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Tkaczynski PJ, Mafessoni F, Girard-Buttoz C, Samuni L, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Gomes C, Hobaiter C, Löhrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PD, Wessling EG, Wittiger L, Zommers Z, Zuberbuehler K, Vigilant L, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Shared community effects and the non-genetic maternal environment shape cortisol levels in wild chimpanzees. Commun Biol 2023; 6:565. [PMID: 37237178 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04909-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of inheritance remain poorly defined for many fitness-mediating traits, especially in long-lived animals with protracted development. Using 6,123 urinary samples from 170 wild chimpanzees, we examined the contributions of genetics, non-genetic maternal effects, and shared community effects on variation in cortisol levels, an established predictor of survival in long-lived primates. Despite evidence for consistent individual variation in cortisol levels across years, between-group effects were more influential and made an overwhelming contribution to variation in this trait. Focusing on within-group variation, non-genetic maternal effects accounted for 8% of the individual differences in average cortisol levels, significantly more than that attributable to genetic factors, which was indistinguishable from zero. These maternal effects are consistent with a primary role of a shared environment in shaping physiology. For chimpanzees, and perhaps other species with long life histories, community and maternal effects appear more relevant than genetic inheritance in shaping key physiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Tkaczynski
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Fabrizio Mafessoni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Liran Samuni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Corinne Y Ackermann
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Pawel Fedurek
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Cristina Gomes
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, College of Arts, Science and Education, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Therese Löhrich
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, BP 1053, Bangui, Central African Republic
- Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Virgile Manin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Prince D Valé
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche Agroferesterie, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Erin G Wessling
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Zinta Zommers
- Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Klaus Zuberbuehler
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
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Hau M, Deimel C, Moiron M. Great tits differ in glucocorticoid plasticity in response to spring temperature. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221235. [PMID: 36350212 PMCID: PMC9653245 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations in environmental temperature affect energy metabolism and stimulate the expression of reversible phenotypic plasticity in vertebrate behavioural and physiological traits. Changes in circulating concentrations of glucocorticoid hormones often underpin environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity. Ongoing climate change is predicted to increase fluctuations in environmental temperature globally, making it imperative to determine the standing phenotypic variation in glucocorticoid responses of free-living populations to evaluate their potential for coping via plastic or evolutionary changes. Using a reaction norm approach, we repeatedly sampled wild great tit (Parus major) individuals for circulating glucocorticoid concentrations during reproduction across five years to quantify individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity along an environmental temperature gradient. As expected, baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid concentrations increased with lower environmental temperatures at the population and within-individual level. Moreover, we provide unique evidence that individuals differ significantly in their plastic responses to the temperature gradient for both glucocorticoid traits, with some displaying greater plasticity than others. Average concentrations and degree of plasticity covaried for baseline glucocorticoids, indicating that these two reaction norm components are linked. Hence, individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity in response to a key environmental factor exists in a wild vertebrate population, representing a crucial step to assess their potential to endure temperature fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Maria Moiron
- Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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Grindstaff JL, Beaty LE, Ambardar M, Luttbeg B. Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches for a robust understanding of endocrine flexibility. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274311. [PMID: 35258612 PMCID: PMC8987727 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in studying hormones beyond single 'snapshot' measurements, as recognition that individual variation in the endocrine response to environmental change may underlie many rapid, coordinated phenotypic changes. Repeated measures of hormone levels in individuals provide additional insight into individual variation in endocrine flexibility - that is, how individuals modulate hormone levels in response to the environment. The ability to quickly and appropriately modify phenotype is predicted to be favored by selection, especially in unpredictable environments. The need for repeated samples from individuals can make empirical studies of endocrine flexibility logistically challenging, but methods based in mathematical modeling can provide insights that circumvent these challenges. Our Review introduces and defines endocrine flexibility, reviews existing studies, makes suggestions for future empirical work, and recommends mathematical modeling approaches to complement empirical work and significantly advance our understanding. Mathematical modeling is not yet widely employed in endocrinology, but can be used to identify innovative areas for future research and generate novel predictions for empirical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lynne E Beaty
