1
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Nemeth M, Fritscher S, Füreder K, Wallner B, Millesi E. Metabolic rate and saliva cortisol concentrations in socially housed adolescent guinea pigs. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-024-01576-y. [PMID: 39017684 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01576-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
An individual's energetic demands and hence metabolic rate can strongly change during adolescence, a phase characterized by profound morphological, physiological, and endocrine changes. Glucocorticoid hormones (e.g. cortisol) are released in response to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis activity, modulate several metabolic processes, and can also be linked to increased metabolic rate. In domestic guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) housed in same-sex groups, cortisol concentrations increase during adolescence in males but remain stable in females, which was suggested to be related to different energetic demands by age. We therefore measured metabolic rate through oxygen (O2) consumption over 2.5 h in male and female guinea pigs housed in same-sex groups during adolescence at ages of 60, 120, and 180 days, which was paralleled by analyses of saliva cortisol concentrations before and after the measurement. The statistical analyses involved whole body metabolic rate (ml O2/h), body mass-corrected metabolic rate (ml O2/h/kg), and body mass-independent metabolic rate (ml O2/h statistically corrected for body mass). We found increasing cortisol concentrations with age in males only, but none of the three metabolic rate analyses revealed a sex difference by age. On the individual level, repeatability across ages was found in metabolic rate as well as in body mass and cortisol concentrations after the measurement, but not in "basal" cortisol concentrations. Our results suggest no sex-specific changes in metabolic rate and hence equal energetic demands in male and female guinea pigs during adolescence. Moreover, metabolic rate clearly represents a highly stable physiological trait already early in a guinea pig's life irrespective of rather fluctuating cortisol concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Nemeth
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, University of Vienna Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Susanna Fritscher
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, University of Vienna Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klara Füreder
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, University of Vienna Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernard Wallner
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, University of Vienna Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- University Research Platform "The Stress of Life (SOLE)", University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Millesi
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, University of Vienna Biology Building, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- University Research Platform "The Stress of Life (SOLE)", University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Speakman JR, de Jong JMA, Sinha S, Westerterp KR, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, Ainslie PN, Anderson LJ, Arab L, Bedu-Addo K, Blanc S, Bonomi AG, Bovet P, Brage S, Buchowski MS, Butte NF, Camps SGJA, Cooper JA, Cooper R, Das SK, Davies PSW, Dugas LR, Ekelund U, Entringer S, Forrester T, Fudge BW, Gillingham M, Ghosh S, Goris AH, Gurven M, Halsey LG, Hambly C, Haisma HH, Hoffman D, Hu S, Joosen AM, Kaplan JL, Katzmarzyk P, Kraus WE, Kushner RF, Leonard WR, Löf M, Martin CK, Matsiko E, Medin AC, Meijer EP, Neuhouser ML, Nicklas TA, Ojiambo RM, Pietiläinen KH, Plange-Rhule J, Plasqui G, Prentice RL, Racette SB, Raichlen DA, Ravussin E, Redman LM, Roberts SB, Rudolph MC, Sardinha LB, Schuit AJ, Silva AM, Stice E, Urlacher SS, Valenti G, Van Etten LM, Van Mil EA, Wood BM, Yanovski JA, Yoshida T, Zhang X, Murphy-Alford AJ, Loechl CU, Kurpad A, Luke AH, Pontzer H, Rodeheffer MS, Rood J, Schoeller DA, Wong WW. Total daily energy expenditure has declined over the past three decades due to declining basal expenditure, not reduced activity expenditure. Nat Metab 2023; 5:579-588. [PMID: 37100994 PMCID: PMC10445668 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-023-00782-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Obesity is caused by a prolonged positive energy balance1,2. Whether reduced energy expenditure stemming from reduced activity levels contributes is debated3,4. Here we show that in both sexes, total energy expenditure (TEE) adjusted for body composition and age declined since the late 1980s, while adjusted activity energy expenditure increased over time. We use the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labelled Water database on energy expenditure of adults in the United States and Europe (n = 4,799) to explore patterns in total (TEE: n = 4,799), basal (BEE: n = 1,432) and physical activity energy expenditure (n = 1,432) over time. In males, adjusted BEE decreased significantly, but in females this did not reach significance. A larger dataset of basal metabolic rate (equivalent to BEE) measurements of 9,912 adults across 163 studies spanning 100 years replicates the decline in BEE in both sexes. We conclude that increasing obesity in the United States/Europe has probably not been fuelled by reduced physical activity leading to lowered TEE. We identify here a decline in adjusted BEE as a previously unrecognized factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Speakman
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- CAS Center of Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, China.
| | - Jasper M A de Jong
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Srishti Sinha
- St Johns Medical college, Bengaluru, India
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaas R Westerterp
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Yosuke Yamada
- National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.
- Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Hiroyuki Sagayama
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Philip N Ainslie
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Liam J Anderson
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lenore Arab
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kweku Bedu-Addo
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Stephane Blanc
- Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Pascal Bovet
- University Center for Primary care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Ministry of Health, Victoria, Seychelles
| | - Soren Brage
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maciej S Buchowski
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutritiion, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nancy F Butte
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Stefan G J A Camps
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jamie A Cooper
- Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Nutritional Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Richard Cooper
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Sai Krupa Das
- Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter S W Davies
- Child Health Research Centre, Centre for Children's Health Research, University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lara R Dugas
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ulf Ekelund
- Department of Sport Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany
- University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Terrence Forrester
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
| | | | - Melanie Gillingham
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - Annelies H Goris
- IMEC within OnePlanet Research Center, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Lewis G Halsey
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Hinke H Haisma
- Population Research Centre, Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Daniel Hoffman
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Program in International Nutrition, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Sumei Hu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Engineering and Technology Research Center of Food Additives, National Soybean Processing Industry Technology Innovation Center, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
| | - Annemiek M Joosen
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jennifer L Kaplan
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | - William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Marie Löf
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Corby K Martin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Eric Matsiko
- Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Anine C Medin
- Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Erwin P Meijer
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Marian L Neuhouser
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Theresa A Nicklas
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert M Ojiambo
- Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
- University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | - Jacob Plange-Rhule
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Guy Plasqui
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ross L Prentice
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Susan B Racette
- Program in Physical Therapy and Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David A Raichlen
- Biological Sciences and Anthropology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eric Ravussin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | | | - Susan B Roberts
- Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C Rudolph
- Department of Physiology and Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, Oklahoma University Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Luis B Sardinha
- Exercise and Health Laboratory, CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Analiza M Silva
- Exercise and Health Laboratory, CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Samuel S Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Child and Brain Development program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giulio Valenti
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ludo M Van Etten
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Edgar A Van Mil
- Maastricht University, Campus Venlo and Lifestyle Medicine Center for Children, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
| | - Brian M Wood
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jack A Yanovski
- Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tsukasa Yoshida
- National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alexia J Murphy-Alford
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cornelia U Loechl
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Amy H Luke
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA.
