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Metcalfe NB, Bellman J, Bize P, Blier PU, Crespel A, Dawson NJ, Dunn RE, Halsey LG, Hood WR, Hopkins M, Killen SS, McLennan D, Nadler LE, Nati JJH, Noakes MJ, Norin T, Ozanne SE, Peaker M, Pettersen AK, Przybylska-Piech A, Rathery A, Récapet C, Rodríguez E, Salin K, Stier A, Thoral E, Westerterp KR, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Wojciechowski MS, Monaghan P. Solving the conundrum of intra-specific variation in metabolic rate: A multidisciplinary conceptual and methodological toolkit: New technical developments are opening the door to an understanding of why metabolic rate varies among individual animals of a species: New technical developments are opening the door to an understanding of why metabolic rate varies among individual animals of a species. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300026. [PMID: 37042115 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Researchers from diverse disciplines, including organismal and cellular physiology, sports science, human nutrition, evolution and ecology, have sought to understand the causes and consequences of the surprising variation in metabolic rate found among and within individual animals of the same species. Research in this area has been hampered by differences in approach, terminology and methodology, and the context in which measurements are made. Recent advances provide important opportunities to identify and address the key questions in the field. By bringing together researchers from different areas of biology and biomedicine, we describe and evaluate these developments and the insights they could yield, highlighting the need for more standardisation across disciplines. We conclude with a list of important questions that can now be addressed by developing a common conceptual and methodological toolkit for studies on metabolic variation in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil B Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jakob Bellman
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Pierre Bize
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Pierre U Blier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
| | - Amélie Crespel
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Neal J Dawson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Ruth E Dunn
- Lancaster Environment Centre, University of Lancaster, Lancaster, UK
| | - Lewis G Halsey
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Wendy R Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, USA
| | - Mark Hopkins
- School of Food Science and Nutrition, Leeds University, Leeds, UK
| | - Shaun S Killen
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Darryl McLennan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Lauren E Nadler
- Ocean and Earth Science, NOC, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Julie J H Nati
- Ocean Sciences Center, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Canada
| | - Matthew J Noakes
- School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tommy Norin
- DTU Aqua: National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Amanda K Pettersen
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anna Przybylska-Piech
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology & Ecology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Alann Rathery
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Charlotte Récapet
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, INRAE, ECOBIOP, Saint-Pée-sur-, Nivelle, France
| | - Enrique Rodríguez
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Karine Salin
- IFREMER, Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Laboratory of Environmental Marine Sciences, Plouzané, France
| | - Antoine Stier
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Elisa Thoral
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Klaas R Westerterp
- Department of Nutrition & Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Michał S Wojciechowski
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology & Ecology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Pat Monaghan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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2
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Burnley M. Invited review: The speed-duration relationship across the animal kingdom. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 279:111387. [PMID: 36740171 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The parameters of the hyperbolic speed-duration relationship (the asymptote critical speed, CS, and the curvature constant, D') provide estimates of the maximal steady state speed (CS) and the distance an animal can run, swim, or fly at speeds above CS before it is forced to slow down or stop (D'). The speed-duration relationship has been directly studied in humans, horses, mice and rats. The technical difficulties with treadmill running in dogs and the relatively short greyhound race durations means that, perhaps surprisingly, it has not been assessed in dogs. The endurance capabilities of lizards, crabs and salamanders has also been measured, and the speed-duration relationship can be calculated from these data. These analyses show that 1) raising environmental temperature from 25 °C to 40 °C in lizards can double the CS with no change in D'; 2) that lungless salamanders have an extremely low critical speed due, most likely, to O2 diffusion limitations associated with cutaneous respiration; and 3) the painted ghost crab possesses the highest endurance parameter ratio (D'/CS) yet recorded (470 s), allowing it to maintain high speeds for extended periods. Although the speed-duration relationship has not been measured in fish, the sustainable swimming speed has been quantified in a range of species and is conceptually similar to the maximal steady state in humans. The high aerobic power of birds and low metabolic cost of transport during flight permits the extreme feats of endurance observed in bird migrations. However, the parameters of the avian speed-duration relationship have not been quantified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Burnley
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.
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3
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Brown JM, Bouten W, Camphuysen KCJ, Nolet BA, Shamoun-Baranes J. Energetic and behavioral consequences of migration: an empirical evaluation in the context of the full annual cycle. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1210. [PMID: 36681726 PMCID: PMC9867707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28198-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migrations are used by diverse animal taxa, yet the costs and benefits of migrating have rarely been empirically examined. The aim of this study was to determine how migration influences two ecological currencies, energy expenditure and time allocated towards different behaviors, in a full annual cycle context. We compare these currencies among lesser black-backed gulls that range from short- (< 250 km) to long-distance (> 4500 km) migrants. Daily time-activity budgets were reconstructed from tri-axial acceleration and GPS, which, in conjunction with a bioenergetics model to estimate thermoregulatory costs, enabled us to estimate daily energy expenditure throughout the year. We found that migration strategy had no effect on annual energy expenditure, however, energy expenditure through time deviated more from the annual average as migration distance increased. Patterns in time-activity budgets were similar across strategies, suggesting migration strategy does not limit behavioral adjustments required for other annual cycle stages (breeding, molt, wintering). Variation among individuals using the same strategy was high, suggesting that daily behavioral decisions (e.g. foraging strategy) contribute more towards energy expenditure than an individual's migration strategy. These findings provide unprecedented new understanding regarding the relative importance of fine versus broad-scale behavioral strategies towards annual energy expenditures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Morgan Brown
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Willem Bouten
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kees C J Camphuysen
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Bart A Nolet
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Judy Shamoun-Baranes
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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O'Connor RS, Le Pogam A, Young KG, Love OP, Cox CJ, Roy G, Robitaille F, Elliott KH, Hargreaves AL, Choy ES, Gilchrist HG, Berteaux D, Tam A, Vézina F. Warming in the land of the midnight sun: breeding birds may suffer greater heat stress at high- versus low-Arctic sites. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220300. [PMID: 36000233 PMCID: PMC9399709 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0300] [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: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rising global temperatures are expected to increase reproductive costs for wildlife as greater thermoregulatory demands interfere with reproductive activities. However, predicting the temperatures at which reproductive performance is negatively impacted remains a significant hurdle. Using a thermoregulatory polygon approach, we derived a reproductive threshold temperature for an Arctic songbird-the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). We defined this threshold as the temperature at which individuals must reduce activity to suboptimal levels (i.e. less than four-time basal metabolic rate) to sustain nestling provisioning and avoid overheating. We then compared this threshold to operative temperatures recorded at high (82° N) and low (64° N) Arctic sites to estimate how heat constraints translate into site-specific impacts on sustained activity level. We predict buntings would become behaviourally constrained at operative temperatures above 11.7°C, whereupon they must reduce provisioning rates to avoid overheating. Low-Arctic sites had larger fluctuations in solar radiation, consistently producing daily periods when operative temperatures exceeded 11.7°C. However, high-latitude birds faced entire, consecutive days when parents would be unable to sustain required provisioning rates. These data indicate that Arctic warming is probably already disrupting the breeding performance of cold-specialist birds and suggests counterintuitive and severe negative impacts of warming at higher latitude breeding locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S. O'Connor
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Centre d'études nordiques, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
| | - Audrey Le Pogam
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Centre d'études nordiques, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
| | - Kevin G. Young
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada N9B 3P4
| | - Christopher J. Cox
- Physical Sciences Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
| | - Gabrielle Roy
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
| | - Francis Robitaille
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
| | - Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - Anna L. Hargreaves
- Department of Biological Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Emily S. Choy
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - H. Grant Gilchrist
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Dominique Berteaux
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Centre d'études nordiques, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
| | - Andrew Tam
- Department of National Defence, 8 Wing Trenton, Astra, ON, Canada K0K3W0
| | - François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS, Rimouski, QC, Canada G5 L 3A1
- Centre d'études nordiques, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, Rimouski, QC, Canada, G5 L 3A1
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5
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Brzęk P, Roussel D, Konarzewski M. Mice selected for a high basal metabolic rate evolved larger guts but not more efficient mitochondria. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220719. [PMID: 35858057 PMCID: PMC9277295 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Intra-specific variation in both the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and mitochondrial efficiency (the amount of ATP produced per unit of oxygen consumed) has profound evolutionary and ecological consequences. However, the functional mechanisms responsible for this variation are not fully understood. Mitochondrial efficiency is negatively correlated with BMR at the interspecific level but it is positively correlated with performance capacity at the intra-specific level. This discrepancy is surprising, as theories explaining the evolution of endothermy assume a positive correlation between BMR and performance capacity. Here, we quantified mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation activity and efficiency in two lines of laboratory mice divergently selected for either high (H-BMR) or low (L-BMR) levels of BMR. H-BMR mice had larger livers and kidneys (organs that are important predictors of BMR). H-BMR mice also showed higher oxidative phosphorylation activity in liver mitochondria but this difference can be hypothesized to be a direct effect of selection only if the heritability of this trait is low. However, mitochondrial efficiency in all studied organs did not differ between the two lines. We conclude that the rapid evolution of BMR can reflect changes in organ size rather than mitochondrial properties, and does not need to be accompanied obligatorily by changes in mitochondrial efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Brzęk
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
| | - Damien Roussel
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, UMR 5023 LEHNA, CNRS, ENTPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marek Konarzewski
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
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6
