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Barracho T, Hatch SA, Kotzerka J, Garthe S, Schraft HA, Whelan S, Elliott KH. Survival costs of reproduction are independent of energy costs in a seabird, the pelagic cormorant. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11414. [PMID: 39045503 PMCID: PMC11264352 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Life-history theory predicts that investment in reproduction should decrease survival (the 'cost of reproduction'). It is often assumed that energy allocation drives such trade-offs, with limited energy available for both reproduction and survival. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, maybe because survival costs of reproduction are only apparent when resources are limited. Here, we took advantage of a natural experiment created by fluctuating environmental conditions to compare energy expenditure of a seabird, the pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus), between contrasting population-scale scenarios of survival costs of reproduction. We used multi-state capture-recapture modelling across 16 years to identify which breeding seasons induced high survival costs (survival ratebreeders < survival ratenon/failed breeders) and we concomitantly estimated energy expenditure of chick-rearing males using time-energy budget models across 4 years. Daily energy expenditure (DEE) of chick-rearing pelagic cormorants varied significantly among years. However, survival costs of reproduction were observed in only 1 year, and contrary to our expectations, variation in DEE was not associated with population-level survival costs. Similarly, at the individual level, DEE in 1 year did not predict the probability of being observed again at the colony in following years (apparent survival). Finally, DEE was independent of brood size and brood age, but older individuals tended to expend less energy than younger ones. Given the lack of an apparent energetic 'cost of reproduction', lower DEE in older birds could be due to improved efficiency rather than avoidance of costs in old birds. Although future studies should account for potential sex-specific energetic constraints by including data on female energy expenditure, we conclude that a direct link between the rate of energy expenditure during breeding and subsequent survival is unlikely in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Téo Barracho
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte‐Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecCanada
| | - Scott A. Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and ConservationAnchorageAlaskaUSA
| | - Jana Kotzerka
- Research and Technology Center (FTZ)University of KielBuesumGermany
| | - Stefan Garthe
- Research and Technology Center (FTZ)University of KielBuesumGermany
| | | | - Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte‐Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecCanada
| | - Kyle H. Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesMcGill UniversitySte‐Anne‐de‐BellevueQuebecCanada
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2
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Hodinka BL, Williams TD. Phenotypic plasticity in mass loss during chick rearing in the European starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11028. [PMID: 38405406 PMCID: PMC10891361 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
It has long been recognized that mass loss during breeding could be adaptive (e.g., by ameliorating the costs of increased parental activity). However, many studies still commonly interpret mass loss as evidence of "stress" or a cost of reproduction (i.e., a negative effect of high workload during chick provisioning). Despite several studies reporting evidence in support of both hypotheses, the ecological and/or life-history contexts under which mass loss may be viewed as a "cost" or an adaptive strategy are still unclear. Here, we used a long-term dataset from a breeding population of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to investigate natural annual and individual variation in body mass and mass loss and to test whether mass loss during chick rearing represents a phenotypically plastic trait that varies predictably in relation to ecological context and individual quality. While there was significant annual variation in incubation mass, chick-rearing mass, and mass change, there were no systematic relationships between mass loss and current breeding success or future fecundity and survival. In addition, we found no evidence of intra-annual repeatability of mass loss between first and second broods ( = .00) but moderate interannual repeatability of mass loss (R = .61) during first broods, suggesting differences in mass loss under different selective pressures. However, we found no covariation between residual intra-individual variation in mass loss for first broods and other reproductive or life-history traits. We therefore found no support for the idea that mass loss reflects "reproductive stress" in our system: there were no negative relationships between mass loss and either current or future reproduction and survival (local return rate). Our results are consistent with mass loss being an individually plastic trait, with individuals using mass loss to "level the playing field" and individually optimize reproductive effort and fitness within their specific ecological context and relative to their individual quality for a given breeding attempt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett L. Hodinka
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Tony D. Williams
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
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3
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Houston AI, Fromhage L, McNamara JM. A general framework for modelling trade-offs in adaptive behaviour. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:56-69. [PMID: 37609707 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
An animal's behaviour can influence many variables, such as its energy reserves, its risk of injury or mortality, and its rate of reproduction. To identify the optimal action in a given situation, these various effects can be compared in the common currency of reproductive value. While this idea has been widely used to study trade-offs between pairs of variables, e.g. between energy gain versus survival, here we present a unified framework that makes explicit how these various trade-offs fit together. This unification covers a wide range of biological phenomena, highlighting similarities in their logical structure and helping to identify knowledge gaps. To fill one such gap, we present a new model of foraging under the risk of predation and damage accumulation. We conclude by discussing the use and limitations of state-dependent optimisation theory in predicting biological observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alasdair I Houston
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Lutz Fromhage
- University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - John M McNamara
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Fry Building, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK
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4
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Horswill C, Warwick‐Evans V, Esmonde NPG, Reid N, Kirk H, Siddiqi‐Davies KR, Josey SA, Wood MJ. Interpopulation differences and temporal synchrony in rates of adult survival between two seabird colonies that differ in population size and distance to foraging grounds. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10455. [PMID: 37799448 PMCID: PMC10547933 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the processes that drive interpopulation differences in demography and population dynamics is central to metapopulation ecology. In colonial species, populations are limited by local resource availability. However, individuals from larger colonies will travel greater distances to overcome density-dependent competition. Consequently, these individuals may also experience greater carry-over effects and interpopulation differences in demography. To test this prediction, we use mark-recapture data collected over four decades from two breeding colonies of a seabird, the Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), that exhibit strong spatial overlap throughout the annual cycle but differ in population size and maximum foraging distances. We quantify interpopulation differences and synchrony in rates of survival and assess whether local mean wind speeds act to strengthen or disrupt synchrony. In addition, we examine whether the imputed interpopulation differences in survival can generate population-level consequences. The colony where individuals travel further during the breeding season had slightly lower and more variable rates of survival, indicative of individuals experiencing greater carry-over effects. Fluctuations in survival were highly synchronous between the colonies, but neither synchronous, nor asynchronous, variation could be strongly attributed to fluctuations in local mean wind speeds. Finally, we demonstrate that the imputed interpopulation differences in rates of survival could lead to considerable differences in population growth. We hypothesise that the observed interpopulation differences in rates of adult survival reflect carry-over effects associated with foraging distances during the breeding season. More broadly, our results highlight that breeding season processes can be important for understanding interpopulation differences in the demographic rates and population dynamics of long-lived species, such as seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Horswill
- ZSL Institute of ZoologyLondonUK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental ResearchUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - N. P. G. Esmonde
- School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | - N. Reid
- School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | - H. Kirk
- Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Group, Centre for Urban ResearchRMIT UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | | | | | - M. J. Wood
- University of GloucestershireCheltenhamUK
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5
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Kapsetaki SE, Basile AJ, Compton ZT, Rupp SM, Duke EG, Boddy AM, Harrison TM, Sweazea KL, Maley CC. The relationship between diet, plasma glucose, and cancer prevalence across vertebrates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.31.551378. [PMID: 37577544 PMCID: PMC10418110 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.31.551378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Could diet and mean plasma glucose concentration (MPGluC) explain the variation in cancer prevalence across species? We collected diet, MPGluC, and neoplasia data for 160 vertebrate species from existing databases. We found that MPGluC negatively correlates with cancer and neoplasia prevalence, mostly of gastrointestinal organs. Trophic level positively correlates with cancer and neoplasia prevalence even after controlling for species MPGluC. Most species with high MPGluC (50/78 species = 64.1%) were birds. Most species in high trophic levels (42/53 species = 79.2%) were reptiles and mammals. Our results may be explained by the evolution of insulin resistance in birds which selected for loss or downregulation of genes related to insulin-mediated glucose import in cells. This led to higher MPGluC, intracellular caloric restriction, production of fewer reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokines, and longer telomeres contributing to longer longevity and lower neoplasia prevalence in extant birds relative to other vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania E Kapsetaki
