1
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MacLeod KJ, Naugle L, Brittingham MC, Avery JD. Gas compressor noise does not influence tree swallow nestling condition or immune response. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. J. MacLeod
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- School of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor Gwynedd UK
| | - L. Naugle
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Harrisburg Pennsylvania USA
| | - M. C. Brittingham
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
| | - J. D. Avery
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
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2
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Ziegelbecker A, Sefc KM. Growth, body condition and contest performance after early-life food restriction in a long-lived tropical fish. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10904-10916. [PMID: 34429889 PMCID: PMC8366895 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse conditions during early life can cause lasting body size deficits with effects on social and sexual competition, while an accelerated growth response can allow animals to catch up in body size but can be physiologically costly as well. How animals balance growth deficits and growth compensation is predicted to depend on the effects of each on lifetime fitness. We investigated the effects of experimental early-life food restriction on growth, body condition, and adult contest competition in a cichlid fish (Tropheus sp.). Their longevity and aseasonal breeding suggest that, with view on lifetime reproductive success, temporarily growth-restricted Tropheus should rather invest extra time in reaching competitive body size than risk the potential costs of accelerated growth. However, size-selective predation pressure by gape size-limited piscivores may have favored the evolution of an accelerated growth response to early-life delays. Experimentally food-restricted fish temporarily reduced their growth rate compared to a control group, but maintained their body condition factor at the control level throughout the 80-week study period. There was no evidence for an accelerated growth response following the treatment, as the food-restricted fish never exceeded the size-specific growth rates that were measured in the control group. Food-restricted fish caught up with the body size of the control group several months after the end of the treatment period and were as likely as control fish to win size-matched contests over territories. Regardless of feeding regime, there were sex-specific differences in growth rates and in the trajectories of condition factors over time. Females grew more slowly than males but maintained their condition factors at a high level throughout the study period, whereas the males' condition factors declined over time. These differences may reflect sex-specific contributions of condition and body size to adult fitness that are associated with female mouthbrooding and male competition for breeding territories.
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RAMIREZ‐OTAROLA N, ESPINOZA J, KALERGIS AM, SABAT P. Response to lipopolysaccharide inOctodon deguspups produces age‐related sickness behavior but does not have effects in juveniles. Integr Zool 2019; 14:235-247. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia RAMIREZ‐OTAROLA
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Science FacultyUniversidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Department of Ecology, Center of Applied Ecology & Sustainability, Biological Sciences FacultyPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Janyra ESPINOZA
- Millennium Institute Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias BiológicasPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Alexis M. KALERGIS
- Millennium Institute Immunology and Immunotherapy, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias BiológicasPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
- Departamento de Endocrinología, Facultad de MedicinaPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Pablo SABAT
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Science FacultyUniversidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Department of Ecology, Center of Applied Ecology & Sustainability, Biological Sciences FacultyPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
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4
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McInerney EP, Silla AJ, Byrne PG. Effect of carotenoid class and dose on the larval growth and development of the critically endangered southern corroboree frog. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz009. [PMID: 30906558 PMCID: PMC6425257 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Dietary carotenoids are expected to improve vertebrate growth and development, though evidence for beneficial effects remains limited. One reason for this might be that few studies have directly compared the effects of carotenoids from different classes (carotenes versus xanthophylls) at more than one dose. Here, we tested the effect of two doses of dietary β-carotene and lutein (representing two different carotenoid classes) on the growth and development of larval southern corroboree frogs (Pseudophryne corroboree). Individuals were supplemented with either β-carotene or lutein at one of two doses (0.1 mg g-1, 1 mg g-1), or given a diet without carotenoids (control). Each dietary treatment included 36 replicate individuals, and individuals remained on the same diet until metamorphosis (25-39 weeks). We measured larval survival, larval growth (body length), time to metamorphosis, metamorphic body size (mass and SVL), and body condition. Lutein had no detectable effect on larval growth and development. However, larvae receiving a high dose (1 mg g-1) of β-carotene metamorphosed significantly faster than all other dietary treatments, despite no significant differences in growth rate. This result indicates that β-carotene supplementation in P. corroboree has positive effects on development independent of growth effects. Our study provides new evidence for differential effects of carotenoid class and dose on vertebrate development. From a conservation perspective, our findings are expected to assist with the recovery of P. corroboree by expediting the generation of frogs required for the maintenance of captive insurance colonies, or the provision of frogs for release. More broadly, our study highlights the potential for dietary manipulation to assist with the ex situ management of threatened amphibian species worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma P McInerney