- School of Science, Penn State Erie - The Behrend College, Erie, PA 16563, USA
| | - Medhavi Ambardar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 67601, USA
| | - Barney Luttbeg
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, OK 74078, USA
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4
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Behringer V, Stevens JMG, Sonnweber R. Salivary Cortisol Reaction Norms in Zoo-Housed Great Apes: Diurnal Slopes and Intercepts as Indicators of Stress Response Quality. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:522. [PMID: 35203230 PMCID: PMC8868550 DOI: 10.3390/ani12040522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Changes in cortisol fluctuations are used for stress monitoring. Methodologically, this is straight forward, because sample collection is simple and analytical methods advanced, but since cortisol is primarily a hormone that facilitates energy allocation, the interpretation of these measures is often complex. Acute elevations in cortisol levels are not per se bad, but may constitute an adaptive coping mechanism. Likewise, low cortisol levels do not always indicate the absence of a stressor. To distinguish between stress response qualities, a more fine-grained analyses of cortisol fluctuations is warranted. Cortisol excretion follows a diurnal pattern with high levels in the morning, decreasing throughout the day. Two regression coefficients describe this curve: the intercept (the constant with which levels change throughout the day) and the slope (curve steepness and direction). We assessed salivary cortisol intercepts and slopes in zoo-housed apes on routine days, enrichment days, and in the new ape house. While cortisol excretion increased on enrichment days, the daily decline of cortisol levels was not affected. The move to the new house seemingly was a major stressor as cortisol levels increased slightly and the circadian cortisol decrease was impaired. The combination of intercept and slope measures can differentiate between stress responses, thereby constituting a useful tool for stress monitoring. Abstract Monitoring changes in cortisol levels is a widespread tool for measuring individuals’ stress responses. However, an acute increase in cortisol levels does not necessarily denote an individual in distress, as increases in cortisol can be elicited by all factors that signal the need to mobilize energy. Nor are low levels of cortisol indicative for a relaxed, healthy individual. Therefore, a more fine-grained description of cortisol patterns is warranted in order to distinguish between cortisol fluctuations associated with different stress response qualities. In most species, cortisol shows a distinct diurnal pattern. Using a reaction norm approach, cortisol levels across the day can be described by the two regression coefficients: the intercept and the slope of the curve. We measured immunoreactive salivary cortisol in three zoo-housed ape species under three conditions (routine days, enrichment days, and after the move to a new house). We examined salivary cortisol intercepts (SCI) and salivary cortisol slopes (SCS) of the diurnal curves. SCI and SCS were independent from each other. SCI was highest on enrichment days and lowest on routine days. SCS was steep on routine days and blunted after the move. Only SCI was species-specific. Our study provides evidence that combining SCI and SCS measures allows us to differentiate between types of stress responses, thereby constituting a useful tool for welfare assessment.
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Holden KG, Gangloff EJ, Miller DAW, Hedrick AR, Dinsmore C, Basel A, Kutz G, Bronikowski AM. Over a decade of field physiology reveals life-history specific strategies to drought in garter snakes ( Thamnophis legans). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212187. [PMID: 35078358 PMCID: PMC8790353 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Changing climates and severe weather events can affect population viability. Individuals need to buffer such negative fitness consequences through physiological plasticity. Whether certain life-history strategies are more conducive to surviving changing climates is unknown, but theory predicts that strategies prioritizing maintenance and survival over current reproduction should be better able to withstand such change. We tested this hypothesis in a meta-population of garter snakes having naturally occurring variation in life-history strategies. We tested whether slow pace-of-life (POL) animals, that prioritize survival over reproduction, are more resilient than fast POL animals as measured by several physiological biomarkers. From 2006 to 2019, which included two multi-year droughts, baseline and stress-induced reactivity of plasma corticosterone and glucose varied annually with directionalities consistent with life-history theory. Slow POL animals exhibited higher baseline corticosterone and lower baseline glucose, relative to fast POL animals. These patterns were also observed in stress-induced measures; thus, reactivity was equivalent between ecotypes. However, in drought years, measures of corticosterone did not differ between different life histories. Immune cell distribution showed annual variation independent of drought or life history. These persistent physiological patterns form a backdrop to several extirpations of fast POL populations, suggesting a limited physiological toolkit to surviving periods of extreme drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn G. Holden
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Eric J. Gangloff
