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1.
Laaksonen T Adamczyk F Ahola M Möstl E Lessells CK 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(2):257-264
Female birds might be able to manipulate the parental effort of their male partner through elevated transfer of hormones to
the eggs, since these hormones affect many chick traits that males might use as cues for adjusting the level of their investment.
We experimentally studied whether female pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca could manipulate male investment via yolk androgens. There is much more variation in yolk androgen levels between females
than within clutches, and in order to change the androgen levels of the eggs, we swapped whole clutches between nests. To
estimate the androgen levels of the clutch, we measured the androgen content of a single egg per clutch. Females did not succeed
in manipulating male effort using yolk androgens, since there was no relationship between the division of parental care within
a pair and either original or foster egg androgen levels. One of these relationships should have occurred if females were
manipulating males. The proportion of feeding visits by the male was higher when the male was old (55%) than when he was young
(45%) and females laid eggs with higher androgen levels when mated with a young male. Young males did not exhibit any responses
to yolk androgen levels either, which indicates that females cannot exploit their effort more than that of old males. We suggest
that females may allocate yolk androgens to adjust the growth trajectories of the chicks to poor growing conditions when mated
with young males that are poor providers or occupying a poor territory. 相似文献
2.
Rebecca J. Safran Kevin M. Pilz Kevin J. McGraw Stephanie M. Correa Hubert Schwabl 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(3):427-438
Recently, evidence is mounting that females can adaptively engineer the quality of their offspring via the deposition of yolk
compounds, including carotenoids and androgens. In this study, we simultaneously consider how both carotenoids and androgens
in egg yolk relate to parental quality in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster). First, we found no relationship between concentrations or amounts of yolk androgens and carotenoids. Yolk carotenoids decreased
with laying order, whereas we found no relationship between yolk androgens and laying order. Second, we tested the Investment
Hypothesis, which predicts that high-quality females or females paired to high quality mates, allocate differentially more
of these yolk compounds to their offspring. For carotenoids, we mostly found evidence to counter predictions of the Investment
hypothesis: (1) Carotenoid concentrations varied among females, (2) heavier eggs contained lower carotenoid concentrations,
although heavier yolks contained greater amounts of carotenoids, (3) eggs of earlier-laying females had lower concentrations
in their eggs, and (4) yolk carotenoids were not correlated with clutch size or male plumage ornamentation. For androgens,
we found weak support for the Investment Hypothesis: (1) Yolk androgens varied among females, (2) heavier eggs and yolks contained
greater amounts, although not concentrations of androgens, (3) females paired to more colorful males laid eggs with greater
concentrations of androgens, and (4) no effects of laying date or morphological correlates of female quality on androgen concentrations
in egg yolks. Overall, these findings suggest that each yolk compound may have different functions and therefore may be regulated
by different mechanisms. 相似文献
3.
Maternal yolk androgens in bird eggs represent an important pathway along which offspring phenotype is shaped. Most of the
hormone-mediated maternal effects are highly important in the context of sibling competition. However, there is also increasing
evidence for long-lasting effects far beyond the nestling period, and these effects may have important consequences on the
reproductive success of the offspring. Here, we investigated the effects of experimentally elevated yolk testosterone concentrations
on growth and reproduction in female canaries. Elevated yolk testosterone concentrations enhanced the post-natal growth rate,
but not the asymptotic mass, and reduced the survival probability. The latter may be a consequence of the higher growth rate,
which may have rendered females hatching from testosterone-treated eggs (T-females) more vulnerable to harsh environmental
conditions. Adult T-females made a larger investment in their clutch by laying more but not heavier eggs than females hatching
from control-treated eggs. Our results suggest that the observed long-lasting effect on clutch size relates to changes in
the growth trajectory rather than being a direct consequence of testosterone, since studies manipulating early growth conditions
obtained similar results. Clearly, further studies are now required in order to investigate the intriguing relationship between
yolk testosterone, elevated growth rates, and clutch size. 相似文献
4.
