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Giovanetti L, Caliani I, Damiani G, Dell'Omo G, Costantini D, Casini S. A blood-based multi-biomarker approach reveals different physiological responses of common kestrels to contrasting environments. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 251:118674. [PMID: 38492836 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The increase of urbanization and agricultural activities is causing a dramatic reduction of natural environments. As a consequence, animals need to physiologically adjust to these novel environments, in order to exploit them for foraging and breeding. The aim of this work was to compare the physiological status among nestling common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) that were raised in nest-boxes located in more natural, rural, or urban areas in a landscape with a mosaic of land uses around Rome in Central Italy. A blood-based multi-biomarker approach was applied to evaluate physiological responses at multiple levels, including antioxidant concentrations, immunological functions, genotoxicity, and neurotoxicity. We found lower concentrations of glutathione and GSH:GSSG ratio values and higher proportions of monocytes in urban birds compared to the other areas. We also found higher DNA damage in rural compared to urban and natural krestels and inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase activity in urban and natural birds compared to rural area. Finally, we found similar values among study areas for respiratory burst, complement system, bactericidal capacity, and plasma non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that (i) city life does not necessarily cause physiological alterations in kestrels compared to life in other habitats, and (ii) environmental pressures are likely to differ in typology and intensity across habitats requiring specific responses that a multi-biomarker approach can help to detect. Further studies are needed to assess which factors are responsible for the physiological differences among city, rural, and natural birds, and whether these differences are consistent across time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Giovanetti
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Caliani
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.
| | - Gianluca Damiani
- Ornis Italica, Piazza Crati 15, 00199, Rome, Italy; Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università s.n.c., 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
| | | | - David Costantini
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università s.n.c., 01100, Viterbo, Italy; Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation, UMR7221 CNRS-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Silvia Casini
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.
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Fowler MA, Wong JB, Harrison AL. Oxidative physiology of two small and highly migratory Arctic seabirds: Arctic terns ( Sterna paradisaea) and long-tailed jaegers ( Stercorarius longicaudus). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad060. [PMID: 37916041 PMCID: PMC10616233 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Arctic ecosystems are changing rapidly. The tundra supports nesting migratory seabirds that spend most of their year over the ocean. Migrations are demanding, but it is unclear how physiological capability may equip organisms to respond to their changing environments. For two migratory seabird species nesting in Alaska, USA, the Arctic tern (n = 10) and the long-tailed jaeger (n = 8), we compared oxidative physiology and aerobic capacity measured during incubation and we recorded individual movement paths using electronic tracking tags. Within species, we hypothesized that individuals with longer-distance migrations would show higher oxidative stress and display better aerobic capacity than shorter-distance migrants. We examined blood parameters relative to subsequent fall migration in jaegers and relative to previous spring migration in terns. We present the first measurements of oxidative stress in these species and the first migratory movements of long-tailed jaegers in the Pacific Ocean. Arctic terns displayed positive correlation of oxidative variables, or better integration than jaegers. Relative to physiological sampling, pre-breeding northward migration data were available for terns and post-breeding southward data were available for jaegers. Terns reached a farther maximum distance from the colony than jaegers (16 199 ± 275 km versus 10 947 ± 950 km) and rate of travel northward (447 ± 41.8 km/day) was positively correlated with hematocrit, but we found no other relationships. In jaegers, there were no relationships between individuals' physiology and southward rate of travel (193 ± 52.3 km/day) or migratory distance. While it is not clear whether the much longer migrations of the terns is related to their better integration, or to another factor, our results spark hypotheses that could be evaluated through a controlled phylogenetic study. Species with better integration may be less susceptible to environmental factors that increase oxidative stress, including thermal challenges or changes in prey distribution as the Arctic climate changes rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A. Fowler
- Department of Biology/Chemistry. Springfield College, 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109 USA
| | - Joanna B. Wong
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Bird Migration, Swiss Ornithological Institute, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Autumn-Lynn Harrison
- Smithsonian‘s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, 3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. 20008 USA
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Niranjan MK, Koiri RK, Srivastava R. Expression of estrogen receptor alpha in response to stress and estrogen antagonist tamoxifen in the shell gland of Gallus gallus domesticus: involvement of anti-oxidant system and estrogen. Stress 2021; 24:261-272. [PMID: 31885314 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1710127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals are frequently exposed to various kinds of environmental stressors and estrogen is known to play important role in stress response besides its crucial role in regulation of cellular proliferation, metabolic activity and reproduction. The study investigates the estrogen antagonist, tamoxifen (TM), mediated estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression, to modulate stress induced parameters in chickens. The study further explores the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and malonaldehyde (MDA) in brain, ovary and shell gland during water deprivation (WD) and tamoxifen administration in sexually mature chicken. WD and TM administration both decrease the plasma estradiol while WD increases corticosterone. WD also elevates MDA concentration in the brain, ovary and shell gland while TM lowers it. WD and TM administration lowers the specific activity of SOD in brain and shell gland. In contrast, WD increases the specific activity of catalase, GPx and GR in the brain and shell gland, while TM decreases it. It appears that endogenous estradiol plays a crucial role in expression of antioxidant enzymes and tamoxifen acts as an antioxidant by reducing the oxidative stress in chicken. Abundant expression of ERα has been observed in the shell gland of egg laying birds while stress like water deprivation and TM down-regulates its expression. Thus, it can be concluded that expression of ERα in shell gland plays a predominant role in mediating estrogen action in response to water deprivation stress and tamoxifen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raj Kumar Koiri
- Department of Zoology, Dr H. S. Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, India
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Cooper-Mullin C, Carter WA, McWilliams SR. Acute effects of intense exercise on the antioxidant system in birds: does exercise training help? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.210443. [PMID: 31511346 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.210443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The acute effects of an energy-intensive activity such as exercise may alter an animal's redox homeostasis, although these short-term effects may be ameliorated by chronic exposure to that activity, or training, over time. Although well documented in mammals, how energy-intensive training affects the antioxidant system and damage by reactive species has not been investigated fully in flight-trained birds. We examined changes to redox homeostasis in zebra finches exposed to energy-intensive activity (60 min of perch-to-perch flights twice a day), and how exercise training over many weeks affected this response. We measured multiple components of the antioxidant system: an enzymatic antioxidant (glutathione peroxidase, GPx) and non-enzymatic antioxidants (measured by the OXY-adsorbent test) as well as a measure of oxidative damage (d-ROMs). At no point during the experiment did oxidative damage change. We discovered that exposure to energy-intensive exercise training did not alter baseline levels of GPx, but induced exercise-trained birds to maintain a higher non-enzymatic antioxidant status as compared with untrained birds. GPx activity was elevated above baseline in trained birds immediately after completion of the second 1 h flight on each of the three sampling days, and non-enzymatic antioxidants were acutely depleted during flight after 13 and 44 days of training. The primary effect of exercise training on the acute response of the antioxidant system to 2 h flights was increased coordination between the enzymatic (GPx) and non-enzymatic components of the antioxidant system of birds that reduced oxidative damage associated with exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cooper-Mullin
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Wales A Carter
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Scott R McWilliams
