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Ruiz-Raya F, Velando A. Lasting benefits of embryonic eavesdropping on parent-parent communication. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn8542. [PMID: 39213348 PMCID: PMC11364100 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn8542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Developing embryos have traditionally been viewed as passive agents in the evolution of family conflicts, with maternal substances within the uterus or eggs as main factors modulating later expression of offspring solicitation behaviors. Yet, parent-offspring conflict theory predicts that offspring might also rely on alternative cues to adjust demand in response to prenatal cues of parental capacity for resource provisioning. Here, we show how embryonic experience with vocalizations carried out by parents during nest-relief displays at incubation adaptively shapes avian offspring development, providing lasting benefits to offspring. Genetic siblings prenatally exposed to different levels of parent-parent communication showed differences in epigenetic patterns, adrenocortical responsiveness, development, and food solicitation behavior. The correspondence between prenatal acoustic experience and parental context positively influenced the nutritional status and growth rate of offspring reared by communicative parents. Offspring can thus retain strong control over their own development by gathering prenatal acoustic information about parental generosity.
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Gall GEC, Letherbarrow M, Strandburg-Peshkin A, Radford AN, Madden JR. Exposure to calls before hatching affects the post-hatching behaviour of domestic chickens. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240114. [PMID: 39144491 PMCID: PMC11321849 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
The soundscape experienced by animals early in life can affect their behaviour later in life. For birds, sounds experienced in the egg can influence how individuals learn to respond to specific calls post-hatching. However, how early acoustic experiences affect subsequent social behaviour remains unknown. Here, we investigate how exposure to maternal 'cluck' calls pre-hatching affects the behaviour of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) at 3-5 days and 17-21 days old. We incubated eggs and played cluck calls to half of them. After hatching, we raised chicks in small groups occupying different enclosures. At 3-5 days old, we tested chicks' responses to three stimuli: (i) background sound, (ii) chick calls and (iii) cluck calls. We found that the pre-hatching experience of cluck calls reduced the likelihood of moving in response to all three stimuli. At 17-21 days old, some chicks explored beyond their own enclosure and 'visited' other groups. Chicks exposed to cluck calls before hatching were three times more likely to enter another group's enclosure than control chicks, and this was unaffected by the chicks' social connectedness. Our results indicate age- and context-dependent responses of chicks to pre-hatching cluck-call playbacks, with potential long-term effects on individual social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella E. C. Gall
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB), Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Megan Letherbarrow
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB), Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Joah R. Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB), Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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3
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Sapage M, Santos M, Matos M, Schlupp I, Varela SAM. Mate-choice copying accelerates species range expansion. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20241201. [PMID: 39166957 PMCID: PMC11338046 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate-choice copying is a type of social learning in which females can change their mate preference after observing the choice of others. This behaviour can potentially affect population evolution and ecology, namely through increased dispersal and reduced local adaptation. Here, we simulated the effects of mate-choice copying in populations expanding across an environmental gradient to understand whether it can accelerate or retard the expansion process. Two mate-choice copying strategies were used: (i) when females target a single individual and (ii) when females target similar individuals. We also simulated cases where the male trait singled out by females with mate choice maps perfectly onto his genotype or is influenced by genotype-by-environment interactions. These rules have different effects on the results. When a trait is determined by genotype alone, populations where copier females target all similar males expand faster and the number of potential copiers increased. However, when preference is determined by genotype-by-environment interactions, populations where copier females target a single male had higher dispersal and also expand faster, but the potential number of copiers decreases. The results show that mate-choice copying can accelerate the expansion process, although its adaptiveness depends on the information animals use in different contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Sapage
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
| | - Mauro Santos
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
- Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Grup de Genòmica, Bioinformàtica i Biologia Evolutiva (GBBE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona08193, Spain
- Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33, BudapestH-1121, Hungary
| | - Margarida Matos
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
| | - Ingo Schlupp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK73019, USA
| | - Susana A. M. Varela
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, Lisbon1749-016, Portugal
- William James Center for Research, ISPA—Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, Lisbon1100-304, Portugal
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras2780-156, Portugal
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Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Zebra finch song parameters are affected by the breeding status of the male, but not temperature variability. Physiol Behav 2024; 281:114581. [PMID: 38734358 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Bird song is a crucial feature for mate choice and reproduction. Song can potentially communicate information related to the quality of the mate, through song complexity, structure or finer changes in syllable characteristics. It has been shown in zebra finches that those characteristics can be affected by various factors including motivation, hormone levels or extreme temperature. However, although the literature on zebra finch song is substantial, some factors have been neglected. In this paper, we recorded male zebra finches in two breeding contexts (before and after pairing) and in two ambient temperature conditions (stable and variable) to see how those factors could influence song production. We found strong differences between the two breeding contexts: compared to their song before pairing, males that were paired had lower song rate, syllable consistency, frequency and entropy, while surprisingly the amplitude of their syllables increased. Temperature variability had an impact on the extent of these differences, but did not directly affect the song parameters that we measured. Our results describe for the first time how breeding status and temperature variability can affect zebra finch song, and give some new insights into the subtleties of the acoustic communication of this model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Cracow, Poland; Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland.