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Tufts University, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Anthony J Basile
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Zachary T Compton
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Shawn M Rupp
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Duke
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607 USA
- Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607 USA
| | - Amy M Boddy
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Tara M Harrison
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607 USA
- Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607 USA
| | - Karen L Sweazea
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Carlo C Maley
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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6
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McGrosky A, Pontzer H. The fire of evolution: energy expenditure and ecology in primates and other endotherms. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:297166. [PMID: 36916459 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245272] [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: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Total energy expenditure (TEE) represents the total energy allocated to growth, reproduction and body maintenance, as well as the energy expended on physical activity. Early experimental work in animal energetics focused on the costs of specific tasks (basal metabolic rate, locomotion, reproduction), while determination of TEE was limited to estimates from activity budgets or measurements of subjects confined to metabolic chambers. Advances in recent decades have enabled measures of TEE in free-living animals, challenging traditional additive approaches to understanding animal energy budgets. Variation in lifestyle and activity level can impact individuals' TEE on short time scales, but interspecific differences in TEE are largely shaped by evolution. Here, we review work on energy expenditure across the animal kingdom, with a particular focus on endotherms, and examine recent advances in primate energetics. Relative to other placental mammals, primates have low TEE, which may drive their slow pace of life and be an evolved response to the challenges presented by their ecologies and environments. TEE variation among hominoid primates appears to reflect adaptive shifts in energy throughput and allocation in response to ecological pressures. As the taxonomic breadth and depth of TEE data expand, we will be able to test additional hypotheses about how energy budgets are shaped by environmental pressures and explore the more proximal mechanisms that drive intra-specific variation in energy expenditure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda McGrosky
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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7
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Kapsetaki SE, Compton Z, Dolan J, Harris VK, Rupp SM, Duke EG, Harrison TM, Aksoy S, Giraudeau M, Vincze O, McGraw KJ, Aktipis A, Tollis M, Boddy AM, Maley CC. Life history and cancer in birds: clutch size predicts cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.11.528100. [PMID: 36824773 PMCID: PMC9948971 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.11.528100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is a disease that affects nearly all multicellular life, including birds. However, little is known about what factors explain the variance in cancer prevalence among species. Litter size is positively correlated with cancer prevalence in managed species of mammals, and larger body size, but not incubation or nestling period, is linked to tumor prevalence in wild birds. Also, birds that produce more elaborate sexual traits are expected to have fewer resources for cancer defenses and thus higher cancer prevalence. In this study, we examined whether cancer prevalence is associated with a wide variety of life history traits (clutch size, incubation length, body mass, lifespan, and the extent of sexual dimorphism) across 108 species of managed birds in 25 different zoological facilities, sanctuaries, and veterinary clinics. We found that clutch size was positively correlated with cancer and neoplasia (both benign and malignant) prevalence, even after controlling for body mass. Cancer prevalence was not associated with incubation length, body mass, lifespan, or sexual dimorphism. The positive correlations of clutch size with cancer prevalence and neoplasia prevalence suggest that there may be life-history trade-offs between reproductive investment and somatic maintenance (in the form of cancer prevention mechanisms) in managed birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania E. Kapsetaki
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Zachary Compton
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jordyn Dolan
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Valerie K. Harris
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Shawn M. Rupp
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Elizabeth G. Duke
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
- Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
| | - Tara M. Harrison
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
- Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
| | - Selin Aksoy
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- UMR IRD, CREEC, Université de Montpellier, 224-CNRS 5290 Montpellier, France
- Centre de Recherche en Écologie Et Évolution de La Sante (CREES), Montpellier, France
- Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266, CNRS- La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
| | - Orsolya Vincze
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Kevin J. McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Marc Tollis
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5693, Flagstaff, AZ 8601, USA
| | - Amy M. Boddy
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
| | - Carlo C. Maley
- Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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8
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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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9
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Wascher CAF, Arnold W, Kotrschal K. Effects of severe anthropogenic disturbance on the heart rate and body temperature in free-living greylag geese ( Anser anser). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac050. [PMID: 36033970 PMCID: PMC9406602 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbances are a major concern for the welfare and conservation of wildlife. We recorded heart rate and body temperature of 20 free-living greylag geese in response to a major regularly re-occurring anthropogenic disturbance-New Year's Eve fireworks. Heart rate and body temperature were significantly higher in the first and second hour of the new year, compared with the same hour on the 31st of December, the average during December and the average during January. Heart rate and body temperature was not significantly affected by sex or age. From 0200 to 0300 onwards, 1st of January heart rates did not significantly differ from the other periods; however, body temperatures were significantly increased until 0300-0400. From 0400 to 0500, heart rate was not affected by any of the investigated factors, whereas body temperature was significantly increased on the 1st of January compared with the 31st of December and the December average but not compared with the January average. To conclude, our results show that New Year's Eve fireworks cause a substantial physiological response, indicative of a stress response in greylag geese, which is costly in terms of energy expenditure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A F Wascher
- Corresponding author: School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT, UK. Tel: +4369912381419.
| | - Walter Arnold
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kurt Kotrschal
- Core Facility Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, 4645 Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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10
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Pontzer H, McGrosky A. Balancing growth, reproduction, maintenance, and activity in evolved energy economies. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R709-R719. [PMID: 35728556 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Economic models predominate in life history research, which investigates the allocation of an organism's resources to growth, reproduction, and maintenance. These approaches typically employ a heuristic Y model of resource allocation, which predicts trade-offs among tasks within a fixed budget. The common currency among tasks is not always specified, but most models imply that metabolic energy, either from food or body stores, is the critical resource. Here, we review the evidence for metabolic energy as the common currency of growth, reproduction, and maintenance, focusing on studies in humans and other vertebrates. We then discuss the flow of energy to competing physiological tasks (physical activity, maintenance, and reproduction or growth) and its effect on life history traits. We propose a Ψ model of energy flow to these tasks, which provides an integrative framework for examining the influence of environmental factors and the expansion and contraction of energy budgets in the evolution of life history strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Amanda McGrosky
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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11
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Home range size and habitat quality affect breeding success but not parental investment in barn owl males. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6516. [PMID: 35444196 PMCID: PMC9021228 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10324-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history theory predicts that parents should balance their limited resources to maximize lifetime fitness, limiting their investment in current reproduction when the fitness value of current progeny is lower than that gained by producing offspring in the future. Here, we examined whether male barn owls (Tyto alba) breeding in low-quality habitats increased their parental effort to successfully complete offspring rearing or limited their investment by paying a fitness cost while saving energy for the future. We equipped 128 males with GPS devices between 2016 and 2020 to collect information on home range size, habitat composition, food provisioning rate to the brood and nightly distances covered. We also recorded nestlings’ growth and survival, as well as males’ body mass variation and future reproductive success. Males living in lower-quality habitats exploited bigger home ranges compared to individuals whose nests were settled in prey-rich habitats. They fed their brood less frequently, while covering longer nightly distance, resulting in a slower growth of late-hatched nestlings and ultimately in a lower fledging success. As males did not differ in body mass variation or future reproductive success our findings suggest that males hunting in home ranges with less prey-rich structures do not jeopardize future reproduction by investing disproportionately larger resources to compensate for their current low home range quality.
