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Williams CT, Chmura HE, Deal CK, Wilsterman K. Sex-differences in Phenology: A Tinbergian Perspective. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:980-997. [PMID: 35587379 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Shifts in the timing of cyclic seasonal life-history events are among the most commonly reported responses to climate change, with differences in response rates among interacting species leading to phenological mismatches. Within a species, however, males and females can also exhibit differential sensitivity to environmental cues and may therefore differ in their responsiveness to climate change, potentially leading to phenological mismatches between the sexes. This occurs because males differ from females in when and how energy is allocated to reproduction, resulting in marked sex-differences in life-history timing across the annual cycle. In this review, we take a Tinbergian perspective and examine sex differences in timing of vertebrates from adaptive, ontogenetic, mechanistic, and phylogenetic viewpoints with the goal of informing and motivating more integrative research on sexually dimorphic phenologies. We argue that sexual and natural selection lead to sex-differences in life-history-timing and that understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of these differences is critical for connecting climate-driven phenological shifts to population resilience. Ontogeny may influence how and when sex differences in life-history timing arise because the early-life environment can profoundly affect developmental trajectory, rates of reproductive maturation, and seasonal timing. The molecular mechanisms underlying these organismal traits are relevant to identifying the diversity and genetic basis of population- and species-level responses to climate change, and promisingly, the molecular basis of phenology is becoming increasingly well-understood. However, because most studies focus on a single sex, the causes of sex-differences in phenology critical to population resilience often remain unclear. New sequencing tools and analyses informed by phylogeny may help generate hypotheses about mechanism as well as insight into the general "evolvability" of sex differences across phylogenetic scales, especially as trait and genome resources grow. We recommend that greater attention be placed on determining sex-differences in timing mechanisms and monitoring climate change responses in both sexes, and we discuss how new tools may provide key insights into sex-differences in phenology from all four Tinbergian domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory T Williams
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Helen E Chmura
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2140 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.,Rocky Mountain Research Station, United States Forest Service, 800 E. Beckwith Ave, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
| | - Cole K Deal
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Kathryn Wilsterman
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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2
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Eye Region Surface Temperature and Corticosterone Response to Acute Stress in a High-Arctic Seabird, the Little Auk. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12040499. [PMID: 35203208 PMCID: PMC8868316 DOI: 10.3390/ani12040499] [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: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Measuring changes in surface body temperature (specifically in eye-region) in vertebrates using infrared thermography is increasingly applied for detection of the stress reaction. Here we investigated the relationship between the eye-region temperature (TEYE; measured with infrared thermography), the corticosterone level in blood (CORT; stress indicator in birds), and some covariates (ambient temperature, humidity, and sex/body size) in a High-Arctic seabird, the Little Auk Alle alle. The birds responded to the capture-restrain protocol (blood sampling at the moment of capturing, and after 30 min of restrain) by a significant TEYE and CORT increase. However, the strength of the TEYE and CORT response to acute stress were not correlated. It confirms the results of a recent study on other species and all together indicates that infrared thermography is a useful, non-invasive measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity under acute activation, but it might not be a suitable proxy for natural variation of circulating glucocorticoid levels.
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Rubalcaba JG, Jimeno B. Biophysical models unravel associations between glucocorticoids and thermoregulatory costs across avian species. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Juan G. Rubalcaba
- Department of Biology McGill University Montreal QC Canada
- Department of Biology, Geology, Physics, and Inorganic Chemistry Rey Juan Carlos University Madrid Spain
| | - Blanca Jimeno
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula MT USA
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research University of Castilla La Mancha Ciudad Real Spain
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Brumm H, Goymann W, Derégnaucourt S, Geberzahn N, Zollinger SA. Traffic noise disrupts vocal development and suppresses immune function. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/20/eabe2405. [PMID: 33980481 PMCID: PMC8115921 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe2405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Noise pollution has been linked to learning and language deficits in children, but the causal mechanisms connecting noise to cognitive deficiencies remain unclear because experimental models are lacking. Here, we investigated the effects of noise on birdsong learning, the primary animal model for vocal learning and speech development in humans. We found that traffic noise exposure retarded vocal development and led to learning inaccuracies. In addition, noise suppressed immune function during the sensitive learning period, indicating that it is a potent stressor for birds, which is likely to compromise their cognitive functions. Our results provide important insights into the consequences of noise pollution and pave the way for future studies using birdsong as an experimental model for the investigation of noise-induced learning impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Brumm
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | - Nicole Geberzahn
- University Paris Nanterre, Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, Nanterre, France
| | - Sue Anne Zollinger
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Seewiesen, Germany
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Safari I, Goymann W. The evolution of reversed sex roles and classical polyandry: Insights from coucals and other animals. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ignas Safari
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie Seewiesen Germany
- Coucal Project Chimala Tanzania
- Department of Biology University of Dodoma Dodoma Tanzania
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie Seewiesen Germany
- Coucal Project Chimala Tanzania