Joanna Rutkowska Tomasz Wilk Mariusz Cichoń 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(8):1211-1217
There is accumulating evidence that maternal hormones may play a role in offspring sex adjustment, but little is known about
the costs of such hormone-mediated mechanisms. Recent studies have reported sex-specific effects of hormones on offspring
viability. Specifically, we previously found that elevating the plasma androgen level in mothers results in a male-biased
offspring primary sex ratio, but it affects the viability of sons negatively and daughters positively in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata; Rutkowska and Cichoń, Anim Behav, 71:1283–1288, 2006). In this study, we studied further fitness consequences of exposure
to elevated yolk androgen levels in zebra finches. We measured growth rate and cellular immune response of nestlings that
hatched from eggs laid by females injected with testosterone during egg laying and nestlings of unaffected control females.
We found that sons of testosterone-treated females grew slower in comparison to sons of control females. The significant interaction
between experimental group and offspring sex indicates that sons of testosterone-treated mothers suffered impaired immune
responsiveness while daughters seemed to benefit from elevated androgen level in terms of enhanced immune responsiveness.
We found no effects of androgens on offspring performance at adulthood—neither fecundity of females nor attractiveness of
males was affected. We conclude that the benefits of biasing sex ratio towards males by increasing androgen level in the yolk
may be limited due to negative effects on male offspring performance early in life. 相似文献
5.
Dieter Heylen Wendt Müller Ton G. G. Groothuis Erik Matthysen 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2012,66(2):287-293
In birds as in many other taxa, parasites can have deleterious effects on offspring development. Therefore, avian mothers
have evolved responses to counteract parasite virulence in offspring via transgenerational defense mechanisms that is the
transfer of immune-enhancing substances such as antibodies to their eggs. Another maternal pathway is suggested by the finding
that infested great tit mothers produced eggs with lower androgens, since these yolk androgens are immunosuppressive and potentially
affect parasite susceptibility of the nestlings. However, whether this pathway is a specific adaptation to infestation with
parasites that affect the offspring or an epiphenomenon of lower androgen production in the female due to the parasite effects
on the mother itself is as yet unclear. In this study we infested female great tits (Parus major) with sheep ticks (Ixodes ricinus), which are nonnidicolous ectoparasites with low vertical transmission capability, and evaluated the effects on yolk androgen
deposition. Tick-infested females did not significantly reduce their deposition of androgens (androstenedione (A4) and testosterone) compared to tick-reduced females, which is in contrast to a previous study showing a lowered deposition
of A4 and testosterone when females were exposed to the nidicolous hen flea. Thus, females alter their hormone deposition, and
thus likely offspring phenotype, when exposed to parasites that also form the parasitic environment of their offspring, but
not when temporarily infested with the field-dwelling sheep ticks with low transmission capability. This suggests that selection
favored the evolution of an adaptive transgenerational effect by acting mainly on the parasite-induced maternal effect. 相似文献
6.
Suvi Ruuskanen Esa Lehikoinen Mikko Nikinmaa Heli Siitari Wolfgang Waser Toni Laaksonen 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2013,67(3):361-372
The hormonal environment during early development, such as maternally derived androgens in bird eggs, shapes the development of the offspring in ways that may have important long-term consequences for phenotype and behavior and, ultimately, fitness. We studied the long-term effects of yolk androgens on several phenotypic and physiological traits in male and female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) by experimentally elevating yolk androgen levels and rearing birds in common-garden environment in captivity. We found that high yolk androgen levels increased the basal metabolic rates in both females and males in adulthood. High yolk androgen levels did not affect male melanin coloration or plumage ornaments, or timing or speed of moult in either sex. No effect of androgen treatment on cell-mediated or humoral immune response was found in either sex. Covariation among the measured phenotypic traits was further not altered by androgen treatment. Our results suggest that exposure to high androgen levels can have long-lasting effects on some offspring traits, but do not seem to lead to different phenotypes. Furthermore, the role of yolk androgens affecting sexually selected male traits in our study species seems to be minor. The fitness consequences of yolk androgen-induced higher metabolic rates remain to be studied. 相似文献
7.