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Matthew S Rodeheffer
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Center of Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Physiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Jennifer Rood
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - Dale A Schoeller
- Biotech Center and Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - William W Wong
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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3
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Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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4
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Volkova AA, Berezantseva MS, Afonov KI, Spiridonov AV, Polikarpova DR, Zhukova EA, Demina IV, Tsvey AL. Relations between the Leukocyte Profile and the Energy State, Hematocrit, and Blood Metabolites in the Great Tit (Parus major). BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359022080222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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5
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Mentesana L, Hau M. Glucocorticoids in a warming world: Do they help birds to cope with high environmental temperatures? Horm Behav 2022; 142:105178. [PMID: 35561643 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is threatening biodiversity world-wide. One of its most prominent manifestations are rising global temperatures and higher frequencies of heat waves. High environmental temperatures may be particularly challenging for endotherms, which expend considerable parts of their energy budget and water resources on thermoregulation. Thermoregulation involves phenotypic plasticity in behavioral and physiological traits. Information on causal mechanisms that support plastic thermoregulatory strategies is key to understand how environmental information is transmitted and whether they impose trade-offs or constraints that determine how endotherms cope with climate warming. In this review, we focus on glucocorticoids, metabolic hormones that orchestrate plastic responses to various environmental stimuli including temperature. To evaluate how they may mediate behavioral and physiological responses to high environmental temperatures, we 1) briefly review the major thermoregulatory strategies in birds; 2) summarize the functions of baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid concentrations; 3) synthesize the current knowledge of the relationship between circulating glucocorticoids and high environmental temperatures in birds; 4) generate hypotheses for how glucocorticoids may support plastic thermoregulatory responses to high environmental temperatures that occur over different time-frames (i.e., acute, short- and longer-term); and 5) discuss open questions on how glucocorticoids, and their relationship with thermoregulation, may evolve. Throughout this review we highlight that our knowledge, particularly on free-living populations, is really limited and outline promising avenues for future research. As evolutionary endocrinologists we now need to step up and identify the costs, benefits, and evolution of glucocorticoid plasticity to elucidate how they may help birds cope with a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Mentesana
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany.
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6
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MacLeod KJ, Langkilde T, Heppner JJ, Howey CAF, Sprayberry K, Tylan C, Sheriff MJ. Compensating for a stressful pregnancy? Glucocorticoid treatment during gravidity reduces metabolic rate in female fence lizards post-parturition. Horm Behav 2021; 136:105072. [PMID: 34628291 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Reproduction is a critical part of an animal's life history, but one which incurs significant costs to survival and future reproductive potential. These physiological consequences are likely to be influenced by context - for example, if an individual is subject to environmental stressors, physiological and behavioral changes associated with reproduction may be altered. Glucocorticoids, hormones produced as part of the physiological response to stressors, may alter how reproduction affects female physiology and behavior, and therefore the outcomes of reproductive trade-offs. Glucocorticoids prioritize immediate survival over reproduction, for example through changes in immune function, metabolic rate, and foraging, which may reduce energy expenditure or increase energy gain. However, we previously found that female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) experiencing elevated glucocorticoid levels during gestation were nevertheless able to maintain reproductive output and body condition. Here we investigate compensatory mechanisms by which eastern fence lizard females may maintain reproduction under experimental increases in a glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT). We found that, although CORT-treated females had similar immune function and behavior, they had reduced metabolic rates 3-5 days post-parturition compared to control females. Given that CORT-treated females spent a similar time basking and had equal food intake compared to control females, we suggest that the reduced metabolic rate is a mechanism by which CORT-treated females maintain their energy balance and reduce the energetic costs of gestation during periods of stress. This study suggests that physiological responses to reproduction may be context-dependent and could act to minimize costs of reproduction in situations where CORT is elevated (such as during periods of environmental stress).
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Affiliation(s)
- K J MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund 223 62, Sweden.
| | - T Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - J J Heppner
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - C A F Howey
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 18510, USA
| | - K Sprayberry
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - C Tylan
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - M J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
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7
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Delgadillo E, Glidden C, Pollak M, Rysenga H, Jolles A, Beechler B. The Benefit of Hedgerow Access on the Health and Growth Rate of Pasture Raised Broiler Chickens. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2021.649924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pasture rearing is an increasingly common option for small farms to produce humanely raised poultry products for an expanding market, however profit margins tend to be much lower for pastured poultry producers than for those that opt for conventional indoor rearing. Research into simple methods to optimize the growth and health of pasture-raised poultry can help small farmers maximize meat yields and decrease the morbidity and mortality of their flock, ultimately leading to higher profit margins and improved animal welfare. The objective of this study was to measure how the inclusion of mature, native foliage into pastures can impact the production performance and overall health status of two different popular breeds of commercial broiler chickens; fast-growing Cornish cross and slower growing Red rangers. During the finisher phase (30–78 days old), pastured chickens were separated by breed into either a treatment population with access to a mature bordering hedgerow, or a control population without access to a hedgerow. Weekly weight gain, daily feed intake and basic hematologic values were used to evaluate differences in the production performance and health status between each population. We found that hedge access led to a significant improvement in the rate of gain of the Cornish cross without an associated increase in feed intake, suggesting that the addition of hedges can increase meat yields in fast-growing broilers without increasing feed costs. Red rangers with hedge access demonstrated an improved ability to neutralize bacterial pathogens in whole blood and a lesser degree of hemodilution compared to control populations, suggesting improved immune function and a lower degree of heat stress in these populations. We conclude that the addition of natural environmental enrichment such as mature foliage to grass pastures can lead to improved production performance in fast-growing broilers and improvements in the health and immune function of slower growing broiler chickens.