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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The antioxidant properties of canthaxanthin and its potential effects in the poultry eggs and on embryonic development of the chick. Part 2. WORLD POULTRY SCI J 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0043933912000840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Niranjan MK, Srivastava R. Expression of estrogen receptor alpha in developing brain, ovary and shell gland of Gallus gallus domesticus: Impact of stress and estrogen. Steroids 2019; 146:21-33. [PMID: 30885650 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen plays a central role in the control of reproductive behaviour and in the regulation of neuroendocrine system. To elucidate the mechanism by which it controls the stress-modulated functions, it is important to understand how estrogenic effects are mediated. The distribution of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) protein in brain, ovary and shell gland of chickens has been investigated. Immature chickens were taken and randomly divided into four groups. First group served as control (C), second water deprived for two days (WD), third treated with estradiol benzoate (E) and fourth treated with estradiol benzoate followed by water deprivation during last two days of treatment (E + WD). The dose of estradiol benzoate administered for 15 days was 0.5 mg/100 g. Immuno-fluorescent localization demonstrated the presence of ER alpha (ERα) in hypothalamic area, principally the pre-optic area on estrogen administration. However, ERα expression in brain decreased on water deprivation. ERα expression was observed highly in granulosa and thecal cells of E and E + WD ovary compared to immature while least on water deprivation. Similarly, ERα expression was abundant in tunica muscularis and epithelial cells of E and E + WD shell gland while lesser in WD. Plasma estradiol significantly increased in E and E + WD group while decreased on water deprivation. Plasma corticosterone decreased significantly in E and E + WD group while increased in WD. Therefore, we conclude that administration of estradiol in stress decreases corticosterone induced sensitivity mediated by an increased expression of ERα in brain, ovary and shell gland. It appears that negative feedback regulation is involved between HPA-axis and HPG- axis during stress in chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rashmi Srivastava
- Department of Zoology, Dr. H. S. Gour University, Sagar, MP 470003, India.
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Antioxidant capacity is repeatable across years but does not consistently correlate with a marker of peroxidation in a free-living passerine bird. J Comp Physiol B 2019; 189:283-298. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-019-01211-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Fowler MA, Paquet M, Legault V, Cohen AA, Williams TD. Physiological predictors of reproductive performance in the European Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Front Zool 2018; 15:45. [PMID: 30479645 PMCID: PMC6249724 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-018-0288-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It is widely assumed that variation in fitness components has a physiological basis that might underlie selection on trade-offs, but the mechanisms driving decreased survival and future fecundity remain elusive. Here, we assessed whether physiological variables are related to workload ability or immediate fitness consequences and if they mediate future survival or reproductive success. We used data on 13 physiological variables measured in 93 female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at two breeding stages (incubation, chick-rearing), for first-and second-broods over two years (152 observations). Results There was little co-variation among the physiological variables, either in incubating or chick-rearing birds, but some systematic physiological differences between the two stages. Chick-rearing birds had lower hematocrit and plasma creatine kinase but higher hemoglobin, triglyceride and uric acid levels. Only plasma corticosterone was repeatable between incubation and chick-rearing. We assessed relationships between incubation or chick-rearing physiology and measures of workload, current productivity, future fecundity or survival in a univariate manner, and found very few significant relationships. Thus, we next explored the utility of multivariate analysis (principal components analysis, Mahalanobis distance) to account for potentially complex physiological integration, but still found no clear associations. Conclusions This implies either that a) birds maintained physiological variables within a homeostatic range that did not affect their performance, b) there are relatively few links between physiology and performance, or, more likely, c) that the complexity of these relationships exceeds our ability to measure it. Variability in ecological context may complicate the relationship between physiology and behavior. We thus urge caution regarding the over-interpretation of isolated significant findings, based on single traits in single years, in the literature. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12983-018-0288-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A Fowler
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada.,Present address: Springfield College Biology, 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109-3797 USA
| | - Mélissa Paquet
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Véronique Legault
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Alan A Cohen
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada
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Costantini D, Czirják GÁ, Melzheimer J, Menges V, Wachter B. Sex and species differences of stress markers in sympatric cheetahs and leopards in Namibia. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2018; 227:8-13. [PMID: 30201541 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.09.002] [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: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Physiological stress markers may provide valuable insight for our understanding of costs of given life-history strategies or of wildlife health condition, most importantly in case of threatened species. In the last decade, there has been growing interest in the ecological relevance of cellular oxidative stress, which would provide complimentary information to that obtained by the classic analyses of glucocorticoid hormones. In this study, we analysed the sex and species variation of five blood-based markers of oxidative status, both molecular oxidative damage and antioxidant protection, in sympatric cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and leopards (Panthera pardus) living on Namibian farmlands. Both these terrestrial carnivores are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We found that female cheetahs had significantly higher serum reactive oxygen metabolites of non-protein origin and lower glutathione peroxidase activity in whole blood than both male and female leopards and male cheetahs. We also found that cheetahs and leopards differed in the association between the two antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. Correlations among oxidative status markers were stronger in female cheetahs than leopards or male cheetahs. Our results suggest that female cheetahs are more sensitive to local sources of stress. Our work did not corroborate the assumption that two species with different life histories consistently differ in key physiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Costantini
- UMR 7221 CNRS/MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 7 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France; Institute for Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ Glasgow, Scotland, UK; Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joerg Melzheimer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Vera Menges
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
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Amdekar MS, Kakkar A, Thaker M. Measures of Health Provide Insights Into the Coping Strategies of Urban Lizards. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
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12
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Oxidative stress in wild European rabbits naturally infected with myxoma virus and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1203-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Boonekamp JJ, Mulder E, Verhulst S. Canalisation in the wild: effects of developmental conditions on physiological traits are inversely linked to their association with fitness. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:857-864. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jelle J. Boonekamp
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; P.O.Box 11103 9700CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Ellis Mulder
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; P.O.Box 11103 9700CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; P.O.Box 11103 9700CC Groningen the Netherlands
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Fowler MA, Williams TD. A Physiological Signature of the Cost of Reproduction Associated with Parental Care. Am Nat 2017; 190:762-773. [PMID: 29166164 DOI: 10.1086/694123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Costs of reproduction are an integral and long-standing component of life-history theory, but we still know relatively little about the specific physiological mechanisms underlying these trade-offs. We experimentally manipulated workload during parental care in female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) using attachment of radios and/or wing clipping and assessed measures of workload, current breeding productivity, future fecundity, and survival (local return rate) in relation to treatment. Females with wing clipping and radio attachment paid a clear cost of reproduction compared with all other treatment groups: they had lower future fecundity and lower return rates despite having lower current breeding productivity. We then measured 13 physiological traits, including measures of aerobic/metabolic capacity, oxidative stress and muscle damage, intermediary metabolism and energy supply, and immune function. Our results show that the cost of reproduction in females with wing clipping and radio attachment was associated with lower oxygen-carrying capacity (lower hematocrit and hemoglobin levels), lower energy reserves (plasma nonesterified fatty acid and triglyceride levels), decreased immune function (lower haptoglobin levels), and elevated levels of oxidative stress (higher levels of dROMs [reactive oxygen metabolites] and lower levels of the endogenous antioxidant uric acid). Our study provides evidence that costs of reproduction involve a widespread decline in physiological function across multiple physiological systems consistent with long-standing ideas of cumulative "wear and tear" and allostatic load.