Fabrice Dentressangle Lourdes Boeck Roxana Torres 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2008,62(12):1899-1908
Females are expected to vary investment in offspring according to variables that may influence the offspring fitness in a way that optimises her inclusive fitness for a particular context. Thus, when sexual ornaments signal the quality of the male, females might invest in reproduction as a function of the attractiveness of their mate. We tested whether breeding conditions and male feet colour influence reproductive decisions of blue-footed booby females. In the blue-footed booby, male feet colour is a dynamic condition-dependent sexually selected trait that is related to paternal effort. During two consecutive years, an El Niño year (poor breeding conditions) and a year with good breeding conditions, we experimentally reduced male attractiveness by modifying their feet colour after the first egg was laid and recorded female investment in the second egg. We found that, relative to the first egg in the clutch, females laid heavier second eggs during the poor year than during the good year. Females paired with males with duller feet colour reduced second-egg mass and volume and delayed the laying of the second egg, independently of the year. Absolute yolk androstenedione (A4) concentration (but not testosterone, T) in second eggs was higher during a poor year than during a good year. Only during a year with poor breeding conditions, females paired with experimental males decreased the relative A4 concentration (but not T) in the second egg compared to control females. Thus, blue-footed booby females probably favour brood reduction by decreasing egg quality and increasing size asymmetry between chicks when the breeding and the mate conditions are poor. 相似文献
8.
It has been proposed that blue colouration in eggs has evolved as a signal of female quality that males can use to modulate
their parental investment. This hypothesis is based in the antioxidant properties of biliverdin whose costly deposition in
the eggshell is expected to signal female antioxidant capacity and egg quality. Since maternally derived androgens are costly
to produce and may adaptively affect offspring phenotype, high-quality females may benefit by signalling their androgen investment
through egg colouration. Our aim was to investigate whether egg colour variation in the spotless starling reflected the amount
of pigments on the eggshell and whether egg pigmentation was related to female and egg quality. Chromatography analyses revealed
that spotless starling eggshells contained two different pigments: biliverdin and protoporphyrin IX with no correlation between
them. Biliverdin contents correlated positively with egg colouration indicating that darker eggs with a higher peak in the
blue–green segment of the spectrum contained higher amounts of biliverdin. Eggs containing more biliverdin were laid by high-quality
females and contained higher yolk testosterone levels. However, despite the strong correlation between biliverdin and colorimetric
variables, egg colouration did not reflect accurately female and egg quality. Our results provide evidence that eggshell pigmentation
in the spotless starling is related to female and egg quality as shown by the yolk testosterone levels. However, the lack
of relation between egg colour and female condition and egg quality do not provide evidence to support the signalling function
of egg colouration. 相似文献
9.
Intra-specific interactions influence egg composition in the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)
Nanette Verboven Neil P. Evans Liliana D’Alba Ruedi G. Nager Jonathan D. Blount Peter F. Surai Pat Monaghan 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2005,57(4):357-365
Egg composition, which is under maternal control, can have a profound effect on offspring fitness. The presence of maternal testosterone and carotenoids in avian egg yolk, for example, is thought to enhance the development and competitive ability of the offspring and protect the hatching and growing chick against oxidative stress. Egg quality often differs between females and such variation can be due to differences in maternal social environment, e.g. breeding density. However, this is confounded by the possibility that the quality of individuals breeding in high- or low-density areas may vary. We tested if maternal social environment influences egg composition in a colonial seabird, the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus). To control for confounding effects of female quality, we experimentally manipulated maternal social environment during egg formation. We increased the frequency of intra-specific interactions (i.e. aggressive encounters with conspecifics other than nest mates) in which the females were involved, by placing an elevated platform in their territory. Females that took part in more intra-specific interactions produced a heavier last egg, but the yolk testosterone concentration in eggs laid by control and experimental females did not differ. Differences in yolk testosterone concentration in relation to embryo sex were found neither in the control nor in the experimental group. In contrast, within the control group, eggs with a male embryo contained more carotenoids than eggs with a female embryo. Moreover, experimental females that had been involved in more intra-specific interactions produced female eggs with higher carotenoid levels compared to female eggs of control birds. An experimental increase in carotenoid levels was not observed in eggs containing a male embryo. Our results suggest that intra-specific interactions experienced by female birds during egg formation can influence conditions for embryonic development.Communicated by J. Graves 相似文献
10.