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
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Meillère A, Buchanan KL, Eastwood JR, Mariette MM. Pre- and postnatal noise directly impairs avian development, with fitness consequences. Science 2024; 384:475-480. [PMID: 38662819 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade5868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Noise pollution is expanding at an unprecedented rate and is increasingly associated with impaired reproduction and development across taxa. However, whether noise sound waves are intrinsically harmful for developing young-or merely disturb parents-and the fitness consequences of early exposure remain unknown. Here, by only manipulating the offspring, we show that sole exposure to noise in early life in zebra finches has fitness consequences and causes embryonic death during exposure. Exposure to pre- and postnatal traffic noise cumulatively impaired nestling growth and physiology and aggravated telomere shortening across life stages until adulthood. Consistent with a long-term somatic impact, early life noise exposure, especially prenatally, decreased individual offspring production throughout adulthood. Our findings suggest that the effects of noise pollution are more pervasive than previously realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alizée Meillère
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Justin R Eastwood
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain
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6
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Slabbekoorn H. A sound beginning of life starts before birth. Science 2024; 384:380-382. [PMID: 38662851 DOI: 10.1126/science.adp1664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Long-term impact from prenatal noise exposure in birds should raise general concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Slabbekoorn
- Leiden University, Institute of Biology Leiden, Sylvius Laboratory, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden, Netherlands
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7
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Udino E, Oscos-Snowball MA, Buchanan KL, Mariette MM. A prenatal acoustic signal of heat reduces a biomarker of chronic stress at adulthood across seasons. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1348993. [PMID: 38617060 PMCID: PMC11009423 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1348993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
During development, phenotype can be adaptively modulated by environmental conditions, sometimes in the long-term. However, with weather variability increasing under climate change, the potential for maladaptive long-term responses to environmental variations may increase. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, parents emit "heat-calls" when experiencing heat during incubation, which adaptively affects offspring growth in the heat, and adult heat tolerance. This suggests that heat-call exposure may adjust individual phenotype to hot conditions, potentially compromising individual sensitivity to cool weather conditions. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated individual prenatal acoustic and postnatal thermal experiences during development, and sought to assess subsequent chronic responses to thermal fluctuations at adulthood. We thus measured heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratios in adults, when held in outdoor aviaries during two summers and two winters. We found that birds exposed to heat-calls as embryos, had consistently lower H/L ratios than controls at adulthood, indicative of lower chronic stress, irrespective of the season. Nonetheless, in all birds, the H/L ratio did vary with short-term weather fluctuations (2, 5 or 7 days), increasing at more extreme (low and high) air temperatures. In addition, the H/L ratio was higher in males than females. Overall, while H/L ratio may reflect how individuals were being impacted by temperature, heat-call exposed individuals did not show a stronger chronic response in winter, and instead appeared more resilient to thermal variability than control individuals. Our findings therefore suggest that heat-call exposure did not compromise individual sensitivity to low temperatures at adulthood. Our study also reveals that prenatal sound can lead to long-term differences in individual physiology or quality/condition, as reflected by H/L ratios, which are consistent with previously-demonstrated reproductive fitness differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Udino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Marja A. Oscos-Snowball
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
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Abstract
In recent years, the impact of prenatal sound on development, notably for programming individual phenotypes for postnatal conditions, has increasingly been revealed. However, the mechanisms through which sound affects physiology and development remain mostly unexplored. Here, I gather evidence from neurobiology, developmental biology, cellular biology and bioacoustics to identify the most plausible modes of action of sound on developing embryos. First, revealing often-unsuspected plasticity, I discuss how prenatal sound may shape auditory system development and determine individuals' later capacity to receive acoustic information. I also consider the impact of hormones, including thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids and androgen, on auditory plasticity. Second, I review what is known about sound transduction to other - non-auditory - brain regions, and its potential to input on classical developmental programming pathways. Namely, the auditory pathway has direct anatomical and functional connectivity to the hippocampus, amygdala and/or hypothalamus, in mammals, birds and anurans. Sound can thus trigger both immediate and delayed responses in these limbic regions, which are specific to the acoustic stimulus and its biological relevance. Third, beyond the brain, I briefly consider the possibility for sound to directly affect cellular functioning, based on evidence in earless organisms (e.g. plants) and cell cultures. Together, the multi-disciplinary evidence gathered here shows that the brain is wired to allow multiple physiological and developmental effects of sound. Overall, there are many unexplored, but possible, pathways for sound to impact even primitive or immature organisms. Throughout, I identify the most promising research avenues for unravelling the processes of acoustic developmental programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene M Mariette
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
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9
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Miltiadous A, Callahan DL, Dujon AM, Buchanan KL, Rollins LA. Maternally derived avian corticosterone affects offspring genome-wide DNA methylation in a passerine species. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17283. [PMID: 38288572 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Avian embryos develop in an egg composition which reflects both maternal condition and the recent environment of their mother. In birds, yolk corticosterone (CORT) influences development by impacting pre- and postnatal growth, as well as nestling stress responses and development. One possible mechanism through which maternal CORT may affect offspring development is via changes to offspring DNA methylation. We sought to investigate this, for the first time in birds, by quantifying the impact of manipulations to maternal CORT on offspring DNA methylation. We non-invasively manipulated plasma CORT concentrations of egg-laying female zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) with an acute dose of CORT administered around the time of ovulation and collected their eggs. We then assessed DNA methylation in the resulting embryonic tissue and in their associated vitelline membrane blood vessels, during early development (5 days after lay), using two established methods - liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and methylation-sensitive amplification fragment length polymorphism (MS-AFLP). LC-MS analysis showed that global DNA methylation was lower in embryos from CORT-treated mothers, compared to control embryos. In contrast, blood vessel DNA from eggs from CORT-treated mothers showed global methylation increases, compared to control samples. There was a higher proportion of global DNA methylation in the embryonic DNA of second clutches, compared to first clutches. Locus-specific analyses using MS-AFLP did not reveal a treatment effect. Our results indicate that an acute elevation of maternal CORT around ovulation impacts DNA methylation patterns in their offspring. This could provide a mechanistic understanding of how a mother's experience can affect her offspring's phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Miltiadous
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Damien L Callahan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Antoine M Dujon
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- CREEC/CANECEV (CREES), MIVEGEC, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lee A Rollins
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Kleindorfer S, Brouwer L, Hauber ME, Teunissen N, Peters A, Louter M, Webster MS, Katsis AC, Sulloway FJ, Common LK, Austin VI, Colombelli-Négrel D. Nestling Begging Calls Resemble Maternal Vocal Signatures When Mothers Call Slowly to Embryos. Am Nat 2024; 203:267-283. [PMID: 38306283 DOI: 10.1086/728105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
AbstractVocal production learning (the capacity to learn to produce vocalizations) is a multidimensional trait that involves different learning mechanisms during different temporal and socioecological contexts. Key outstanding questions are whether vocal production learning begins during the embryonic stage and whether mothers play an active role in this through pupil-directed vocalization behaviors. We examined variation in vocal copy similarity (an indicator of learning) in eight species from the songbird family Maluridae, using comparative and experimental approaches. We found that (1) incubating females from all species vocalized inside the nest and produced call types including a signature "B element" that was structurally similar to their nestlings' begging call; (2) in a prenatal playback experiment using superb fairy wrens (Malurus cyaneus), embryos showed a stronger heart rate response to playbacks of the B element than to another call element (A); and (3) mothers that produced slower calls had offspring with greater similarity between their begging call and the mother's B element vocalization. We conclude that malurid mothers display behaviors concordant with pupil-directed vocalizations and may actively influence their offspring's early life through sound learning shaped by maternal call tempo.