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - David A. W. Miller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ashley R. Hedrick
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Carli Dinsmore
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alison Basel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Greta Kutz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Anne M. Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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6
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Malkoc K, Mentesana L, Casagrande S, Hau M. Quantifying Glucocorticoid Plasticity Using Reaction Norm Approaches: There Still is So Much to Discover! Integr Comp Biol 2021; 62:58-70. [PMID: 34665256 PMCID: PMC9375136 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormones are highly responsive internal signals that help organisms adjust their phenotype to fluctuations in environmental and internal conditions. Our knowledge of the causes and consequences of variation in circulating hormone concentrations has improved greatly in the past. However, this knowledge often comes from population-level studies, which generally tend to make the flawed assumption that all individuals respond in the same way to environmental changes. Here, we advocate that we can vastly expand our understanding of the ecology and evolution of hormonal traits once we acknowledge the existence of individual differences by quantifying hormonal plasticity at the individual level, where selection acts. In this review, we use glucocorticoid (GC) hormones as examples of highly plastic endocrine traits that interact intimately with energy metabolism but also with other organismal traits like behavior and physiology. First, we highlight the insights gained by repeatedly assessing an individual's GC concentrations along a gradient of environmental or internal conditions using a “reaction norm approach.” This study design should be followed by a hierarchical statistical partitioning of the total endocrine variance into the among-individual component (individual differences in average hormone concentrations, i.e., in the intercept of the reaction norm) and the residual (within-individual) component. The latter is ideally further partitioned by estimating more precisely hormonal plasticity (i.e., the slope of the reaction norm), which allows to test whether individuals differ in the degree of hormonal change along the gradient. Second, we critically review the published evidence for GC variation, focusing mostly on among- and within-individual levels, finding only a good handful of studies that used repeated-measures designs and random regression statistics to investigate GC plasticity. These studies indicate that individuals can differ in both the intercept and the slope of their GC reaction norm to a known gradient. Third, we suggest rewarding avenues for future work on hormonal reaction norms, for example to uncover potential costs and trade-offs associated with GC plasticity, to test whether GC plasticity varies when an individual's reaction norm is repeatedly assessed along the same gradient, whether reaction norms in GCs covary with those in other traits like behavior and fitness (generating multivariate plasticity), or to quantify GC reaction norms along multiple external and internal gradients that act simultaneously (leading to multidimensional plasticity). Throughout this review, we emphasize the power that reaction norm approaches offer for resolving unanswered questions in ecological and evolutionary endocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasja Malkoc
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Lucia Mentesana
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Stefania Casagrande
- Research Group for Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Michaela Hau
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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7
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Baldan D, Negash M, Ouyang JQ. Are individuals consistent? Endocrine reaction norms under different ecological challenges. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269204. [PMID: 34142697 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.240499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying organismal capacity for compensatory mechanisms is essential to forecast responses to environmental change. Despite accumulating evidence for individual variation in physiological plasticity, the causes and consequences of this variation remain unclear. An outstanding question is whether individual reaction norms are consistent across different environmental challenges, i.e. whether an individual that is responsive to one environmental variable will be equally responsive to a different environmental variable. Additionally, are these reaction norms themselves consistent over time, i.e. repeatable? Here, we quantified individual baseline glucocorticoid responses in house sparrows, Passer domesticus, to sequential manipulations of temperature, wind speed and food unpredictability that were repeated in discrete blocks of sampling under both control and stressor-exposed conditions. Individuals significantly decreased their baseline corticosterone levels and increased their mass during treatment exposure. This response was consistent across environmental challenge types. There was high repeatability in the intercept and slope of the baseline corticosterone reaction norm between environmental challenges but broad credible intervals in the repeatability of the reaction norm slope, suggesting that although glucocorticoid levels during baseline conditions are repeatable, among-individual variation in the shape of the glucocorticoid response may be higher than within-individual variation. Within-subject variation in baseline corticosterone levels was mainly explained by within-individual variation in body mass during stressor exposure. Despite the high lability in physiological traits, endocrine plasticity is repeatable across environmental challenges and may be able to evolve as a result of genetic accommodation, in which selection acts on genetic variation of reaction norms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Baldan
