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Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Zebra finch song parameters are affected by the breeding status of the male, but not temperature variability. Physiol Behav 2024; 281:114581. [PMID: 38734358 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114581] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Bird song is a crucial feature for mate choice and reproduction. Song can potentially communicate information related to the quality of the mate, through song complexity, structure or finer changes in syllable characteristics. It has been shown in zebra finches that those characteristics can be affected by various factors including motivation, hormone levels or extreme temperature. However, although the literature on zebra finch song is substantial, some factors have been neglected. In this paper, we recorded male zebra finches in two breeding contexts (before and after pairing) and in two ambient temperature conditions (stable and variable) to see how those factors could influence song production. We found strong differences between the two breeding contexts: compared to their song before pairing, males that were paired had lower song rate, syllable consistency, frequency and entropy, while surprisingly the amplitude of their syllables increased. Temperature variability had an impact on the extent of these differences, but did not directly affect the song parameters that we measured. Our results describe for the first time how breeding status and temperature variability can affect zebra finch song, and give some new insights into the subtleties of the acoustic communication of this model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Cracow, Poland; Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland.
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cracow, Poland
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Zagkle E, Martinez-Vidal PA, Bauchinger U, Sadowska ET. Manipulation of Heat Dissipation Capacity Affects Avian Reproductive Performance and Output. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.866182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal life requires hard work but the ability to endure such workload appears to be limited. Heat dissipation limit (HDL) hypothesis proposes that the capacity to dissipate the excess of body heat during hard work may limit sustained energy use. Experimental facilitations of heat loss rate via feather-clipping in free-living birds seem to support HDL hypothesis but testing of HDL through laboratory experiments under controlled conditions is not reported. We employed a two-factorial experimental design to test HDL hypothesis by manipulating the capacity to dissipate heat through exposure of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to a cold and warm ambient temperature (14°C and 25°C), and through manipulation of the insulating layer of feathers around the brood patch in females (clipped and unclipped). To simulate foraging costs encountered in the wild we induced foraging effort by employing a feeding system that necessitated hovering to access food, which increased energetic costs of reproduction despite ad libitum conditions in captivity. We quantified the outcome of reproductive performance at the level of both parents, females, and offspring. Thermal limitations due to warm temperature appeared at the beginning of reproduction for both parents with lower egg-laying success, smaller clutch size and lower egg mass, compared to the cold. After hatching, females with an enhanced ability to dissipate heat through feather-clipping revealed higher body mass compared to unclipped females, and these clipped females also raised heavier and bigger nestlings. Higher levels for oxidative stress in plasma of females were detected prior to reproduction in warm conditions than in the cold. However, oxidative stress biomarkers of mothers were neither affected by temperature nor by feather-clipping during the reproductive activities. We document upregulation of antioxidant capacity during reproduction that seems to prevent increased levels of oxidative stress possibly due to the cost of female body condition and offspring growth. Our study on reproduction under laboratory-controlled conditions corroborates evidence in line with the HDL hypothesis. The link between temperature-constrained sustained performance and reproductive output in terms of quality and quantity is of particular interest in light of the current climate change, and illustrates the emerging risks to avian populations.
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Lu C, Lefeuvre M, Rutkowska J. Variability in ambient temperature promotes juvenile participation and shorter latency in a learning test in zebra finches. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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The Ecology of the Zebra Finch Makes It a Great Laboratory Model but an Outlier amongst Passerine Birds. BIRDS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/birds2010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Zebra Finches have become the most widely researched bird species outside of those used in agricultural production. Their adoption as the avian model of choice is largely down to a number of characteristics that make them easy to obtain and use in captivity. The main point of our paper is that the very characteristics that make the Zebra Finch a highly amenable laboratory model species mean that it is by definition different from many other passerine birds, and therefore not a good general model for many research areas. The Zebra Finch is likely to be particularly resilient to the effects of stress early in life, and is likely to show great flexibility in dealing with a wide variety of conditions later in life. Whilst it is tempting for researchers to turn to species such as the Zebra Finch, that can be the focus of manipulative work in the laboratory, we caution that the findings of such studies may confound our understanding of general avian biology. The Zebra Finch will remain an excellent species for laboratory work, and our paper should help to direct and interpret future work in the laboratory and the field.