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Aimee J Silla
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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5
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Mohr AE, Girard M, Rowe M, McGraw KJ, Sweazea KL. Varied effects of dietary carotenoid supplementation on oxidative damage in tissues of two waterfowl species. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 231:67-74. [PMID: 30794961 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Carotenoids are regarded as a cornerstone of avian vitality and coloration. Currently, the antioxidant potential of dietary carotenoids is debated for birds. Although some studies support a protective role, others report either no effect or pro-oxidant effects. However, the majority of research on this topic has not analyzed the oxidative status of a series of tissues in animals nor considered a range of carotenoid dosages. We investigated the effects of three levels of carotenoid supplementation on plasma, liver, adipose, heart and breast muscle oxidative damage in two congeneric species of waterfowl that exhibit marked differences in carotenoid coloration. After a 6-week depletion period, captive adult northern pintail (Anas acuta) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) ducks of both sexes were fed either a carotenoid-depleted diet (<3 μg/g xanthophylls, lutein and zeaxanthin), a carotenoid-supplemented diet (50 μg/g) within physiological range, or a carotenoid-rich diet (100 μg/g) within pharmacological range for 22 to 32 weeks. We hypothesized that these dosages of dietary carotenoids would differentially affect oxidative damage between species and sexes and among the tissues examined. We found that dietary xanthophyll supplementation had no significant effect on tissue pro-oxidation in males and females from both species. Moreover, sex or species differences in oxidative stress were only observed in two tissues (plasma and heart). Significant correlations in the levels of oxidative damage were not observed among the tissues examined. In conclusion, the current study does not support a consistent antioxidant role for dietary carotenoids in the tissues of these two waterfowl species. Instead, our results align with the notion that carotenoids play complex, tissue- and species-specific roles in oxidative status in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex E Mohr
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America
| | - Marc Girard
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Melissah Rowe
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, 0562 Oslo, Norway; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Karen L Sweazea
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America.
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6
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Byrne PG, Silla AJ. Testing the effect of dietary carotenoids on larval survival, growth and development in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog. Zoo Biol 2017; 36:161-169. [PMID: 28198035 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Phillip G. Byrne
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem SolutionsSchool of Biological SciencesUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Aimee J. Silla
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem SolutionsSchool of Biological SciencesUniversity of WollongongWollongongNew South WalesAustralia
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7
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MacLeod KJ, Brekke P, Tong W, Ewen JG, Thorogood R. Do mothers bias offspring sex ratios in carotenoid-rich environments? Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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8
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McKay AF, Ezenwa VO, Altizer S. Consequences of Food Restriction for Immune Defense, Parasite Infection, and Fitness in Monarch Butterflies. Physiol Biochem Zool 2016; 89:389-401. [DOI: 10.1086/687989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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9
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Body mass and immune function, but not bill coloration, predict dominance in female mallards. Behav Processes 2016; 131:59-67. [PMID: 27561967 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Revised: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Competition over indivisible resources is common and often costly. Therefore, selection should favor strategies, including efficient communication, that minimize unnecessary costs associated with such competition. For example, signaling enables competitors to avoid engaging in costly asymmetrical contests. Recently, bill coloration has been identified as an information-rich signal used by some birds to mediate aggressive interactions and we evaluated this possibility in female mallards Anas platyrhynchos. Specifically, we conducted two rounds of competitive interactions among groups of unfamiliar adult female ducks. By recording all aggressive behaviors exhibited by each individual, as well as the identity of attack recipients, we were able to assign dominance scores and evaluate links between numerous physiological, morphological, and experimental variables that we predicted would influence contest outcome and dominance. Contrary to our predictions, dominance was not linked to any aspect of bill coloration, access to dietary carotenoids during development, two of three measures of immune function, or ovarian follicle maturation. Instead, heavier birds were more dominant, as were those with reduced immune system responses to an experimentally administered external immunostimulant, phytohemagglutinin. These results suggest that visual signals are less useful during the establishment of dominance hierarchies within multi-individual scramble competitions, and that immune function is correlated with contest strategies in competitions for access to limited resources.