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Cooper-Mullin C, McWilliams SR. The role of the antioxidant system during intense endurance exercise: lessons from migrating birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 219:3684-3695. [PMID: 27903627 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.123992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
During migration, birds substantially increase their metabolic rate and burn fats as fuel and yet somehow avoid succumbing to overwhelming oxidative damage. The physiological means by which vertebrates such as migrating birds can counteract an increased production of reactive species (RS) are rather limited: they can upregulate their endogenous antioxidant system and/or consume dietary antioxidants (prophylactically or therapeutically). Thus, birds can alter different components of their antioxidant system to respond to the demands of long-duration flights, but much remains to be discovered about the complexities of RS production and antioxidant protection throughout migration. Here, we use bird migration as an example to discuss how RS are produced during endurance exercise and how the complex antioxidant system can protect against cellular damage caused by RS. Understanding how a bird's antioxidant system responds during migration can lend insights into how antioxidants protect birds during other life-history stages when metabolic rate may be high, and how antioxidants protect other vertebrates from oxidative damage during endurance exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Cooper-Mullin
- The Department of Natural Resources Science, The University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
| | - Scott R McWilliams
- The Department of Natural Resources Science, The University of Rhode Island, 105 Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
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Casasole G, Raap T, Costantini D, AbdElgawad H, Asard H, Pinxten R, Eens M. Neither artificial light at night, anthropogenic noise nor distance from roads are associated with oxidative status of nestlings in an urban population of songbirds. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 210:14-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rojas Mora A, Meniri M, Gning O, Glauser G, Vallat A, Helfenstein F. Antioxidant allocation modulates sperm quality across changing social environments. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176385. [PMID: 28472052 PMCID: PMC5417513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In promiscuous species, male reproductive success depends on their ability to mate with fertile females and on the fertilizing ability of their sperm. In such species, theory predicts that, owing to a trade-off between pre- and post-copulatory reproductive traits, males with lesser access to females should increase resource investment into those sperm traits that enhance fertilization success–usually referred to as ejaculate quality. This prediction has been validated in several taxa, yet studies on the physiological mechanisms modulating ejaculate quality are lacking. Sperm cells are highly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which impairs male fertility. Therefore, males that better protect their sperm from oxidative stress are expected to achieve higher ejaculate quality. Based on theoretical expectations, and since social dominance is a major determinant of mating opportunity, we predicted that subordinate males should invest more into the antioxidant protection of their sperm in order to achieve higher ejaculate quality. We maintained 60 male and 60 female wild-caught house sparrows Passer domesticus in outdoor aviaries, where we experimentally manipulated male social status to test our predictions. We measured cellular oxidative stress and enzymatic antioxidant activity in blood and sperm both before and after manipulating social ranks. Before manipulating the social status, we found that ejaculate viability correlated with oxidative stress level in sperm, with dominant males producing more oxidized and less viable ejaculates. Further, males at the lower end of the hierarchy produced ejaculates of similar quality to those of dominant males, suggesting that restricted access to resources might limit male reproductive strategies. After experimentally manipulating the social status, males matched their ejaculate quality to their new rank, while increases in antioxidant investment into ejaculates paralleled increases in ejaculate viability. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a general constraint to the evolution of life histories. Our results highlight oxidative stress and strategic antioxidant allocation as important proximate physiological mechanisms underlying male reproductive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Rojas Mora
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecophysiology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Magali Meniri
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecophysiology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Ophélie Gning
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecophysiology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Gaëtan Glauser
- Neuchatel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Armelle Vallat
- Neuchatel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Helfenstein
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecophysiology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Raap T, Casasole G, Costantini D, AbdElgawad H, Asard H, Pinxten R, Eens M. Artificial light at night affects body mass but not oxidative status in free-living nestling songbirds: an experimental study. Sci Rep 2016; 6:35626. [PMID: 27759087 PMCID: PMC5069498 DOI: 10.1038/srep35626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN), termed light pollution, is an increasingly important anthropogenic environmental pressure on wildlife. Exposure to unnatural lighting environments may have profound effects on animal physiology, particularly during early life. Here, we experimentally investigated for the first time the impact of ALAN on body mass and oxidative status during development, using nestlings of a free-living songbird, the great tit (Parus major), an important model species. Body mass and blood oxidative status were determined at baseline (=13 days after hatching) and again after a two night exposure to ALAN. Because it is very difficult to generalise the oxidative status from one or two measures we relied on a multi-biomarker approach. We determined multiple metrics of both antioxidant defences and oxidative damage: molecular antioxidants GSH, GSSG; antioxidant enzymes GPX, SOD, CAT; total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and damage markers protein carbonyls and TBARS. Light exposed nestlings showed no increase in body mass, in contrast to unexposed individuals. None of the metrics of oxidative status were affected. Nonetheless, our study provides experimental field evidence that ALAN may negatively affect free-living nestlings' development and hence may have adverse consequences lasting throughout adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Raap
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Giulia Casasole
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - David Costantini
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hamada AbdElgawad
- Department of Biology, Molecular Plant Physiology and Biotechnology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Beni-Suef, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Han Asard
- Department of Biology, Molecular Plant Physiology and Biotechnology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rianne Pinxten
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Antwerp School of Education, University of Antwerp, Venusstraat 35, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Récapet C, Zahariev A, Blanc S, Arrivé M, Criscuolo F, Bize P, Doligez B. Differences in the oxidative balance of dispersing and non-dispersing individuals: an experimental approach in a passerine bird. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:125. [PMID: 27296460 PMCID: PMC4907255 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0697-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dispersal is often associated with a suite of phenotypic traits that might reduce dispersal costs, but can be energetically costly themselves outside dispersal. Hence, dispersing and philopatric individuals might differ throughout their life cycle in their management of energy production. Because higher energy expenditure can lead to the production of highly reactive oxidative molecules that are deleterious to the organism if left uncontrolled, dispersing and philopatric individuals might differ in their management of oxidative balance. Here, we experimentally increased flight costs during reproduction via a wing load manipulation in female collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) breeding in a patchy population. We measured the effects of the manipulation on plasmatic markers of oxidative balance and reproductive success in dispersing and philopatric females. RESULTS The impact of the wing load manipulation on the oxidative balance differed according to dispersal status. The concentration of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), a marker of pro-oxidant status, was higher in philopatric than dispersing females in the manipulated group only. Differences between dispersing and philopatric individuals also depended on habitat quality, as measured by local breeding density. In low quality habitats, ROMs as well as nestling body mass were higher in philopatric females compared to dispersing ones. Independently of the manipulation or of habitat quality, plasma antioxidant capacity differed according to dispersal status: philopatric females showed higher antioxidant capacity than dispersing ones. Nestlings raised by philopatric females also had a higher fledging success. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that dispersing individuals maintain a stable oxidative balance when facing challenging environmental conditions, at the cost of lower reproductive success. Conversely, philopatric individuals increase their effort, and thus oxidative costs, in challenging conditions thereby maintaining their reproductive success. Our study sheds light on energetics and oxidative balance as possible processes underlying phenotypic differences between dispersing and philopatric individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Récapet