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Edwards SC, Shoot TT, Martin RJ, Sherry DF, Healy SD. It’s not all about temperature: breeding success also affects nest design. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
There are numerous observational studies on intraspecific variation in avian nest building and a single experimental manipulation. The general consensus is that birds build nests in response to environmental conditions, but it is not clear whether such flexibility in nest building is reproductively advantageous. To test the relationship between building flexibility and reproductive success, we allowed captive zebra finches to build their first nest, using string, and to breed in temperature-controlled rooms held at 14 or 30 °C. Once the offspring had fledged, we returned half the pairs to breed at the same temperature while half the pairs were switched to the alternative temperature. We provided all pairs with string and left them to build and breed a second time. For their first nest, pairs that built at 14 °C used more string than did pairs that built at 30 °C, and pairs that bred successfully built a nest with more string than did unsuccessful pairs. When pairs built their second nest, however, temperature no longer explained the number of pieces of string they used; rather, irrespective of the ambient temperature, pairs that had successfully produced young from their first nest used the same amount of string for their second nest, whereas those that had failed to reproduce with their first nest used more string. These latter pairs were then more likely to reproduce successfully. Ambient temperature, therefore, did affect the nest the pairs built but only in the absence of reproductive experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie C Edwards
- School of Biology, Harold Mitchell Building, University of St Andrews, Greenside Terrace, St Andrews, UK
| | - Tanya T Shoot
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Advanced Facility of Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Jeffrey Martin
- Advanced Facility of Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - David F Sherry
- Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Advanced Facility of Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susan D Healy
- School of Biology, Harold Mitchell Building, University of St Andrews, Greenside Terrace, St Andrews, UK
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Kernbach ME, Newhouse DJ, Miller JM, Hall RJ, Gibbons J, Oberstaller J, Selechnik D, Jiang RHY, Unnasch TR, Balakrishnan CN, Martin LB. Light pollution increases West Nile virus competence of a ubiquitous passerine reservoir species. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191051. [PMID: 31337318 PMCID: PMC6661335 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the many anthropogenic changes that impact humans and wildlife, one of the most pervasive but least understood is light pollution. Although detrimental physiological and behavioural effects resulting from exposure to light at night are widely appreciated, the impacts of light pollution on infectious disease risk have not been studied. Here, we demonstrate that artificial light at night (ALAN) extends the infectious-to-vector period of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), an urban-dwelling avian reservoir host of West Nile virus (WNV). Sparrows exposed to ALAN maintained transmissible viral titres for 2 days longer than controls but did not experience greater WNV-induced mortality during this window. Transcriptionally, ALAN altered the expression of gene regulatory networks including key hubs (OASL, PLBD1 and TRAP1) and effector genes known to affect WNV dissemination (SOCS). Despite mounting anti-viral immune responses earlier, transcriptomic signatures indicated that ALAN-exposed individuals probably experienced pathogen-induced damage and immunopathology, potentially due to evasion of immune effectors. A simple mathematical modelling exercise indicated that ALAN-induced increases of host infectious-to-vector period could increase WNV outbreak potential by approximately 41%. ALAN probably affects other host and vector traits relevant to transmission, and additional research is needed to advise the management of zoonotic diseases in light-polluted areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith E. Kernbach
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Daniel J. Newhouse
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
| | - Jeanette M. Miller
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Richard J. Hall
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Justin Gibbons
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Jenna Oberstaller
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Daniel Selechnik
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences (SOLES), University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
| | - Rays H. Y. Jiang
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Thomas R. Unnasch
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | | | - Lynn B. Martin
- Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
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McDiarmid CS, Naguib M, Griffith SC. Calling in the heat: the zebra finch “incubation call” depends on heat but not reproductive stage. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Callum S McDiarmid
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marc Naguib
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, De Elst, WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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