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Effects of maternal cortisol treatment on offspring size, responses to stress, and anxiety-related behavior in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Physiol Behav 2017; 180:15-24. [PMID: 28782525 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Cortisol, the main glucocorticoid stress hormone in teleost fish, is of interest as a mediator of maternal stress on offspring characteristics because it plays an organizational role during early development. The present study tested the hypothesis that maternal exposure to cortisol treatment prior to spawn affects offspring phenotype using wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Baseline and stress-induced cortisol concentrations, body size (i.e. length and mass), and behavior (i.e. anxiety, exploration, boldness, and aggression) were assessed at different offspring life-stages and compared between offspring of control and cortisol-treated females. Cortisol administration did not affect spawning success or timing, nor were whole-body cortisol concentrations different between embryos from cortisol-treated and control females. However, maternal cortisol treatment had significant effects on offspring stress responsiveness, mass, and behavior. Compared to offspring of control females, offspring of cortisol-treated females exhibited larger mass right after hatch, and young-of-the-year mounted an attenuated cortisol response to an acute stressor, and exhibited less thigmotaxic anxiety, exploratory behavior, boldness and aggression. Thus, offspring phenotype was affected by elevated maternal cortisol levels despite the absence of a significant increase in embryo cortisol concentrations, suggesting that a mechanism other than the direct deposition of cortisol into eggs mediates effects on offspring. The results of the present raise questions about the mechanisms through which maternal stress influences offspring behavior and physiology, as well as the impacts of such phenotypic changes on offspring fitness.
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Elmer LK, O’Connor CM, Philipp DP, Van Der Kraak G, Gilmour KM, Willmore WG, Barthel BL, Cooke SJ. Oxidative ecology of paternal care in wild smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:1905-1914. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.153775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Physiologically, oxidative stress is considered a homeostatic imbalance between reactive oxygen species production and absorption. From an ecological perspective, oxidative stress may serve as an important constraint to life history traits such as lifespan, reproduction, and the immune system, and is gaining interest as a potential mechanism underlying life history trade-offs. Of late, there has been much interest in understanding the role of oxidative stress in the ecology of wild animals, particularly during challenging periods such as reproduction. Here, we used a long-term study population of a fish with sole-male parental care, the smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, to examine the associations among oxidative stress indicators and life history variables in nest-guarding males. In addition, we investigated the potential role of oxidative stress as a physiological mediator of the life history trade-off decision of paternal smallmouth bass to stay with or abandon their brood. We found that oxidative stress was significantly related to the life history of paternal smallmouth bass, such that older, larger fish with greater reproductive experience and larger broods nesting in cooler water temperatures had lower levels of oxidative stress. However, we found no significant correlation between oxidative stress and nesting success, suggesting that oxidative stress may not be involved in the decision of male smallmouth bass to abandon their brood. Wild fish have been relatively understudied in the emerging field of oxidative ecology, and the study presented here makes noteworthy contributions by revealing interesting connections between the life histories of paternal smallmouth bass and their oxidative status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K. Elmer
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Constance M. O’Connor
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, P.O. Box 10285, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 6T8, Canada
| | - David P. Philipp
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820, USA
| | - Glen Van Der Kraak
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Kathleen M. Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - William G. Willmore
- Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Brandon L. Barthel
- Florida Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
- Institute of Environmental Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
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Hillis JJ, Garvey JE, Lydy MJ. Contaminants reduce male contribution to reproduction at the population scale. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00391.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J. Hillis
- Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 USA
| | - James E. Garvey
- Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 USA
| | - Michael J. Lydy
- Department of Zoology, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 USA
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Zuckerman ZC, Philipp DP, Suski CD. The influence of brood loss on nest abandonment decisions in largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2014; 84:1863-1875. [PMID: 24890406 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 03/13/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides broods were experimentally reduced in size to test whether brood size (BS) and simulated brood depredation affect the decision by a male to continue providing care for its brood or to abandon that brood prematurely before its offspring reach independence. The highest ranked of the generalized linear models predicting brood abandonment was based on the number of offspring remaining in a nest following brood devaluation, indicating that parental male fish reassess the value of a brood following perturbation. Paternal M. salmoides were more likely to abandon their broods if initial BS was small before devaluation, and if there was a greater decrease in BS, indicating a threshold for both the amount of brood loss and remaining BS. Larger, older males were also less likely to abandon their brood than smaller, younger conspecifics. These results have broad implications for determining drivers of parental care trade-offs and how individuals assess the value of a brood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z C Zuckerman
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois, Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, U.S.A.; Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak St, Champaign, IL, 61820, U.S.A
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