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8
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Jimeno B, Prichard MR, Landry D, Wolf C, Larkin B, Cheviron Z, Breuner C. Metabolic Rates Predict Baseline Corticosterone and Reproductive Output in a Free-Living Passerine. Integr Org Biol 2021; 2:obaa030. [PMID: 33791569 PMCID: PMC7794023 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms continuously face environmental fluctuations, and allocation of metabolic investment to meet changing energetic demands is fundamental to survival and reproductive success. Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones (e.g., corticosterone [CORT]) play an important role in energy acquisition and allocation in the face of environmental challenges, partly through mediation of energy metabolism. Although GCs and metabolic rate are expected to covary, surprisingly few empirical studies have demonstrated such relationships, especially in wild animals. Moreover, studies testing for associations between GCs and fitness generally do not account for among-individual differences in energy expenditure or energy allocation. We measured CORT (baseline and stress-induced) and metabolic traits (resting metabolic rate [RMR], cold-induced VO2max [Msum], and aerobic scope [the difference between Msum and RMR]) in female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) during chick-rearing, and tested for their associations with several variables of reproductive performance. We found a positive relationship between RMR and baseline CORT, but no consistent associations between stress-induced CORT (SI-CORT) and Msum. This suggests that while baseline CORT may be a good indicator of an individual's baseline metabolic investment, SI-CORT responses are not associated with aerobic scope or the upper limits of aerobic performance. Furthermore, we found that metabolic traits were associated with reproductive performance: females with higher reproductive output showed higher Msum, and also tended to show higher RMR. Overall, these results suggest that metabolic traits are better predictors of reproductive output in tree swallows than CORT concentrations. They further point to the maximal aerobic capacity being higher in females investing more heavily in a current reproductive event, but whether this association reflects trade-offs between current and future reproductive efforts remains to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Jimeno
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Mackenzie R Prichard
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.,Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Cole Wolf
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | | | - Zachary Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Creagh Breuner
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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9
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Le Pogam A, Love OP, Régimbald L, Dubois K, Hallot F, Milbergue M, Petit M, O'Connor RS, Vézina F. Wintering Snow Buntings Elevate Cold Hardiness to Extreme Levels but Show No Changes in Maintenance Costs. Physiol Biochem Zool 2021; 93:417-433. [PMID: 33048603 DOI: 10.1086/711370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractResident temperate passerines adjust their phenotypes to cope with winter constraints, with peak performance in metabolic traits typically occurring during the coldest months. However, it is sparsely known whether cold-adapted northern species make similar adjustments when faced with variable seasonal environments. Life in near-constant cold could be associated with limited flexibility in traits underlying cold endurance. We investigated this by tracking individual physiological changes over five consecutive winters in snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis), an Arctic-breeding migratory passerine typically confronted with nearly constant cold. Buntings were held in an outdoor aviary and exposed to seasonal temperature variation typical of temperate zone climates. We measured phenotypic changes in body composition (body, fat, and lean mass, pectoralis muscle thickness), oxygen transport capacity (hematocrit), metabolic performance (basal metabolic rate [BMR] and summit metabolic rate [Msum]), thermogenic endurance (time to reach Msum), and cold tolerance (temperature at Msum). Snow buntings showed flexibility in functions underlying thermogenic capacity and cold endurance comparable to that observed in temperate resident passerines wintering at similar latitudes. Specifically, they increased body mass (13%), fat mass (246%), hematocrit (23%), pectoralis muscle thickness (8%), and Msum (27%). We also found remarkable cold tolerance in these birds, with individuals reaching Msum in helox at temperatures equivalent to less than -90°C in air. However, in contrast with resident temperate passerines, lean mass decreased by 12%, and there was no clear increase in maintenance costs (BMR). Our results show that the flexibility of traits underlying thermal acclimatization in a cold-adapted northern species is comparable to that of temperate resident species living at lower latitudes and is therefore not limited by life in near-constant cold.
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10
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Schwabl H, Partecke J. Developmental programming of the adrenocortical stress response by yolk testosterone depends on sex and life history stage. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220152. [PMID: 32967995 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Developmental exposure of embryos to maternal hormones such as testosterone in the avian egg influences the expression of multiple traits, with certain effects being sex specific and lasting into adulthood. This pleiotropy, sex dependency and persistency may be the consequence of developmental programming of basic systemic processes such as adrenocortical activity or metabolic rate. We investigated whether experimentally increased in ovo exposure to testosterone influenced hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal function, i.e. baseline and stress-induced corticosterone secretion, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) of adult male and female house sparrows (Passer domesticus). In previous experiments with this passerine bird we demonstrated effects of embryonic testosterone exposure on adult agonistic and sexual behavior and survival. Here we report that baseline corticosterone levels and the stress secretion profile of corticosterone are modified by in ovo testosterone in a sex-specific and life history stage-dependent manner. Compared with controls, males from testosterone-treated eggs had higher baseline corticosterone levels, whereas females from testosterone-treated eggs showed prolonged stress-induced corticosterone secretion during the reproductive but not the non-reproductive phase. Adult RMR was unaffected by in ovo testosterone treatment but correlated with integrated corticosterone stress secretion levels. We conclude that exposure of the embryo to testosterone programs the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in a sex-specific manner that in females depends, in expression, on reproductive state. The modified baseline corticosterone levels in males and stress-induced corticosterone levels in females may explain some of the long-lasting effects of maternal testosterone in the egg on behavior and could be linked to previously observed reduced mortality of testosterone-treated females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hubert Schwabl
- School of Biological Sciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
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11
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Videla EA, Giayetto O, Fernández ME, Chacana PA, Marín RH, Nazar FN. Immediate and transgenerational effects of thymol supplementation, inactivated Salmonella and chronic heat stress on representative immune variables of Japanese quail. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18152. [PMID: 33097768 PMCID: PMC7584634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74547-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental challenges are integrated in the inmunoneuroendocrine interplay, impacting the immune system of the challenged individuals, and potentially implying transgenerational effects on their offspring. This study addressed whether dietary supplementation with thymol can modulate the immune response of adult Japanese quail when simultaneously exposed to an inoculum of inactivated Salmonella Enteritidis and a chronic heat stress (CHS). We also evaluated whether the experienced situations by adults can affect the immune response of their undisturbed offspring. In the parental generation, supplemented quail exposed to CHS had a higher inflammatory response and similar values of the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio than those that were not supplemented. In their offspring, those chicks whose parents were exposed to CHS showed higher inflammatory response and lower antibody production. Regarding the H/L ratio, chicks whose parents were supplemented showed lower H/L ratio values. Dietary supplementation with thymol partially and positively modulated the inflammatory response and avoided H/L ratio alteration in the parental generation exposed to high environmental temperatures, suggesting these adults were better at dealing with the challenge. The lower H/L ratio values in the offspring suggests that chicks are more capable to deal with potential stressful situations associated with conventional breeding conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Videla
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,School of Biology, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
| | - O Giayetto
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M E Fernández
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - P A Chacana
- Instituto de Patobiología, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), C1033AAE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - R H Marín
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - F N Nazar
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Department of Animal Production, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
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12