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10
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Merrill L, Naylor MF, Grindstaff JL. Imperfect past and present progressive: beak color reflects early-life and adult exposure to antigen. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:1320-1330. [PMID: 27656084 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary sexual traits may convey information about individual condition. We assessed the capacity for immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) during the prenatal and early postnatal stages to impact beak color development and expression in captive zebra finches. In addition, we tested whether adult immune challenge impacted beak color, and if early-life experience was influential. Immune challenge with KLH early in life slowed development of red beak coloration, and males challenged with KLH as nestlings had reduced red coloration as adults. Following adult KLH challenge, males exhibited a decline in beak redness. Birds challenged with KLH during development produced more anti-KLH antibodies after adult challenge. There was a significant interaction between young treatment and anti-KLH antibody production; for males not challenged with KLH early in life, individuals that mounted a weaker antibody response lost more red coloration after challenge than males mounting a stronger antibody response. Based on models of avian vision, these differences in beak coloration should be detectable to the finches. In contrast to previous studies, we found no effect of early-life or adult challenge with LPS on any aspects of beak coloration. These results provide evidence that beak color reflects developmental and current conditions, and that the signal is linked to critical physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren Merrill
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 501 Life Science West, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA and; Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - Madeleine F Naylor
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , 501 Life Science West, Stillwater, OK 74078 , USA and
| | - Jennifer L Grindstaff
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , 501 Life Science West, Stillwater, OK 74078 , USA and
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11
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McInerney EP, Silla AJ, Byrne PG. The influence of carotenoid supplementation at different life-stages on the foraging performance of the Southern Corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree): A test of the Silver Spoon and Environmental Matching Hypotheses. Behav Processes 2016; 125:26-33. [PMID: 26849910 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Organismal performance can be significantly affected by the nutritional conditions experienced during different life-stages. The Silver Spoon Hypothesis predicts that individuals will always perform better as adults when they experience advantageous conditions during development. In contrast, the Environmental Matching Hypothesis predicts that individuals will perform better if they experience similar conditions during development and adulthood. Past tests of these hypotheses have focussed on the effect of food quantity on growth and development, with little attempt to investigate the effect of individual nutrients on behavioural traits. This study aimed to test the predictions of the Environmental Matching and Silver Spoon Hypotheses by investigating the influence of carotenoid supplementation at different life-stages on the foraging performance of Pseudophryne corroboree. To assess foraging performance, adults were presented with prey in either a cryptic or conspicuous foraging matrix. There was no effect of diet treatment on time to first movement towards prey, number of stalking events, time spent actively foraging, proportion of successful strikes, proportion of prey consumed or number of pedal luring events. These findings indicate that carotenoid supplementation at different life-stages does not influence the foraging performance of P. corroboree, providing no support for either the Silver Spoon or Environmental Matching Hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma P McInerney
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.
| | - Aimee J Silla
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
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12
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Dietary carotenoid supplementation improves the escape performance of the southern corroboree frog. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Rowe M, Pierson KL, McGraw KJ. Exploratory behavior is associated with plasma carotenoid accumulation in two congeneric species of waterfowl. Behav Processes 2015; 115:181-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Hopwood PE, Moore AJ, Royle NJ. Effects of resource variation during early life and adult social environment on contest outcomes in burying beetles: a context-dependent silver spoon strategy? Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133102. [PMID: 24789890 PMCID: PMC4024278 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Good early nutritional conditions may confer a lasting fitness advantage over individuals suffering poor early conditions (a ‘silver spoon’ effect). Alternatively, if early conditions predict the likely adult environment, adaptive plastic responses might maximize individual performance when developmental and adult conditions match (environmental-matching effect). Here, we test for silver spoon and environmental-matching effects by manipulating the early nutritional environment of Nicrophorus vespilloides burying beetles. We manipulated nutrition during two specific early developmental windows: the larval environment and the post-eclosion environment. We then tested contest success in relation to variation in adult social environmental quality experienced (defined according to whether contest opponents were smaller (good environment) or larger (poor environment) than the focal individual). Variation in the larval environment influenced adult body size but not contest success per se for a given adult social environment experienced (an ‘indirect’ silver spoon effect). Variation in post-eclosion environment affected contest success dependent on the quality of the adult environment experienced (a context-dependent ‘direct’ silver spoon effect). By contrast, there was no evidence for environmental-matching. The results demonstrate the importance of social environmental context in determining how variation in nutrition in early life affects success as an adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Hopwood