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12
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Michel VT, Tschumi M, Naef‐Daenzer B, Keil H, Grüebler MU. Reduced habitat quality increases intrinsic but not ecological costs of reproduction. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8859. [PMID: 35462972 PMCID: PMC9019141 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the costs of reproduction are predicted to vary with the quality of the breeding habitat thereby affecting population dynamics and life‐history trade‐offs, empirical evidence for this pattern remains sparse and equivocal. Costs of reproduction can operate through immediate ecological mechanisms or through delayed intrinsic mechanisms. Ignoring these separate pathways might hinder the identification of costs and the understanding of their consequences. We experimentally investigated the survival costs of reproduction for adult little owls (Athene noctua) within a gradient of habitat quality. We supplemented food to nestlings, thereby relieving the parents’ effort for brood provisioning. We used radio‐tracking and Bayesian multistate modeling based on marked recapture and dead recovery to estimate survival rates of adult little owls across the year as a function of food supplementation and habitat characteristics. Food supplementation to nestlings during the breeding season increased parental survival not only during the breeding season but also during the rest of the year. Thus, the low survival of parents of unfed broods likely represents both, strong ecological and strong intrinsic costs of reproduction. However, while immediate ecological costs occurred also in high‐quality habitats, intrinsic costs carrying over to the post‐breeding period occurred only in low‐quality habitats. Our results suggest that immediate costs resulting from ecological mechanisms such as predation, are high also in territories of high habitat quality. Long‐term costs resulting from intrinsic trade‐offs, however, are only paid in low‐quality habitats. Consequently, differential effects of habitat quality on immediate ecological and delayed intrinsic mechanisms can mask the increase of costs of reproduction in low‐quality breeding habitats. Intrinsic costs may represent an underrated mechanism of habitat quality affecting adult survival rate thereby considerably accelerating population decline in degrading habitats. This study therefore highlights the need for a long‐term perspective to fully assess the costs of reproduction and the role of habitat quality in modifying these costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanja T. Michel
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | | | | | - Herbert Keil
- Forschungsgemeinschaft zur Erhaltung einheimischer Eulen e.V. Oberriexingen Germany
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13
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Lownie TJR, Jubinville I, Williams TD, Phillips RA, Crossin GT. Varying aerobic capacity in relation to breeding stage and reproductive success in giant petrels (Macronectes spp.). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 266:111155. [PMID: 35051629 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reproduction, and parental care in particular, are among the most energy-demanding activities within the annual cycle of adult birds. Parents that cannot meet the metabolic demands and other physiological costs of raising offspring may opt to abandon chicks in favour of self-maintenance and future reproduction. Recent work examining reproductive trade-offs in birds revealed an important role of oxygen carrying capacity in mediating variation in parental effort. This study explores the aerobic factors underlying the success or failure of parental care in two closely-related petrel species during their breeding season on Bird Island, South Georgia: northern giant petrels (Macronectes halli) and southern giant petrels (M. giganteus). Failed breeders of both sexes and species had significantly lower hematocrit levels (by 5.48 ± 0.64%) than successful breeders, and reticulocyte counts also tended to be lower in failed males, consistent with the hypothesis that parental care and workload depend on aerobic capacity. We discuss these results in relation to differences in the foraging ecology of both species and sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- T J R Lownie
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - I Jubinville
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - T D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - R A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, National Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - G T Crossin
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
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14
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Zhao Z, Cao J, Niu C, Bao M, Xu J, Huo D, Liao S, Liu W, Speakman JR. Body temperature is a more important modulator of lifespan than metabolic rate in two small mammals. Nat Metab 2022; 4:320-326. [PMID: 35288719 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-022-00545-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The relationships between metabolic rate, body temperature (Tb), body composition and ageing are complex, and not fully resolved. In particular, Tb and metabolic rate often change in parallel, making disentangling their effects difficult. Here we show that in both sexes of mice and hamsters exposure to a temperature of 32.5 °C leads to a reduced lifespan, coincident with lowered metabolic rate and elevated Tb with no change in body composition. We exploit the unique situation that when small mammals are exposed to hot ambient temperatures their Tb goes up, at the same time that their metabolic rate goes down, allowing us to experimentally separate the impacts of Tb and metabolic rate on lifespan. The impact of ambient temperature on lifespan can be reversed by exposing the animals to elevated heat loss by forced convection, which reverses the effect on Tb but does not affect metabolic rate, demonstrating the causal effect of Tb on lifespan under laboratory conditions for these models. The impact of manipulations such as calorie restriction that increase lifespan may be mediated via effects on Tb, and measuring Tb may be a useful screening tool for putative therapeutics to extend the human lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Zhao
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
- School of Agricultural Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China.
| | - Jing Cao
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
- School of Agricultural Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China
| | - Chaoqun Niu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Menghuan Bao
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Xu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Daliang Huo
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shasha Liao
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wei Liu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - John R Speakman
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Metabolic Health, Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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15
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Kokko H. The stagnation paradox: the ever-improving but (more or less) stationary population fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212145. [PMID: 34784767 PMCID: PMC8596016 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fisher's fundamental theorem states that natural selection improves mean fitness. Fitness, in turn, is often equated with population growth. This leads to an absurd prediction that life evolves to ever-faster growth rates, yet no one seriously claims generally slower population growth rates in the Triassic compared with the present day. I review here, using non-technical language, how fitness can improve yet stay constant (stagnation paradox), and why an unambiguous measure of population fitness does not exist. Subfields use different terminology for aspects of the paradox, referring to stasis, cryptic evolution or the difficulty of choosing an appropriate fitness measure; known resolutions likewise use diverse terms from environmental feedback to density dependence and ‘evolutionary environmental deterioration’. The paradox vanishes when these concepts are understood, and adaptation can lead to declining reproductive output of a population when individuals can improve their fitness by exploiting conspecifics. This is particularly readily observable when males participate in a zero-sum game over paternity and population output depends more strongly on female than male fitness. Even so, the jury is still out regarding the effect of sexual conflict on population fitness. Finally, life-history theory and genetic studies of microevolutionary change could pay more attention to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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16
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Wang W, Ma L, Versteegh MA, Wu H, Komdeur J. Parental Care System and Brood Size Drive Sex Difference in Reproductive Allocation: An Experimental Study on Burying Beetles. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.739396] [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
Life-history theory predicts that increased resource allocation in current reproduction comes at the cost of survival and future reproductive fitness. In taxa with biparental care, each parent can adjust investment on current reproduction according to changes in their partner’s effort, but these adjustments may be different for males and females as they may have different reproductive strategies. Numerous theoretical and empirical studies have proposed the mechanism underlying such adjustments. In addition, the value of the brood or litter (brood size) has also been suggested to affect the amount of care through manipulation of brood size. While the two conditions have been studied independently, the impact of their interplay on potential sex-dependent future reproductive performance remains largely unknown. In this study, we simultaneously manipulated both care system (removal of either parent vs. no removal) and brood size in a burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) to understand their joint effect on reproductive allocation and trade-off between current and future reproduction. Our results show that males compensated for mate loss by significantly increasing the level of care regardless of brood size, while females exhibited such compensation only for small brood size. Additionally, with an increase in allocation to current reproduction, males showed decreased parental investment during the subsequent breeding event as a pair. These findings imply a dual influence of parental care system and brood size on allocation in current reproduction. Moreover, the impact of such adjustments on sex-dependent differences in future reproduction (parental care, larvae number, and average larval mass at dispersal) is also demonstrated. Our findings enhance the understanding of sex roles in parental investment and highlight their importance as drivers of reproductive allocation.