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0314, USA
| | - Mekail Negash
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0314, USA
| | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0314, USA
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Girard-Buttoz C, Tkaczynski PJ, Samuni L, Fedurek P, Gomes C, Löhrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PF, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Early maternal loss leads to short- but not long-term effects on diurnal cortisol slopes in wild chimpanzees. eLife 2021; 10:e64134. [PMID: 34133269 PMCID: PMC8208813 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological embedding model (BEM) suggests that fitness costs of maternal loss arise when early-life experience embeds long-term alterations to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Alternatively, the adaptive calibration model (ACM) regards physiological changes during ontogeny as short-term adaptations. Both models have been tested in humans but rarely in wild, long-lived animals. We assessed whether, as in humans, maternal loss had short- and long-term impacts on orphan wild chimpanzee urinary cortisol levels and diurnal urinary cortisol slopes, both indicative of HPA axis functioning. Immature chimpanzees recently orphaned and/or orphaned early in life had diurnal cortisol slopes reflecting heightened activation of the HPA axis. However, these effects appeared short-term, with no consistent differences between orphan and non-orphan cortisol profiles in mature males, suggesting stronger support for the ACM than the BEM in wild chimpanzees. Compensatory mechanisms, such as adoption, may buffer against certain physiological effects of maternal loss in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Patrick J Tkaczynski
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Liran Samuni
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Pawel Fedurek
- Division of Psychology, University of StirlingStirlingUnited Kingdom
| | - Cristina Gomes
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Florida International UniversityMiamiUnited States
| | - Therese Löhrich
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Dzanga Sangha Protected AreasBanguiCentral African Republic
- Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic MicroorganismsBerlinGermany
| | - Virgile Manin
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Prince F Valé
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'IvoireAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët BoignyAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Interim Group Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches ScientifiquesAbidjanCôte d'Ivoire
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRSLyonFrance
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9
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Behringer V, Preis A, Wu DF, Crockford C, Leendertz FH, Wittig RM, Deschner T. Urinary Cortisol Increases During a Respiratory Outbreak in Wild Chimpanzees. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:485. [PMID: 32974394 PMCID: PMC7472655 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract: In mammals, the excretion of cortisol can provide energy toward restoring homeostasis and is a major component of the stress response. However, chronically elevated cortisol levels also have suppressive effects on immune function. As mounting an immune response is energetically costly, sick individuals may conserve energy by exhibiting certain sickness behaviors, such as declining activity levels. Due to the complex interplay between immune function and sickness behaviors, endocrinological correlates have received growing attention in the medical community, but so far, this subject was investigated rarely. Furthermore, given the complexities of studying illnesses and immunity in natural settings, correlates of sickness behaviors have yet to be studied in non-human primates in the wild. Methods: We measured urinary cortisol levels using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry in a group of wild habituated chimpanzees in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, before, during, and after a respiratory disease outbreak (main causative pathogen: human respiratory syncytial virus A, with coinfections of Streptococcus pneumoniae). Changes in cortisol levels were then related to urinary neopterin levels, a biomarker of immune system activation. Results: Urinary cortisol levels were found to be more than 10-fold higher during the outbreak in comparison with levels before and after the outbreak period. Increasing cortisol levels were also associated with increasing neopterin levels. Interestingly, rather atypical patterns in a diurnal decline of cortisol levels were found during infection periods, such that levels remained raised throughout the day. Conclusion: In conclusion, cortisol increase was related to cellular immune response. Our results suggest that cortisol is a mediator of infectious disease pathogenicity through its impact on the immune system and that wild chimpanzees may be facing energetic stress when sick. By monitoring immune challenges in wild-living animals, our study demonstrates that immune defenses have costs and that these costs are context-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Behringer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anna Preis
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Doris F Wu
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Fabian H Leendertz
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Abstract
Abstract