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Douhard F, Douhard M, Gilbert H, Monget P, Gaillard J, Lemaître J. How much energetic trade-offs limit selection? Insights from livestock and related laboratory model species. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2726-2749. [PMID: 34950226 PMCID: PMC8674892 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Trade-offs between life history traits are expected to occur due to the limited amount of resources that organisms can obtain and share among biological functions, but are of least concern for selection responses in nutrient-rich or benign environments. In domestic animals, selection limits have not yet been reached despite strong selection for higher meat, milk or egg yields. Yet, negative genetic correlations between productivity traits and health or fertility traits have often been reported, supporting the view that trade-offs do occur in the context of nonlimiting resources. The importance of allocation mechanisms in limiting genetic changes can thus be questioned when animals are mostly constrained by their time to acquire and process energy rather than by feed availability. Selection for high productivity traits early in life should promote a fast metabolism with less energy allocated to self-maintenance (contributing to soma preservation and repair). Consequently, the capacity to breed shortly after an intensive period of production or to remain healthy should be compromised. We assessed those predictions in mammalian and avian livestock and related laboratory model species. First, we surveyed studies that compared energy allocation to maintenance between breeds or lines of contrasting productivity but found little support for the occurrence of an energy allocation trade-off. Second, selection experiments for lower feed intake per unit of product (i.e. higher feed efficiency) generally resulted in reduced allocation to maintenance, but this did not entail fitness costs in terms of survival or future reproduction. These findings indicate that the consequences of a particular selection in domestic animals are much more difficult to predict than one could anticipate from the energy allocation framework alone. Future developments to predict the contribution of time constraints and trade-offs to selection limits will be insightful to breed livestock in increasingly challenging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mathieu Douhard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie & Biologie EvolutiveCNRSUMR 5558Université Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Hélène Gilbert
- GenPhySEINRAEENVTUniversité de ToulouseCastanet‐TolosanFrance
| | | | - Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie & Biologie EvolutiveCNRSUMR 5558Université Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Jean‐François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie & Biologie EvolutiveCNRSUMR 5558Université Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
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7
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Piersma T, Gill RE, Ruthrauff DR. Physiomorphic Transformation in Extreme Endurance Migrants: Revisiting the Case of Bar-Tailed Godwits Preparing for Trans-Pacific Flights. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.685764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In a 1998 paper entitled “Guts don’t fly: small digestive organs in obese bar-tailed godwits,” Piersma and Gill (1998) showed that the digestive organs were tiny and the fat loads huge in individuals suspected of embarking on a non-stop flight from Alaska to New Zealand. It was suggested that prior to migratory departure, these godwits would shrink the digestive organs used during fuel deposition and boost the size and capacity of exercise organs to optimize flight performance. Here we document the verity of the proposed physiomorphic changes by comparing organ sizes and body composition of bar-tailed godwits Limosa lapponica baueri collected in modesty midway during their fueling period (mid-September; fueling, n = 7) with the previously published data for godwits that had just departed on their trans-Pacific flight (October 19; flying, n = 9). Mean total body masses for the two groups were nearly identical, but nearly half of the body mass of fueling godwits consisted of water, while fat constituted over half of total body mass of flying godwits. The two groups also differed in their fat-free mass components. The heart and flight muscles were heavier in fueling godwits, but these body components constituted a relatively greater fraction of the fat-free mass in flying godwits. In contrast, organs related to digestion and homeostasis were heavier in fueling godwits, and most of these organ groups were also relatively larger in fueling godwits compared to flying godwits. These results reflect the functional importance of organ and muscle groups related to energy acquisition in fueling godwits and the consequences of flight-related exertion in flying godwits. The extreme physiomorphic changes apparently occurred over a short time window (≤1 month). We conclude that the inferences made on the basis of the 1998 paper were correct. The cues and stimuli which moderate these changes remain to be studied.
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8
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Pavlik M, Williams TD, Green DJ. Female Songbirds Can Initiate the Transition from a Migratory to a Reproductive Physiology during Spring Migration. Physiol Biochem Zool 2021; 94:188-198. [PMID: 33852373 DOI: 10.1086/714218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe high energetic costs of both migration and reproduction and the physiological changes to support these costs suggest that these life-history stages should be compartmentalized with little overlap between stages. In contrast, previous studies have shown that male birds can initiate reproductive development during migration before arrival on the breeding grounds with increases in plasma testosterone levels and testis size. However, sex differences in seasonal gonadal function are now recognized as profound, and few studies to date have shown that females can initiate the costly, but critical, estrogen-dependent final stages of gonadal maturation and changes in liver function (yolk precursor synthesis, vitellogenesis) while on migration. Here, we show that female yellow warblers (Setophaga petechia) arrive on the breeding grounds with elevated plasma triglyceride levels compared with males. Some females had plasma triglyceride levels of 5-7 mmol L-1, suggesting that they arrived in a relatively advanced stage of yolk precursor production. Furthermore, we show that females that arrived with higher plasma triglyceride levels took less time to initiate their first clutch. Adaptive plasticity in the timing of the transition from a migratory to a reproductive physiology might help migrant birds buffer against a mismatch between timing of arrival and conditions on the breeding grounds and allow them to advance timing of breeding to maximize breeding productivity.
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9
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Yap KN, Powers DR, Vermette ML, Tsai OHI, Williams TD. Physiological adjustments to high foraging effort negatively affect fecundity but not final reproductive output in captive zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.235820. [PMID: 33737390 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Foraging at elevated rates to provision offspring is thought to be an energetically costly activity and it has been suggested that there are physiological costs associated with the high workload involved. However, for the most part, evidence for costs of increased foraging and/or reproductive effort is weak. Furthermore, despite some experimental evidence demonstrating negative effects of increased foraging and parental effort, the physiological mechanisms underlying costs associated with high workload remain poorly understood. To examine how high workload affects haematology, oxidative stress and reproductive output, we experimentally manipulated foraging effort in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, using a previously described technique, and allowed individuals to breed first in low foraging effort conditions and then in high foraging effort conditions. We found that birds upregulated haematocrit and haemoglobin concentration in response to training. Birds subjected to increased workload during reproduction had lower fecundity, although final reproductive output was not significantly different than that of controls. Offspring of parents subjected to high workload during reproduction also had higher oxidative stress when they were 90 days of age. Total antioxidant capacity and reactive oxygen metabolites of birds responded differently in the two breeding attempts, but we did detect an overall increase in oxidative stress in response to training in either attempt, which could explain the lower fecundity observed in birds subjected to increased workload during reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Donald R Powers
- Department of Biology, George Fox University, 414 N. Meridian Street, Newberg, OR 97132, USA
| | - Melissa L Vermette
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Olivia Hsin-I Tsai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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10
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Yap KN, Powers DR, Vermette ML, Tsai OHI, Williams TD. Sex-specific energy management strategies in response to training for increased foraging effort prior to reproduction in captive zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:258583. [PMID: 33914039 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Free-living animals often engage in behaviour that involves high rates of workload and results in high daily energy expenditure (DEE), such as reproduction. However, the evidence for elevated DEE accompanying reproduction remains equivocal. In fact, many studies have found no difference in DEE between reproducing and non-reproducing females. One of the hypotheses explaining the lack of difference is the concept of an 'energetic ceiling'. However, it is unclear whether the lack of increase in energy expenditure is due to the existence of an energetic ceiling and/or compensation by males during parental care. To investigate whether an energetic ceiling exists, we experimentally manipulated foraging effort in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, creating two groups with high and low foraging efforts followed by both groups breeding in the low foraging effort common garden condition. DEE was measured in both sexes throughout the experiment. We show sex-specific energy management strategies in response to training for increased foraging effort prior to reproduction. Specifically, males and females responded differently to the high foraging effort treatment and subsequently to chick rearing in terms of energy expenditure. Our results also suggest that there is an energetic ceiling in females and that energetic costs incurred prior to reproduction can be carried over into subsequent stages of reproduction in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Donald R Powers
- Department of Biology, George Fox University, 414 N. Meridian Street, Newberg, OR 97132, USA
| | - Melissa L Vermette
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Olivia Hsin-I Tsai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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11
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Le Pogam A, O'Connor RS, Love OP, Petit M, Régimbald L, Vézina F. Coping with the worst of both worlds: Phenotypic adjustments for cold acclimatization benefit northward migration and arrival in the cold in an Arctic‐breeding songbird. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Le Pogam
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Ryan S. O'Connor
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
| | - Magali Petit
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
| | - Lyette Régimbald
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
| | - François Vézina
- Département de biologie, chimie et géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski QC Canada
- Groupe de recherche sur les environnements nordiques BORÉAS Centre d'Études Nordiques Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec Rimouski QC Canada
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12
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Huang YX, Li HH, Wang L, Min HX, Xu JQ, Wu SL, Cao J, Zhao ZJ. The Ability to Dissipate Heat Is Likely to Be a More Important Limitation on Lactation in Striped Hamsters with Greater Reproductive Efforts under Warmer Conditions. Physiol Biochem Zool 2021; 93:282-295. [PMID: 32484722 DOI: 10.1086/709538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The limitations on energy availability and outputs have been implied to have a profound effect on the evolution of many morphological and behavioral traits. It has been suggested that the reproductive performance of mammals is frequently constrained by intrinsic physiological factors, such as the capacity of the mammary glands to produce milk (the peripheral limitation [PL] hypothesis) or that of the body to dissipate heat (the heat dissipation limitation [HDL] hypothesis). Research on a variety of small mammals, however, has so far failed to provide unequivocal support for one hypothesis over the other. We tested the PL and HDL hypotheses in female striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) with artificially manipulated litter sizes of two (three or four pups removed from natural litter size), five, eight (two or three pups added to natural litter size), and 12 (five to seven pups added to natural litter size) pups at ambient temperatures of 21° and 30°C. Energy intake and milk output of mothers, litter size, and litter mass were measured throughout lactation. Several markers indicating digestive enzyme activity and the gene expression of hypothalamic neuropeptides related to food intake were also measured. Food consumption and milk output increased with increasing litter size but reached a ceiling at 12 pups, causing 12-pup litters to have significantly lower litter mass and pup body mass than litters composed of fewer pups. Litter mass and maternal metabolic rate, milk output, maltase, sucrase, and aminopeptidase activity in the small intestine, and gene expression of hypothalamic orexigenic peptides were significantly lower at 30°C than at 21°C, and these differences were considerably more pronounced in 12-pup litters. These results suggest that PL and HDL can operate simultaneously but that the HDL hypothesis is probably more valid at warmer temperatures. Our results suggest that increased environmental temperatures in future climates may limit reproductive output through heat dissipation limits.