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, , Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9EZ, UK, Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, , Athens, GA 30602, USA
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15
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Butler MW, Karanfilian B, Homsher M, McGraw KJ. Carotenoid supplementation during adulthood, but not development, decreases testis size in mallards. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2013; 166:465-9. [PMID: 23911982 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Nutritional constraints on reproduction are well-characterized in female animals, but rarely have particular nutrients been linked to male reproductive investments. Carotenoid pigments promote egg-laying and fertility in several animals, and are displayed externally within secondary sex traits by males of many colorful species to attract mates, but it is unclear if or how carotenoids affect male primary sex traits. We manipulated carotenoid availability in the diet of male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) during both development and adulthood to determine effects on size and carotenoid content of the testes. We found that developmental carotenoid manipulations did not affect testis size or carotenoid concentration, but that increased carotenoid dietary levels at adulthood resulted in more carotenoid-rich, but smaller, testes. This latter result was surprising, given positive correlations in mammals between testicle size and carotenoid concentration. We also found negative correlations between testis size and carotenoid concentration for individual ducks, regardless of dietary treatment. These results suggest that carotenoid deposition into testis tissue can reduce investment in gonad size (and thus overall sperm count), although the functional consequences of this relationship remain to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Butler
- Lafayette College, Department of Biology, Easton, PA, 18042-1778, USA; Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA.
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16
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Walker LK, Stevens M, Karadaş F, Kilner RM, Ewen JG. A window on the past: male ornamental plumage reveals the quality of their early-life environment. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20122852. [PMID: 23407833 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that the expression of many ornamental traits is dependent on the current condition of the bearer. However, conditions experienced in early life are also known to be important for an individual's subsequent fitness and therefore, directly or indirectly, for the fitness of their mate. Specifically, a recent hypothesis suggests that sexually selected traits might be sensitive to conditions experienced during early-life development and thereby function as honest indicators of developmental history. Whether this applies to colourful male plumage, however, is largely unknown. We tested this idea with a field experiment by manipulating neonatal nutrition in a sexually dichromatic passerine, the hihi (Notymystis cincta). We found that carotenoid supplementation increased nestling plasma carotenoid concentration, which was in turn correlated with increased yellow saturation in male breeding plumage after moulting. We also found that the post-moult luminance (lightness) of the white ear-tufts tended to be reduced in males that had received an all-round nutritional supplement as nestlings. Black breeding plumage was not affected by neonatal nutritional treatment. Although the mechanisms that generate colourful plumage are evidently diverse, our results show that at least some parts of this display are accurate indicators of environmental conditions during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila K Walker
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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17
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Butler MW, McGraw KJ. Immune function is related to adult carotenoid and bile pigment levels, but not dietary carotenoid access during development, in female mallard ducks. J Exp Biol 2013; 216:2632-40. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.082982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Summary
Immune function can be modulated by multiple physiological factors, including nutrition and reproductive state. Because these factors can vary throughout an individual’s lifetime due to environmental conditions (e.g. nutrition) or life-history stage (e.g. adult reproduction), we must carefully examine the degree to which developmental versus adult conditions shape performance of the immune system. We investigated how variation in dietary access to carotenoid pigments – a class of molecules with immunostimulatory properties that females deposit into egg yolks – during three different developmental time points affected adult immunological and reproductive traits in female mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). In males and females of other avian species, carotenoid access during development affects carotenoid assimilation ability, adult sexual ornamentation, and immune function, while carotenoid access at adulthood can increase immune response and reproductive investment (e.g. egg-laying capacity, biliverdin deposition in eggshells). We failed to find effects of developmental carotenoid supplementation on adult immune function (phytohemagglutinin-induced cutaneous immune response, antibody production in response to the novel antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin [KLH], or oxidative burst, assessed by change in circulating nitric oxide levels), carotenoid-pigmented beak coloration, ovarian development, circulating carotenoid levels, or concentration of bile pigments in the gall bladder. However, we did uncover positive relationships between circulating carotenoid levels at adulthood and KLH-specific antibody production, and a negative relationship between biliverdin concentration in bile and KLH-specific antibody production. These results are consistent with the view that adult physiological parameters better predict current immune function than do developmental conditions and highlight a possible, previously unstudied relationship between biliverdin and immune system performance.
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