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11
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Anttonen T, Burghi T, Duvall L, Fernandez MP, Gutierrez G, Kermen F, Merlin C, Michaiel A. Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems: Mechanisms Underlying Responses to Human-Generated Environmental Impacts. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7530-7537. [PMID: 37940589 PMCID: PMC10634574 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1431-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Human generated environmental change profoundly affects organisms that reside across diverse ecosystems. Although nervous systems evolved to flexibly sense, respond, and adapt to environmental change, it is unclear whether the rapid rate of environmental change outpaces the adaptive capacity of complex nervous systems. Here, we explore neural systems mediating responses to, or impacted by, changing environments, such as those induced by global heating, sensory pollution, and changing habitation zones. We focus on rising temperature and accelerated changes in environments that impact sensory experience as examples of perturbations that directly or indirectly impact neural function, respectively. We also explore a mechanism involved in cross-species interactions that arises from changing habitation zones. We demonstrate that anthropogenic influences on neurons, circuits, and behaviors are widespread across taxa and require further scientific investigation to understand principles underlying neural resilience to accelerating environmental change.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neural systems evolved over hundreds of millions of years to allow organisms to sense and respond to their environments - to be receptive and responsive, yet flexible. Recent rapid, human-generated environmental changes are testing the limits of the adaptive capacity of neural systems. This presents an opportunity and an urgency to understand how neurobiological processes, including molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms, are vulnerable or resilient to changing environmental conditions. We showcase examples that range from molecular to circuit to behavioral levels of analysis across several model species, framing a broad neuroscientific approach to explore topics of neural adaptation, plasticity, and resilience. We believe this emerging scientific area is of great societal and scientific importance and will provide a unique opportunity to reexamine our understanding of neural adaptation and the mechanisms underlying neural resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommi Anttonen
- Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark DK-5230
| | - Thiago Burghi
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom CB2 1PZ
| | - Laura Duvall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York City, New York 10027
| | - Maria P Fernandez
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College, New York City, New York 10027
| | - Gabrielle Gutierrez
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College, New York City, New York 10027
| | - Florence Kermen
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark DK-1165
| | - Christine Merlin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Angie Michaiel
- Department of Life Sciences, The Kavli Foundation, Los Angeles, California 90230
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Pessato A, Udino E, McKechnie AE, Bennett ATD, Mariette MM. Thermal acclimatisation to heatwave conditions is rapid but sex-specific in wild zebra finches. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18297. [PMID: 37880274 PMCID: PMC10600105 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45291-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Under climate change, increasing air temperature average and variability pose substantial thermal challenges to animals. While plasticity in thermoregulatory traits could potentially attenuate this impact, whether thermal acclimatisation can occur quickly enough to track weather variability in hot climates is unknown in any endotherm, and sex differences have never been tested. We investigated acclimatisation responsiveness of male and female wild zebra finches to short-term (< 2 weeks) summer temperature fluctuations in the Australian desert. Hotter weather before respirometry trials triggered a typical acclimatisation response (especially at chamber temperature Tchamb ≥ 40). However, acclimatisation occurred remarkably rapidly: metabolic rate responded within just one day, while body temperature (Tb) and evaporative cooling capacity (EHL/MHP) were best predicted by weather on the trial day; whereas evaporative water loss responded more slowly (1 week). Nonetheless, rapid acclimatisation only occurred in males, and females had higher Tb and lower EHL/MHP than males, potentially increasing hyperthermia risk. Furthermore, acclimatisation did not translate into greater acute heat tolerance (i.e. ability to tolerate Tchamb = 46 °C). Our results therefore reveal surprisingly rapid acclimatisation and even anticipatory adjustments to heat. However, with no changes in acute heat tolerance, and in females, phenotypic flexibility may provide only limited buffering against the detrimental impact of heatwaves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Pessato
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, VIC, Australia
| | - Eve Udino
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Andrew T D Bennett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, VIC, Australia
- One Health Research Group, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, 3030, Australia
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong 3216, VIC, Australia.
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain.
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13
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Lefeuvre M, Lu C, Botero CA, Rutkowska J. Variable ambient temperature promotes song learning and production in zebra finches. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:408-417. [PMID: 37192924 PMCID: PMC10183203 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Current climate change is leading to increasingly unpredictable environmental conditions and is imposing new challenges to wildlife. For example, ambient conditions fluctuating during critical developmental periods could potentially impair the development of cognitive systems and may therefore have a long-term influence on an individual's life. We studied the impact of temperature variability on zebra finch cognition, focusing on song learning and song quality (N = 76 males). We used a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with two temperature conditions (stable and variable). Half of the juveniles were cross-fostered at hatching to create a mismatch between pre- and posthatching conditions, the latter matching this species' critical period for song learning. We found that temperature variability did not affect repertoire size, syllable consistency, or the proportion of syllables copied from a tutor. However, birds that experienced variable temperatures in their posthatching environment were more likely to sing during recordings. In addition, birds that experienced variable prenatal conditions had higher learning accuracy than birds in stable prenatal environments. These findings are the first documented evidence that variable ambient temperatures can influence song learning in zebra finches. Moreover, they indicate that temperature variability can act as a form of environmental enrichment with net positive effects on cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Cracow, Poland
| | - ChuChu Lu
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Cracow, Poland
| | - Carlos A Botero
- University of Texas at Austin, Department of Integrative Biology, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
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14
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Katsis AC, Bennett AT, Buchanan KL, Kleindorfer S, Mariette MM. Prenatal sound experience affects song preferences in male zebra finches. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
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15
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Effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, bill color, and growth in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-022-00406-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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16
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Ruiz-Raya F, Velando A. Sunlight and lifestyle: linking prenatal light conditions and personality development in a wild bird. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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17
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Swanson DL, Vézina F, McKechnie AE, Nord A. Editorial: Avian behavioral and physiological responses to challenging thermal environments and extreme weather events. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1034659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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18
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McQueen A, Klaassen M, Tattersall GJ, Atkinson R, Jessop R, Hassell CJ, Christie M, Symonds MRE. Thermal adaptation best explains Bergmann's and Allen's Rules across ecologically diverse shorebirds. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4727. [PMID: 35953489 PMCID: PMC9372053 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bergmann's and Allen's rules state that endotherms should be larger and have shorter appendages in cooler climates. However, the drivers of these rules are not clear. Both rules could be explained by adaptation for improved thermoregulation, including plastic responses to temperature in early life. Non-thermal explanations are also plausible as climate impacts other factors that influence size and shape, including starvation risk, predation risk, and foraging ecology. We assess the potential drivers of Bergmann's and Allen's rules in 30 shorebird species using extensive field data (>200,000 observations). We show birds in hot, tropical northern Australia have longer bills and smaller bodies than conspecifics in temperate, southern Australia, conforming with both ecogeographical rules. This pattern is consistent across ecologically diverse species, including migratory birds that spend early life in the Arctic. Our findings best support the hypothesis that thermoregulatory adaptation to warm climates drives latitudinal patterns in shorebird size and shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra McQueen
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Glenn J Tattersall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Saint Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | | | - Roz Jessop
- BirdLife Australia, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Chris J Hassell
- Global Flyway Network, PO Box 3089, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia
| | | | - Matthew R E Symonds
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia.