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Videla EA, Giayetto O, Fernández ME, Chacana PA, Marín RH, Nazar FN. Immediate and transgenerational effects of thymol supplementation, inactivated Salmonella and chronic heat stress on representative immune variables of Japanese quail. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18152. [PMID: 33097768 PMCID: PMC7584634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74547-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental challenges are integrated in the inmunoneuroendocrine interplay, impacting the immune system of the challenged individuals, and potentially implying transgenerational effects on their offspring. This study addressed whether dietary supplementation with thymol can modulate the immune response of adult Japanese quail when simultaneously exposed to an inoculum of inactivated Salmonella Enteritidis and a chronic heat stress (CHS). We also evaluated whether the experienced situations by adults can affect the immune response of their undisturbed offspring. In the parental generation, supplemented quail exposed to CHS had a higher inflammatory response and similar values of the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio than those that were not supplemented. In their offspring, those chicks whose parents were exposed to CHS showed higher inflammatory response and lower antibody production. Regarding the H/L ratio, chicks whose parents were supplemented showed lower H/L ratio values. Dietary supplementation with thymol partially and positively modulated the inflammatory response and avoided H/L ratio alteration in the parental generation exposed to high environmental temperatures, suggesting these adults were better at dealing with the challenge. The lower H/L ratio values in the offspring suggests that chicks are more capable to deal with potential stressful situations associated with conventional breeding conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Videla
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,School of Biology, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
| | - O Giayetto
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M E Fernández
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - P A Chacana
- Instituto de Patobiología, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), C1033AAE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - R H Marín
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - F N Nazar
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Los Alimentos (ICTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Department of Animal Production, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
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14
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Tapper S, Nocera JJ, Burness G. Experimental evidence that hyperthermia limits offspring provisioning in a temperate-breeding bird. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201589. [PMID: 33204485 PMCID: PMC7657879 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
In many vertebrates, parental care can require long bouts of daily exercise that can span several weeks. Exercise, especially in the heat, raises body temperature, and can lead to hyperthermia. Typical strategies for regulating body temperature during endurance exercise include modifying performance to avoid hyperthermia (anticipatory regulation) and allowing body temperature to rise above normothermic levels for brief periods of time (facultative hyperthermia). Facultative hyperthermia is commonly employed by desert birds to economize on water, but this strategy may also be important for chick-rearing birds to avoid reducing offspring provisioning when thermoregulatory demands are high. In this study, we tested how chick-rearing birds balance their own body temperature against the need to provision dependent offspring. We experimentally increased the heat dissipation capacity of breeding female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) by trimming their ventral feathers and remotely monitored provisioning rates, body temperature and the probability of hyperthermia. Birds with an experimentally increased capacity to dissipate heat (i.e. trimmed treatment) maintained higher feeding rates than controls at high ambient temperatures (greater than or equal to 25°C), while maintaining lower body temperatures. However, at the highest temperatures (greater than or equal to 25°C), trimmed individuals became hyperthermic. These results provide evidence that chick-rearing tree swallows use both anticipatory regulation and facultative hyperthermia during endurance performance. With rising global temperatures, individuals may need to increase their frequency of facultative hyperthermia to maintain nestling provisioning, and thereby maximize reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Tapper
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joseph J. Nocera
- Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, 28 Dineen Drive, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Gary Burness
- Department of Biology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Giayetto O, Videla EA, Chacana P, Jaime C, Marín RH, Nazar FN. Modulating offspring responses: concerted effects of stress and immunogenic challenge in the parental generation. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb219386. [PMID: 32680897 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.219386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The perception, processing and response to environmental challenges involves the activation of the immuno-neuroendocrine (INE) interplay. Concerted environmental challenges might induce trade-off when resource allocation to one trait occurs at the expense of another, also producing potential transgenerational effects in the offspring. We evaluated whether concerted challenges, in the form of an immune inoculum against inactivated Salmonella enteritidis (immune challenge, ICH) and a chronic heat stress (CHS) exposure on adult Japanese quail, modulate the INE responses of the parental generation and their offspring. Adults were inoculated and later exposed to a CHS along nine consecutive days. For the last 5 days of the CHS, eggs were collected for incubation. Chicks were identified according to their parental treatments and remained undisturbed. Induced inflammatory response, heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and specific humoral response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were evaluated in both generations. Regardless of the ICH, stressed adults showed a reduced inflammatory response and an elevated H/L ratio compared with controls. In offspring, the inflammatory response was elevated and the specific SRBC antibody titres were diminished in those chicks prenatally exposed to CHS, regardless of the ICH. No differences were found in the H/L ratio of the offspring. Together, our results suggest that CHS exposure influences the INE interplay of adult quail, establishing trade-offs within their immune system. Moreover, CHS not only affected parental INE responses but also modulated their offspring INE responses, probably affecting their potential to respond to future challenges. The adaptability of the developmental programming of offspring would depend on the environment encountered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Octavio Giayetto
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Emiliano A Videla
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Pablo Chacana
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires (C1033AAE), Argentina
| | - Cristian Jaime
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - Raúl H Marín
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
| | - F Nicolás Nazar
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT, CONICET-UNC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (ICTA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba (X5016GCA), Argentina
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16
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Huang Y, Mendoza JO, Hambly C, Li B, Jin Z, Li L, Madizi M, Hu S, Speakman JR. Limits to sustained energy intake. XXXI. Effect of graded levels of dietary fat on lactation performance in Swiss mice. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb221911. [PMID: 32291324 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.221911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
The heat dissipation limit theory predicts that lactating female mice consuming diets with lower specific dynamic action (SDA) should have enhanced lactation performance. Dietary fat has lower SDA than other macronutrients. Here we tested the effects of graded dietary fat levels on lactating Swiss mice. We fed females five diets varying in fat content from 8.3 to 66.6%. Offspring of mothers fed diets of 41.7% fat and above were heavier and fatter at weaning compared with those of 8.3 and 25% fat diets. Mice on dietary fat contents of 41.7% and above had greater metabolizable energy intake at peak lactation (8.3%: 229.4±39.6; 25%: 278.8±25.8; 41.7%: 359.6±51.5; 58.3%: 353.7±43.6; 66.6%: 346±44.7 kJ day-1), lower daily energy expenditure (8.3%: 128.5±16; 25%: 131.6±8.4; 41.7%: 124.4±10.8; 58.3%: 115.1±10.5; 66.6%: 111.2±11.5 kJ day-1) and thus delivered more milk energy to their offspring (8.3%: 100.8±27.3; 25%: 147.2±25.1; 41.7%: 225.1±49.6; 58.3%: 238.6±40.1; 66.6%: 234.8±41.1 kJ day-1). Milk fat content (%) was unrelated to dietary fat content, indicating that females on higher fat diets (>41.7%) produced more rather than richer milk. Mothers consuming diets with 41.7% fat or above enhanced their lactation performance compared with those on 25% or less, probably by diverting dietary fat directly into the milk, thereby avoiding the costs of lipogenesis. At dietary fat contents above 41.7% they were either unable to transfer more dietary fat to the milk, or they chose not to do so, potentially because of a lack of benefit to the offspring that were increasingly fatter as maternal dietary fat increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | | | - Catherine Hambly
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Baoguo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zengguang Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Basic Medical Science, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671000, China
| | - Li Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Moshen Madizi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Sumei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - John R Speakman
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
- CAS Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
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17
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Kok EMA, Hogan JA, Piersma T. Experimental tests of a seasonally changing visual preference for habitat in a long‐distance migratory shorebird. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva M. A. Kok
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jerry A. Hogan
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University Den Burg The Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
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18
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Gutiérrez JS, Sabat P, Castañeda LE, Contreras C, Navarrete L, Peña-Villalobos I, Navedo JG. Oxidative status and metabolic profile in a long-lived bird preparing for extreme endurance migration. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17616. [PMID: 31772390 PMCID: PMC6879648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The high metabolic activity associated with endurance flights and intense fuelling of migrant birds may produce large quantities of reactive oxygen species, which cause oxidative damage. Yet it remains unknown how long-lived birds prepare for oxidative challenges prior to extreme flights. We combined blood measurements of oxidative status and enzyme and fat metabolism in Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica, a long-lived shorebird) before they embarked on non-stop flights longer than 10,000 km during their northbound migrations. We found that godwits increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduced oxidative damage (TBARS) as the pre-migratory season progressed, despite higher basal metabolic rates before departure. Elevations in plasma β-hydroxybutyrate and uric acid suggest that lipid and protein breakdown supports energetic requirements prior to migration. Significant associations between blood mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase and plasma TAC (negative) and TBARS (positive) during winter indicate that greater enzyme activity can result in greater oxidative damage and antioxidant responses. However enzyme activity remained unchanged between winter and premigratory stages, so birds may be unable to adjust metabolic enzyme activity in anticipation of future demands. These results indicate that godwits enhance their oxidative status during migratory preparation, which might represent an adaptation to diminish the physiological costs of long-distance migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge S Gutiérrez
- Estación Experimental Quempillén, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Ancud, Chiloé, Chile.