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Giayetto O, Videla EA, Chacana P, Jaime C, Marín RH, Nazar FN. Modulating offspring responses: concerted effects of stress and immunogenic challenge in the parental generation. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb219386. [PMID: 32680897 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.219386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The perception, processing and response to environmental challenges involves the activation of the immuno-neuroendocrine (INE) interplay. Concerted environmental challenges might induce trade-off when resource allocation to one trait occurs at the expense of another, also producing potential transgenerational effects in the offspring. We evaluated whether concerted challenges, in the form of an immune inoculum against inactivated Salmonella enteritidis (immune challenge, ICH) and a chronic heat stress (CHS) exposure on adult Japanese quail, modulate the INE responses of the parental generation and their offspring. Adults were inoculated and later exposed to a CHS along nine consecutive days. For the last 5 days of the CHS, eggs were collected for incubation. Chicks were identified according to their parental treatments and remained undisturbed. Induced inflammatory response, heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and specific humoral response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were evaluated in both generations. Regardless of the ICH, stressed adults showed a reduced inflammatory response and an elevated H/L ratio compared with controls. In offspring, the inflammatory response was elevated and the specific SRBC antibody titres were diminished in those chicks prenatally exposed to CHS, regardless of the ICH. No differences were found in the H/L ratio of the offspring. Together, our results suggest that CHS exposure influences the INE interplay of adult quail, establishing trade-offs within their immune system. Moreover, CHS not only affected parental INE responses but also modulated their offspring INE responses, probably affecting their potential to respond to future challenges. The adaptability of the developmental programming of offspring would depend on the environment encountered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Octavio Giayetto
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Emiliano A Videla
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Pablo Chacana
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires (C1033AAE), Argentina
| | - Cristian Jaime
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Raúl H Marín
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - F Nicolás Nazar
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
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13
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Step-patterned survivorship curves: Mortality and loss of equilibrium responses to high temperature and food restriction in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233699. [PMID: 32470036 PMCID: PMC7259696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
While survivorship curves typically exhibit smooth declines over time, step-patterned curves can occur with multiple stressors within a life stage. To explore this process, we examined the effects of heat (24°C) and food restriction on juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) in challenge experiments. We observed step-patterned survivorship curves determined by mortality and loss of equilibrium (LOE) endpoints. To examine the cause of heterogeneity in the stress responses from early to late mortality and LOE, we measured indices of energetic reserves. The step transition in the survivorship curves, the peak mortality rates, and start of when individuals reached a critical energetic threshold (14% dry mass; 4.0 kJ·g-1 energy) all occurred at around days 10-15 of the challenge. The coherence in these temporal patterns suggest heterogeneity in the cohort stress responses, in which an early subgroup died from heat stress and a late subgroup died from starvation. Thus, their endpoint sensitivities resulted in step-patterned survivorship curves. We discuss the implications of the study for understanding effects of multiple stressors on population heterogeneity and note the possible significance of stress response selection under climate change in which heat stress and food limitations occur in concert.
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14
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Tüzün N, Debecker S, Stoks R. Strong species differences in life history do not predict oxidative stress physiology or sensitivity to an environmental oxidant. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1711-1721. [PMID: 32271951 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Species typically align along a fast-slow life-history continuum, yet it is not clear to what extent oxidative stress physiology can be integrated with this continuum to form a 'pace-of-life syndrome', especially so in invertebrates. This is important, given the assumed role of oxidative stress in mediating life-history trade-offs, and the prediction that species with a faster pace should be more vulnerable to oxidative stress. We tested whether a species' life-history pace, here represented by its growth rate, can predict species-level differentiation in physiology and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Therefore, we exposed four species of Ischnura damselflies that strongly align along a fast-slow life-history continuum to different levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. We measured an extended set of physiological traits linked to the pace-of-life: standard metabolic rate, oxidative stress physiology (antioxidant enzymes and oxidative damage) and defence/condition traits (investment in immune function, energy storage and structural defence). Despite strong species differences in growth rate and physiology, growth rate did not predict species-level differentiation in physiology. Hence there was no support for the integration of metabolic rate, oxidative stress physiology or defence/condition traits into a species-level syndrome. Ultraviolet exposure affected nearly all traits: it reduced growth rate and increased metabolic rate, affected all oxidative stress physiology traits and increased the two defence traits (immune function, and melanin content). Nevertheless, the pace-of-life based on growth rate did not predict sensitivity to UV. Instead, the observed pattern of investment in structural UV defence (melanin) might have reduced the need for enzymatic antioxidant defence, this way potentially decoupling the covariation between the life-history pace and oxidative stress physiology. The absence of an integrated axis of life-history and physiological variation indicates no major constraints for the evolution of these traits among the studied damselfly species. Our study highlights that ecological differences between species may decouple covariation between species' life-history pace and their physiology, as well as their sensitivity to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedim Tüzün
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara Debecker
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robby Stoks
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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15
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Norin T, Metcalfe NB. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of metabolic rate plasticity in response to environmental change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180180. [PMID: 30966964 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Basal or standard metabolic rate reflects the minimum amount of energy required to maintain body processes, while the maximum metabolic rate sets the ceiling for aerobic work. There is typically up to three-fold intraspecific variation in both minimal and maximal rates of metabolism, even after controlling for size, sex and age; these differences are consistent over time within a given context, but both minimal and maximal metabolic rates are plastic and can vary in response to changing environments. Here we explore the causes of intraspecific and phenotypic variation at the organ, tissue and mitochondrial levels. We highlight the growing evidence that individuals differ predictably in the flexibility of their metabolic rates and in the extent to which they can suppress minimal metabolism when food is limiting but increase the capacity for aerobic metabolism when a high work rate is beneficial. It is unclear why this intraspecific variation in metabolic flexibility persists-possibly because of trade-offs with the flexibility of other traits-but it has consequences for the ability of populations to respond to a changing world. It is clear that metabolic rates are targets of selection, but more research is needed on the fitness consequences of rates of metabolism and their plasticity at different life stages, especially in natural conditions. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of plasticity in phenotypic adaptation to rapid environmental change'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Norin
- 1 Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, University of Glasgow , Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ , UK.,2 DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources , Kemitorvet Building 202, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby , Denmark
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- 1 Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, MVLS, University of Glasgow , Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ , UK
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16
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Downs CJ, Dochtermann NA, Ball R, Klasing KC, Martin LB. The Effects of Body Mass on Immune Cell Concentrations of Mammals. Am Nat 2020; 195:107-114. [DOI: 10.1086/706235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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17