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19
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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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20
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Lipshutz SE, Howell CR, Buechlein AM, Rusch DB, Rosvall KA, Derryberry EP. How thermal challenges change gene regulation in the songbird brain and gonad: implications for sexual selection in our changing world. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3613-3626. [PMID: 35567363 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In a rapidly warming world, exposure to high temperatures may impact fitness, but the gene regulatory mechanisms that link sublethal heat to sexually selected traits are not well understood, particularly in endothermic animals. Our experiment used zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), songbirds that experience extreme temperature fluctuations in their native Australia. We exposed captive males to an acute thermal challenge (43°C) compared with thermoneutral (35°C) and lower (27°C) temperatures. We found significantly more heat dissipation behaviors at 43°C, a temperature previously shown to reduce song production and fertility, and more heat retention behaviors at 27°C. Next, we characterized transcriptomic responses in tissues important for mating effort - the posterior telencephalon, for its role in song production, and the testis, for its role in fertility and hormone production. Differential expression of hundreds of genes in the testes, but few in the brain, suggest the brain is less responsive to extreme temperatures. Nevertheless, gene network analyses revealed that expression related to dopaminergic signaling in the brain co-varied with heat dissipation behaviors, providing a mechanism by which temporary thermal challenges may alter motivational circuits for song production. In both brain and testis, we observed correlations between thermally sensitive gene networks and individual differences in thermoregulatory behavior. Although we cannot directly relate these gene regulatory changes to mating success, our results suggest that individual variation in response to thermal challenges could impact sexually selected traits in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Lipshutz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.,Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Clara R Howell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Aaron M Buechlein
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
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21
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Pessato A, McKechnie AE, Mariette MM. A prenatal acoustic signal of heat affects thermoregulation capacities at adulthood in an arid-adapted bird. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5842. [PMID: 35393484 PMCID: PMC8991222 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09761-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding animal physiological adaptations for tolerating heat, and the causes of inter-individual variation, is key for predicting climate change impacts on biodiversity. Recently, a novel mechanism for transgenerational heat adaptation was identified in a desert-adapted bird, where parents acoustically signal hot conditions to embryos. Prenatal exposure to "heat-calls" adaptively alters zebra finch development and their thermal preferences in adulthood, suggesting a long-term shift towards a heat-adapted phenotype. However, whether such acoustic experience improves long-term thermoregulatory capacities is unknown. We measured metabolic rate (MR), evaporative water loss (EWL) and body temperature in adults exposed to a stepped profile of progressively higher air temperatures (Ta) between 27 and 44 °C. Remarkably, prenatal acoustic experience affected heat tolerance at adulthood, with heat-call exposed individuals more likely to reach the highest Ta in morning trials. This was despite MR and EWL reaching higher levels at the highest Ta in heat-call individuals, partly driven by a stronger metabolic effect of moderate activity. At lower Ta, however, heat-call exposed individuals had greater relative water economy, as expected. They also better recovered mass lost during morning trials. We therefore provide the first evidence that prenatal acoustic signals have long-term consequences for heat tolerance and physiological adaptation to heat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Pessato
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, 3216, Australia.
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, 3216, Australia.
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain.
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22
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Lu C, Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Variability in ambient temperature promotes juvenile participation and shorter latency in a learning test in zebra finches. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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23
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Udino E, Mariette MM. How to Stay Cool: Early Acoustic and Thermal Experience Alters Individual Behavioural Thermoregulation in the Heat. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.818278] [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
Climate change is pushing organisms closer to their physiological limits. Animals can reduce heat exposure – and the associated risks of lethal hyperthermia and dehydration – by retreating into thermal refuges. Refuge use nonetheless reduces foraging and reproductive activities, and thereby potentially fitness. Behavioural responses to heat thus define the selection pressures to which individuals are exposed. However, whether and why such behavioural responses vary between individuals remains largely unknown. Here, we tested whether early-life experience generates inter-individual differences in behavioural responses to heat at adulthood. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, parents incubating at high temperatures emit “heat-calls,” which adaptively alter offspring growth. We experimentally manipulated individual early life acoustic and thermal experience. At adulthood, across two summers, we then repeatedly recorded individual panting behaviour, microsite use, activity (N = 2,402 observations for 184 birds), and (for a small subset, N = 23 birds) body temperature, over a gradient of air temperatures (26–38°C), in outdoor aviaries. We found consistent inter-individual variation in behavioural thermoregulation, and show for the first time in endotherms that early-life experience contributes to such variation. Birds exposed prenatally to heat-calls started panting at lower temperatures than controls but panted less at high temperatures. It is possible that this corresponds to a heat-regulation strategy to improve water saving at high temperature extremes, and/or, allow maintaining high activity levels, since heat-call birds were also more active across the temperature gradient. In addition, microsite use varied with the interaction between early acoustic and thermal experiences, control-call birds from cooler nests using the cooler microsite more than their hot-nest counterparts, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in heat-call birds. Overall, our study demonstrates that a prenatal acoustic signal of heat alters how individuals adjust behaviourally to thermal challenges at adulthood. This suggests that there is scope for selection pressures to act differently across individuals, and potentially strengthen the long-term fitness impact of early-life effects.