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain.
| | - Pablo Sabat
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis E Castañeda
- Programa de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina Contreras
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lucas Navarrete
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Isaac Peña-Villalobos
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan G Navedo
- Estación Experimental Quempillén, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Ancud, Chiloé, Chile
- Bird Ecology Lab, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
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19
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Sudyka J. Does Reproduction Shorten Telomeres? Towards Integrating Individual Quality with Life‐History Strategies in Telomere Biology. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900095. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Sudyka
- Wild Urban Evolution and Ecology LabCentre of New Technologies (CeNT)University of Warsaw 02‐097 Warsaw Poland
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20
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Chan Y, Tibbitts TL, Lok T, Hassell CJ, Peng H, Ma Z, Zhang Z, Piersma T. Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ying‐Chi Chan
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University Den Burg the Netherlands
| | | | - Tamar Lok
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University Den Burg the Netherlands
| | | | - He‐Bo Peng
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University Den Burg the Netherlands
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Fudan University Shanghai China
| | - Zhengwang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University Den Burg the Netherlands
- Global Flyway Network Broome WA Australia
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21
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Gandhi G, Sharma R, Kaur G. Traditional Indian sports - A case-control study on Kho Kho players investigating genomic instability and oxidative stress as a function of metabolic genotypes. Heliyon 2019; 5:e01928. [PMID: 31294102 PMCID: PMC6595184 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The beneficial effects of physical exercise regularly for overall well being, or for recreational or professional purposes are widely accepted in clinical practice and have from time immemorial been the reasons for performing traditional sports. On the contrary, there is also evidence implying increased oxidative stress and genetic damage from intensive exercising. Depending on the intensity, time, frequency and characteristics of exercises, there can be differential induction of oxidative stress and provocation of oxidation of cellular macromolecules (including DNA) and cellular dysfunction which can likely accumulate with age, physical attributes and increase the susceptibility to disease on one hand, while stimulating cell signalling pathways leading to cell adaptation and improved resistance to stress, on the other. In order to observe if continuous sports activities as in Kho Kho increase oxidation capacity, which can also provoke oxidation of cellular macromolecules, the effects on oxidative/antioxidant changes and DNA damage in professional Kho Kho players modulated by individual genetic differences were assessed. Kho Kho, a traditional Indian game of ‘Tag’, is an all-time favourite which requires endurance, agility and strength. Healthy Kho Kho players (20.27 ± 0.28 y; sports age 6.78 ± 0.52 y) and controls (20.90 ± 0.45 y) were matched for age, gender, BMI, VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake), frequency of GSTT1 (present/null), M1 (present/null), SOD2 (C199T) polymorphisms but differed for variant allele frequencies of GSTP1 (A313G) and SOD2 (C47T). Players compared to controls had significantly increased levels of DNA damage (1.8x, 44.66 ± 1.68 vs. 23.85 ± 1.79 μm, p = 0.000), lipid (MDA) peroxidation (2x, 1.72 ± 0.06 vs. 0.83 ± 0.16 μmol/l, p = 0.000) and total antioxidant capacity (1.09x, 1.69 ± 0.06 vs. 1.11 ± 0.03 mmol Trolox equivalent/l, p = 0.000) but with no differences for SOD activity (94.99 ± 2.42 vs. 93.36 ± 2.54 U/ml, p = 0.935). These results suggest that the players have increased genetic damage and oxidative stress probably from the intense physical activity in the absence of other exposure(s) as other attributes were comparable in the study group. The players may therefore be at increased risk for susceptibility to cancer, various diseases and precocious age-related changes and should be sensitized to health risks related to regular intensive physical exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gursatej Gandhi
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143 005, India
| | - R Sharma
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143 005, India
| | - Gurpreet Kaur
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143 005, India
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22
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Yap KN, Tsai OHI, Williams TD. Haematological traits co-vary with migratory status, altitude and energy expenditure: a phylogenetic, comparative analysis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6351. [PMID: 31011157 PMCID: PMC6476874 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42921-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aerobic capacity is assumed to be a main predictor of workload ability and haematocrit (Hct) and haemoglobin (Hb) have been suggested as key determinants of aerobic performance. Intraspecific studies have reported increases in Hct and Hb in response to increased workload. Furthermore, Hct and Hb vary markedly among individuals and throughout the annual cycle in free-living birds and it has been suggested that this variation reflects adaptive modulation of these traits to meet seasonal changes in energy demands. We used a comparative dataset of haematological traits, measures of metabolic rate (57 species), and life-history traits (160 species) to test several hypotheses for adaptive variation in haematology in relation to migration and altitude. We then extended these general ideas to test relationships between Hct and basal metabolic rate, daily energy expenditure and activity energy expenditure, using the 57 species that we have metabolic rate information for. We found that at the interspecific level, full migrants have higher Hct and Hb than partial migrants and non-migrants, and that altitude is positively correlated with Hb but not Hct. Hct is positively associated with activity energy expenditure (energy spent specifically on costly activities), suggesting that haematological traits could be adaptively modulated based on life-history traits and that Hct is a potential physiological mediator of energetic constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Olivia Hsin-I Tsai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
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Zhang S, Ma Z, Choi C, Peng H, Melville DS, Zhao T, Bai Q, Liu W, Chan Y, van Gils JA, Piersma T. Morphological and digestive adjustments buffer performance: How staging shorebirds cope with severe food declines. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3868-3878. [PMID: 31015972 PMCID: PMC6468082 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms cope with environmental stressors by behavioral, morphological, and physiological adjustments. Documentation of such adjustments in the wild provides information on the response space in nature and the extent to which behavioral and bodily adjustments lead to appropriate performance effects. Here we studied the morphological and digestive adjustments in a staging population of migrating Great Knots Calidris tenuirostris in response to stark declines in food abundance and quality at the Yalu Jiang estuarine wetland (northern Yellow Sea, China). At Yalu Jiang, from 2011 to 2017 the densities of intertidal mollusks, the food of Great Knots, declined 15-fold. The staple prey of Great Knots shifted from the relatively soft-shelled bivalve Potamocorbula laevis in 2011-2012 to harder-shelled mollusks such as the gastropod Umbonium thomasi in 2016-2017. The crushing of the mollusks in the gizzard would require a threefold to 11-fold increase in break force. This was partially resolved by a 15% increase in gizzard mass which would yield a 32% increase in shell processing capacity. The consumption of harder-shelled mollusks was also accompanied by reliance on regurgitates to excrete unbreakable parts of prey, rather than the usual intestinal voidance of shell fragments as feces. Despite the changes in digestive morphology and strategy, there was still an 85% reduction in intake rate in 2016-2017 compared with 2011-2012. With these morphological and digestive adjustments, the Great Knots remaining faithful to the staging site to a certain extent buffered the disadvantageous effects of dramatic food declines. However, compensation was not complete. Locally, birds will have had to extend foraging time and use a greater daily foraging range. This study offers a perspective on how individual animals may mitigate the effects of environmental change by morphological and digestive strategies and the limits to the response space of long-distance migrating shorebirds in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou‐Dong Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Shanghai Institute of Eco‐Chongming (SIEC)Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Shanghai Institute of Eco‐Chongming (SIEC)Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Chi‐Yeung Choi
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
- School of Environmental Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - He‐Bo Peng
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Tian‐Tian Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Shanghai Institute of Eco‐Chongming (SIEC)Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | | | - Wen‐Liang Liu
- School of Ecological and Environmental SciencesEast China Normal UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ying‐Chi Chan
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Jan A. van Gils
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityTexelThe Netherlands
- Rudi Drent Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES)University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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24
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Halsey LG, Green JA, Twiss SD, Arnold W, Burthe SJ, Butler PJ, Cooke SJ, Grémillet D, Ruf T, Hicks O, Minta KJ, Prystay TS, Wascher CAF, Careau V. Flexibility, variability and constraint in energy management patterns across vertebrate taxa revealed by long‐term heart rate measurements. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis G. Halsey
- Department of Life SciencesUniversity of Roehampton London UK
| | - Jonathan A. Green
- School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | - Sean D. Twiss
- Department of BiosciencesDurham University Durham UK
| | - Walter Arnold
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Research Institute of Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
| | - Sarah J. Burthe
- Centre for Ecology & HydrologyBush Estate Penicuik Midlothian UK
| | | | | | - David Grémillet
- CEFE UMR 5175CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier – EPHE Montpellier France
| | - Thomas Ruf
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Research Institute of Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria
| | - Olivia Hicks
- School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | | | | | | | - Vincent Careau
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada