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Lipowska MM, Sadowska ET, Bauchinger U, Koteja P. Stress coping and evolution of aerobic exercise performance: corticosterone levels in voles from a selection experiment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.209593. [PMID: 31548286 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.209593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The locomotor performance achieved in a challenging situation depends not only on physiological limitations, such as the aerobic exercise capacity, but also on behavioral characteristics, such as adequate coping with stress. The stress response is mediated largely by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, through modulated release of glucocorticoids. We used a unique experimental evolution model system to test the hypothesis that the evolution of an increased aerobic exercise performance can be facilitated by modification of the glucocorticoid-related stress-coping mechanisms. Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from 'aerobic' (A) lines, selected for 22 generations for high maximum swim-induced rate of oxygen consumption (V̇ O2,swim), achieved a 64% higher V̇ O2,swim than those from unselected, control lines. The temporal pattern of exercise during the swimming trial also evolved, and the A-line voles achieved V̇ O2,swim later in the course of the trial, which indicates a modification of the stress response characteristics. Both V̇ O2,swim and the average metabolic rate measured during the trial tended to increase with baseline corticosterone level, and decreased with the post-exercise corticosterone level. Thus, increased baseline corticosterone level promotes high metabolic performance, but a high corticosterone response to swimming acts as an inhibitor rather than stimulator of intense activity. However, neither of the corticosterone traits differed between the A-selected and control lines. Thus, the experiment did not provide evidence that evolution of increased aerobic performance is facilitated by the modification of glucocorticoid levels. The results, however, do not exclude the possibility that other aspects of the HPA axis function evolved in response to the selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edyta T Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Ulf Bauchinger
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Paweł Koteja
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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18
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Renaud LA, Blanchet FG, Cohen AA, Pelletier F. Causes and short-term consequences of variation in milk composition in wild sheep. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:857-869. [PMID: 30883718 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ecologists seek to understand the fitness consequences of variation in physiological markers, under the hypothesis that physiological state is linked to variability in individual condition and life history. Thus, ecologists are often interested in estimating correlations between entire suites of correlated traits, or biomarkers, but sample size limitations often do not allow us to do this properly when large numbers of traits or biomarkers are considered. Latent variables are a powerful tool to overcome this complexity. Recent statistical advances have enabled a new class of multivariate models-multivariate hierarchical modelling (MHM) with latent variables-which allow to statistically estimate unstructured covariances/correlations among traits with reduced constraints on the number of degrees of freedom to account in the model. It is thus possible to highlight correlated structures in potentially very large numbers of traits. Here, we apply MHM to evaluate the relative importance of individual differences and environmental effects on milk composition and identify the drivers of this variation. We ask whether variation in bighorn sheep milk affects offspring fitness. We evaluate whether mothers show repeatable individual differences in the concentrations of 11 markers of milk composition, and we investigate the relative importance of annual variability, maternal identity and morphological traits in structuring milk composition. We then use variance estimates to investigate how a subset of repeatable milk markers influence lamb summer survival. Repeatability of milk markers ranged from 0.05 to 0.64 after accounting for year-to-year variations. Milk composition was weakly but significantly associated with maternal mass in June and September, summer mass gain and winter mass loss. Variation explained by year-to-year fluctuations ranged from 0.07 to 0.91 suggesting a strong influence of environmental variability on milk composition. Milk composition did not affect lamb survival to weaning. Using joint models in ecological, physiological or behavioural contexts has the major advantage of decomposing a (co)variance/correlation matrix while being estimated with fewer parameters than in a "traditional" mixed-effects model. The joint models presented here complement a growing list of tools to analyse correlations at different hierarchical levels separately and may thus represent a partial solution to the conundrum of physiological complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limoilou-Amelie Renaud
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Alan A Cohen
- Department of Family Medicine, Centre de Recherche du CHUS, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Stewart Biology Building, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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19
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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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20
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Debecker S, Stoks R. Pace of life syndrome under warming and pollution: integrating life history, behavior, and physiology across latitudes. ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Debecker
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology; KU Leuven (University of Leuven); Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
| | - Robby Stoks
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology; KU Leuven (University of Leuven); Charles Deberiotstraat 32 3000 Leuven Belgium
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21
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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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22
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Francis CD, Donald JW, Fuxjager MJ, Goymann W, Hau M, Husak JF, Johnson MA, Kircher BK, Knapp R, Martin LB, Miller ET, Schoenle LA, Vitousek MN, Williams TD, Downs CJ. Metabolic Scaling of Stress Hormones in Vertebrates. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:729-738. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Clinton D Francis
- Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Jeremy W Donald
- Coates Library, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, 82319 Starnberg, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, 82319 Starnberg, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Michele A Johnson
- Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Bonnie K Kircher
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Rosemary Knapp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | | | - Laura A Schoenle
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Cynthia J Downs
- Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY 13323, USA
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23
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Tieleman BI. Understanding immune function as a pace of life trait requires environmental context. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:55. [PMID: 29563662 PMCID: PMC5843675 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2464-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This article provides a brief historical perspective on the integration of physiology into the concept of the pace of life of birds, evaluates the fit of immune function into this framework, and asks what it will take to fruitfully understand immune functioning of birds in pace of life studies in the future. In the late 1970s, physiology started to seriously enter avian life history ecology, with energy as the main currency of interest, inspired by David Lack's work in the preceding decades emphasizing how food availability explained life history variation. In an effort to understand the trade-off between survival and reproduction, and specifically the mortality costs associated with hard work, in the 1980s and 1990s, other physiological phenomena entered the realm of animal ecologists, including endocrinology, oxidative stress, and immunology. Reviewing studies thus far to evaluate the role of immune function in a life history context and particularly to address the questions whether immune function (1) consistently varies with life history variation among free-living bird species and (2) mediates life history trade-offs in experiments with free-living bird species; I conclude that, unlike energy metabolism, the immune system does not closely covary with life history among species nor mediates the classical trade-offs within individuals. Instead, I propose that understanding the tremendous immunological variation uncovered among free-living birds over the past 25 years requires a paradigm shift. The paradigm should shift from viewing immune function as a costly trait involved in life history trade-offs to explicitly including the benefits of the immune system and placing it firmly in an environmental and ecological context. A first step forward will be to quantify the immunobiotic pressures presented by diverse environmental circumstances that both shape and challenge the immune system of free-living animals. Current developments in the fields of infectious wildlife diseases and host-microbe interactions provide promising steps in this direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
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24
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Jimeno B, Hau M, Verhulst S. Glucocorticoid-temperature association is shaped by foraging costs in individual zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.187880. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.187880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid (GC) levels vary with environmental conditions, but the functional interpretation of GC variation remains contentious. A primary function is thought to be metabolic, mobilizing body reserves to match energetic demands. This view is supported by temperature-dependent GC levels, although reports of this effect show unexplained heterogeneity. We hypothesised that the temperature effect on GC concentrations will depend on food availability through its effect on the energy spent to gather the food needed for thermoregulation. We tested this hypothesis in zebra finches living in outdoor aviaries with manipulated foraging conditions (i.e. easy vs. hard), by relating within-individual differences in baseline GCs between consecutive years to differences in ambient temperature. In agreement with our hypothesis, we found the GC-temperature association to be significantly steeper in the hard foraging environment. This supports the metabolic explanation of GC variation, underlining the importance of accounting for variation in energy expenditure when interpreting GC variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Jimeno