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17
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Friesen CR, Wilson M, Rollings N, Sudyka J, Giraudeau M, Whittington CM, Olsson M. Exercise training has morph-specific effects on telomere, body condition and growth dynamics in a color-polymorphic lizard. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb.242164. [PMID: 33785504 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242164] [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: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) are correlated suites of sexually selected traits that are likely to impose differential physiological costs on different individuals. While moderate activity might be beneficial, animals living in the wild often work at the margins of their resources and performance limits. Individuals using ARTs may have divergent capacities for activity. When pushed beyond their respective capacities, they may experience condition loss, oxidative stress, and molecular damage that must be repaired with limited resources. We used the Australian painted dragon lizard that exhibits color polymorphism as a model to experimentally test the effect of exercise on body condition, growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and telomere dynamics - a potential marker of stress and aging and a correlate of longevity. For most males, ROS levels tended to be lower with greater exercise; however, males with yellow throat patches - or bibs - had higher ROS levels than non-bibbed males. At the highest level of exercise, bibbed males exhibited telomere loss, while non-bibbed males gained telomere length; the opposite pattern was observed in the no-exercise controls. Growth was positively related to food intake but negatively correlated with telomere length at the end of the experiment. Body condition was not related to food intake but was positively correlated with increases in telomere length. These results, along with our previous work, suggest that aggressive - territory holding - bibbed males suffer physiological costs that may reduce longevity compared with non-bibbed males with superior postcopulatory traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Friesen
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.,Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Mark Wilson
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.,Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Nicky Rollings
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Joanna Sudyka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, F34394 Montpellier, France.,CREES Centre for Research on the Ecology and Evolution of Disease, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Camilla M Whittington
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Mats Olsson
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.,Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
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18
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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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19
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Pokrovsky I, Kölzsch A, Sherub S, Fiedler W, Glazov P, Kulikova O, Wikelski M, Flack A. Longer days enable higher diurnal activity for migratory birds. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2161-2171. [PMID: 33759198 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal geophysical cycles strongly influence the activity of life on Earth because they affect environmental conditions like temperature, precipitation and day length. An increase in daylight availability during summer is especially enhanced when animals migrate along a latitudinal gradient. Yet, the question of how day length (i.e. daylight availability) influences the activity patterns of long-distance, latitudinal migrants is still unclear. Here, we ask whether migration provides benefits to long-distance migrants by enabling them to increase their diurnal movement activities due to an increase in daylight availability. To answer this question, we tested whether four vastly different species of long-distance migratory birds-two arctic migrants and two mid-latitude migrants-can capitalise on day length changes by adjusting their daily activity. We quantified the relationship between daily activity (measured using accelerometer data) and day length, and estimated each species' daily activity patterns. In addition, we evaluated the role of day length as an ultimate driver of bird migration. All four species exhibited longer activity periods during days with more daylight hours, showing a strong positive relationship between total daily activity and day length. The slope of this relationship varied between the different species, with activity increasing 1.5-fold on average when migrating from wintering to breeding grounds. Underlying mechanisms of these relationships reveal two distinct patterns of daily activity. Flying foragers showed increasing activity patterns, that is, their daytime activities rose uniformly up to solar noon and decreased until dusk, thereby exhibiting a season-specific activity slope. In contrast, ground foragers showed a constant activity pattern, whereby they immediately increased their activity to a certain level and maintained this level throughout the day. Our study reveals that long days allow birds to prolong their activity and increase their total daily activity. These findings highlight that daylight availability could be an additional ultimate cause of bird migration and act as a selective agent for the evolution of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Pokrovsky
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Institute of Plant & Animal Ecology, UB RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia.,Institute of Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS, Magadan, Russia
| | - Andrea Kölzsch
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sherub Sherub
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research, Bhutan
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Peter Glazov
- Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Kulikova
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North, FEB RAS, Magadan, Russia.,Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Andrea Flack
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Konstanz University, Konstanz, Germany
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20
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Fokkema W, van der Jeugd HP, Lameris TK, Dokter AM, Ebbinge BS, de Roos AM, Nolet BA, Piersma T, Olff H. Ontogenetic niche shifts as a driver of seasonal migration. Oecologia 2020; 193:285-297. [PMID: 32529317 PMCID: PMC7320946 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04682-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Ontogenetic niche shifts have helped to understand population dynamics. Here we show that ontogenetic niche shifts also offer an explanation, complementary to traditional concepts, as to why certain species show seasonal migration. We describe how demographic processes (survival, reproduction and migration) and associated ecological requirements of species may change with ontogenetic stage (juvenile, adult) and across the migratory range (breeding, non-breeding). We apply this concept to widely different species (dark-bellied brent geese (Branta b. bernicla), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and migratory Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) to check the generality of this hypothesis. Consistent with the idea that ontogenetic niche shifts are an important driver of seasonal migration, we find that growth and survival of juvenile life stages profit most from ecological conditions that are specific to breeding areas. We suggest that matrix population modelling techniques are promising to detect the importance of the ontogenetic niche shifts in maintaining migratory strategies. As a proof of concept, we applied a first analysis to resident, partial migratory and fully migratory populations of barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis). We argue that recognition of the costs and benefits of migration, and how these vary with life stages, is important to understand and conserve migration under global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wimke Fokkema
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Univ. of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Henk P van der Jeugd
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Vogeltrekstation, Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas K Lameris
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, and Utrecht University, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Adriaan M Dokter
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Barwolt S Ebbinge
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen Univ. and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - André M de Roos
- Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), Univ. of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bart A Nolet
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), Univ. of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Theunis Piersma
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Univ. of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, and Utrecht University, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Han Olff
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Univ. of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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21
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Sockman KW, Hurlbert AH. How the effects of latitude on daylight availability may have influenced the evolution of migration and photoperiodism. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keith W. Sockman
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Allen H. Hurlbert
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC USA
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22
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Richardson J, Stephens J, Smiseth PT. Increased allocation to reproduction reduces future competitive ability in a burying beetle. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1918-1926. [PMID: 32356341 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The existence of a trade-off between current and future reproduction is a fundamental prediction of life history theory. Support for this prediction comes from brood size manipulations, showing that caring for enlarged broods often reduces the parent's future survival or fecundity. However, in many species, individuals must invest in competing for the resources required for future reproduction. Thus, a neglected aspect of this trade-off is that increased allocation to current reproduction may reduce an individual's future competitive ability. We tested this prediction in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, a species where parents care for their offspring and where there is fierce competition for resources used for breeding. We manipulated reproductive effort by providing females with either a small brood of 10 larvae or a large brood of 40 larvae and compared the ability of these females, and virgin females that had no prior access to a carcass, to compete for a second carcass against a virgin competitor. We found that increased allocation to current reproduction reduced future competitive ability, as females that had cared for a small brood were more successful when competing for a second carcass against a virgin competitor than females that had cared for a large brood. In addition, the costs of reproduction were offset by the benefits of feeding from the carcass during an initial breeding attempt, as females that had cared for a small brood were better competitors than virgin females that had no prior access to a carcass, whilst females that had cared for a large brood were similar in competitive ability to virgin females. Our results add to our understanding of the trade-off between current and future reproduction by showing that this trade-off can manifest through differences in future competitive ability and that direct benefits of reproduction can offset some of these costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Richardson
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josh Stephens
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Per T Smiseth
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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23