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Yap KN, Dick MF, Guglielmo CG, Williams TD. Effects of experimental manipulation of hematocrit on avian flight performance in high- and low-altitude conditions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.191056. [PMID: 30266786 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.191056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite widely held assumptions that hematocrit (Hct) is a key determinant of aerobic capacity and exercise performance, this relationship has not often been tested rigorously in birds and results to date are mixed. Migration in birds involves high-intensity exercise for long durations at various altitudes. Therefore, it provides a good model system to examine the effect of Hct on flight performance and physiological responses of exercise at high altitude. We treated yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) with avian erythropoietin (EPO) and anti-EPO to experimentally manipulate Hct and assessed flight performance at low and high altitudes using a hypobaric wind tunnel. We showed that anti-EPO-treated birds had lower Hct than vehicle- and EPO--treated birds post-treatment. Anti-EPO-treated birds also had marginally lower exercise performance at low altitude, committing a higher number of strikes (mistakes) in the first 30 min of flight. However, anti-EPO-treated birds performed significantly better at high altitude, attaining a higher altitude in a ramped altitude challenge to 3000 m equivalent altitude, and with a longer duration of flight at high altitude. Birds exercising at high altitude showed decreased Hct, increased glucose mobilization and decreased antioxidant capacity, regardless of treatment. In summary, we provide experimental evidence that the relationship between Hct and exercise performance is dependent on altitude. Future studies should investigate whether free-living birds adaptively modulate their Hct, potentially through a combination of erythropoiesis and plasma volume regulation (i.e. hemodilution), based on the altitude they fly at during migratory flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Morag F Dick
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 1393 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1G9, Canada
| | - Christopher G Guglielmo
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 1393 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1G9, Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
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27
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Halsey LG. Keeping Slim When Food Is Abundant: What Energy Mechanisms Could Be at Play? Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:745-753. [PMID: 30241777 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The obesity epidemic in humans is juxtaposed by observations of passerine birds exhibiting fine-scale body mass regulation. The ecology literature is replete with research into why these animals regulate body weight, citing tradeoffs between competing pressures such as emaciation and predation. Yet studies on the underlying mechanisms of mass regulation in these animals are scarce. Maintaining or decreasing weight could obviously be achieved by limiting food intake. However, there are numerous reasons why an animal may not control ingestion, at least precisely. This Opinion article investigates the plausibility of possible behavioural and physiological mechanisms to adaptively maintain or decrease body mass in birds and other animals. Candidate behavioural mechanisms include exercising and fidgeting, while physiological mechanisms could include reducing digestive efficiency or mitochondrial efficiency.
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28
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Senner NR, Stager M, Verhoeven MA, Cheviron ZA, Piersma T, Bouten W. High-altitude shorebird migration in the absence of topographical barriers: avoiding high air temperatures and searching for profitable winds. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0569. [PMID: 30051848 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nearly 20% of all bird species migrate between breeding and nonbreeding sites annually. Their migrations include storied feats of endurance and physiology, from non-stop trans-Pacific crossings to flights at the cruising altitudes of jetliners. Despite intense interest in these performances, there remains great uncertainty about which factors most directly influence bird behaviour during migratory flights. We used GPS trackers that measure an individual's altitude and wingbeat frequency to track the migration of black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa) and identify the abiotic factors influencing their in-flight migratory behaviour. We found that godwits flew at altitudes above 5000 m during 21% of all migratory flights, and reached maximum flight altitudes of nearly 6000 m. The partial pressure of oxygen at these altitudes is less than 50% of that at sea level, yet these extremely high flights occurred in the absence of topographical barriers. Instead, they were associated with high air temperatures at lower altitudes and increasing wind support at higher altitudes. Our results therefore suggest that wind, temperature and topography all play a role in determining migratory behaviour, but that their relative importance is context dependent. Extremely high-altitude flights may thus not be especially rare, but they may only occur in very specific environmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan R Senner
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands .,Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Maria Stager
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Mo A Verhoeven
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Zachary A Cheviron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.,NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Utrecht University, PO Box 59, 1790, AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Bouten
- Computational Geo-Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, 1098, XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Yap KN, Serota MW, Williams TD. The Physiology of Exercise in Free-Living Vertebrates: What Can We Learn from Current Model Systems? Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:195-206. [PMID: 28662569 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
SYNOPSIS Many behaviors crucial for survival and reproductive success in free-living animals, including migration, foraging, and escaping from predators, involve elevated levels of physical activity. However, although there has been considerable interest in the physiological and biomechanical mechanisms that underpin individual variation in exercise performance, to date, much work on the physiology of exercise has been conducted in laboratory settings that are often quite removed from the animal's ecology. Here we review current, laboratory-based model systems for exercise (wind or swim tunnels for migration studies in birds and fishes, manipulation of exercise associated with non-migratory activity in birds, locomotion in lizards, and wheel running in rodents) to identify common physiological markers of individual variation in exercise capacity and/or costs of increased activity. Secondly, we consider how physiological responses to exercise might be influenced by (1) the nature of the activity (i.e., voluntary or involuntary, intensity, and duration), and (2) resource acquisition and food availability, in the context of routine activities in free-living animals. Finally, we consider evidence that the physiological effects of experimentally-elevated activity directly affect components of fitness such as reproduction and survival. We suggest that developing more ecologically realistic laboratory systems, incorporating resource-acquisition, functional studies across multiple physiological systems, and a life-history framework, with reproduction and survival end-points, will help reveal the mechanisms underlying the consequences of exercise, and will complement studies in free-living animals taking advantage of new developments in wildlife-tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British V5A 1S6, Canada, Columbia
| | - Mitchell W Serota
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British V5A 1S6, Canada, Columbia
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British V5A 1S6, Canada, Columbia
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30
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Grémillet D, Lescroël A, Ballard G, Dugger KM, Massaro M, Porzig EL, Ainley DG. Energetic fitness: Field metabolic rates assessed via 3D accelerometry complement conventional fitness metrics. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS Université de Montpellier ‐ Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier ‐ EPHE Montpellier France
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute and DST/NRF Excellence Centre at the University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Amélie Lescroël
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175 CNRS Université de Montpellier ‐ Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier ‐ EPHE Montpellier France
- Point Blue Conservation Science Petaluma CA USA
| | | | - Katie M. Dugger
- U.S. Geological Survey Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Melanie Massaro
- School of Environmental Sciences Institute of Land, Water and Society Charles Sturt University Albury Australia
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31
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Vézina F, Gerson AR, Guglielmo CG, Piersma T. The performing animal: causes and consequences of body remodeling and metabolic adjustments in red knots facing contrasting thermal environments. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2017; 313:R120-R131. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00453.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Using red knots ( Calidris canutus) as a model, we determined how changes in mass and metabolic activity of organs relate to temperature-induced variation in metabolic performance. In cold-acclimated birds, we expected large muscles and heart as well as improved oxidative capacity and lipid transport, and we predicted that this would explain variation in maximal thermogenic capacity (Msum). We also expected larger digestive and excretory organs in these same birds and predicted that this would explain most of the variation in basal metabolic rate (BMR). Knots kept at 5°C were 20% heavier and maintained 1.5 times more body fat than individuals kept in thermoneutral conditions (25°C). The birds in the cold also had a BMR up to 32% higher and a Msum 16% higher than birds at 25°C. Organs were larger in the cold, with muscles and heart being 9–20% heavier and digestive and excretory organs being 21–36% larger than at thermoneutrality. Rather than the predicted digestive and excretory organs, the cold-induced increase in BMR correlated with changes in mass of the heart, pectoralis, and carcass. Msum varied positively with the mass of the pectoralis, supracoracoideus, and heart, highlighting the importance of muscles and cardiac function in cold endurance. Cold-acclimated knots also expressed upregulated capacity for lipid transport across mitochondrial membranes [carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT)] in their pectoralis and leg muscles, higher lipid catabolism capacity in their pectoralis muscles [β-hydroxyacyl CoA-dehydrogenase (HOAD)], and elevated oxidative capacity in their liver and kidney (citrate synthase). These adjustments may have contributed to BMR through changes in metabolic intensity. Positive relationships among Msum, CPT, and HOAD in the heart also suggest indirect constraints on thermogenic capacity through limited cardiac capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Vézina
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Groupe de Recherche sur les Environnements Nordiques BOREAS, Centre d’Études Nordiques, Centre de la Science de la Biodiversité du Québec, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Alexander R. Gerson