The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis regulates the secretion of glucocorticoids, hormones with diverse roles ranging from regulating daily metabolic demand to coping with sudden perturbations. As a result, glucocorticoids are thought to help vertebrates track their changing environments and coordinate plasticity in diverse phenotypes. While this endocrine system is highly plastic—where one individual can produce multiple phenotypes across varying environmental conditions—little is understood about the degree to which individuals, populations, or species differ in circulating glucocorticoid plasticity. Empirical research quantifying individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity has increased in recent years, though the multiple complex roles of the HPA-axis make it challenging to generalize the extent to which individual variation in plasticity exists. I provide an overview of current findings on variation in glucocorticoids plasticity, and outline multiple types of glucocorticoid plasticity researchers should consider in future work to advance our understanding of the causes and consequences of individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA
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11
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Tkaczynski PJ, Ross C, Lehmann J, Mouna M, Majolo B, MacLarnon A. Repeatable glucocorticoid expression is associated with behavioural syndromes in males but not females in a wild primate. R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:190256. [PMID: 31598282 PMCID: PMC6774951 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Behavioural syndromes are a well-established phenomenon in human and non-human animal behavioural ecology. However, the mechanisms that lead to correlations among behaviours and individual consistency in their expression at the apparent expense of behavioural plasticity remain unclear. The 'state-dependent' hypothesis posits that inter-individual variation in behaviour arises from inter-individual variation in state and that the relative stability of these states within an individual leads to consistency of behaviour. The endocrine stress response, in part mediated by glucocorticoids (GCs), is a proposed behavioural syndrome-associated state as GC levels are linked to an individual's behavioural responses to stressors. In this study, in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), consistent inter-individual differences were observed in both sexes for GC activity (faecal glucocorticoid, fGC concentrations), but not GC variation (coefficient of variation in fGC concentrations). The expression of the behavioural syndrome 'Excitability' (characterized by the frequencies of brief affiliation or aggressive interactions) was related to GC activity in males but not in females; more 'excitable' males had lower GC activity. There was no relationship in females between any of the behavioural syndromes and GC activity, nor in either sex with GC variation. The negative relationship between GC activity and Excitability in males provides some support for GC expression as a behavioural syndrome-generating state under the state-dependent framework. The absence of this relationship in females highlights that state-behavioural syndrome associations may not be generalizable within a species and that broader sex differences in state need to be considered for understanding the emergence and maintenance of behavioural syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. J. Tkaczynski
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Inter-Disciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - C. Ross
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Inter-Disciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - J. Lehmann
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Inter-Disciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - M. Mouna
- Mohammed V University, Institut Scientifique, Rabat, Morocco
| | - B. Majolo
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - A. MacLarnon
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary, Social and Inter-Disciplinary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
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12
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Guindre-Parker S, Mcadam AG, van Kesteren F, Palme R, Boonstra R, Boutin S, Lane JE, Dantzer B. Individual variation in phenotypic plasticity of the stress axis. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190260. [PMID: 31337294 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity-one individual's capacity for phenotypic variation under different environments-is critical for organisms facing fluctuating conditions within their lifetime. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) experience drastic among-year fluctuations in conspecific density. This shapes juvenile competition over vacant territories and overwinter survival. To help young cope with competition at high densities, mothers can increase offspring growth rates via a glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effect. However, this effect is only adaptive under high densities, and faster growth often comes at a cost to longevity. While red squirrels can adjust hormones in response to fluctuating density, the degree to which mothers differ in glucocorticoid plasticity across changing densities remains unknown. Findings from our reaction norm approach revealed significant individual variation not only in a female red squirrel's mean endocrine phenotype but also in endocrine plasticity in response to changes in local density. Future work on proximate and ultimate drivers of variation in endocrine plasticity and maternal effects is needed, particularly in free-living animals experiencing fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrew G Mcadam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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13
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Preis A, Samuni L, Deschner T, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Urinary Cortisol, Aggression, Dominance and Competition in Wild, West African Male Chimpanzees. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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