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Whelan S, Hatch SA, Irons DB, McKnight A, Elliott KH. Increased summer food supply decreases non-breeding movement in black-legged kittiwakes. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190725. [PMID: 31937217 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual condition at one stage of the annual cycle is expected to influence behaviour during subsequent stages, yet experimental evidence of food-mediated carry-over effects is scarce. We used a food supplementation experiment to test the effects of food supply during the breeding season on migration phenology and non-breeding behaviour. We provided an unlimited supply of fish to black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) during their breeding season on Middleton Island, Alaska, monitored reproductive phenology and breeding success, and used light-level geolocation to observe non-breeding behaviour. Among successful breeders, fed kittiwakes departed the colony earlier than unfed controls. Fed kittiwakes travelled less than controls during the breeding season, contracting their non-breeding range. Our results demonstrate that food supply during the breeding season affects non-breeding phenology, movement and distribution, providing a potential behavioural mechanism underlying observed survival costs of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Scott A Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - David B Irons
- Migratory Bird Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Alyson McKnight
- School of Biodiversity Conservation, Unity College, Unity, ME, USA
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resources Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
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24
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Abstract
Despite tremendous progress in recent years, our understanding of the evolution of ageing is still incomplete. A dominant paradigm maintains that ageing evolves due to the competing energy demands of reproduction and somatic maintenance leading to slow accumulation of unrepaired cellular damage with age. However, the centrality of energy trade-offs in ageing has been increasingly challenged as studies in different organisms have uncoupled the trade-off between reproduction and longevity. An emerging theory is that ageing instead is caused by biological processes that are optimized for early-life function but become harmful when they continue to run-on unabated in late life. This idea builds on the realization that early-life regulation of gene expression can break down in late life because natural selection is too weak to optimize it. Empirical evidence increasingly supports the hypothesis that suboptimal gene expression in adulthood can result in physiological malfunction leading to organismal senescence. We argue that the current state of the art in the study of ageing contradicts the widely held view that energy trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and longevity are the universal underpinning of senescence. Future research should focus on understanding the relative contribution of energy and function trade-offs to the evolution and expression of ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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25
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Przybylska AS, Wojciechowski MS, Jefimow M. Photoresponsiveness affects life history traits but not oxidative status in a seasonal rodent. Front Zool 2019; 16:11. [PMID: 31019542 PMCID: PMC6471882 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-019-0311-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Shortening photoperiod triggers seasonal adjustments like cessation of reproduction, molting and heterothermy. However there is a considerable among-individual variation in photoresponsiveness within one population. Although seasonal adjustments are considered beneficial to winter survival, and natural selection should favor the individuals responding to changes in photoperiod (responders), the phenotype non-responding to changes in day length is maintained in population. Assuming the same resource availability for both phenotypes which differ in strategy of winter survival, we hypothesized that they should differ in life history traits. To test this we compared reproductive traits of two extreme phenotypes of Siberian hamster Phodopus sungorus - responding and non-responding to seasonal changes in photoperiod. We bred individuals of the same phenotype and measured time to first parturition, time interval between litters, offspring body mass 3, 10 and 18 days after birth and their growth rate. We also analyzed nest-building behavior. Additionally, we estimated the correlation between reproduction, and basal metabolic rate (BMR) and oxidative status in both phenotypes to infer about the effect of reproductive output on future investments in somatic maintenance. Results Prior to reproduction responding individuals were smaller than non-responding ones, but this difference disappeared after reproduction. Responding pairs commenced breeding later than non-responding ones but there was no difference in time interval between consecutive litters. Responders delivered smaller offspring than non-responders and more out of responding individuals built the nest during winter than non-responding ones. Reproduction did not affect future investments in somatic maintenance. Phenotypes did not differ in BMR and oxidative status after reproduction. However, concentration of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) was highest in responding males, and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) was higher in males of both phenotypes than in females. Conclusions Delayed breeding in responding Siberian hamsters and high ROM concentration in male responders support our hypothesis that differences in adjustment to winter result in different life history characteristics which may explain coexistence of both phenotypes in a population. We propose that polymorphism in photoresponsiveness may be beneficial in stochastic environment, where environmental conditions differ between winters. We suggest that non-responding phenotype may be particularly beneficial during mild winter, whereas responders would be favored under harsh conditions. Therefore, none of the phenotypes is impaired when compared to the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Przybylska
- 1Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Michał S Wojciechowski
- 1Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Jefimow
- 2Department of Animal Physiology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
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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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27
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Fresneau N, Müller W. Flexible communication within bird families-The consequences of behavioral plasticity for parent-offspring coadaptation. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:693-702. [PMID: 30680149 PMCID: PMC6342095 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4796] [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: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring are selected to demand more resources than what is optimal for their parents to provide, which results in a complex and dynamic interplay during parental care. Parent-offspring communication often involves conspicuous begging by the offspring which triggers a parental response, typically the transfer of food. So begging and parental provisioning reciprocally influence each other and are therefore expected to coevolve. There is indeed empirical evidence for covariation of offspring begging and parental provisioning at the phenotypic level. However, whether this reflects genetic correlations of mean levels of behaviors or a covariation of the slopes of offspring demand and parental supply functions (= behavioral plasticity) is not known. The latter has gone rather unnoticed-despite the obvious dynamics of parent-offspring communication. In this study, we measured parental provisioning and begging behavior at two different hunger levels using canaries (Serinus canaria) as a model species. This enabled us to simultaneously study the plastic responses of the parents and the offspring to changes in offspring need. We first tested whether parent and offspring behaviors covary phenotypically. Then, using a covariance partitioning approach, we estimated whether the covariance predominantly occurred at a between-nest level (i.e., indicating a fixed strategy) or at a within-nest level (i.e., reflecting a flexible strategy). We found positive phenotypic covariation of offspring begging and parental provisioning, confirming previous evidence. Yet, this phenotypic covariation was mainly driven by a covariance at the within-nest level. That is parental and offspring behaviors covary because of a plastic behavioral coadjustment, indicating that behavioral plasticity could be a main driver of parent-offspring coadaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nolwenn Fresneau
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Research GroupUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Research GroupUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
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Fowler MA, Paquet M, Legault V, Cohen AA, Williams TD. Physiological predictors of reproductive performance in the European Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Front Zool 2018; 15:45. [PMID: 30479645 PMCID: PMC6249724 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-018-0288-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It is widely assumed that variation in fitness components has a physiological basis that might underlie selection on trade-offs, but the mechanisms driving decreased survival and future fecundity remain elusive. Here, we assessed whether physiological variables are related to workload ability or immediate fitness consequences and if they mediate future survival or reproductive success. We used data on 13 physiological variables measured in 93 female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at two breeding stages (incubation, chick-rearing), for first-and second-broods over two years (152 observations). Results There was little co-variation among the physiological variables, either in incubating or chick-rearing birds, but some systematic physiological differences between the two stages. Chick-rearing birds had lower hematocrit and plasma creatine kinase but higher hemoglobin, triglyceride and uric acid levels. Only plasma corticosterone was repeatable between incubation and chick-rearing. We assessed relationships between incubation or chick-rearing physiology and measures of workload, current productivity, future fecundity or survival in a univariate manner, and found very few significant relationships. Thus, we next explored the utility of multivariate analysis (principal components analysis, Mahalanobis distance) to account for potentially complex physiological integration, but still found no clear associations. Conclusions This implies either that a) birds maintained physiological variables within a homeostatic range that did not affect their performance, b) there are relatively few links between physiology and performance, or, more likely, c) that the complexity of these relationships exceeds our ability to measure it. Variability in ecological context may complicate the relationship between physiology and behavior. We thus urge caution regarding the over-interpretation of isolated significant findings, based on single traits in single years, in the literature. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12983-018-0288-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A Fowler
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada.,Present address: Springfield College Biology, 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109-3797 USA
| | - Mélissa Paquet
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Véronique Legault
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Alan A Cohen
- 3Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Department of Family Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 3001 12e Ave N, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4 Canada
| | - Tony D Williams
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada