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher G. Guglielmo
- Department of Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Theunis Piersma
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems and Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands; and
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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32
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Killen SS, Calsbeek R, Williams TD. The Ecology of Exercise: Mechanisms Underlying Individual Variation in Behavior, Activity, and Performance: An Introduction to Symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2017; 57:185-194. [PMID: 28859409 PMCID: PMC5886314 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
SYNOPSIS Wild animals often engage in intense physical activity while performing tasks vital for their survival and reproduction associated with foraging, avoiding predators, fighting, providing parental care, and migrating. In this theme issue we consider how viewing these tasks as "exercise"-analogous to that performed by human athletes-may help provide insight into the mechanisms underlying individual variation in these types of behaviors and the importance of physical activity in an ecological context. In this article and throughout this issue, we focus on four key questions relevant to the study of behavioral ecology that may be addressed by studying wild animal behavior from the perspective of exercise physiology: (1) How hard do individual animals work in response to ecological (or evolutionary) demands?; (2) Do lab-based studies of activity provide good models for understanding activity in free-living animals and individual variation in traits?; (3) Can animals work too hard during "routine" activities?; and (4) Can paradigms of "exercise" and "training" be applied to free-living animals? Attempts to address these issues are currently being facilitated by rapid technological developments associated with physiological measurements and the remote tracking of wild animals, to provide mechanistic insights into the behavior of free-ranging animals at spatial and temporal scales that were previously impossible. We further suggest that viewing the behaviors of non-human animals in terms of the physical exercise performed will allow us to fully take advantage of these technological advances, draw from knowledge and conceptual frameworks already in use by human exercise physiologists, and identify key traits that constrain performance and generate variation in performance among individuals. It is our hope that, by highlighting mechanisms of behavior and performance, the articles in this issue will spur on further synergies between physiologists and ecologists, to take advantage of emerging cross-disciplinary perspectives and technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S. Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Ryan Calsbeek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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33
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Exercise, energy expenditure and energy balance, as measured with doubly labelled water. Proc Nutr Soc 2017; 77:4-10. [DOI: 10.1017/s0029665117001148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The doubly labelled water method for the measurement of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) over 1–3 weeks under daily living conditions is the indicated method to study effects of exercise and extreme environments on energy balance. Subjects consume a measured amount of doubly labelled water (2H218O) to increase background enrichment of body water for 18O and 2H, and the subsequent difference in elimination rate between 18O and 2H, as measured in urine, saliva or blood samples, is a measure for carbon dioxide production and thus allows calculation of TDEE. The present review describes research showing that physical activity level (PAL), calculated as TDEE (assessed with doubly labelled water) divided by resting energy expenditure (REE, PAL = TDEE/REE), reaches a maximum value of 2·00–2·40 in subjects with a vigorously active lifestyle. Higher PAL values, while maintaining energy balance, are observed in professional athletes consuming additional energy dense foods to compete at top level. Exercise training can increase TDEE/REE in young adults to a value of 2·00–2·40, when energy intake is unrestricted. Furthermore, the review shows an exercise induced increase in activity energy expenditure can be compensated by a reduction in REE and by a reduction in non-exercise physical activity, especially at a negative energy balance. Additionally, in untrained subjects, an exercise-induced increase in activity energy expenditure is compensated by a training-induced increase in exercise efficiency.
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Wen J, Tan S, Qiao QG, Fan WJ, Huang YX, Cao J, Liu JS, Wang ZX, Zhao ZJ. Sustained energy intake in lactating Swiss mice: a dual modulation process. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:2277-2286. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.157107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Limits to sustained energy intake (SusEI) during lactation are important because they provide an upper boundary below which females must trade-off competing physiological activities. To date, SusEI is thought to be limited either by the capacity of the mammary glands to produce milk (the peripheral limitation hypothesis), or by a female's ability to dissipate body heat (the heat dissipation hypothesis). In the present study, we examined the effects of litter size and ambient temperature on a set of physiological, behavioral, and morphological indicators of SusEI and reproductive performance in lactating Swiss mice. Our results indicate that energy input, output, and mammary gland mass increased with litter size, whereas pup body mass and survival rate decreased. The body temperature increased significantly, while food intake (18g/d at 21°C vs 10g/d at 30°C), thermal conductance (lower by 20-27% at 30°C than 21°C), litter mass and MEO decreased significantly in the females raising large litter size at 30°C compared to those at 21°C. Furthermore, an interaction between ambient temperature and litter size affected females' energy budget, imposing strong constraints on SusEI. Together, out data suggest that the limitation may be caused by both mammary glands and heat dissipation, i.e. the limits to mammary gland is dominant at the room temperature, but heat limitation is more significant at warm temperatures. Further, the level of heat dissipation limits may be temperature dependent, shifting down with increasing temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wen
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Song Tan
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Qing-Gang Qiao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Wei-Jia Fan
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Yi-Xin Huang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing Cao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jin-Song Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Zuo-Xin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, USA
| | - Zhi-Jun Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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35
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Yap KN, Kim OR, Harris KC, Williams TD. Physiological effects of increased foraging effort in a small passerine. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:4282-4291. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.160812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Foraging to obtain food, either for self-maintenance or at presumably elevated rates to provision offspring, is thought to be an energetically demanding activity but one that is essential for fitness (higher reproductive success and survival). Nevertheless, the physiological mechanisms that allow some individuals to support higher foraging performance, and the mechanisms underlying costs of high workload, remain poorly understood. We experimentally manipulated foraging behaviour in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) using the technique described by Koetsier and Verhulst (2011). Birds in the “high foraging effort” (HF) group had to obtain food either while flying/hovering or by making repeated hops or jumps from the ground up to the feeder, behaviour typical of the extremely energetically-expensive foraging mode observed in many free-living small passerines. HF birds made significantly more trips to the feeder per 10min whereas control birds spent more time (perched) at the feeder. Despite this marked change in foraging behaviour we documented few short- or long-term effects of “training” (3 days and 90 days of “training” respectively) and some of these effects were sex-specific. There were no effects of treatment on BMR, hematocrit, hemoglobin, or plasma glycerol, triglyceride, glucose levels, and masses of kidney, crop, large intestine, small intestine, gizzard and liver. HF females had higher masses of flight muscle, leg muscle, heart and lung compared to controls. In contrast, HF males had lower heart mass than controls and there were no differences for other organs. When both sexes were pooled, there were no effects of treatment on body composition. Finally, birds in the HF treatment had higher levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and, consequently, although treatment did not affect total antioxidant capacity (OXY), birds in the HF treatment had higher oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Nian Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Oh Run Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Karilyn C. Harris
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Alves JA, Dias MP, Méndez V, Katrínardóttir B, Gunnarsson TG. Very rapid long-distance sea crossing by a migratory bird. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38154. [PMID: 27901077 PMCID: PMC5128861 DOI: 10.1038/srep38154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Landbirds undertaking within-continent migrations have the possibility to stop en route, but most long-distance migrants must also undertake large non-stop sea crossings, the length of which can vary greatly. For shorebirds migrating from Iceland to West Africa, the shortest route would involve one of the longest continuous sea crossings while alternative, mostly overland, routes are available. Using geolocators to track the migration of Icelandic whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), we show that they can complete a round-trip of 11,000 km making two non-stop sea crossings and flying at speeds of up to 24 m s(−1); one of the fastest recorded for shorebirds flying over the ocean. Although wind support could reduce flight energetic costs, whimbrels faced headwinds up to twice their ground speed, indicating that unfavourable and potentially fatal weather conditions are not uncommon. Such apparently high risk migrations might be more common than previously thought, with potential fitness gains outweighing the costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Alves
- DBIO &CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.,South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Fjolheimar IS-800 Selfoss &IS-861 Gunnarsholt, Iceland
| | - Maria P Dias
- Birdife International, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK.,MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Verónica Méndez
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | | | - Tómas G Gunnarsson
- South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Fjolheimar IS-800 Selfoss &IS-861 Gunnarsholt, Iceland
