and the onset of laying. Clutch size was independent of variation in plasma PRL on all days of egg-laying. Bromocriptine treatment had no effect on plasma PRL, but in this breeding attempt clutch size was also independent of plasma PRL. Finally, we found no evidence for an inverse relationship between plasma PRL and LH levels, as predicted if PRL had inhibitory effects via LH. Thus, our data fail to provide any support for the involvement of circulating PRL in clutch size determination. These findings suggest that alternative models for hormonal control of avian clutch size need to be considered, perhaps involving downstream regulation of plasma PRL at the level of the ovary, or other hormones that have not been considered to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Alistair Dawson
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland EH26 0QB, UK.
| | - Peter J Sharp
- The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland EH25 9RG, UK.
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland EH25 9RG, UK.
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
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46
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Baran NM, Adkins-Regan E. Breeding experience, alternative reproductive strategies and reproductive success in a captive colony of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). PLoS One 2014; 9:e89808. [PMID: 24587051 PMCID: PMC3937349 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds exhibit a remarkable diversity of different reproductive strategies both between and within species. Species such as the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) may evolve the flexible use of alternative reproductive strategies, as well as benefit from prior breeding experience, which allows them to adaptively respond to unpredictable environments. In birds, the flexible use of alternative reproductive strategies, such as extra-pair mating, has been reported to be associated with fast reproduction, high mortality and environmental variability. However, little is known about the role of previous breeding experience in the adaptive use of alternative reproductive strategies. Here we performed an in-depth study of reproductive outcomes in a population of domesticated zebra finches, testing the impact of prior breeding experience on the use of alternative reproductive strategies and reproductive success. We provide evidence that older females with prior breeding experience are quicker to initiate a clutch with a new partner and have increased success in chick rearing, even in a captive colony of zebra finches with minimal foraging demands. We also find evidence that the breeding experience of other females in the same social group influences reproductive investment by female zebra finches. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the use of alternative reproductive strategies in female zebra finches is associated with previous failed breeding attempts with the same pair partner. The results provide evidence that age and breeding experience play important roles in the flexible use of both facultative and adaptive reproductive strategies in female zebra finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M. Baran
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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Prior NH, Yap KN, Soma KK. Acute and chronic effects of an aromatase inhibitor on pair-maintenance behavior of water-restricted zebra finch pairs. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 196:62-71. [PMID: 24231681 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Revised: 10/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Zebra finches are highly social songbirds that maintain life-long monogamous pair-bonds. They rely heavily upon these pair-bonds to survive their ever-changing and unpredictable habitat in the Australian desert. These pair-bonds are maintained via a large repertoire of affiliative behaviors that for most of an individual's life are predominately associated with pair maintenance. Water restriction reduces circulating testosterone levels in male zebra finches and the size of the ovary and oviduct in female zebra finches, but water restriction has little or no effects on pair-maintenance behaviors and local levels of testosterone and estradiol in behaviorally-relevant brain regions. These data suggest that in water-restricted zebra finches, local synthesis of testosterone and estradiol in the brain may support the expression of pair-maintenance behaviors. Here, we directly test whether pair-maintenance behaviors are regulated by estradiol, acting via non-genomic or genomic mechanisms, in water-restricted (i.e., non-breeding) zebra finches. In two experiments, subjects were treated with an aromatase inhibitor (fadrozole) either acutely or chronically, and a variety of pair-maintenance behaviors were quantified. Additionally, we quantified the effect of acute fadrozole treatment on brain and circulating estradiol and testosterone levels. Acute fadrozole administration rapidly decreased estradiol levels in the circulation and brain of males and also rapidly increased testosterone levels in the circulation and brain of both males and females. However, neither the acute nor chronic fadrozole treatment decreased pair-maintenance behaviors. In one case, acute fadrozole treatment promoted affiliation. These data suggest that pair-maintenance behavior in non-breeding zebra finches is not promoted by estradiol acting via either non-genomic or genomic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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48
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Mass gained during breeding positively correlates with adult survival because both reflect life history adaptation to seasonal food availability. Oecologia 2014; 174:1197-204. [PMID: 24385084 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2859-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Both mass (as a measure of body reserves) during breeding and adult survival should reflect variation in food availability. Those species that are adapted to less seasonally variable foraging niches and so where competition dominates during breeding, will tend to have a higher mass increase via an interrupted foraging response, because their foraging demands increase and so become more unpredictable. They will then produce few offspring per breeding attempt, but trade this off with higher adult survival. In contrast, those species that occupy a more seasonal niche will not gain mass because foraging remains predictable, as resources become superabundant during breeding. They can also produce more offspring per breeding attempt, but with a trade-off with reduced adult survival. We tested whether the then predicted positive correlation between levels of mass gained during seasonal breeding and adult survival was present across 40 species of tropical bird measured over a 10-year period in a West African savannah. We showed that species with a greater seasonal mass increase had higher adult survival, controlling for annual mass variation (i.e. annual variation in absolute food availability) and variation in the timing of peak mass (i.e. annual predictability of food availability), clutch size, body size, migratory status and phylogeny. Our results support the hypothesis that the degree of seasonal mass variation in birds is probably an indication of life history adaptation: across tropical bird species it may therefore be possible to use mass gain during breeding as an index of adult survival.
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49
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Khan N, Robert K. Does sex matter? Differential responses to corticosterone administration in the zebra finch. ZOOLOGY 2013; 116:293-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2013.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Revised: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 08/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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50
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González-Gómez PL, Merrill L, Ellis VA, Venegas C, Pantoja JI, Vasquez RA, Wingfield JC. Breaking down seasonality: androgen modulation and stress response in a highly stable environment. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 191:1-12. [PMID: 23707496 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2013] [Revised: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies show that most birds inhabiting temperate regions have well defined life history stages, and they modulate the production of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (CORT) in response to changes in seasonality. In this study we aimed to examine baseline and stress-induced levels of CORT and circulating T in relation with life history stages in the rufous-collared sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis. We carried out this study for a year in a population inhabiting riparian habitats in the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the most climatically stable and driest places in the world. This environment shows minimal yearly change in average temperature and precipitation is virtually zero. We found individuals breeding, molting and overlapping breeding and molt year round, although most individuals were molting during March and in breeding condition during October. T levels were not related to individual breeding condition, and at population level they were not significantly different across sampling months. Baseline levels of CORT did not vary across the year. Stress-induced levels of CORT were suppressed during March when most of the birds were molting. This phenomenon was also observed in birds not molting during this period suggesting a mechanism other than molt in determining the stress-response suppression. Our results strongly suggest that in this study site, long-term extremely stable conditions could have relaxed the selective pressures over the timing of life history stages which was evidenced by the breeding and molt schedules, its overlap and endocrine profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina L González-Gómez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, CA 95616, USA.
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