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24
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Du WG, Shine R. The behavioural and physiological ecology of embryos: responding to the challenges of life inside an egg. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1272-1286. [PMID: 35166012 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adaptations of post-hatching animals have attracted far more study than have embryonic responses to environmental challenges, but recent research suggests that we have underestimated the complexity and flexibility of embryos. We advocate a dynamic view of embryos as organisms capable of responding - on both ecological and evolutionary timescales - to their developmental environments. By viewing embryos in this way, rather than assuming an inability of pre-hatching stages to adapt and respond, we can broaden the ontogenetic breadth of evolutionary and ecological research. Both biotic and abiotic factors affect embryogenesis, and embryos exhibit a broad range of behavioural and physiological responses that enable them to deal with changes in their developmental environments in the course of interactions with their parents, with other embryos, with predators, and with the physical environment. Such plasticity may profoundly affect offspring phenotypes and fitness, and in turn influence the temporal and spatial dynamics of populations and communities. Future research in this field could benefit from an integrated framework that combines multiple approaches (field investigations, manipulative experiments, ecological modelling) to clarify the mechanisms and consequences of embryonic adaptations and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Guo Du
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Richard Shine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
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25
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Baldwin JW, Garcia-Porta J, Botero CA. Phenotypic responses to climate change are significantly dampened in big-brained birds. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:939-947. [PMID: 35142006 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change is rapidly altering local environments and threatening biodiversity throughout the world. Although many wildlife responses to this phenomenon appear largely idiosyncratic, a wealth of basic research on this topic is enabling the identification of general patterns across taxa. Here, we expand those efforts by investigating how avian responses to climate change are affected by the ability to cope with ecological variation through behavioural flexibility (as measured by relative brain size). After accounting for the effects of phylogenetic uncertainty and interspecific variation in adaptive potential, we confirm that although climate warming is generally correlated with major body size reductions in North American migrants, these responses are significantly weaker in species with larger relative brain sizes. Our findings suggest that cognition can play an important role in organismal responses to global change by actively buffering individuals from the environmental effects of warming temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin W Baldwin
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Joan Garcia-Porta
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Carlos A Botero
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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26
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Udino E, George JM, McKenzie M, Pessato A, Crino OL, Buchanan KL, Mariette MM. Prenatal acoustic programming of mitochondrial function for high temperatures in an arid-adapted bird. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211893. [PMID: 34875198 PMCID: PMC8651415 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound is an essential source of information in many taxa and can notably be used by embryos to programme their phenotypes for postnatal environments. While underlying mechanisms are mostly unknown, there is growing evidence for the involvement of mitochondria-main source of cellular energy (i.e. ATP)-in developmental programming processes. Here, we tested whether prenatal sound programmes mitochondrial metabolism. In the arid-adapted zebra finch, prenatal exposure to 'heat-calls'-produced by parents incubating at high temperatures-adaptively alters nestling growth in the heat. We measured red blood cell mitochondrial function, in nestlings exposed prenatally to heat- or control-calls, and reared in contrasting thermal environments. Exposure to high temperatures always reduced mitochondrial ATP production efficiency. However, as expected to reduce heat production, prenatal exposure to heat-calls improved mitochondrial efficiency under mild heat conditions. In addition, when exposed to an acute heat-challenge, LEAK respiration was higher in heat-call nestlings, and mitochondrial efficiency low across temperatures. Consistent with its role in reducing oxidative damage, LEAK under extreme heat was also higher in fast growing nestlings. Our study therefore provides the first demonstration of mitochondrial acoustic sensitivity, and brings us closer to understanding the underpinning of acoustic developmental programming and avian strategies for heat adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Udino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Julia M. George
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Matthew McKenzie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Anaïs Pessato
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Ondi L. Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
| | - Mylene M. Mariette
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3288, Australia
- Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD-CSIC, Seville, 41092, Spain
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27
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Coomes C, Derryberry E. High temperatures reduce song production and alter signal salience in songbirds. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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28
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Faust KM, Carouso-Peck S, Elson MR, Goldstein MH. The Origins of Social Knowledge in Altricial Species. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 2:225-246. [PMID: 34553142 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-051820-121446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Human infants are altricial, born relatively helpless and dependent on parental care for an extended period of time. This protracted time to maturity is typically regarded as a necessary epiphenomenon of evolving and developing large brains. We argue that extended altriciality is itself adaptive, as a prolonged necessity for parental care allows extensive social learning to take place. Human adults possess a suite of complex social skills, such as language, empathy, morality, and theory of mind. Rather than requiring hardwired, innate knowledge of social abilities, evolution has outsourced the necessary information to parents. Critical information for species-typical development, such as species recognition, may originate from adults rather than from genes, aided by underlying perceptual biases for attending to social stimuli and capacities for statistical learning of social actions. We draw on extensive comparative findings to illustrate that, across species, altriciality functions as an adaptation for social learning from caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina M Faust
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | | | - Mary R Elson
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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29
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Kraft FLH, Crino OL, Buchanan KL. Developmental conditions have intergenerational effects on corticosterone levels in a passerine. Horm Behav 2021; 134:105023. [PMID: 34224992 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The developmental environment can have powerful, canalizing effects that last throughout an animal's life and even across generations. Intergenerational effects of early-life conditions may affect offspring phenotype through changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). However, such effects remain largely untested in altricial birds. Here, we tested the impact of maternal and paternal developmental conditions on offspring physiology and morphology in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Specifically, we exposed one generation (F1) to elevated corticosterone (CORT) during development and quantified the impact on offspring (F2) phenotype. We predicted that intergenerational effects would be apparent through effects of parental developmental treatment on offspring body mass, growth, body condition, body composition, and CORT levels. We found an intergenerational impact on CORT levels, such that F2 birds reared by CORT-treated fathers had higher baseline CORT than F2 birds reared by control fathers. This result shows the potential for intergenerational effects on endocrine function, resulting from developmental conditions. We found no effect of parental treatment on F2 body mass, size, or body condition, but we found that the body mass and tarsus length for offspring and parent were correlated. Our study demonstrates the subtle effects of developmental conditions across generations and highlights the importance of distinguishing between maternal and paternal effects when studying intergenerational effects, especially for species with biparental care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ondi L Crino
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3228 Victoria, Australia
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30
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Edwards HA, Converse SJ, Swan KD, Moehrenschlager A. Trading off hatching success and cost in the captive breeding of Whooping Cranes. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - S. J. Converse
- U.S. Geological Survey Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit School of Environmental and Forest Sciences & School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | - K. D. Swan
- The Calgary Zoo Foundation Calgary AB Canada
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31
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Hauber ME, Louder MI, Griffith SC. Neurogenomic insights into the behavioral and vocal development of the zebra finch. eLife 2021; 10:61849. [PMID: 34106827 PMCID: PMC8238503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a socially monogamous and colonial opportunistic breeder with pronounced sexual differences in singing and plumage coloration. Its natural history has led to it becoming a model species for research into sex differences in vocal communication, as well as behavioral, neural and genomic studies of imitative auditory learning. As scientists tap into the genetic and behavioral diversity of both wild and captive lineages, the zebra finch will continue to inform research into culture, learning, and social bonding, as well as adaptability to a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Matthew Im Louder
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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32
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Mariette MM, Clayton DF, Buchanan KL. Acoustic developmental programming: a mechanistic and evolutionary framework. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:722-736. [PMID: 34052045 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Conditions experienced prenatally, by modulating developmental processes, have lifelong effects on individual phenotypes and fitness, ultimately influencing population dynamics. In addition to maternal biochemical cues, prenatal sound is emerging as a potent alternative source of information to direct embryonic development. Recent evidence suggests that prenatal acoustic signals can program individual phenotypes for predicted postnatal environmental conditions, which improves fitness. Across taxonomic groups, embryos have now been shown to have immediate adaptive responses to external sounds and vibrations, and direct developmental effects of sound and noise are increasingly found. Establishing the full developmental, ecological, and evolutionary impact of early soundscapes will reveal how embryos interact with the external world, and potentially transform our understanding of developmental plasticity and adaptation to changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia.