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Sudyka J, Casasole G, Rutkowska J, Cichoń M. Elevated reproduction does not affect telomere dynamics and oxidative stress. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016; 70:2223-2233. [PMID: 27881897 PMCID: PMC5102961 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2226-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Oxidative stress and telomere dynamics are considered to be powerful biomarkers quantifying a potential trade-off between current reproduction and self-maintenance. Recent studies confirmed the negative impact of elevated reproduction on telomeres, but the evidence for the cost of reproduction in terms of oxidative stress remains equivocal. In order to induce reproductive costs, we experimentally manipulated reproductive effort by increasing brood size in captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and additionally challenged all birds by a low ambient temperature to facilitate detection of these costs. We were not able to show any negative effects of elevated reproductive effort on telomere dynamics and oxidative stress among parents, although brood enlargement was effective in terms of total mass and number of fledged young. Interestingly, irrespective of brood size treatment, we found a significant increase in antioxidant capacity at peak breeding while oxidative damage did not change with time. Our results may suggest that reproduction, instead of generating costs, may stimulate physiological functions promoting self-maintenance in terms of higher protection against free radicals. Possibly, opportunistic breeders such as zebra finches may not impede their future performance for the sake of current reproduction. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study interrogates a molecular background behind one of the most intriguing trade-offs that potentially occurs between self-maintenance and reproduction. We manipulated breeding effort in zebra finches to understand if the cost of reproduction can be mediated by telomere dynamics and oxidative stress. In our study system, we did not detect the direct reproductive costs in terms of parental oxidative damage and telomere loss; instead, these costs were paid by the offspring in terms of their inhibited growth rate. Moreover, we found that entering into the reproductive state strongly stimulated self-maintenance by increasing antioxidant capacity in parents. Our results emphasize that current reproductive success is not always prioritized over investment in body maintenance preventing the oxidative cost of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Sudyka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Giulia Casasole
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Mariusz Cichoń
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
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Basal and maximal metabolic rates differ in their response to rapid temperature change among avian species. J Comp Physiol B 2016; 186:919-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Piersma T, Lok T, Chen Y, Hassell CJ, Yang HY, Boyle A, Slaymaker M, Chan YC, Melville DS, Zhang ZW, Ma Z. Simultaneous declines in summer survival of three shorebird species signals a flyway at risk. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Theunis Piersma
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research; PO Box 59 1790 AB Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
| | - Tamar Lok
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research; PO Box 59 1790 AB Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive; UMR 5175; Montpellier France
| | - Ying Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering; Institute of Biodiversity Science; Fudan University; Shanghai 200433 China
| | - Chris J. Hassell
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Global Flyway Network; PO Box 3089 Broome WA 6725 Australia
| | - Hong-Yan Yang
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research; PO Box 59 1790 AB Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering; Beijing Normal University; Beijing 100875 China
- College of Nature Conservation; Beijing Forestry University; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Adrian Boyle
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Global Flyway Network; PO Box 3089 Broome WA 6725 Australia
| | - Matt Slaymaker
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Global Flyway Network; PO Box 3089 Broome WA 6725 Australia
| | - Ying-Chi Chan
- Chair in Global Flyway Ecology, Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES); University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen The Netherlands
- Department of Marine Ecology; NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research; PO Box 59 1790 AB Den Burg Texel The Netherlands
| | - David S. Melville
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering; Institute of Biodiversity Science; Fudan University; Shanghai 200433 China
- 1261 Dovedale Road RD 2 Wakefield Nelson 7096 New Zealand
| | - Zheng-Wang Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering; Beijing Normal University; Beijing 100875 China
| | - Zhijun Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering; Institute of Biodiversity Science; Fudan University; Shanghai 200433 China
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Salin K, Auer SK, Rey B, Selman C, Metcalfe NB. Variation in the link between oxygen consumption and ATP production, and its relevance for animal performance. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151028. [PMID: 26203001 PMCID: PMC4528520 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
It is often assumed that an animal's metabolic rate can be estimated through measuring the whole-organism oxygen consumption rate. However, oxygen consumption alone is unlikely to be a sufficient marker of energy metabolism in many situations. This is due to the inherent variability in the link between oxidation and phosphorylation; that is, the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generated per molecule of oxygen consumed by mitochondria (P/O ratio). In this article, we describe how the P/O ratio can vary within and among individuals, and in response to a number of environmental parameters, including diet and temperature. As the P/O ratio affects the efficiency of cellular energy production, its variability may have significant consequences for animal performance, such as growth rate and reproductive output. We explore the adaptive significance of such variability and hypothesize that while a reduction in the P/O ratio is energetically costly, it may be associated with advantages in terms of somatic maintenance through reduced production of reactive oxygen species. Finally, we discuss how considering variation in mitochondrial efficiency, together with whole-organism oxygen consumption, can permit a better understanding of the relationship between energy metabolism and life history for studies in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Salin
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sonya K Auer
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Benjamin Rey
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Colin Selman
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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41
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Rezende EL, Bacigalupe LD. Thermoregulation in endotherms: physiological principles and ecological consequences. J Comp Physiol B 2015; 185:709-27. [PMID: 26025431 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-015-0909-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In a seminal study published nearly 70 years ago, Scholander et al. (Biol Bull 99:259-271, 1950) employed Newton's law of cooling to describe how metabolic rates (MR) in birds and mammals vary predictably with ambient temperature (T a). Here, we explore the theoretical consequences of Newton's law of cooling and show that a thermoregulatory polygon provides an intuitively simple and yet useful description of thermoregulatory responses in endothermic organisms. This polygon encapsulates the region in which heat production and dissipation are in equilibrium and, therefore, the range of conditions in which thermoregulation is possible. Whereas the typical U-shaped curve describes the relationship between T a and MR at rest, thermoregulatory polygons expand this framework to incorporate the impact of activity, other behaviors and environmental conditions on thermoregulation and energy balance. We discuss how this framework can be employed to study the limits to effective thermoregulation and their ecological repercussions, allometric effects and residual variation in MR and thermal insulation, and how thermoregulatory requirements might constrain locomotor or reproductive performance (as proposed, for instance, by the heat dissipation limit theory). In many systems the limited empirical knowledge on how organismal traits may respond to environmental changes prevents physiological ecology from becoming a fully developed predictive science. In endotherms, however, we contend that the lack of theoretical developments that translate current physiological understanding into formal mechanistic models remains the main impediment to study the ecological and evolutionary repercussions of thermoregulation. In spite of the inherent limitations of Newton's law of cooling as an oversimplified description of the mechanics of heat transfer, we argue that understanding how systems that obey this approximation work can be enlightening on conceptual grounds and relevant as an analytical and predictive tool to study ecological phenomena. As such, the proposed approach may constitute a powerful tool to study the impact of thermoregulatory constraints on variables related to fitness, such as survival and reproductive output, and help elucidating how species will be affected by ongoing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico L Rezende
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London, SW15 4JD, UK.
| | - Leonardo D Bacigalupe
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
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42
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Ruby B, Cuddy J, Hailes W, Dumke C, Slivka D, Shriver T, Schoeller D. Extreme endurance and the metabolic range of sustained activity is uniquely available for every human not just the elite few. COMPARATIVE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.3920/cep140025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
It is unclear whether the capabilities of recreationally active modern humans are unique due to present training practices or linked to the selection resulting from migration, escape, scavenging, and hunting and/or endurance running in early Homo. The purpose of this study was to determine upper values for total energy expenditure (TEE) and water turnover during sustained work for periods of 12-24 and 12-48 h, respectively and compare them with other species and proposed activities of early Homo. Stable isotopic water (2H218O) was used during competitions in hot environments to establish energy expenditure rates of approaching 10 times resting metabolism (RM) for 12.7 and 26.8 h, respectively. These events demonstrate pronounced hydration demands, with water output rates ranging from 25–95% of initial total body water for events lasting 12–48 h, respectively. These results provide new evidence for a high, sustained work (0.5–2 days) output and hydration demand in humans compared to other species in hot environments. Although the span for sustained metabolic activity in humans is large, it does not require elite level training status so long as adequate exogenous fuel and water are accessible. Because these values far exceed reported expectations/needs for foraging and persistence hunting in early Homo, it remains unclear if the phenomenon of the metabolic range is a modern human characteristic. While modern recreational endurance participants can demonstrate a TEE approaching 10 times RM, the rationale and need for such a high human metabolic ceiling is unclear when considering the energy demands of early Homo.