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Winward JD, Ragan CM, Jimenez AG. Cellular metabolic rates and oxidative stress profiles in primary fibroblast cells isolated from virgin females, reproductively experienced females, and male Sprague-Dawley rats. Physiol Rep 2018; 6:e13909. [PMID: 30350353 PMCID: PMC6198133 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.13909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Life-history theory posits that differences in reproductive strategies may dictate lifespans of organisms. Animals that have higher investments in reproduction in terms of litter size and frequency of litters tend to have shorter lifespans. The accumulation of oxidative stress damage has been proposed to be a cost of reproduction and a mediator of life-histories among animals, however, the implications of reproduction on oxidative stress still remain unclear. We tested physiological consequences of reproduction on metabolism and oxidative stress of Sprague-Dawley Rats (Rattus norvegicus) with various reproductive experiences at the cell level. We grew primary dermal fibroblasts from Sprague-Dawley rats which have the potential of having large litters frequently. Cells were isolated from virgin females, primiparous females, multiparous females, and reproductively-experienced males. We measured basal oxygen consumption (OCR), proton leak, ATP production, spare respiratory capacity, coupling efficiency and glycolysis using a Seahorse XF96 oxygen flux analyzer. Additionally, we measured rates of RS (reactive species) production, reduced glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial content, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) damage to quantify oxidative stress. There were no significant differences in any OCR or glycolytic parameters across any of our groups. However, reproductively-experienced females had significantly lower rates of LPO damage as compared with virgin females and males, as well as nonsignificant decreases in GSH concentration. Decreases in LPO damage and GSH indicate that reproductively-experienced females potentially use their endogenous antioxidant system to combat delirious effects of increased metabolism during reproduction. Our results suggest that reproduction may, in fact, have a protective effect in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D. Winward
- Department of BiologyColgate UniversityHamiltonNew York
- Department of PsychologyNeuroscience ProgramColgate UniversityHamiltonNew York
| | - Christina M. Ragan
- Department of PsychologyNeuroscience ProgramColgate UniversityHamiltonNew York
- Present address:
Psychology DepartmentPurdue University NorthwestWestvilleIndiana
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Williams TD. Physiology, activity and costs of parental care in birds. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:221/17/jeb169433. [PMID: 30201656 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.169433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Parental care is assumed to be costly in that it requires sustained, high-intensity activity sufficient to cause costs of reproduction (decreased survival and future fecundity of parents). Costs of reproduction are, in turn, thought to have a physiological basis where intense activity causes a decrease in parental condition. However, attempts to identify the physiological basis of costs of reproduction have produced mixed results. Here, I argue that in birds, the central idea that parental care represents sustained, high-intensity work might be incorrect. Specifically: (a) the duration of intense activity associated with chick-rearing might be quite limited; (b) flight, the most obvious sustained, high-intensity activity, might only represent a small component of an individual's overall activity budget; (c) some (high-quality) individuals might be able to tolerate costs of intense activity, either owing to their physiological state or because they have access to more resources, without perturbation of physiological homeostasis; and (d) individuals might utilise other mechanisms to modulate costs of activity, for example, mass loss, again avoiding more substantial physiological costs. Furthermore, I highlight the important fact that life-history theory predicts that reproductive trade-offs should only be expected under food stress. Most birds breed in spring and early summer precisely because of seasonal increases in food abundance, and so it is unclear how often parents are food stressed. Consequently, I argue that there are many reasons why costs of reproduction, and any physiological signature of these costs, might be quite rare, both temporally (in different years) and among individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6
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32
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Hut RA, Gerkema MP, Beersma DGM, Tinbergen JM. Serge Daan. J Biol Rhythms 2018; 33:111-116. [PMID: 29671708 DOI: 10.1177/0748730418768594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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33
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Tieleman BI. Understanding immune function as a pace of life trait requires environmental context. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018; 72:55. [PMID: 29563662 PMCID: PMC5843675 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2464-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This article provides a brief historical perspective on the integration of physiology into the concept of the pace of life of birds, evaluates the fit of immune function into this framework, and asks what it will take to fruitfully understand immune functioning of birds in pace of life studies in the future. In the late 1970s, physiology started to seriously enter avian life history ecology, with energy as the main currency of interest, inspired by David Lack's work in the preceding decades emphasizing how food availability explained life history variation. In an effort to understand the trade-off between survival and reproduction, and specifically the mortality costs associated with hard work, in the 1980s and 1990s, other physiological phenomena entered the realm of animal ecologists, including endocrinology, oxidative stress, and immunology. Reviewing studies thus far to evaluate the role of immune function in a life history context and particularly to address the questions whether immune function (1) consistently varies with life history variation among free-living bird species and (2) mediates life history trade-offs in experiments with free-living bird species; I conclude that, unlike energy metabolism, the immune system does not closely covary with life history among species nor mediates the classical trade-offs within individuals. Instead, I propose that understanding the tremendous immunological variation uncovered among free-living birds over the past 25 years requires a paradigm shift. The paradigm should shift from viewing immune function as a costly trait involved in life history trade-offs to explicitly including the benefits of the immune system and placing it firmly in an environmental and ecological context. A first step forward will be to quantify the immunobiotic pressures presented by diverse environmental circumstances that both shape and challenge the immune system of free-living animals. Current developments in the fields of infectious wildlife diseases and host-microbe interactions provide promising steps in this direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
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34
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Fowler MA, Williams TD. A Physiological Signature of the Cost of Reproduction Associated with Parental Care. Am Nat 2017; 190:762-773. [PMID: 29166164 DOI: 10.1086/694123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Costs of reproduction are an integral and long-standing component of life-history theory, but we still know relatively little about the specific physiological mechanisms underlying these trade-offs. We experimentally manipulated workload during parental care in female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) using attachment of radios and/or wing clipping and assessed measures of workload, current breeding productivity, future fecundity, and survival (local return rate) in relation to treatment. Females with wing clipping and radio attachment paid a clear cost of reproduction compared with all other treatment groups: they had lower future fecundity and lower return rates despite having lower current breeding productivity. We then measured 13 physiological traits, including measures of aerobic/metabolic capacity, oxidative stress and muscle damage, intermediary metabolism and energy supply, and immune function. Our results show that the cost of reproduction in females with wing clipping and radio attachment was associated with lower oxygen-carrying capacity (lower hematocrit and hemoglobin levels), lower energy reserves (plasma nonesterified fatty acid and triglyceride levels), decreased immune function (lower haptoglobin levels), and elevated levels of oxidative stress (higher levels of dROMs [reactive oxygen metabolites] and lower levels of the endogenous antioxidant uric acid). Our study provides evidence that costs of reproduction involve a widespread decline in physiological function across multiple physiological systems consistent with long-standing ideas of cumulative "wear and tear" and allostatic load.
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35
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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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36
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Welbers AAMH, van Dis NE, Kolvoort AM, Ouyang J, Visser ME, Spoelstra K, Dominoni DM. Artificial Light at Night Reduces Daily Energy Expenditure in Breeding Great Tits (Parus major). Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Apfelbeck B, Helm B, Illera JC, Mortega KG, Smiddy P, Evans NP. Baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone in male and female Afrotropical and European temperate stonechats during breeding. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:114. [PMID: 28532466 PMCID: PMC5441054 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0960-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Latitudinal variation in avian life histories falls along a slow-fast pace of life continuum: tropical species produce small clutches, but have a high survival probability, while in temperate species the opposite pattern is found. This study investigated whether differential investment into reproduction and survival of tropical and temperate species is paralleled by differences in the secretion of the vertebrate hormone corticosterone (CORT). Depending on circulating concentrations, CORT can both act as a metabolic (low to medium levels) and a stress hormone (high levels) and, thereby, influence reproductive decisions. Baseline and stress-induced CORT was measured across sequential stages of the breeding season in males and females of closely related taxa of stonechats (Saxicola spp) from a wide distribution area. We compared stonechats from 13 sites, representing Canary Islands, European temperate and East African tropical areas. Stonechats are highly seasonal breeders at all these sites, but vary between tropical and temperate regions with regard to reproductive investment and presumably also survival. Results In accordance with life-history theory, during parental stages, post-capture (baseline) CORT was overall lower in tropical than in temperate stonechats. However, during mating stages, tropical males had elevated post-capture (baseline) CORT concentrations, which did not differ from those of temperate males. Female and male mates of a pair showed correlated levels of post-capture CORT when sampled after simulated territorial intrusions. In contrast to the hypothesis that species with low reproduction and high annual survival should be more risk-sensitive, tropical stonechats had lower stress-induced CORT concentrations than temperate stonechats. We also found relatively high post-capture (baseline) and stress-induced CORT concentrations, in slow-paced Canary Islands stonechats. Conclusions Our data support and refine the view that baseline CORT facilitates energetically demanding activities in males and females and reflects investment into reproduction. Low parental workload was associated with lower post-capture (baseline) CORT as expected for a slow pace of life in tropical species. On a finer resolution, however, this tropical-temperate contrast did not generally hold. Post-capture (baseline) CORT was higher during mating stages in particular in tropical males, possibly to support the energetic needs of mate-guarding. Counter to predictions based on life history theory, our data do not confirm the hypothesis that long-lived tropical populations have higher stress-induced CORT concentrations than short-lived temperate populations. Instead, in the predator-rich tropical environments of African stonechats, a dampened stress response during parental stages may increase survival probabilities of young. Overall our data further support an association between life history and baseline CORT, but challenge the role of stress-induced CORT as a mediator of tropical-temperate variation in life history. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0960-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Apfelbeck
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, UK. .,Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystemmanagement, Technische Universität München, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, D-85354, Freising, Germany.