| | - David F Clayton
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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33
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Bebbington K, Groothuis TGG. Who listens to mother? A whole-family perspective on the evolution of maternal hormone allocation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1951-1968. [PMID: 33988906 PMCID: PMC8518390 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal environment and phenotype on offspring phenotype, may allow mothers to fine-tune their offspring's developmental trajectory and resulting phenotype sometimes long after the offspring has reached independence. However, maternal effects on offspring phenotype do not evolve in isolation, but rather within the context of a family unit, where the separate and often conflicting evolutionary interests of mothers, fathers and offspring are all at play. While intrafamilial conflicts are routinely invoked to explain other components of reproductive strategy, remarkably little is known about how intrafamilial conflicts influence maternal effects. We argue that much of the considerable variation in the relationship between maternally derived hormones, nutrients and other compounds and the resulting offspring phenotype might be explained by the presence of conflicting selection pressures on different family members. In this review, we examine the existing literature on maternal hormone allocation as a case study for maternal effects more broadly, and explore new hypotheses that arise when we consider current findings within a framework that explicitly incorporates the different evolutionary interests of the mother, her offspring and other family members. Specifically, we hypothesise that the relationship between maternal hormone allocation and offspring phenotype depends on a mother's ability to manipulate the signals she sends to offspring, the ability of family members to be plastic in their response to those signals and the capacity for the phenotypes and strategies of various family members to interact and influence one another on both behavioural and evolutionary timescales. We also provide suggestions for experimental, comparative and theoretical work that may be instrumental in testing these hypotheses. In particular, we highlight that manipulating the level of information available to different family members may reveal important insights into when and to what extent maternal hormones influence offspring development. We conclude that the evolution of maternal hormone allocation is likely to be shaped by the conflicting fitness optima of mothers, fathers and offspring, and that the outcome of this conflict depends on the relative balance of power between family members. Extending our hypotheses to incorporate interactions between family members, as well as more complex social groups and a wider range of taxa, may provide exciting new developments in the fields of endocrinology and maternal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kat Bebbington
- Behavioural Biology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747AG, The Netherlands.,Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, de Elst 1, Wageningen, 6708WD, The Netherlands
| | - Ton G G Groothuis
- Behavioural Biology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747AG, The Netherlands
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34
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Antonson ND, Rivera M, Abolins-Abols M, Kleindorfer S, Liu WC, Hauber ME. Early acoustic experience alters genome-wide methylation in the auditory forebrain of songbird embryos. Neurosci Lett 2021; 755:135917. [PMID: 33901611 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Early exposure to salient cues can critically shape the development of social behaviors. For example, both oscine birds and humans can hear and learn to recognize familiar sounds in ovo and in utero and recognize them following hatching and birth, respectively. Here we demonstrate that different chronic acoustic playbacks alter genome-wide methylation of the auditory forebrain in late-stage zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) embryos. Within the same subjects, immediate early gene activation in response to acute con- or heterospecific song exposure is negatively correlated with methylation extent in response to repeated daily prior exposure to the same type of stimuli. Specifically, we report less relative global methylation following playbacks of conspecific songs and more methylation following playbacks of distantly-related heterospecific songs. These findings offer a neuroepigenomic mechanism for the ontogenetic impacts of early acoustic experiences in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Antonson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign, IL, 61801, USA
| | - M Rivera
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - M Abolins-Abols
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - S Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, 5042, Australia; Core facility for Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 4645, Austria
| | - W-C Liu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, 13346, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign, IL, 61801, USA.
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35
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Schroeder KM, Remage-Healey L. Adult-like neural representation of species-specific songs in the auditory forebrain of zebra finch nestlings. Dev Neurobiol 2021; 81:123-138. [PMID: 33369121 PMCID: PMC7969438 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Encoding of conspecific signals during development can reinforce species barriers as well as set the stage for learning and production of species-typical vocalizations. In altricial songbirds, the development of the auditory system is not complete at hatching, so it is unknown the degree to which recently hatched young can process auditory signals like birdsong. We measured in vivo extracellular responses to song stimuli in a zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) secondary auditory forebrain region, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM). We recorded from three age groups between 13 days post-hatch and adult to identify possible shifts in stimulus encoding that occur before the opening of the sensitive period of song motor learning. We did not find differences in putative cell type composition, firing rate, response strength, and selectivity across ages. Across ages narrow-spiking units had higher firing rates, response strength, accuracy, and trial-by-trial reliability along with lower selectivity than broad-spiking units. In addition, we showed that stimulus-specific adaptation, a characteristic of adult NCM, was also present in nestlings and fledglings. These results indicate that most features of secondary auditory processing are already adult-like shortly after hatching. Furthermore, we showed that selectivity for species-specific stimuli is similar across all ages, with the greatest fidelity in temporal coding in response to conspecific song and domesticated Bengalese finch song, and reduced fidelity in response to owl finch song, a more ecologically relevant heterospecific, and white noise. Our study provides the first evidence that the electrophysiological properties of higher-order auditory neurons are already mature in nestling songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M. Schroeder
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
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36
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The Ecology of the Zebra Finch Makes It a Great Laboratory Model but an Outlier amongst Passerine Birds. BIRDS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/birds2010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Zebra Finches have become the most widely researched bird species outside of those used in agricultural production. Their adoption as the avian model of choice is largely down to a number of characteristics that make them easy to obtain and use in captivity. The main point of our paper is that the very characteristics that make the Zebra Finch a highly amenable laboratory model species mean that it is by definition different from many other passerine birds, and therefore not a good general model for many research areas. The Zebra Finch is likely to be particularly resilient to the effects of stress early in life, and is likely to show great flexibility in dealing with a wide variety of conditions later in life. Whilst it is tempting for researchers to turn to species such as the Zebra Finch, that can be the focus of manipulative work in the laboratory, we caution that the findings of such studies may confound our understanding of general avian biology. The Zebra Finch will remain an excellent species for laboratory work, and our paper should help to direct and interpret future work in the laboratory and the field.