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Affiliation(s)
- B.C. Ruby
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - J.S. Cuddy
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - W.S. Hailes
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - C.L. Dumke
- Montana Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - D.R. Slivka
- Department of Health Physical Education and Recreation, The University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA
| | - T.C. Shriver
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1415 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - D.A. Schoeller
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1415 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA
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43
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Gill RE, Douglas DC, Handel CM, Tibbitts TL, Hufford G, Piersma T. Hemispheric-scale wind selection facilitates bar-tailed godwit circum-migration of the Pacific. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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44
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Glassey B, Gunson M, Muir R. Context-dependent costs and constraints of begging and non-begging activity by common grackle nestlings at the scale of the nanoclimate. Funct Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barb Glassey
- Department of Biology; Cape Breton University; Sydney Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Melanie Gunson
- Department of Biology; Cape Breton University; Sydney Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Robert Muir
- Department of Biology; Cape Breton University; Sydney Nova Scotia Canada
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45
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Speakman JR, Al-Jothery AH, Król E, Hawkins J, Chetoui A, Saint-Lambert A, Gamo Y, Shaw SC, Valencak T, Bünger L, Hill W, Vaanholt L, Hambly C. Limits to sustained energy intake. XXII. Reproductive performance of two selected mouse lines with different thermal conductance. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:3718-32. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.103705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Maximal sustained energy intake (SusEI) appears limited, but the factors imposing the limit are disputed. We studied reproductive performance in two lines of mice selected for high and low food intake (MH and ML, respectively), and known to have large differences in thermal conductance (29% higher in the MH line at 21°C). When these mice raised their natural litters, their metabolisable energy intake significantly increased over the first 13 days of lactation and then reached a plateau. At peak lactation, MH mice assimilated on average 45.3 % more energy than ML mice (222.9±7.1 and 153.4±12.5 kJ day-1, N=49 and 24, respectively). Moreover, MH mice exported on average 62.3 kJ day-1 more energy as milk than ML mice (118.9±5.3 and 56.6±5.4 kJ day-1, N= subset of 32 and 21, respectively). The elevated milk production of MH mice enabled them to wean litters (65.2±2.1 g) that were on average 50.2% heavier than litters produced by ML mothers (43.4±3.0 g), and pups that were on average 27.2% heavier (9.9±0.2 and 7.8±0.2 g, respectively). Lactating mice in both lines had significantly longer and heavier guts compared to non-reproductive mice. However, inconsistent with the central limit hypothesis, the ML mice had significantly longer and heavier intestines than MH mice. An experiment where the mice raised litters of the opposing line demonstrated that lactation performance was not limited by offspring growth capacity. Our findings are consistent with the idea that the SusEI at peak lactation is constrained by the capacity of the mothers to dissipate body heat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yuko Gamo
- University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Lutz Bünger
- Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), United Kingdom
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46
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Barske J, Fusani L, Wikelski M, Feng NY, Santos M, Schlinger BA. Energetics of the acrobatic courtship in male golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus). Proc Biol Sci 2013; 281:20132482. [PMID: 24352944 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In lek mating systems, females choose mates through indicators of quality, which males may exhibit by their performance of courtship displays. In temperate regions, displaying seasons are brief (one to two months), whereas in the tropics courtship seasons may be prolonged. Moreover, in temperate-breeding animals lekking behaviour can be energetically demanding, but little is known about the energy costs of lekking in tropical animals. Daily, over the course of a nearly seven-month-long breeding season, male golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus) of Panamanian rainforests perform acrobatic courtship displays that markedly elevate heart rates, suggesting that they require high energy investment. Typically, animals of tropical lowland forests (such as manakins) exhibit a 'slow pace of life' metabolic strategy. We investigated whether male manakin courtship is indeed metabolically costly or whether the birds retain a low daily energy expenditure (DEE), as seen in other tropical species. To assess these questions, we calibrated manakin heart rate against metabolic rate, examined daily lek activity and, using telemetry, obtained heart rates of individual wild, lekking male manakins. Although metabolic rates peak during courtship displays, we found that males actually invest minimal time (only approx. 5 min d(-1)) performing displays. As a consequence, the DEE of approximately 39 kJ d(-1) for male manakins is comparable to other lowland tropical species. The short, intense bursts of courtship by these birds make up only approximately 1.2% of their total DEE. Presumably, this cost is negligible, enabling them to perform daily at their arenas for months on end.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Barske
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, , Los Angeles, CA, USA, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, and the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, University of California, , Los Angeles, CA, USA, Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, , Ferrara, Italy, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, , Radolfzell, Germany, Konstanz University, , Konstanz, Germany, Departamento de Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud y Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales, , Panama, Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales, , Panama
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Schaeffer PJ, Lindstedt SL. How animals move: comparative lessons on animal locomotion. Compr Physiol 2013; 3:289-314. [PMID: 23720288 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c110059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Comparative physiology often provides unique insights in animal structure and function. It is specifically through this lens that we discuss the fundamental properties of skeletal muscle and animal locomotion, incorporating variation in body size and evolved difference among species. For example, muscle frequencies in vivo are highly constrained by body size, which apparently tunes muscle use to maximize recovery of elastic recoil potential energy. Secondary to this constraint, there is an expected linking of skeletal muscle structural and functional properties. Muscle is relatively simple structurally, but by changing proportions of the few muscle components, a diverse range of functional outputs is possible. Thus, there is a consistent and predictable relation between muscle function and myocyte composition that illuminates animal locomotion. When animals move, the mechanical properties of muscle diverge from the static textbook force-velocity relations described by A. V. Hill, as recovery of elastic potential energy together with force and power enhancement with activation during stretch combine to modulate performance. These relations are best understood through the tool of work loops. Also, when animals move, locomotion is often conveniently categorized energetically. Burst locomotion is typified by high-power outputs and short durations while sustained, cyclic, locomotion engages a smaller fraction of the muscle tissue, yielding lower force and power. However, closer examination reveals that rather than a dichotomy, energetics of locomotion is a continuum. There is a remarkably predictable relationship between duration of activity and peak sustainable performance.
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Vaanholt LM, Sinclair RE, Speakman JR. Limits to sustained energy intake. XIV. Heritability of reproductive performance in mice. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:2308-15. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.078394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Limits to sustained energy intake (SusEI) are important because they constrain many aspects of animal performance. Individual variability in SusEI may be imposed by genetic factors that are inherited from parents to offspring. Here, we investigated heritability of reproductive performance in MF1 mice. Food intake, milk energy output (MEO) and litter mass were measured in mothers (F0) and daughters (F1) that were raising litters of 10 pups. Cross-fostering was designed so that half of each litter consisted of biological offspring and the rest came from one unrelated female (i.e. fostered pups). Food intake increased linearly during early lactation and reached a plateau during late lactation (day 9–13, called the asymptotic food intake, FIAS, equivalent to SusEI). Parent–offspring regression showed that FIAS, MEO and litter mass were all positively and significantly related between mothers and their biological daughters, but no significant relationships were found between the same traits for mothers and fostered daughters. FIAS at peak lactation was significantly correlated to adult food intake and body mass when the mice were 6 months old and not lactating. In conclusion, a large part of the variation in FIAS could be explained by genetic variation or maternal effects in pregnancy whereas non-genetic maternal effects in lactation were negligible. As a consequence, biological daughters of mothers with high reproductive performance (i.e. high milk production and hence higher litter mass at weaning) had a better reproductive performance themselves, independent of the mother that raised them during lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lobke M. Vaanholt
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Rachel E. Sinclair
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
- Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beichen Xi Lu, Chaoyang, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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49
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Wagner DN, Mineo PM, Sgueo C, Wikelski M, Schaeffer PJ. Does low daily energy expenditure drive low metabolic capacity in the tropical robin, Turdus grayi? J Comp Physiol B 2013; 183:833-41. [PMID: 23456167 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-013-0747-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Revised: 01/19/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Temperate and tropical birds possess divergent life history strategies. Physiological parameters including energy metabolism correlate with the life history such that tropical species with a slower 'pace of life' have lower resting and maximal metabolic rates than temperate congeners. To better understand the physiological mechanisms underlying these differences, we investigated the relationship of metabolic capacity, muscle oxidative capacity and activity patterns to variation in life history patterns in American robins (Turdus migratorius), while resident in central North America and Clay-colored robins (Turdus grayi) resident in Panama. We measured summit metabolism [Formula: see text] in birds from both tropical and temperate habitats and found that the temperate robins have a 60 % higher metabolic capacity. We also measured the field metabolic rate (FMR) of free-living birds using heart rate (HR) telemetry and found that temperate robins' daily energy expenditure was also 60 % higher. Thus, [Formula: see text] and FMR both reflect life history differences between the species. Further, both species operate at a nearly identical ~50 % of their thermogenic capacity throughout a given day. As a potential mechanism to explain differences in activity and metabolic capacity, we ask whether oxidative properties of flight muscle are altered in accordance with life history variation and found minimal differences in oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. These data demonstrate a close relationship between thermogenic capacity and daily activity in free-living birds. Further, they suggest that the slow pace of life in tropical birds may be related to the maintenance of low activity rather than functional capacity of the muscle tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique N Wagner
- Department of Zoology, Miami University, 212 Pearson Hall, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
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Sgueo C, Wells ME, Russell DE, Schaeffer PJ. Acclimatization of seasonal energetics in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) through plasticity of metabolic rates and ceilings. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 215:2418-24. [PMID: 22723481 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.061168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are faced with energetically expensive seasonal challenges that must be met to ensure survival, including thermoregulation in winter and reproductive activities in summer. Contrary to predictions of life history theory that suggest breeding metabolic rate should be the apex of energetic effort, winter metabolism exceeds that during breeding in several temperate resident bird species. By examining whole-animal, tissue and cellular function, we ask whether seasonal acclimatization is accomplished by coordinated phenotypic plasticity of metabolic systems. We measured summit metabolism (V(O(2),sum)), daily energy expenditure (DEE) and muscle oxidative capacity under both winter (December to January) and breeding (May to June) conditions. We hypothesize that: (1) rates of energy utilization will be highest in the winter, contrary to predictions based on life history theory, and (2) acclimatization of metabolism will occur at multiple levels of organization such that birds operate with a similar metabolic ceiling during different seasons. We measured field metabolic rates using heart rate telemetry and report the first daily patterns in avian field metabolic rate. Patterns of daily energy use differed seasonally, primarily as birds maintain high metabolic rates throughout the winter daylight hours. We found that DEE and V(O(2),sum) were significantly greater and DEE occurred at a higher fraction of maximum metabolic capacity during winter, indicating an elevation of the metabolic ceiling. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences in mass or oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. These data, highlighting the importance of examining energetic responses to seasonal challenges at multiple levels, clearly reject life history predictions that breeding is the primary energetic challenge for temperate zone residents. Further, they indicate that metabolic ceilings are seasonally flexible as metabolic effort during winter thermoregulation exceeds that of breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Sgueo
- Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
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