| | - Barbara Helm
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Juan Carlos Illera
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University, Campus of Mieres, 33600, Mieres, Spain
| | - Kim G Mortega
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, UK.,Department of Migration and Immunoecology, Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, D-78315, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Patrick Smiddy
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, T12 YN60, Ireland
| | - Neil P Evans
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, UK
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Rotics S, Turjeman S, Kaatz M, Resheff YS, Zurell D, Sapir N, Eggers U, Fiedler W, Flack A, Jeltsch F, Wikelski M, Nathan R. Wintering in Europe instead of Africa enhances juvenile survival in a long-distance migrant. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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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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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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41
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Soriano-Redondo A, Bearhop S, Cleasby IR, Lock L, Votier SC, Hilton GM. Ecological Responses to Extreme Flooding Events: A Case Study with a Reintroduced Bird. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28595. [PMID: 27345214 PMCID: PMC4922006 DOI: 10.1038/srep28595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years numerous studies have documented the effects of a changing climate on the world's biodiversity. Although extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity and are challenging to organisms, there are few quantitative observations on the survival, behaviour and energy expenditure of animals during such events. We provide the first data on activity and energy expenditure of birds, Eurasian cranes Grus grus, during the winter of 2013-14, which saw the most severe floods in SW England in over 200 years. We fitted 23 cranes with telemetry devices and used remote sensing data to model flood dynamics during three consecutive winters (2012-2015). Our results show that during the acute phase of the 2013-14 floods, potential feeding areas decreased dramatically and cranes restricted their activity to a small partially unflooded area. They also increased energy expenditure (+15%) as they increased their foraging activity and reduced resting time. Survival did not decline in 2013-14, indicating that even though extreme climatic events strongly affected time-energy budgets, behavioural plasticity alleviated any potential impact on fitness. However under climate change scenarios such challenges may not be sustainable over longer periods and potentially could increase species vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Soriano-Redondo
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus TR10 9EZ, UK
- Wildfowl &Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucester, GL2 7BT, UK
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Ian R Cleasby
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Leigh Lock
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Stephen C Votier
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Geoff M Hilton
- Wildfowl &Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucester, GL2 7BT, UK
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Walsh J, Olsen BJ, Ruskin KJ, Gregory Shriver W, O'Brien KM, Kovach AI. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence fitness in an avian hybrid zone. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Walsh
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; University of New Hampshire; Durham NH USA
| | - Brian J. Olsen
- School of Biology and Ecology; University of Maine; Orono ME USA
| | | | - W. Gregory Shriver
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology; University of Delaware; Newark DE USA
| | - Kathleen M. O'Brien
- US Fish and Wildlife Service; Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge; Wells ME USA
| | - Adrienne I. Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; University of New Hampshire; Durham NH USA
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43
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Sagebakken G, Ahnesjö I, Kvarnemo C. Costs and Benefits to Pregnant Male Pipefish Caring for Broods of Different Sizes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156484. [PMID: 27243937 PMCID: PMC4886961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trade-offs between brood size and offspring size, offspring survival, parental condition or parental survival are classic assumptions in life history biology. A reduction in brood size may lessen these costs of care, but offspring mortality can also result in an energetic gain, if parents are able to utilize the nutrients from the demised young. Males of the broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) care for the offspring by brooding embryos in a brood pouch. Brooding males can absorb nutrients that emanate from embryos, and there is often a reduction in offspring number over the brooding period. In this study, using two experimentally determined brood sizes (partially and fully filled brood pouches), we found that full broods resulted in larger number of developing offspring, despite significantly higher absolute and relative embryo mortality, compared to partial broods. Male survival was also affected by brood size, with males caring for full broods having poorer survival, an effect that together with the reduced embryo survival was found to negate the benefit of large broods. We found that embryo mortality was lower when the brooding males were in good initial condition, that embryos in broods with low embryo mortality weighed more, and surprisingly, that males in higher initial condition had embryos of lower weight. Brood size, however, did not affect embryo weight. Male final condition, but not initial condition, correlated with higher male survival. Taken together, our results show costs and benefits of caring for large brood sizes, where the numerical benefits come with costs in terms of both embryo survival and survival of the brooding father, effects that are often mediated via male condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gry Sagebakken
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ingrid Ahnesjö
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Brodin A, Ingemar Jönsson K, Holmgren N. Optimal energy allocation and behaviour in female raptorial birds during the nestling period. ECOSCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2003.11682760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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45
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Time budget, oxygen consumption and body mass responses to parasites in juvenile and adult wild rodents. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:120. [PMID: 26932152 PMCID: PMC4774152 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The study of changes in a host’s energy allocation in response to parasites is crucial for understanding parasite impact on both individual- and population-level processes. Experimental studies have explored such responses mainly in a single subsample of hosts per study, primarily adult males, and have only assessed either the overall energy acquisition or expenditure, rather than their different components simultaneously, or the behavioral responses. Accordingly, two fundamental questions arise: why have multiple host strategies evolved to cope with increased energy expenditure? and, which factors determine this variation (e.g. host species, identity, age)? This study provides an important step towards addressing both questions by experimentally disentangling the short-term physiological and behavioral responses of juvenile and non-reproductive adult rodents to natural levels of flea infestation. These two cohorts represent extreme cases of the energy demand continuum, as the former, in contrast to the latter, is involved in growth - a highly energy-demanding process - and may not be able to operate far below its upper limit of energy expenditure, and thus should reduce its energy expenses upon the occurrence of extra demands (e.g. due to parasitic pressure). Accordingly, we hypothesized that the response to fleas is age-dependent and varies according to the age-specific energy requirements and constraints. Methods We monitored the behavior and physiology of juvenile and non-reproductive adult rodents before and after experimental flea infestation. First, we used a model selection approach to search for the factors that best explained the variability in the time budget, oxygen consumption, and body mass change in response to fleas. Then, using a path analysis approach, we quantified the different pathways connecting the important associations revealed at stage 1. Results Compared to their flea-free counterparts, flea-infested adults groomed longer and had a higher oxygen consumption rate, but did not lose body mass. Infested juveniles also groomed longer but grew slower and had a similar rate of oxygen consumption. Conclusions Results suggest that both juvenile and adult rodents suffer from natural flea infestation levels. However, the comparison between the responses of juveniles and adults to experimental infestation, also suggests that juveniles may reallocate their energy expenditure from growth to maintenance, while non-reproductive adults increase their energy acquisition. Such age-dependent responses suggest that juveniles may be constrained by their higher need to rest for full functioning or by an upper limit in energy expenditure. Taken together, our study provides experimental evidence that hosts can compensate for the costs incurred by parasitism through physiological and behavioral plasticity, depending on their age, which probably determines their requirements and constraints. These compensatory responses may have important implications for the population dynamics of hosts and their parasites.