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37
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Kalra S, Yawatkar V, James LS, Sakata JT, Rajan R. Introductory gestures before songbird vocal displays are shaped by learning and biological predispositions. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202796. [PMID: 33468007 PMCID: PMC7893256 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous animal displays begin with introductory gestures. For example, lizards start their head-bobbing displays with introductory push-ups, and many songbirds begin their vocal displays by repeating introductory notes (INs) before producing their learned song. Among songbirds, the acoustic structure and the number of INs produced before song vary considerably between individuals in a species. While similar variation in songs between individuals is a result of learning, whether variations in INs are also due to learning remains poorly understood. Here, using natural and experimental tutoring with male zebra finches, we show that mean IN number and IN acoustic structure are learned from a tutor. Interestingly, IN properties and how well INs were learned, were not correlated with the accuracy of song imitation and only weakly correlated with some features of songs that followed. Finally, birds artificially tutored with songs lacking INs still repeated vocalizations that resembled INs, before their songs, suggesting biological predispositions in IN production. These results demonstrate that INs, just like song elements, are shaped both by learning and biological predispositions. More generally, our results suggest mechanisms for generating variation in introductory gestures between individuals while still maintaining the species-specific structure of complex displays like birdsong.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Kalra
- Division of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India
| | - Vishruta Yawatkar
- Division of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India
| | - Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Raghav Rajan
- Division of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Pune, India
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38
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Sauve D, Friesen VL, Charmantier A. The Effects of Weather on Avian Growth and Implications for Adaptation to Climate Change. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.569741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is forecasted to generate a range of evolutionary changes and plastic responses. One important aspect of avian responses to climate change is how weather conditions may change nestling growth and development. Early life growth is sensitive to environmental effects and can potentially have long-lasting effects on adult phenotypes and fitness. A detailed understanding of both how and when weather conditions affect the entire growth trajectory of a nestling may help predict population changes in phenotypes and demography under climate change. This review covers three main topics on the impacts of weather variation (air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, solar radiation) on nestling growth. Firstly, we highlight why understanding the effects of weather on nestling growth might be important in understanding adaptation to, and population persistence in, environments altered by climate change. Secondly, we review the documented effects of weather variation on nestling growth curves. We investigate both altricial and precocial species, but we find a limited number of studies on precocial species in the wild. Increasing temperatures and rainfall have mixed effects on nestling growth, while increasing windspeeds tend to have negative impacts on the growth rate of open cup nesting species. Thirdly, we discuss how weather variation might affect the evolution of nestling growth traits and suggest that more estimates of the inheritance of and selection acting on growth traits in natural settings are needed to make evolutionary predictions. We suggest that predictions will be improved by considering concurrently changing selection pressures like urbanization. The importance of adaptive plastic or evolutionary changes in growth may depend on where a species or population is located geographically and the species’ life-history. Detailed characterization of the effects of weather on growth patterns will help answer whether variation in avian growth frequently plays a role in adaption to climate change.
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39
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Long-term effects of prenatal sound experience on songbird behavior and their relation to song learning. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02939-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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40
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Acoustic Developmental Programming: implications for adaptive plasticity and the evolution of sensitive periods. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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41
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Pessato A, McKechnie AE, Buchanan KL, Mariette MM. Vocal panting: a novel thermoregulatory mechanism for enhancing heat tolerance in a desert-adapted bird. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18914. [PMID: 33144650 PMCID: PMC7609653 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75909-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals thriving in hot deserts rely on extraordinary adaptations and thermoregulatory capacities to cope with heat. Uncovering such adaptations, and how they may be favoured by selection, is essential for predicting climate change impacts. Recently, the arid-adapted zebra finch was discovered to program their offspring’s development for heat, by producing ‘heat-calls’ during incubation in hot conditions. Intriguingly, heat-calls always occur during panting; and, strikingly, avian evaporative cooling mechanisms typically involve vibrating an element of the respiratory tract, which could conceivably produce sound. Therefore, we tested whether heat-call emission results from a particular thermoregulatory mechanism increasing the parent’s heat tolerance. We repeatedly measured resting metabolic rate, evaporative water loss (EWL) and heat tolerance in adult wild-derived captive zebra finches (n = 44) at increasing air temperatures up to 44 °C. We found high within-individual repeatability in thermoregulatory patterns, with heat-calling triggered at an individual-specific stage of panting. As expected for thermoregulatory mechanisms, both silent panting and heat-calling significantly increased EWL. However, only heat-calling resulted in greater heat tolerance, demonstrating that “vocal panting” brings a thermoregulatory benefit to the emitter. Our findings therefore not only improve our understanding of the evolution of passerine thermal adaptations, but also highlight a novel evolutionary precursor for acoustic signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Pessato
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Geelong, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia.
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.,DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Geelong, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Geelong, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia.
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42
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Diquelou MC, Griffin AS. Behavioral Responses of Invasive and Nuisance Vertebrates to Harvesting: A Mechanistic Framework. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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43
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Noguera JC, Velando A. Gull chicks grow faster but lose telomeres when prenatal cues mismatch the real presence of sibling competitors. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200242. [PMID: 32429809 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
During embryonic life, individuals should adjust their phenotype to the conditions that they will encounter after birth, including the social environment, if they have access to (social) cues that allow them to forecast future conditions. In birds, evidence indicates that embryos are sensitive to cues from clutch mates, but whether embryos adjust their development to cope with the expected level of sibling competition has not hitherto been investigated. To tackle this question, we performed a 'match versus mismatch' experimental design where we manipulated the presence of clutch mates (i.e. clutch size manipulation) and the real (postnatal) level of sibling competition (i.e. brood size manipulation) in the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis). We provide evidence that the prenatal cues of sibling presence induced developmental changes (such as epigenetic profiles) that had programming effects on chick begging behaviour and growth trajectories after hatching. While receiving mismatching information favoured chick begging and growth, this came at the cost of reduced antioxidant defences and a premature loss of telomeres. Our findings highlight the role of the prenatal social environment in developmental plasticity and suggest that telomere attrition may be an important physiological cost of phenotype-environment mismatch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose C Noguera
- Grupo de Ecología Animal (GEA), Dpto. de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo 36310, Spain
| | - Alberto Velando
- Grupo de Ecología Animal (GEA), Dpto. de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo 36310, Spain
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44
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Hudson EJ, Creanza N, Shizuka D. The Role of Nestling Acoustic Experience in Song Discrimination in a Sparrow. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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45