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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25
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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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26
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Książek A, Zub K, Szafrańska PA, Wieczorek M, Konarzewski M. The nexus of hair corticosterone level, immunocompetence, metabolic rates and overwinter survival in the root vole, Microtus oeconomus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 250:46-53. [PMID: 28577898 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Although corticosterone (CORT) regulates many physiological mechanisms, the associations between CORT levels, immunocompetence, energy expenditures and overwinter survival have not been examined. Here, we studied individual variation in CORT level extracted from hair, immunocompetence quantified as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, total white blood cells (WBC) and natural antibody levels (NAbs), along with the resting (RMR) and peak metabolic rates (PMR) and mortality during three consecutive winter seasons in a natural population of the root vole, Microtus oeconomus. In early winter, hair CORT level was strongly positively associated with body mass and inversely related to voles' ability to survive. We suggest that the observed association between hair CORT level and body mass may be the key component of the physiological nexus driving the survivorship of individual rodents. Additionally, hair CORT was a significant predictor of variation of the whole body RMR, which in turn enhanced overwinter survival in the studied population. On the other hand, hair CORT was not significantly associated with changes in the blood indices. Interestingly, the analysis carried out only during the first year of study (2008), which was characterized by a high population density and prevalence of infestation with a blood protozoan, Babesia spp., showed that the intensity of the infestation was negatively correlated with both the hair CORT level and the N/L ratio. Because CORT is often considered immunosuppressive, we expected a positive association between its level and the N/L ratio. However, hair CORT did not significantly correlate with the N/L ratio. We suggest that the lack of an association between hair CORT and the N/L ratio resulted from a small inter-individual variation in the N/L ratio in 2008, which was much higher and less variable than in the other years of our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Książek
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1J Street, 15-245 Białystok, Poland.
| | - Karol Zub
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Waszkiewicza 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland.
| | - Paulina A Szafrańska
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Waszkiewicza 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland.
| | - Monika Wieczorek
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Waszkiewicza 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland.
| | - Marek Konarzewski
- Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1J Street, 15-245 Białystok, Poland.
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27
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Vézina F, Gerson AR, Guglielmo CG, Piersma T. The performing animal: causes and consequences of body remodeling and metabolic adjustments in red knots facing contrasting thermal environments. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2017; 313:R120-R131. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00453.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Using red knots ( Calidris canutus) as a model, we determined how changes in mass and metabolic activity of organs relate to temperature-induced variation in metabolic performance. In cold-acclimated birds, we expected large muscles and heart as well as improved oxidative capacity and lipid transport, and we predicted that this would explain variation in maximal thermogenic capacity (Msum). We also expected larger digestive and excretory organs in these same birds and predicted that this would explain most of the variation in basal metabolic rate (BMR). Knots kept at 5°C were 20% heavier and maintained 1.5 times more body fat than individuals kept in thermoneutral conditions (25°C). The birds in the cold also had a BMR up to 32% higher and a Msum 16% higher than birds at 25°C. Organs were larger in the cold, with muscles and heart being 9–20% heavier and digestive and excretory organs being 21–36% larger than at thermoneutrality. Rather than the predicted digestive and excretory organs, the cold-induced increase in BMR correlated with changes in mass of the heart, pectoralis, and carcass. Msum varied positively with the mass of the pectoralis, supracoracoideus, and heart, highlighting the importance of muscles and cardiac function in cold endurance. Cold-acclimated knots also expressed upregulated capacity for lipid transport across mitochondrial membranes [carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT)] in their pectoralis and leg muscles, higher lipid catabolism capacity in their pectoralis muscles [β-hydroxyacyl CoA-dehydrogenase (HOAD)], and elevated oxidative capacity in their liver and kidney (citrate synthase). These adjustments may have contributed to BMR through changes in metabolic intensity. Positive relationships among Msum, CPT, and HOAD in the heart also suggest indirect constraints on thermogenic capacity through limited cardiac capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BOREAS, Centre d’Études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Alexander R. Gerson
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher G. Guglielmo
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Theunis Piersma
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands; and
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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28
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Jimeno B, Hau M, Verhulst S. Strong association between corticosterone and temperature dependent metabolic rate in individual zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:4426-4431. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are often assumed to be indicators of stress. At the same time, one of their fundamental roles is to facilitate metabolic processes to accommodate changes in energetic demands. While the metabolic function of GCs is thought to be ubiquitous across vertebrates, we are not aware of experiments which tested this directly, i.e., in which metabolic rate was manipulated and measured together with GCs. We therefore tested for a relationship between plasma corticosterone (CORT, ln transformed) and metabolic rate (MR, measured using indirect calorimetry) in a between- and within-individual design in captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) of both sexes. In each individual, CORT and MR were measured at two different temperature levels: ‘warm’ (22°C) and ‘cold’ (12 °C). CORT and MR were both increased in colder compared to warmer conditions, within individuals, but also across individuals. At the between-individual level, we found a positive relationship between CORT and MR, with an accelerating slope towards higher MR and CORT values. In contrast, the within individual changes in CORT and MR in response to colder conditions were linearly correlated between individuals. The CORT-MR relationship did not differ between the sexes. Our results illustrate the importance of including variation at different levels to better understand physiological modulation. Furthermore, our findings support the interpretation of CORT variation as indicator of metabolic needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Jimeno
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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29
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Yap KN, Kim OR, Harris KC, Williams TD. Physiological effects of increased foraging effort in a small passerine. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:4282-4291. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.160812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Foraging to obtain food, either for self-maintenance or at presumably elevated rates to provision offspring, is thought to be an energetically demanding activity but one that is essential for fitness (higher reproductive success and survival). Nevertheless, the physiological mechanisms that allow some individuals to support higher foraging performance, and the mechanisms underlying costs of high workload, remain poorly understood. We experimentally manipulated foraging behaviour in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) using the technique described by Koetsier and Verhulst (2011). Birds in the “high foraging effort” (HF) group had to obtain food either while flying/hovering or by making repeated hops or jumps from the ground up to the feeder, behaviour typical of the extremely energetically-expensive foraging mode observed in many free-living small passerines. HF birds made significantly more trips to the feeder per 10min whereas control birds spent more time (perched) at the feeder. Despite this marked change in foraging behaviour we documented few short- or long-term effects of “training” (3 days and 90 days of “training” respectively) and some of these effects were sex-specific. There were no effects of treatment on BMR, hematocrit, hemoglobin, or plasma glycerol, triglyceride, glucose levels, and masses of kidney, crop, large intestine, small intestine, gizzard and liver. HF females had higher masses of flight muscle, leg muscle, heart and lung compared to controls. In contrast, HF males had lower heart mass than controls and there were no differences for other organs. When both sexes were pooled, there were no effects of treatment on body composition. Finally, birds in the HF treatment had higher levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and, consequently, although treatment did not affect total antioxidant capacity (OXY), birds in the HF treatment had higher oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Oh Run Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Karilyn C. Harris