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Villeurbanne, France. .,Département d'Ecologie et d'Evolution (DEE), Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Alexandre Zahariev
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Départment d'Ecologie, Physiologie, Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Stéphane Blanc
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Départment d'Ecologie, Physiologie, Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Mathilde Arrivé
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, UPR 2357 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - François Criscuolo
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Départment d'Ecologie, Physiologie, Ethologie (DEPE), UMR 7178 CNRS-Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre Bize
- Département d'Ecologie et d'Evolution (DEE), Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,School of Biological Sciences, Zoology Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Blandine Doligez
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Villeurbanne, France.,Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Rojas Mora A, Meniri M, Glauser G, Vallat A, Helfenstein F. Badge Size Reflects Sperm Oxidative Status within Social Groups in the House Sparrow Passer domesticus. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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21
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Casagrande S, Pinxten R, Eens M. Honest Signaling and Oxidative Stress: The Special Case of Avian Acoustic Communication. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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22
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Broggi J, Soriguer RC, Figuerola J. Transgenerational effects enhance specific immune response in a wild passerine. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1766. [PMID: 27069782 PMCID: PMC4824879 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate mothers transfer diverse compounds to developing embryos that can affect their development and final phenotype (i.e., maternal effects). However, the way such effects modulate offspring phenotype, in particular their immunity, remains unclear. To test the impact of maternal effects on offspring development, we treated wild breeding house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Sevilla, SE Spain with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine. Female parents were vaccinated when caring for first broods, eliciting a specific immune response to NDV. The immune response to the same vaccine, and to the PHA inflammatory test were measured in 11-day-old chicks from their following brood. Vaccinated chicks from vaccinated mothers developed a stronger specific response that was related to maternal NDV antibody concentration while rearing their chicks. The chicks' carotenoid concentration and total antioxidant capacity in blood were negatively related to NDV antibody concentration, whereas no relation with PHA response was found. Specific NDV antibodies could not be detected in 11-day-old control chicks from vaccinated mothers, implying that maternally transmitted antibodies are not directly involved but may promote offspring specific immunity through a priming effect, while other immunity components remain unaffected. Maternally transmitted antibodies in the house sparrow are short-lived, depend on maternal circulation levels and enhance pre-fledging chick specific immunity when exposed to the same pathogens as the mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli Broggi
- Wetland Ecology, Esatción Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain; Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO/CISC/PA), University of Oviedo, Mieres, Spain
| | - Ramon C Soriguer
- Etologia y Conservacion de la Biodiversidad, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
| | - Jordi Figuerola
- Wetland Ecology, Esatción Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
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Christensen LL, Selman C, Blount JD, Pilkington JG, Watt KA, Pemberton JM, Reid JM, Nussey DH. Plasma markers of oxidative stress are uncorrelated in a wild mammal. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5096-108. [PMID: 26640685 PMCID: PMC4662306 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress, which results from an imbalance between the production of potentially damaging reactive oxygen species versus antioxidant defenses and repair mechanisms, has been proposed as an important mediator of life‐history trade‐offs. A plethora of biomarkers associated with oxidative stress exist, but few ecological studies have examined the relationships among different markers in organisms experiencing natural conditions or tested whether those relationships are stable across different environments and demographic groups. It is therefore not clear to what extent studies of different markers can be compared, or whether studies that focus on a single marker can draw general conclusions regarding oxidative stress. We measured widely used markers of oxidative damage (protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde) and antioxidant defense (superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity) from 706 plasma samples collected over a 4‐year period in a wild population of Soay sheep on St Kilda. We quantified the correlation structure among these four markers across the entire sample set and also within separate years, age groups (lambs and adults), and sexes. We found some moderately strong correlations between some pairs of markers when data from all 4 years were pooled. However, these correlations were caused by considerable among‐year variation in mean marker values; correlation coefficients were small and not significantly different from zero after accounting for among‐year variation. Furthermore, within each year, age, and sex subgroup, the pairwise correlation coefficients among the four markers were weak, nonsignificant, and distributed around zero. In addition, principal component analysis confirmed that the four markers represented four independent axes of variation. Our results suggest that plasma markers of oxidative stress may vary dramatically among years, presumably due to environmental conditions, and that this variation can induce population‐level correlations among markers even in the absence of any correlations within contemporaneous subgroups. The absence of any consistent correlations within years or demographic subgroups implies that care must be taken when generalizing from observed relationships with oxidative stress markers, as each marker may reflect different and potentially uncoupled biochemical processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise L Christensen
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Colin Selman
- Glasgow Ageing Research Network (GARNER) Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | - Jonathan D Blount
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn Campus UK
| | - Jill G Pilkington
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Kathryn A Watt
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | | | - Jane M Reid
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
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Pap PL, Pătraş L, Osváth G, Buehler DM, Versteegh MA, Sesarman A, Banciu M, Vágási CI. Seasonal Patterns and Relationships among Coccidian Infestations, Measures of Oxidative Physiology, and Immune Function in Free-Living House Sparrows over an Annual Cycle. Physiol Biochem Zool 2015; 88:395-405. [DOI: 10.1086/681243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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25
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Isaksson C, While GM, Olsson M, Komdeur J, Wapstra E. Oxidative stress physiology in relation to life history traits of a free-living vertebrate: the spotted snow skink, Niveoscincus ocellatus. Integr Zool 2015; 6:140-149. [PMID: 21645278 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2011.00237.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent research suggests that oxidative stress, via its links to metabolism and senescence, is a key mechanism linking life history traits such as fecundity and growth with survival; however, this has rarely been put under empirical scrutiny within free-living populations. Using a wild population of live-bearing skinks, we explored how plasma antioxidant activity (OXY), reactive oxidative metabolites (ROM), and the estimated oxidative stress index are associated with female and male life history. We found that male skinks have a significantly higher ROM and estimated oxidative stress index than female skinks, but this was not accompanied by a sex difference in mortality. Both sexes showed a non-linear association between OXY and age, indicating that the oldest and youngest individuals had the lowest OXY. Interestingly, female skinks with high OXY showed a decreased probability of survival to the following season. However, we found no significant associations between female reproductive investment (litter size or litter mass) or parturition date (i.e. metabolism) and oxidative status. Combined, our results offer mixed support for a role of oxidative stress in mediating life history traits and suggest that future studies need to explore oxidative stress during vitellogenesis in addition to using an intra-individual approach to understand the cost of reproduction and patterns of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Isaksson