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Noakes MJ, McKechnie AE. Phenotypic flexibility of metabolic rate and evaporative water loss does not vary across a climatic gradient in an Afrotropical passerine bird. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb220137. [PMID: 32165435 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.220137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Small birds inhabiting northern temperate and boreal latitudes typically increase metabolic rates during cold winters or acclimation to low air temperatures (Taccl). Recent studies suggest considerable variation in patterns of seasonal metabolic acclimatization in birds from subtropical and tropical regions with milder winters, but there remains a dearth of acclimation studies investigating metabolic flexibility among lower-latitude birds. We used short-term thermal acclimation experiments to investigate phenotypic flexibility in basal metabolic rate (BMR), thermoneutral evaporative water loss (EWL) and summit metabolism (Msum) in three populations of white-browed sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser mahali) along a climatic and aridity gradient. We allocated individuals to one of three Taccl treatments (5, 20 and 35°C; n=11 per population per Taccl) for 28 days, and measured post-acclimation BMR, EWL and Msum using flow-through respirometry. Our data reveal the expected pattern of lower BMR and EWL (∼12% and 25% lower, respectively) in birds at Taccl=35°C compared with cooler Taccl treatments, as observed in previous acclimation studies on subtropical birds. We found no variation in the reaction norms of BMR and EWL among populations in response to acclimation, suggesting previously documented differences in seasonal BMR acclimatization are the result of phenotypic flexibility. In contrast to higher-latitude species, Msum did not significantly vary in response to thermal acclimation. These findings support the idea that factors other than enhancing cold tolerance may be driving patterns of metabolic variation in subtropical birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Noakes
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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46
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McKechnie AE, Wolf BO. The Physiology of Heat Tolerance in Small Endotherms. Physiology (Bethesda) 2020; 34:302-313. [PMID: 31389778 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00011.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the heat tolerances of small mammals and birds has taken on new urgency with the advent of climate change. Here, we review heat tolerance limits, pathways of evaporative heat dissipation that permit the defense of body temperature during heat exposure, and mechanisms operating at tissue, cellular, and molecular levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.,DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Blair O Wolf
- UNM Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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47
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Crino OL, Driscoll SC, Brandl HB, Buchanan KL, Griffith SC. Under the weather: Corticosterone levels in wild nestlings are associated with ambient temperature and wind. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 285:113247. [PMID: 31430447 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [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: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Animals time reproductive events to overlap with periods of favorable environmental conditions. However, weather conditions can be unpredictable. Young animals may be particularly susceptible to extreme weather during sensitive developmental periods. Here, we investigated the effects of adverse weather conditions on corticosterone levels (a hormone linked to the avian stress response) and body condition of wild nestling zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We sought to tease apart the direct versus indirect (i.e. parental) effects of weather on nestling physiology and condition by increasing parental work load with a clutch manipulation experiment. We found that high temperatures were associated with lower levels of restraint-induced corticosterone and high wind speeds were associated with higher levels of baseline corticosterone. We found no associations between weather and nestling body condition. However, clutch manipulation did affect body condition, with nestlings from experimentally enlarged clutches in worse condition compared to nestlings from experimentally reduced clutches. Our findings suggest that weather can directly affect wild nestlings via changes in corticosterone levels. Further research is needed to understand how changes in corticosterone levels affect phenotype and survival in wild nestlings. Understanding how developing animals respond to changes in environmental predictability and extreme weather is vital for understanding the potential for rapid adaptation in the face of changing climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondi L Crino
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3228 Victoria, Australia.
| | - Stephanie C Driscoll
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hanja B Brandl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia; Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3228 Victoria, Australia
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2122 New South Wales, Australia; School of Biological, Earth and Enviornmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, 2052 New South Wales, Australia
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48
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Conradie SR, Woodborne SM, Wolf BO, Pessato A, Mariette MM, McKechnie AE. Avian mortality risk during heat waves will increase greatly in arid Australia during the 21st century. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa048. [PMID: 32523698 PMCID: PMC7271765 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Intense heat waves are occurring more frequently, with concomitant increases in the risk of catastrophic avian mortality events via lethal dehydration or hyperthermia. We quantified the risks of lethal hyperthermia and dehydration for 10 Australian arid-zone avifauna species during the 21st century, by synthesizing thermal physiology data on evaporative water losses and heat tolerance limits. We evaluated risks of lethal hyperthermia or exceedance of dehydration tolerance limits in the absence of drinking during the hottest part of the day under recent climatic conditions, compared to those predicted for the end of this century across Australia. Increases in mortality risk via lethal dehydration and hyperthermia vary among the species modelled here but will generally increase greatly, particularly in smaller species (~10-42 g) and those inhabiting the far western parts of the continent. By 2100 CE, zebra finches' potential exposure to acute lethal dehydration risk will reach ~ 100 d y-1 in the far northwest of Australia and will exceed 20 d y-1 over > 50% of this species' current range. Risks of dehydration and hyperthermia will remain much lower for large non-passerines such as crested pigeons. Risks of lethal hyperthermia will also increase substantially for smaller species, particularly if they are forced to visit exposed water sources at very high air temperatures to avoid dehydration. An analysis of atlas data for zebra finches suggests that population declines associated with very hot conditions are already occurring in the hottest areas. Our findings suggest that the likelihood of persistence within current species ranges, and the potential for range shifts, will become increasingly constrained by temperature and access to drinking water. Our model adds to an increasing body of literature suggesting that arid environments globally will experience considerable losses of avifauna and biodiversity under unmitigated climate change scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon R Conradie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, 2 Cussonia Ave, Brummeria, Pretoria 0184, South Africa
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd., Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Stephan M Woodborne
- iThemba LABS, Johannesburg, 514 Empire Rd, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd., Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Blair O Wolf
- UNM Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, U.S.A
| | - Anaïs Pessato
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Mylene M Mariette
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds VIC 3216, Australia
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, 2 Cussonia Ave, Brummeria, Pretoria 0184, South Africa
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd., Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Corresponding author: South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa.
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49
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Neural activation in response to conspecific songs in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) embryos and nestlings. Neuroreport 2019; 30:217-221. [PMID: 30601425 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Classic studies on the effects of auditory stimulation in embryonic birds have largely been limited to precocial taxa. In altricial taxa, physiological responses of embryos and, subsequently, the behavioral responses of nestlings have begun to receive increasing attention, yet it remains unclear whether and to what specificity neural responses are generated in ovo. Using in-situ hybridization for an immediate early gene, ZENK, we detected significant neural activation in both the embryos and nestlings of an altricial songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) when exposed to conspecific song playbacks relative to silence. In turn, embryonic ZENK responses to heterospecific songs were intermediate in strength. These results are consistent with physiological evidence for conspecific song selectivity in embryos of other altricial songbird taxa.
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50
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Hissing like a snake: bird hisses are similar to snake hisses and prompt similar anxiety behavior in a mammalian model. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2778-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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