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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30
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Barceló G, Love OP, Vézina F. Uncoupling Basal and Summit Metabolic Rates in White-Throated Sparrows: Digestive Demand Drives Maintenance Costs, but Changes in Muscle Mass Are Not Needed to Improve Thermogenic Capacity. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 90:153-165. [PMID: 28277963 DOI: 10.1086/689290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Avian basal metabolic rate (BMR) and summit metabolic rate (Msum) vary in parallel during cold acclimation and acclimatization, which implies a functional link between these variables. However, evidence suggests that these parameters may reflect different physiological systems acting independently. We tested this hypothesis in white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) acclimated to two temperatures (-8° and 28°C) and two diets (0% and 30% cellulose). We expected to find an uncoupling of Msum and BMR where Msum, a measure of maximal shivering heat production, would reflect muscle and heart mass variation and would respond only to temperature, while BMR would reflect changes in digestive and excretory organs in response to daily food intake, responding to both temperature and diet. We found that the gizzard, liver, kidneys, and intestines responded to treatments through a positive relationship with food intake. BMR was 15% higher in cold-acclimated birds and, as expected, varied with food intake and the mass of digestive and excretory organs. In contrast, although Msum was 19% higher in cold-acclimated birds, only heart mass responded to temperature (+18% in the cold). Pectoral muscles did not change in mass with temperature but were 8.2% lighter on the cellulose diet. Nevertheless, Msum varied positively with the mass of heart and skeletal muscles but only in cold-acclimated birds. Our results therefore suggest that an upregulation of muscle metabolic intensity is required for cold acclimation. This study increases support for the hypothesis that BMR and Msum reflect different physiological systems responding in parallel to constraints associated with cold environments.
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31
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Krause JS, Pérez JH, Chmura HE, Sweet SK, Meddle SL, Hunt KE, Gough L, Boelman N, Wingfield JC. The effect of extreme spring weather on body condition and stress physiology in Lapland longspurs and white-crowned sparrows breeding in the Arctic. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 237:10-18. [PMID: 27449342 PMCID: PMC5053339 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 07/08/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is causing rapid shifts in temperature while also increasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather. In the northern hemisphere, the spring of 2013 was characterized as extreme due to record high snow cover and low temperatures. Studies that describe the effects of extreme weather on phenology across taxa are limited while morphological and physiological responses remain poorly understood. Stress physiology, as measured through baseline and stress-induced concentrations of cortisol or corticosterone, has often been studied to understand how organisms respond to environmental stressors. We compared body condition and stress physiology of two long-distance migrants breeding in low arctic Alaska - the white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) and Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) - in 2013, an extreme weather year, with three more typical years (2011, 2012, and 2014). The extended snow cover in spring 2013 caused measureable changes in phenology, body condition and physiology. Arrival timing for both species was delayed 4-5days compared to the other three years. Lapland longspurs had reduced fat stores, pectoralis muscle profiles, body mass, and hematocrit levels, while stress-induced concentrations of corticosterone were increased. Similarly, white-crowned sparrows had reduced pectoralis muscle profiles and hematocrit levels, but in contrast to Lapland longspurs, had elevated fat stores and no difference in mass or stress physiology relative to other study years. An understanding of physiological mechanisms that regulate coping strategies is of critical importance for predicting how species will respond to the occurrence of extreme events in the future due to global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse S Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Jonathan H Pérez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Helen E Chmura
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Shannan K Sweet
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Kathleen E Hunt
- John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory, Research Department, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA 02110, USA
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
| | - Natalie Boelman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Schwabl P, Bonaccorso E, Goymann W. Diurnal variation in corticosterone release among wild tropical forest birds. Front Zool 2016; 13:19. [PMID: 27152116 PMCID: PMC4857432 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0151-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glucocorticoids are adrenal steroid hormones essential to homeostatic maintenance. Their daily variation at low concentrations regulates physiology and behavior to sustain proper immunological and metabolic function. Glucocorticoids rise well above these baseline levels during stress to elicit emergency-state responses that increase short-term survival. Despite this essence in managing life processes under both regular and adverse conditions, relationships of glucocorticoid release to environmental and intrinsic factors that vary at daily and seasonal scales are rarely studied in the wild. METHODS This study on 41 passerine species of the Ecuadorian Chocó applied a standardized capture-and-restraint protocol to examine diurnal variation in baseline and stress-related release of corticosterone, the primary avian glucocorticoid. Tests for relationships to relative body mass, hemoglobin concentration, molt status and date complemented this evaluation of the time of day effect on corticosterone secretion in free-living tropical rainforest birds. Analyses were also partitioned by sex as well as performed separately on two common species, the wedge-billed woodcreeper and olive-striped flycatcher. RESULTS Interspecific analyses indicated maximum baseline corticosterone levels at the onset of the active phase and reductions thereafter. Stress-related levels did not correspond to time of day but accompanied baseline reductions during molt and elevations in birds sampled later during the September - November study period. Baseline corticosterone related negatively to hemoglobin in the wedge-billed woodcreeper and stress-related levels increased with body mass in the olive-striped flycatcher. There were no substantial sex-related differences. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest a diurnal rhythmicity in baseline corticosterone release so robust as to emerge in pooled analyses across a highly variable dataset. While this detection in nature is singular, correspondent patterns have been demonstrated outside of the tropics in captive model species. Congruity in daily rhythms and links to physiological and life-history state across disparate taxa and environments may promote the yet unresolved utility of corticosterone release as a global metric for population health. However, certain results of this study also deviate from laboratory and field research at higher latitudes, cautioning generalization. Environmental distinctions such as high productivity and tempered seasonality may precipitate unique life-history strategies and underlying hormonal mechanisms in tropical rainforest birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Schwabl
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
| | - Elisa Bonaccorso
- Centro para la Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Cotocollao, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str. 6a, D-82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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33
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Thompson LJ, Brown M, Downs CT. Thermal acclimation in a small Afrotropical Bird. Behav Processes 2016; 128:113-8. [PMID: 27133922 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Wild-caught animals are regularly used in physiological studies, yet the length of time it takes for completion of their acclimation to laboratory conditions remains largely unknown. In particular, Afrotropical species are relatively understudied compared with temperate and Holarctic species. Thus, we measured a number of metabolic variables in a 10g Afrotropical bird, the Cape White-eye (Zosterops virens), at weekly intervals, over an 8-week period, while birds were acclimating to two different constant thermal environments; 25°C and 29°C. Body mass increased significantly in the first three weeks, remaining approximately constant thereafter, with no significant difference between birds housed at 25°C and those housed at 29°C. However, whole animal resting metabolic rates remained constant throughout the eight-week study period, with values for birds housed at 29°C lower than for birds housed at 25°C. Rather than pointing to a minimum time period necessary for thermal acclimation, these results suggest that in some instances, freshly wild-caught small passerines may not need to be acclimated to laboratory conditions or respirometry equipment, prior to measurements of their resting metabolic rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindy J Thompson
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01, Scottsville, 3201, South Africa.