- University of Groningen, Animal Ecology Group, Haren, The NetherlandsUniversity of Wollongong, School of Biological Sciences, Wollongong, New South WalesUniversity of Tasmania, School of Zoology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Geoffrey M While
- University of Groningen, Animal Ecology Group, Haren, The NetherlandsUniversity of Wollongong, School of Biological Sciences, Wollongong, New South WalesUniversity of Tasmania, School of Zoology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Mats Olsson
- University of Groningen, Animal Ecology Group, Haren, The NetherlandsUniversity of Wollongong, School of Biological Sciences, Wollongong, New South WalesUniversity of Tasmania, School of Zoology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jan Komdeur
- University of Groningen, Animal Ecology Group, Haren, The NetherlandsUniversity of Wollongong, School of Biological Sciences, Wollongong, New South WalesUniversity of Tasmania, School of Zoology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Erik Wapstra
- University of Groningen, Animal Ecology Group, Haren, The NetherlandsUniversity of Wollongong, School of Biological Sciences, Wollongong, New South WalesUniversity of Tasmania, School of Zoology, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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26
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Cram DL, Blount JD, York JE, Young AJ. Immune response in a wild bird is predicted by oxidative status, but does not cause oxidative stress. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122421. [PMID: 25815888 PMCID: PMC4376632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The immune system provides vital protection against pathogens, but extensive evidence suggests that mounting immune responses can entail survival and fecundity costs. The physiological mechanisms that underpin these costs remain poorly understood, despite their potentially important role in shaping life-histories. Recent studies involving laboratory models highlight the possibility that oxidative stress could mediate these costs, as immune-activation can increase the production of reactive oxygen species leading to oxidative stress. However, this hypothesis has rarely been tested in free-ranging wild populations, where natural oxidative statuses and compensatory strategies may moderate immune responses and their impacts on oxidative status. Furthermore, the possibility that individuals scale their immune responses according to their oxidative status, conceivably to mitigate such costs, remains virtually unexplored. Here, we experimentally investigate the effects of a phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) immune-challenge on oxidative status in wild male and female white-browed sparrow weavers, Plocepasser mahali. We also establish whether baseline oxidative status prior to challenge predicts the scale of the immune responses. Contrary to previous work on captive animals, our findings suggest that PHA-induced immune-activation does not elicit oxidative stress. Compared with controls (n = 25 birds), PHA-injected birds (n = 27 birds) showed no evidence of a differential change in markers of oxidative damage or enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant protection 24 hours after challenge. We did, however, find that the activity of a key antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, SOD) prior to immune-activation predicted the scale of the resulting swelling: birds with stronger initial SOD activity subsequently produced smaller swellings. Our findings (i) suggest that wild birds can mount immune responses without suffering from systemic oxidative stress, and (ii) lend support to biomedical evidence that baseline oxidative status can impact the scale of immune responses; a possibility not yet recognised in ecological studies of immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic L. Cram
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer E. York
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Andrew J. Young
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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Roach DA, Carey JR. Population Biology of Aging in the Wild. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Empirical studies reveal aging occurs in wild populations. Consideration of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these findings is critical for many areas of research, including life-history evolution, sexual selection, behavior, and applied ecology. Variation in the patterns of age-dependent declines of phenotypic traits has been found both within and among individuals, and this raises future questions aimed at understanding what determines these trajectories across traits and across the tree of life. The presence of older, aging, individuals in populations can have transgenerational effects on offspring and can influence how individuals interact. In some species older individuals in populations can have positive impacts, influencing knowledge and leadership, postreproductive care, and population cycle stabilization. Aging and long life span also need to be recognized in an applied ecology context including management plans, vector-borne disease transmission, and ecotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A. Roach
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - James R. Carey
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 and Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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28
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Cram DL, Blount JD, Young AJ. Oxidative status and social dominance in a wild cooperative breeder. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dominic L. Cram
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Jonathan D. Blount
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Andrew J. Young
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation College of Life & Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
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29
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Pap PL, Sesarman A, Vágási CI, Buehler DM, Pătraş L, Versteegh MA, Banciu M. No Evidence for Parasitism-Linked Changes in Immune Function or Oxidative Physiology over the Annual Cycle of an Avian Species. Physiol Biochem Zool 2014; 87:729-39. [DOI: 10.1086/676934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Taff CC, Freeman-Gallant CR. An experimental test of the testosterone mediated oxidation handicap hypothesis in a wild bird. Horm Behav 2014; 66:276-82. [PMID: 24907452 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [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: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The oxidation handicap hypothesis (OHH) proposed that honesty in sexual signals is maintained when testosterone simultaneously promotes the development of elaborate signals and imposes an oxidative cost. Although there is evidence that testosterone enhances display traits in some cases, relatively few studies have tested the prediction that testosterone generates oxidative costs. We tested this prediction experimentally by administering testosterone (n=14) and control (n=14) implants to free-living common yellowthroat warblers (Geothlypis trichas) and quantifying testosterone and oxidative state before and 35±15days after implantation. We interpreted our experimental results in the context of a larger database of 83 unmanipulated males observed over five breeding seasons. In our observational data, testosterone was related to aspects of the carotenoid-based bib, but these relationships were age-dependent. Bib coloration was related to testosterone only for first time breeders, while bib size was positively and negatively associated with testosterone among experienced and inexperienced breeders, respectively. Two measures of oxidative metabolism-damage to DNA and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)-were unrelated to endogenous testosterone. Despite the correlation between endogenous testosterone and plumage, our experimental results failed to support the key prediction of the OHH. Testosterone treated males had higher levels of TAC upon recapture, but oxidative damage to DNA did not differ from controls. Because antioxidants can protect against the harmful effects of oxidative stress, one interpretation of our results is that males physiologically compensated for elevated testosterone, avoiding the honesty enforcing mechanism of the OHH. Taken together, our results suggest that testosterone is not a direct mediator of honest signaling in yellowthroats via its effects on oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor C Taff
- Department of Evolution & Ecology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California-Davis, USA.