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46
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Atema E, van Noordwijk AJ, Boonekamp JJ, Verhulst S. Costs of long-term carrying of extra mass in a songbird. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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47
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Fletcher QE, Dantzer B, Boonstra R. The impact of reproduction on the stress axis of free-living male northern red backed voles (Myodes rutilus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 224:136-47. [PMID: 26188715 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Revised: 07/05/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis culminates in the release of glucocorticoids (henceforth CORT), which have wide-reaching physiological effects. Three hypotheses potentially explain seasonal variation in CORT. The enabling hypothesis predicts that reproductive season CORT exceeds post-reproductive season CORT because CORT enables reproductive investment. The inhibitory hypothesis predicts the opposite because CORT can negatively affect reproductive function. The costs of reproduction hypothesis predicts that HPA axis condition declines over and following the reproductive season. We tested these hypotheses in wild male red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus) during the reproductive and post-reproductive seasons. We quantified CORT levels in response to restraint stress tests consisting of three blood samples (initial, stress-induced, and recovery). Mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptor mRNA levels in the brain were also quantified over the reproductive season. Total CORT (tCORT) in the initial and stress-induced samples were greater in the post-reproductive than in the reproductive season, which supported the inhibitory hypothesis. Conversely, free CORT (fCORT) did not differ between the reproductive and post-reproductive seasons, which was counter to both the enabling and inhibitory hypotheses. Evidence for HPA axis condition decline in CORT as well as GR and MR mRNA over the reproductive season (i.e. costs of reproduction hypothesis) was mixed. Moreover, all of the parameters that showed signs of declining condition over the reproductive season did not also show signs of declining condition over the post-reproductive season suggesting that the costs resulting from reproductive investment had subsided. In conclusion, our results suggest that different aspects of the HPA axis respond differently to seasonal changes and reproductive investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn E Fletcher
- Centre for the Neurobiology Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Centre for the Neurobiology Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
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48
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Speakman JR, Blount JD, Bronikowski AM, Buffenstein R, Isaksson C, Kirkwood TBL, Monaghan P, Ozanne SE, Beaulieu M, Briga M, Carr SK, Christensen LL, Cochemé HM, Cram DL, Dantzer B, Harper JM, Jurk D, King A, Noguera JC, Salin K, Sild E, Simons MJP, Smith S, Stier A, Tobler M, Vitikainen E, Peaker M, Selman C. Oxidative stress and life histories: unresolved issues and current needs. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5745-57. [PMID: 26811750 PMCID: PMC4717350 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Life‐history theory concerns the trade‐offs that mold the patterns of investment by animals between reproduction, growth, and survival. It is widely recognized that physiology plays a role in the mediation of life‐history trade‐offs, but the details remain obscure. As life‐history theory concerns aspects of investment in the soma that influence survival, understanding the physiological basis of life histories is related, but not identical, to understanding the process of aging. One idea from the field of aging that has gained considerable traction in the area of life histories is that life‐history trade‐offs may be mediated by free radical production and oxidative stress. We outline here developments in this field and summarize a number of important unresolved issues that may guide future research efforts. The issues are as follows. First, different tissues and macromolecular targets of oxidative stress respond differently during reproduction. The functional significance of these changes, however, remains uncertain. Consequently there is a need for studies that link oxidative stress measurements to functional outcomes, such as survival. Second, measurements of oxidative stress are often highly invasive or terminal. Terminal studies of oxidative stress in wild animals, where detailed life‐history information is available, cannot generally be performed without compromising the aims of the studies that generated the life‐history data. There is a need therefore for novel non‐invasive measurements of multi‐tissue oxidative stress. Third, laboratory studies provide unrivaled opportunities for experimental manipulation but may fail to expose the physiology underpinning life‐history effects, because of the benign laboratory environment. Fourth, the idea that oxidative stress might underlie life‐history trade‐offs does not make specific enough predictions that are amenable to testing. Moreover, there is a paucity of good alternative theoretical models on which contrasting predictions might be based. Fifth, there is an enormous diversity of life‐history variation to test the idea that oxidative stress may be a key mediator. So far we have only scratched the surface. Broadening the scope may reveal new strategies linked to the processes of oxidative damage and repair. Finally, understanding the trade‐offs in life histories and understanding the process of aging are related but not identical questions. Scientists inhabiting these two spheres of activity seldom collide, yet they have much to learn from each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Speakman
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Jonathan D Blount
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Iowa State University 251 Bessey Hall Ames Iowa 50011
| | - Rochelle Buffenstein
- Physiology, Barshop Institute for Aging and Longevity Research UTHSCSA 15355 Lambda Drive San Antonio Texas 78245
| | - Caroline Isaksson
- Department of Biology Lund University Solvegatan 37 Lund 223 62 Sweden
| | - Tom B L Kirkwood
- The Newcastle University Institute for Ageing Institute for Cell & Molecular Biosciences Campus for Ageing and Vitality Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Level 4 Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Michaël Beaulieu
- Zoological Institute and Museum University of Greifswald Johann-Sebastian Bach Str. 11/12 Greifswald 17489 Germany
| | - Michael Briga
- Behavioral Biology University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7 Groningen 9747 AG The Netherlands
| | - Sarah K Carr
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Level 4 Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Louise L Christensen
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Helena M Cochemé
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre Imperial College London Hammersmith Hospital Campus Du Cane Road London W12 0NN UK
| | - Dominic L Cram
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109
| | - Jim M Harper
- Department of Biological Sciences Sam Houston State University 1900 Avenue I LDB 100B Huntsville Texas 77341
| | - Diana Jurk
- The Newcastle University Institute for Ageing Institute for Cell & Molecular Biosciences Campus for Ageing and Vitality Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL UK
| | - Annette King
- The Newcastle University Institute for Ageing Institute for Cell & Molecular Biosciences Campus for Ageing and Vitality Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5PL UK
| | - Jose C Noguera
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Karine Salin
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Elin Sild
- Department of Biology Lund University Solvegatan 37 Lund 223 62 Sweden
| | - Mirre J P Simons
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Alfred Denny Building, Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | - Shona Smith
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Antoine Stier
- Department Ecology, Physiology et Ethology University of Strasbourg - IPHC (UMR7178) 23, rue Becquerel Strasbourg 67087 France
| | - Michael Tobler
- Department of Biology Lund University Solvegatan 37 Lund 223 62 Sweden
| | - Emma Vitikainen
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall TR10 9FE UK
| | | | - Colin Selman
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
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Dominoni DM, Van't Hof TJ, Partecke J. Social cues are unlikely to be the single cause for early reproduction in urban European blackbirds (Turdus merula). Physiol Behav 2015; 142:14-9. [PMID: 25619949 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 01/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite urban ecology being an established field of research, there is still surprisingly little information about the relative contribution of specific environmental factors driving the observed changes in the behavior and physiology of city dwellers. One of the most reported effects of urbanization is the advanced phenology observed in birds. Many factors have been suggested to underline such effect, including warmer microclimate, anthropogenic food supply and light pollution. Since social stimuli are known to affect reproductive timing and breeding density is usually higher in urban populations compared to rural ones, we experimentally tested whether social interactions could advance the onset of reproduction in European blackbirds (Turdus merula). We housed male blackbirds of rural and urban origins with or without a conspecific female, and recorded their seasonal variation in gonadal size and production of luteinizing hormone (LH). Paired and unpaired males of both urban and rural origins did not significantly differ in their timing of gonadal growth. Moreover, rural and urban birds did not differ in their response to the social stimuli, rather they became reproductively active at the same time, a result that confirms previous studies that attributed the difference in reproductive timing observed in the field to phenotypic plasticity. We conclude that social stimuli do not contribute substantially to the observed early onset of reproductive physiology in urban bird species, rather other factors such as light pollution are likely to be stronger drivers of these physiological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide M Dominoni
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G128QQ, UK; Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Thomas J Van't Hof
- Takizaki Corporation, 2-4-7 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0021, Japan
| | - Jesko Partecke
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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50
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Physiological responses to increased brood size and ectoparasite infestation: Adult great tits favour self-maintenance. Physiol Behav 2015; 141:127-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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