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Lindner M, Ramakers JJ, Verhagen I, Tomotani BM, Mateman AC, Gienapp P, Visser ME. Genotypes selected for early and late avian lay date differ in their phenotype, but not fitness, in the wild. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade6350. [PMID: 37285433 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade6350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Global warming has shifted phenological traits in many species, but whether species are able to track further increasing temperatures depends on the fitness consequences of additional shifts in phenological traits. To test this, we measured phenology and fitness of great tits (Parus major) with genotypes for extremely early and late egg lay dates, obtained from a genomic selection experiment. Females with early genotypes advanced lay dates relative to females with late genotypes, but not relative to nonselected females. Females with early and late genotypes did not differ in the number of fledglings produced, in line with the weak effect of lay date on the number of fledglings produced by nonselected females in the years of the experiment. Our study is the first application of genomic selection in the wild and led to an asymmetric phenotypic response that indicates the presence of constraints toward early, but not late, lay dates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Lindner
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
- Chronobiology Unit, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jip Jc Ramakers
- Mathematical and Statistical Methods-Biometris, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Irene Verhagen
- Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Library, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Barbara M Tomotani
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - A Christa Mateman
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
- Chronobiology Unit, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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Wilson RC, LeMaster MP, Lutterschmidt DI. Exogenous leptin promotes reproductive behavior during aphagia in red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). Horm Behav 2021; 128:104893. [PMID: 33333076 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite the established dichotomy between investment in either reproduction or self-maintenance, a hormonal mechanism that influences an organism's decision to prioritize these behaviors remains elusive. The protein hormone leptin is a likely candidate because it is secreted from adipocytes in proportion to the amount of stored fat in numerous species. Although the majority of studies suggest that leptin stimulates reproduction, the actions of leptin can be context-dependent. Leptin increases sexual behavior in fed individuals, but inhibits sexual behavior in food-restricted individuals. We investigated if exogenous leptin influences sexual behavior in red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) experiencing a predictable bout of aphagia during the mating season. We tested two doses of recombinant murine leptin injected for three days. Males were subjected to three mating trials, one on each day of injections, while females were subjected to one mating trial on the last day of injections. Leptin affects male and female snakes similarly by increasing both appetitive (i.e., mating behavior score) and consummatory (i.e., number of copulations, proportion of individuals copulated) sex behavior. We found no evidence to suggest that leptin influenced latency to copulate or duration of copulation. Because leptin promotes reproductive behavior in non-feeding garter snakes, these findings do not align with research on food-restricted mammals. Further investigations into how leptin affects sexual behavior in snakes exposed to food-restriction manipulations would clarify if the role of leptin is evolutionarily divergent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Wilson
- Portland State University, Department of Biology, 1719 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97206, USA.
| | - Michael P LeMaster
- Western Oregon University, Department of Biology, 345 N. Monmouth Ave, Monmouth, OR 97361, USA.
| | - Deborah I Lutterschmidt
- Portland State University, Department of Biology, 1719 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97206, USA.
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Hennin HL, Legagneux P, Gilchrist HG, Bêty J, McMurtry JP, Love OP. Plasma mammalian leptin analogue predicts reproductive phenology, but not reproductive output in a capital-income breeding seaduck. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1512-1522. [PMID: 30805178 PMCID: PMC6374671 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 12/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To invest in energetically demanding life history stages, individuals require a substantial amount of resources. Physiological traits, particularly those related to energetics, can be useful for examining variation in life history decisions and trade-offs because they result from individual responses to environmental variation. Leptin is a protein hormone found in mammals that is proportional to the amount of endogenous fat stores within an individual. Recently, researchers have confirmed that a mammalian leptin analogue (MLA), based on the mammalian sequence of leptin, is present with associated receptors and proteins in avian species, with an inhibitory effect on foraging and body mass gain at high circulating levels. While MLA has been both quantified and manipulated in avian species, little is currently known regarding whether plasma MLA in wild-living species and individuals is associated with key reproductive decisions. We quantified plasma MLA in wild, Arctic-nesting female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) at arrival on the breeding grounds and followed them to determine subsequent breeding propensity, and reproductive phenology, investment, and success. Common eiders are capital-income breeding birds that require the accumulation of substantial fat stores to initiate laying and successfully complete incubation. We found that females with lower plasma MLA initiated breeding earlier and in a shorter period of time. However, we found no links between plasma MLA levels and breeding propensity, clutch size, or reproductive success. Although little is still known about plasma MLA, based on these results and its role in influencing foraging behaviors and condition gain, plasma MLA appears to be closely linked to reproductive timing and is therefore likely to underlie trade-offs surrounding life history decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly L. Hennin
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
| | - Pierre Legagneux
- CNRS – Centre d'Etudes Biologique de ChizéVilliers‐en‐boisFrance
- Département de biologie et Centre d'etudes nordiquesUniversité LavalQuébec CityQuebecCanada
| | - H. Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change CanadaNational Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton UniversityOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Joël Bêty