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31
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Rodríguez A, Broggi J, Alcaide M, Negro JJ, Figuerola J. Determinants and short-term physiological consequences of PHA immune response in lesser kestrel nestlings. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 321:376-86. [PMID: 24807828 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2013] [Revised: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Individual immune responses are likely affected by genetic, physiological, and environmental determinants. We studied the determinants and short-term consequences of Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) induced immune response, a commonly used immune challenge eliciting both innate and acquired immunity, on lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) nestlings in semi-captivity conditions and with a homogeneous diet composition. We conducted a repeated measures analyses of a set of blood parameters (carotenoids, triglycerides, β-hydroxybutyrate, cholesterol, uric acid, urea, total proteins, and total antioxidant capacity), metabolic (resting metabolic rate), genotypic (MHC class II B heterozygosity), and biometric (body mass) variables. PHA challenge did not affect the studied physiological parameters on a short-term basis (<12 hr), except plasma concentrations of triglycerides and carotenoids, which decreased and increased, respectively. Uric acid was the only physiological parameter correlated with the PHA induced immune response (skin swelling), but the change of body mass, cholesterol, total antioxidant capacity, and triglycerides between sessions (i.e., post-pre treatment) were also positively correlated to PHA response. No relationships were detected between MHC gene heterozygosity or resting metabolic rate and PHA response. Our results indicate that PHA response in lesser kestrel nestlings growing in optimal conditions does not imply a severe energetic cost 12 hr after challenge, but is condition-dependent as a rapid mobilization of carotenoids and decrease of triglycerides is elicited on a short-term basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airam Rodríguez
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Seville, Spain; Department of Research, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Cowes, Victoria, Australia
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Romero-Haro AA, Alonso-Alvarez C. Covariation in Oxidative Stress Markers in the Blood of Nestling and Adult Birds. Physiol Biochem Zool 2014; 87:353-62. [DOI: 10.1086/674432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Yücel CK, Bor M, Ryser P. Interspecific diversity in root antioxidative enzyme activities reflect root turnover strategies and preferred habitats in wetland graminoids. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:831-40. [PMID: 24683465 PMCID: PMC3967908 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Antioxidant enzymes protect cells against oxidative stress and are associated with stress tolerance and longevity. In animals, variation in their activities has been shown to relate to species ecology, but in plants, comparative studies with wild species are rare. We investigated activities of five antioxidant enzymes - ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) - in roots of four perennial graminoid wetland species over a growing season to find out whether differences in root turnover or habitat preferences would be associated with variation in seasonal patterns of antioxidant enzyme activities. The investigated species differ in their root turnover strategies (fine roots senesce in the fall or fine roots survive the winter) and habitat preferences (nutrient-poor vs. productive wetlands). Roots were collected both in the field and from garden-grown plants. Antioxidant enzyme activities were higher and lipid peroxidation rates lower in species with annual root systems, and for species of the nutrient-poor wetland, compared with perennial roots and species of productive wetlands, respectively. There was variation in the activities of individual antioxidant enzymes, but discriminant analyses with all enzymes revealed a clear picture, indicating consistent associations of antioxidant enzyme activities with the type of root turnover strategy and with the preferred habitat. We conclude that antioxidant enzyme activities in plant roots are associated with the species' ecological strategies and can be used as traits for the characterization of the species' position along plant economics spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cağdaş Kera Yücel
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada ; Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Ege University Bornova, Izmir, 35100, Turkey
| | - Melike Bor
- Department of Biology, Science Faculty, Ege University Bornova, Izmir, 35100, Turkey
| | - Peter Ryser
- Department of Biology, Laurentian University 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
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Hanssen SA, Bustnes JO, Schnug L, Bourgeon S, Johnsen TV, Ballesteros M, Sonne C, Herzke D, Eulaers I, Jaspers VLB, Covaci A, Eens M, Halley DJ, Moum T, Ims RA, Erikstad KE. Antiparasite treatments reduce humoral immunity and impact oxidative status in raptor nestlings. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:5157-66. [PMID: 24455145 PMCID: PMC3892325 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Revised: 10/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites are natural stressors that may have multiple negative effects on their host as they usurp energy and nutrients and may lead to costly immune responses that may cause oxidative stress. At early stages, animals may be more sensitive to infectious organisms because of their rapid growth and partly immature immune system. The objective of this study was to explore effects of parasites by treating chicks of two raptor species (northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis and white-tailed sea eagle Haliaeetus albicilla) against both endoparasites (internal parasites) and ectoparasites (external parasites). Nests were either treated against ectoparasites by spraying with pyrethrin or left unsprayed as control nests. Within each nest, chicks were randomly orally treated with either an antihelminthic medication (fenbendazole) or sterile water as control treatment. We investigated treatment effects on plasma (1) total antioxidant capacity TAC (an index of nonenzymatic circulating antioxidant defenses), (2) total oxidant status TOS (a measure of plasmatic oxidants), and (3) immunoglobulin levels (a measure of humoral immune function). Treatment against ectoparasites led to a reduction in circulating immunoglobulin plasma levels in male chicks. TOS was higher when not receiving any parasite reduction treatment and when receiving both endo- and ectoparasitic reduction treatment compared with receiving only one treatment. TAC was higher in all treatment groups, when compared to controls. Despite the relatively low sample size, this experimental study suggests complex but similar relationships between treatment groups and oxidative status and immunoglobulin levels in two raptor species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sveinn Are Hanssen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Lisbeth Schnug
- Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, Soil, Water and Environment Division Fr. A. Dahlsvei 20, N-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Sophie Bourgeon
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Trond Vidar Johnsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Manuel Ballesteros
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christian Sonne
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Dorte Herzke
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Igor Eulaers
- Ethology Research Group, Department of Biology and Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Veerle L B Jaspers
- Ethology Research Group, Department of Biology and Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium ; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) 7491, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Ethology Research Group, Department of Biology and Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Ethology Research Group, Department of Biology and Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Duncan J Halley
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Tungasletta 2, N-7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Truls Moum
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Marine Genomics group, University of Nordland N-8049, Bodø, Norway
| | - Rolf Anker Ims
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Unit for Arctic Ecology, Fram Centre N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
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Costantini D, Monaghan P, Metcalfe N. Loss of integration is associated with reduced resistance to oxidative stress. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:2213-20. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.083154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Summary
One cellular mechanism thought to be particularly important as a constraint on lifespan and life-history strategies is oxidative stress. Susceptibility to oxidative stress is influenced by a number of antioxidant defences, whose effectiveness depends on the synergistic and competitive interactions among them (biochemical integration). It is generally assumed that exposure to oxidative stress is detrimental, but it is also possible that low level oxidative stress has a positive effect on integration, and therefore carries some benefits. Using three experimental groups of zebra finches (control, mild and high flight activity), we tested whether exercise-induced oxidative stress altered the integration of the pro-oxidant/antioxidant system by manipulating levels of flight activity, known to generate oxidative stress in birds. We show for the first time that a short-term high level of physical activity leads to a reduction in integration among components of the blood antioxidant defences, associated with a reduced resistance to oxidative stress. We found no evidence of improved integration in the antioxidant defences at low levels of oxidative stress exposure, suggesting that improved integration is not the route whereby any benefits of low level stress exposure occur. These findings point to a reduction in biochemical integration as a potential mechanism explaining a reduced resistance to oxidative stress induced by short-term stressors.