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Safari I, Goymann W, Kokko H. Male-only care and cuckoldry in black coucals: does parenting hamper sex life? Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182789. [PMID: 30966989 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Providing parental care often reduces additional mating opportunities. Paternal care becomes easier to understand if trade-offs between mating and caring remain mild. The black coucal Centropus grillii combines male-only parental care with 50% of all broods containing young sired by another male. To understand how much caring for offspring reduces a male's chance to sire additional young in other males' nests, we matched the production of extra-pair young in each nest with the periods during which potential extra-pair sires were either caring for offspring themselves or when they had no own offspring to care for. We found that males which cared for a clutch were not fully excluded from the pool of competitors for siring young in other males' nests. Instead, the relative siring success showed a temporary dip. Males were approximately 17% less likely to sire young in other males' nests while they were incubating, about 48% less likely to do so while feeding nestlings, followed by 26% when feeding fledglings, compared to the success of males that currently did not care for offspring. These results suggest that real-life care situations by males may involve trade-off structures that differ from, and are less strict than those frequently employed in theoretical considerations of operational sex ratios, sex roles and parenting decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignas Safari
- 1 Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie , Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 6a, 82319 Seewiesen , Germany.,2 Coucal Project , PO Box 26, Chimala , Tanzania.,3 Department of Conservation Biology, University of Dodoma , PO Box 338, Dodoma , Tanzania
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- 1 Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie , Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße 6a, 82319 Seewiesen , Germany.,2 Coucal Project , PO Box 26, Chimala , Tanzania
| | - Hanna Kokko
- 4 Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
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Vidal AC, Roldan M, Christofoletti MD, Tanaka Y, Galindo DJ, Duarte JMB. Stress in captive Blue-fronted parrots ( Amazona aestiva): the animalists' tale. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz097. [PMID: 31832195 PMCID: PMC6899226 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding stress physiology is crucial for species management because high levels of stress can reduce reproduction and the individual's ability to face threats to survive. One of the most popular methods for non-invasive monitoring of animal endocrine status is the glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite measurements, which can provide important information about how animals are affected by their surrounding environment. Here, we carried out the biological validation of corticosterone enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), which together with a cortisol EIA was used to quantified the concentrations of urofaecal GC metabolites (uGCMs) in wild and captive Blue-fronted amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva). Urofaecal GC concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in free-living parrots (157.9 ± 18.5 ng cortisol/g and 61.14 ± 23.5 ng corticosterone/g dry urofaecal sample) than in those kept in captivity, which showed the comparable levels of GC metabolites independently of the management system applied. The higher uGCM levels obtained in the wild population point to an adaptive response for survival and species propagation in a more challenging environment, in comparison with captive animals. Furthermore, the lower uGCM concentrations in captive parrots may indicate an adaptive capacity of the species A. aestiva to captivity and its potential as a legal pet. The corticosterone EIA applied in this study proved to be an effective technique for the adrenocortical activity monitoring in this species. We discuss our findings considering the management and destiny given to wild-caught birds that are kept in confinement or returned to nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Chesna Vidal
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Mar Roldan
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Maurício Durante Christofoletti
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Yuki Tanaka
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
| | - David Javier Galindo
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
| | - José Maurício Barbanti Duarte
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, Deer Research and Conservation Center (NUPECCE), Jaboticabal, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
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Goymann W. Males paving the road to polyandry? Parental compensation in a monogamous nesting cuckoo and a classical polyandrous relative. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Goymann
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für Ornithologie Abteilung für Verhaltensneurobiologie Seewiesen Germany
- Coucal Project Mbeya Tanzania
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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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Jimeno B, Hau M, Verhulst S. Strong association between corticosterone and temperature dependent metabolic rate in individual zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:4426-4431. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are often assumed to be indicators of stress. At the same time, one of their fundamental roles is to facilitate metabolic processes to accommodate changes in energetic demands. While the metabolic function of GCs is thought to be ubiquitous across vertebrates, we are not aware of experiments which tested this directly, i.e., in which metabolic rate was manipulated and measured together with GCs. We therefore tested for a relationship between plasma corticosterone (CORT, ln transformed) and metabolic rate (MR, measured using indirect calorimetry) in a between- and within-individual design in captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) of both sexes. In each individual, CORT and MR were measured at two different temperature levels: ‘warm’ (22°C) and ‘cold’ (12 °C). CORT and MR were both increased in colder compared to warmer conditions, within individuals, but also across individuals. At the between-individual level, we found a positive relationship between CORT and MR, with an accelerating slope towards higher MR and CORT values. In contrast, the within individual changes in CORT and MR in response to colder conditions were linearly correlated between individuals. The CORT-MR relationship did not differ between the sexes. Our results illustrate the importance of including variation at different levels to better understand physiological modulation. Furthermore, our findings support the interpretation of CORT variation as indicator of metabolic needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Jimeno
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- University of Konstanz, Germany
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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