- Départment de Biologie, chimie et géographie and Centre d’études nordiquesUniversité du Québec à RimouskiRimouskiQuebecCanada
| | - John P. McMurtry
- Southern Plains Agricultural Research CenterUnited States Department of AgricultureCollege StationTexas
| | - Oliver P. Love
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
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Davies S, Deviche P. At the crossroads of physiology and ecology: food supply and the timing of avian reproduction. Horm Behav 2014; 66:41-55. [PMID: 24727023 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue “Energy Balance”. The decision of when to breed is crucial to the reproductive success and fitness of seasonally breeding birds. The availability of food for adults prior to breeding has long been thought to play a critical role in timing the initiation of seasonal reproductive events, in particular laying. However, unequivocal evidence for such a role remains limited and the physiological mechanisms by which an increase in food availability results in seasonal activation of the reproductive system are largely speculative. This lack of mechanistic information partly reflects a lack of integration of ecological and physiological approaches to study seasonal reproduction. Indeed, most work pertaining to the role of food availability for adults on the timing of avian reproduction has been ecological and has focused almost exclusively on female traits associated with reproductive timing (e.g., lay date and clutch size). By contrast, most work on the physiological bases of the relationship between food availability and the timing of reproduction has investigated male traits associated with reproductive development (e.g., reproductive hormones and gonadal development). To advance our understanding of these topics, we review the role of proximate factors including food availability, social factors, and ambient temperature in the control of breeding decisions, and discuss the role of three potential candidates (leptin, glucocorticoids, and GnIH-neuropeptide Y) that may mediate the effects of food availability on these decisions. We emphasize that future progress in this area is heavily contingent upon the use of physiology-based approaches and their integration into current ecological frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Davies
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA.
| | - Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA.
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Schneider JE, Wise JD, Benton NA, Brozek JM, Keen-Rhinehart E. When do we eat? Ingestive behavior, survival, and reproductive success. Horm Behav 2013; 64:702-28. [PMID: 23911282 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 07/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The neuroendocrinology of ingestive behavior is a topic central to human health, particularly in light of the prevalence of obesity, eating disorders, and diabetes. The study of food intake in laboratory rats and mice has yielded some useful hypotheses, but there are still many gaps in our knowledge. Ingestive behavior is more complex than the consummatory act of eating, and decisions about when and how much to eat usually take place in the context of potential mating partners, competitors, predators, and environmental fluctuations that are not present in the laboratory. We emphasize appetitive behaviors, actions that bring animals in contact with a goal object, precede consummatory behaviors, and provide a window into motivation. Appetitive ingestive behaviors are under the control of neural circuits and neuropeptide systems that control appetitive sex behaviors and differ from those that control consummatory ingestive behaviors. Decreases in the availability of oxidizable metabolic fuels enhance the stimulatory effects of peripheral hormones on appetitive ingestive behavior and the inhibitory effects on appetitive sex behavior, putting a new twist on the notion of leptin, insulin, and ghrelin "resistance." The ratio of hormone concentrations to the availability of oxidizable metabolic fuels may generate a critical signal that schedules conflicting behaviors, e.g., mate searching vs. foraging, food hoarding vs. courtship, and fat accumulation vs. parental care. In species representing every vertebrate taxa and even in some invertebrates, many putative "satiety" or "hunger" hormones function to schedule ingestive behavior in order to optimize reproductive success in environments where energy availability fluctuates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill E Schneider
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
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Stuber EF, Verpeut J, Horvat-Gordon M, Ramachandran R, Bartell PA. Differential regulation of adipokines may influence migratory behavior in the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). PLoS One 2013; 8:e59097. [PMID: 23785393 PMCID: PMC3681758 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
White-throated sparrows increase fat deposits during pre-migratory periods and rely on these fat stores to fuel migration. Adipose tissue produces hormones and signaling factors in a rhythmic fashion and may be controlled by a clock in adipose tissue or driven by a master clock in the brain. The master clock may convey photoperiodic information from the environment to adipose tissue to facilitate pre-migratory fattening, and adipose tissue may, in turn, release adipokines to indicate the extent of fat energy stores. Here, we present evidence that a change in signal from the adipokines adiponectin and visfatin may act to indicate body condition, thereby influencing an individual's decision to commence migratory flight, or to delay until adequate fat stores are acquired. We quantified plasma adiponectin and visfatin levels across the day in captive birds held under constant photoperiod. The circadian profiles of plasma adiponectin in non-migrating birds were approximately inverse the profiles from migrating birds. Adiponectin levels were positively correlated to body fat, and body fat was inversely related to the appearance of nocturnal migratory restlessness. Visfatin levels were constant across the day and did not correlate with fat deposits; however, a reduction in plasma visfatin concentration occurred during the migratory period. The data suggest that a significant change in the biological control of adipokine expression exists between the two migratory conditions and we propose a role for adiponectin, visfatin and adipose clocks in the regulation of migratory behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica F. Stuber
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Ecology Graduate Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jessica Verpeut
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Maria Horvat-Gordon
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ramesh Ramachandran
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Paul A. Bartell
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Ecology Graduate Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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