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Lucas A, Morales J, Velando A. Differential effects of specific carotenoids on oxidative damage and immune response of gull chicks. J Exp Biol 2013; 217:1253-62. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.098004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
Micronutrients are essential for normal metabolic processes during early development. Concretely, it has been suggested that diet-derived carotenoids can play a key role in physiological functions due to their antioxidant and immunostimulant properties. However, their role as antioxidants remains controversial. Additionally, it is also unclear whether oxidative stress mediates their immunostimulatory effects. In this field study, we separately supplemented yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis, Naumann 1840) chicks with two carotenoids (lutein and β-carotene) with different molecular structure and different transformation pathways into other oxidative forms of carotenoids. We quantified their effect on the oxidative status and the immune response of chicks before and after an oxidative challenge with Paraquat, a pro-oxidant molecule. Prior to oxidative challenge, no carotenoid treatment affected the oxidative status of chicks, but they enhanced the inflammatory response to an antigen compared to controls. The oxidative challenge enhanced plasma vitamin E levels (but not in β-carotene supplemented chicks) and the antioxidant capacity in the short term. Interestingly, lutein-supplemented chicks showed lower oxidative damage to proteins than non-lutein supplemented chicks. After the oxidative challenge, the positive effect of carotenoid supplementation on the immune response disappeared. Thus, these results suggest differential effects of two carotenoids with different molecular structure on the oxidative status. Lutein but not β-carotene helps to combat oxidative damage after a free-radical exposure. Additionally, the results indicate that the immunostimulatory effects of carotenoids are linked to oxidative status during early life.
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37
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Physiological costs enforce the honesty of lek display in the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). Oecologia 2012; 172:983-93. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2548-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2012] [Accepted: 11/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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38
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Hill GE, Johnson JD. The Vitamin A–Redox Hypothesis: A Biochemical Basis for Honest Signaling via Carotenoid Pigmentation. Am Nat 2012; 180:E127-50. [DOI: 10.1086/667861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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39
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Physiological regulatory networks: ecological roles and evolutionary constraints. Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:428-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2011] [Revised: 03/26/2012] [Accepted: 04/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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40
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Differential effects of testosterone metabolites oestradiol and dihydrotestosterone on oxidative stress and carotenoid-dependent colour expression in a bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1387-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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41
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Buehler DM, Vézina F, Goymann W, Schwabl I, Versteegh M, Tieleman BI, Piersma T. Independence among physiological traits suggests flexibility in the face of ecological demands on phenotypes. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:1600-13. [PMID: 22686517 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02543.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic flexibility allows animals to adjust their physiology to diverse environmental conditions encountered over the year. Examining how these varying traits covary gives insights into potential constraints or freedoms that may shape evolutionary trajectories. In this study, we examined relationships among haematocrit, baseline corticosterone concentration, constitutive immune function and basal metabolic rate in red knot Calidris canutus islandica individuals subjected to experimentally manipulated temperature treatments over an entire annual cycle. If covariation among traits is constrained, we predict consistent covariation within and among individuals. We further predict consistent correlations between physiological and metabolic traits if constraints underlie species-level patterns found along the slow-fast pace-of-life continuum. We found no consistent correlations among haematocrit, baseline corticosterone concentration, immune function and basal metabolic rate either within or among individuals. This provides no evidence for constraints limiting relationships among these measures of the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and metabolic systems in individual red knots. Rather, our data suggest that knots are free to adjust individual parts of their physiology independently. This makes good sense if one places the animal within its ecological context where different aspects of the environment might put different pressures on different aspects of physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Buehler
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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42
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Sepp T, Sild E, Blount JD, Männiste M, Karu U, Hõrak P. Individual Consistency and Covariation of Measures of Oxidative Status in Greenfinches. Physiol Biochem Zool 2012; 85:299-307. [DOI: 10.1086/664827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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43
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Orledge JM, Blount JD, Hoodless AN, Pike TW, Royle NJ. Synergistic effects of supplementation of dietary antioxidants during growth on adult phenotype in ring-necked pheasants,Phasianus colchicus. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01932.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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44
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van de Crommenacker J, Richardson DS, Koltz AM, Hutchings K, Komdeur J. Parasitic infection and oxidative status are associated and vary with breeding activity in the Seychelles warbler. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:1466-76. [PMID: 22048952 PMCID: PMC3282338 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites can have detrimental effects on host fitness, and infection typically results in the stimulation of the immune system. While defending against infection, the immune system generates toxic oxidants; if these are not sufficiently counteracted by the antioxidant system, a state of oxidative stress can occur. Here, we investigated the relationship between parasitic infection—using malarial infection as a model—and oxidative status in a natural population of the Seychelles warbler, while taking into account potentially interacting environmental covariates. We found that malaria is associated with increased susceptibility to oxidative stress, but this depends on the breeding stage: only during the energetically demanding provisioning stage did infected birds have higher oxidative stress susceptibility than non-infected birds. The imbalance in oxidative status was caused by a marked increase in oxidant levels observed only in infected birds during provisioning and by an overall reduction in antioxidant capacity observed in all birds across the breeding cycle. This finding implies that higher workload while dealing with an infection could aggravate oxidative repercussions. Malarial infection was not associated with body condition loss, suggesting that even when conditional effects are not directly visible, detrimental effects may still manifest themselves over the longer term through the oxidative consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janske van de Crommenacker
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-organization, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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45
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Labrada-Martagón V, Rodríguez PAT, Méndez-Rodríguez LC, Zenteno-Savín T. Oxidative stress indicators and chemical contaminants in East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting two foraging coastal lagoons in the Baja California peninsula. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2011; 154:65-75. [PMID: 21377544 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2011.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2010] [Revised: 02/19/2011] [Accepted: 02/22/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In order to determine the potential effects of contaminants in juveniles of East Pacific green turtle, Chelonia mydas, captured alive, circulating trace metal and organochlorine pesticide concentrations were correlated with body condition, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation levels. Turtles were sampled in Punta Abreojos (PAO) and Bahía Magdalena (BMA). Turtles from PAO showed higher silicon and cadmium concentrations, but lower α-hexachlorocyclohexane, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene and aldrin concentrations than individuals from BMA. In BMA cadmium concentration decreased as the standard carapace length of the turtles increased. In PAO concentrations of α-hexachlorocyclohexane, heptachlor and hexachlorobenzene were positively correlated with the weight of the individuals. Lipid peroxidation levels were positively correlated with cadmium concentrations. In turtles captured in PAO, enzymatic antioxidant activities correlated mostly with pesticide concentrations, while in individuals from BMA enzyme activities were correlated with trace element concentrations. Correlations between antioxidant enzyme activities and concentration of xenobiotics suggest physiological sensitivity of East Pacific green turtles to chemicals. Regional differences found could be influenced by habitat conditions such as currents, upwellings (PAO) and agricultural activities (BMA). We suggest that, combined, circulating contaminant concentrations, lipid peroxidation levels and antioxidant enzyme activities in sea turtles could be used as biomarkers of the habitat conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Labrada-Martagón
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, CIBNOR, Programa de Planeación Ambiental y Conservación, Playa Palo Santa Rita, La Paz, Baja California Sur, CP, Mexico.