| | - Mark Brown
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01, Scottsville, 3201, South Africa
| | - Colleen T Downs
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01, Scottsville, 3201, South Africa.
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34
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Krause JS, Németh Z, Pérez JH, Chmura HE, Ramenofsky M, Wingfield JC. Annual Hematocrit Profiles in Two Subspecies of White-Crowned Sparrow: A Migrant and a Resident Comparison. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 89:51-60. [DOI: 10.1086/684612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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35
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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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Evidence for a mechanism of phenotypic integration of behaviour and innate immunity in a wild rodent: implications for animal personality and ecological immunology. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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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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Legagneux P, Berzins LL, Forbes M, Harms NJ, Hennin HL, Bourgeon S, Gilchrist HG, Bêty J, Soos C, Love OP, Foster JT, Descamps S, Burness G. No selection on immunological markers in response to a highly virulent pathogen in an Arctic breeding bird. Evol Appl 2014; 7:765-73. [PMID: 25469158 PMCID: PMC4227857 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In natural populations, epidemics provide opportunities to look for intense natural selection on genes coding for life history and immune or other physiological traits. If the populations being considered are of management or conservation concern, then identifying the traits under selection (or 'markers') might provide insights into possible intervention strategies during epidemics. We assessed potential for selection on multiple immune and life history traits of Arctic breeding common eiders (Somateria mollissima) during annual avian cholera outbreaks (summers of 2006, 2007 & 2008). We measured prelaying body condition, immune traits, and subsequent reproductive investment (i.e., clutch size) and survival of female common eiders and whether they were infected with Pasteurella multocida, the causative agent of avian cholera. We found no clear and consistent evidence of directional selection on immune traits; however, infected birds had higher levels of haptoglobin than uninfected birds. Also, females that laid larger clutches had slightly lower immune responses during the prelaying period reflecting possible downregulation of the immune system to support higher costs of reproduction. This supports a recent study indicating that birds investing in larger clutches were more likely to die from avian cholera and points to a possible management option to maximize female survival during outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Legagneux
- Département de biologie & Centre d’études nordiques, Université du Québec à RimouskiRimouski, QC, Canada
| | - Lisha L Berzins
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent UniversityPeterborough, ON, Canada
| | - Mark Forbes
- Department of Biology, Carleton UniversityOttawa, ON, Canada
| | - Naomi Jane Harms
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Holly L Hennin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of WindsorWindsor, ON, Canada
| | | | - H G Gilchrist
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment CanadaOttawa, ON, Canada
| | - Joël Bêty
- Département de biologie & Centre d’études nordiques, Université du Québec à RimouskiRimouski, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Soos
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, SK, Canada
- Environment CanadaSaskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of WindsorWindsor, ON, Canada
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Center for Microbial Genetics & Genomics, Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | - Gary Burness
- Department of Biology, Trent UniversityPeterborough, ON, Canada
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Tibbetts EA, Crocker KC. The challenge hypothesis across taxa: social modulation of hormone titres in vertebrates and insects. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sandmeier FC, Tracy RC. The Metabolic Pace-of-Life Model: Incorporating Ectothermic Organisms into the Theory of Vertebrate Ecoimmunology. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:387-95. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Nussey DH, Watt KA, Clark A, Pilkington JG, Pemberton JM, Graham AL, McNeilly TN. Multivariate immune defences and fitness in the wild: complex but ecologically important associations among plasma antibodies, health and survival. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20132931. [PMID: 24500168 PMCID: PMC3924079 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite our rapidly advancing mechanistic understanding of vertebrate immunity under controlled laboratory conditions, the links between immunity, infection and fitness under natural conditions remain poorly understood. Antibodies are central to acquired immune responses, and antibody levels circulating in vivo reflect a composite of constitutive and induced functional variants of diverse specificities (e.g. binding antigens from prevalent parasites, self tissues or novel non-self sources). Here, we measured plasma concentrations of 11 different antibody types in adult females from an unmanaged population of Soay sheep on St Kilda. Correlations among antibody measures were generally positive but weak, and eight of the measures independently predicted body mass, strongyle parasite egg count or survival over the subsequent winter. These independent and, in some cases, antagonistic relationships point to important multivariate immunological heterogeneities affecting organismal health and fitness in natural systems. Notably, we identified a strong positive association between anti-nematode immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies in summer and subsequent over-winter survival, providing rare evidence for a fitness benefit of helminth-specific immunity under natural conditions. Our results highlight both the evolutionary and ecological importance and the complex nature of the immune phenotype in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, , Edinburgh, UK, Institute of Infection and Immunity Research, University of Edinburgh, , Edinburgh, UK, Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, , Edinburgh, UK, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, , Princeton, NJ, USA, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Midlothian, UK
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Milot E, Cohen AA, Vézina F, Buehler DM, Matson KD, Piersma T. A novel integrative method for measuring body condition in ecological studies based on physiological dysregulation. Methods Ecol Evol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Milot
- Groupe de recherche PRIMUS; Département de Médecine de famille et de médecine d'urgence; Université de Sherbrooke; CHUS Fleurimont 3001 12 e Ave N Sherbrooke QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Alan A. Cohen
- Groupe de recherche PRIMUS; Département de Médecine de famille et de médecine d'urgence; Université de Sherbrooke; CHUS Fleurimont 3001 12 e Ave N Sherbrooke QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, chimie et géographie; Université du Québec à Rimouski; 300 allée des Ursulines Rimouski QC G5L 3A1 Canada
| | - Deborah M. Buehler
- Office of the Vice President; Research and Innovation; University of Toronto; 12 Queen's Park Crescent Toronto ON M5S 1S8 Canada
| | - Kevin D. Matson
- Animal Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Post Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Animal Ecology Group; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; Post Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ); PO Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg Texel the Netherlands
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