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Martinez-Haro M, Green AJ, Mateo R. Effects of lead exposure on oxidative stress biomarkers and plasma biochemistry in waterbirds in the field. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2011; 111:530-538. [PMID: 21411076 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Revised: 01/27/2011] [Accepted: 02/18/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Medina lagoon in Andalusia has one of the highest densities of spent lead (Pb) shot in Europe. Blood samples from waterbirds were collected in 2006-2008 to measure Pb concentration (PbB), δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), oxidative stress biomarkers and plasma biochemistry. PbB above background levels (>20 μg/dl) was observed in 19% (n=59) of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and in all common pochards (Aythya ferina) (n=4), but common coots (Fulica atra) (n=37) and moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) (n=12) were all <20 μg/dl. ALAD ratio in mallards and coots decreased with PbB levels >6 μg/dl. In mallards, an inhibition of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and an increased level of oxidized glutathione (oxGSH) in red blood cells (RBC) were associated with PbB levels >20 μg/dl. In coots, PbB levels were negatively related to vitamin A and carotenoid levels in plasma, and total glutathione in RBCs; and positively related with higher superoxide dismutase and GPx activities and % oxGSH in RBCs. Overall, the results indicate that previously assumed background levels of PbB for birds need to be revised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Martinez-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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Free radical exposure creates paler carotenoid-based ornaments: a possible interaction in the expression of black and red traits. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19403. [PMID: 21556328 PMCID: PMC3083443 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2010] [Accepted: 04/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress could be a key selective force shaping the expression of colored traits produced by the primary animal pigments in integuments: carotenoids and melanins. However, the impact of oxidative stress on melanic ornaments has only recently been explored, whereas its role in the expression of carotenoid-based traits is not fully understood. An interesting study case is that of those animal species simultaneously expressing both kinds of ornaments, such as the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa). In this bird, individuals exposed to an exogenous source of free radicals (diquat) during their development produced larger eumelanin-based (black) plumage traits than controls. Here, we show that the same red-legged partridges exposed to diquat simultaneously developed paler carotenoid-based ornaments (red beak and eye rings), and carried lower circulating carotenoid levels as well as lower levels of some lipids involved in carotenoid transport in the bloodstream (i.e., cholesterol). Moreover, partridges treated with a hormone that stimulates eumelanin production (i.e., alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone) also increased blood carotenoid levels, but this effect was not mirrored in the expression of carotenoid-based traits. The redness of carotenoid-based ornaments and the size of a conspicuous eumelanic trait (the black bib) were negatively correlated in control birds, suggesting a physiological trade-off during development. These findings contradict recent studies questioning the sensitivity of carotenoids to oxidative stress. Nonetheless, the impact of free radicals on plasma carotenoids seems to be partially mediated by changes in cholesterol metabolism, and not by direct carotenoid destruction/consumption. The results highlight the capacity of oxidative stress to create multiple phenotypes during development through differential effects on carotenoids and melanins, raising questions about evolutionary constraints involved in the production of multiple ornaments by the same organism.
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48
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van de Crommenacker J, Horrocks NPC, Versteegh MA, Komdeur J, Tieleman BI, Matson KD. Effects of immune supplementation and immune challenge on oxidative status and physiology in a model bird: implications for ecologists. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 213:3527-35. [PMID: 20889833 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.045591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
One route to gain insight into the causes and consequences of ecological differentiation is to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms. We explored the relationships between immunological and oxidative status and investigated how birds cope physiologically with the effects of immune-derived oxidative damage. We successively implemented two experimental manipulations to alter physiological status in a model bird species: the homing pigeon (Columba livia). The first manipulation, an immune supplementation, was achieved by oral administration of lysozyme, a naturally occurring and non-specific antimicrobial enzyme. The second manipulation, an immune challenge, took the form of an injection with lipopolysaccharide, a bacterial endotoxin. Between groups of lysozyme-treated and control birds, we compared lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in reactive oxygen metabolites, total antioxidant capacity, haptoglobin, oxygen consumption, body mass and cloacal temperature. Lysozyme supplementation intensified the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response and generated short-term oxidative and metabolic costs. We identified significant interactions between immune supplementation and immune challenge in terms of reactive oxygen metabolites, haptoglobin and oxygen consumption. Our study provides alternative interpretations of differences in oxidative and immunological indices and demonstrates that these indices can also fluctuate and interact across very short time scales, reflecting something akin to current 'health status' or 'physiological condition'. These ephemeral effects highlight the need to broadly consider current physiological condition when drawing conclusions that relate physiology to ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janske van de Crommenacker
- Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands.
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McGraw KJ. Avian Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress: Highlights from Studies of Food, Physiology, and Feathers. OXIDATIVE STRESS IN APPLIED BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-61779-071-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
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50
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Beaulieu M, Reichert S, Le Maho Y, Ancel A, Criscuolo F. Oxidative status and telomere length in a long-lived bird facing a costly reproductive event. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01825.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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