Adeline Loyau Michel Saint Jalme Robert Mauget Gabriele Sorci 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(7):1043-1052
According to the differential investment hypothesis, females paired with attractive mates are expected to invest more in the
current reproduction relative to females paired with unattractive males. We experimentally tested this hypothesis in the peafowl
(Pavo cristatus) by providing females with males that differed in sexual attractiveness. In agreement with the differential allocation hypothesis,
females paired with more ornamented males laid larger eggs, and deposited higher amounts of testosterone into the egg yolk,
independently of the sex of the embryo. These results show that the association between paternal phenotype and offspring quality
could arise via a differential maternal investment. They also suggest that, if ornamented males do transmit good genes to
the progeny, the maternal differential investment can amplify the effect of such good genes on the offspring fitness. 相似文献
11.
The hypothesis that sexual ornaments are honest signals of quality because their expression is dependent on hormones with
immune-depressive effects has received ambiguous support. The hypothesis might be correct for those signals that are carotenoid-dependent
because the required carotenoid deposition in the signal, stimulated by testosterone, might lower the carotenoid-dependent
immune defence of the organism. Two pathways underlying this androgen-dependent honest signaling have been suggested. Firstly,
androgens that are needed for ornament expression may suppress immune defence, a cost that only high-quality animals can afford.
Alternatively, immune activation may downregulate the production of androgens in low-quality individuals. Which of these alternatives
is correct, and to what extent these effects are mediated by the different metabolites of androgens, remain open questions.
To provide answers to these questions, we manipulated the levels of testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and 17-β-estradiol
(E2) in diamond doves Geopelia cuneata, a species in which both sexes exhibit a carotenoid-dependent, androgen-regulated red–orange periorbital ring of bare skin.
On the first day of the experiment (day 0), we inserted steroid-releasing implants into groups of birds and on day 14, we
subjected half of the birds to an immunological challenge by immunizing them with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). In females,
but not in males, androgen but not estradiol treatments reduced antibody production to SRBC. In addition, the immunological
challenge reduced redness and size of the trait as well as androgens levels in both sexes and in all treatments. This indicates
that an immunological challenge can lower circulating T at the cost of the trait expression. These findings are in accordance
with both pathways postulated in the immunocompetence-handicap hypothesis, but do not entirely support the idea that the immunosuppressive
effect of androgens yields honest signaling since both T and DHT were not immunosuppressive in males, for which sexual signaling
is supposed to be especially important. 相似文献
12.
Rita Hargitai Kathryn E. Arnold Márton Herényi József Prechl János Török 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2009,63(6):869-882
Offspring survival can be influenced by resources allocated to eggs, which in turn may be affected by the environmental factors
the mother experiences during egg formation. In this study, we investigated whether experimentally elevated social interactions
and number of neighbouring pairs influence yolk composition of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). Social challenge was simulated by presentation of a conspecific female. Experimental females spent more time near the cage
and produced eggs with higher androgen concentration, but local breeding density did not affect yolk androgen level. Moreover,
we found that females exposed to more intra-specific interactions and those that bred at higher density produced eggs with
smaller yolk. These females may be more constrained in foraging time due to more frequent social encounters, and there might
be increased competition for food at areas of higher density. In contrast, the present study did not reveal any evidence for
the effect of social environment on yolk antioxidant and immunoglobulin levels. However, we found that yolk lutein and immunoglobulin
concentrations were related to the female’s H/L ratio. Also, yolk lutein and α-tocopherol levels showed a seasonal increase
and were positively related to the female’s plasma carotenoid level. Mothers may incur significant costs by transferring these
compounds into the eggs, thus only females in good physiological condition and those that lay eggs later, when food is probably
more abundant, could allocate higher amounts to the eggs without compromising their defence mechanisms. Our results suggest
that environmental circumstances during egg formation can influence conditions for embryonic development. 相似文献
13.
Courtship displays and paternal care in male birds are generally thought to be mutually exclusive, because testosterone, necessary for stimulation of sexual behaviours, suppresses paternal behaviours. Superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, are unusual in that males concurrently engage in courtship and paternal care. Fairy-wrens live in stable socially monogamous pairs with 0-4 subordinate male helpers. Both helper and dominant males provide care whenever it is required but continue courtship throughout the period of care as most fertilisations are extra-group and females are multi-brooded. To examine the role of testosterone in this trade-off, we compared testosterone levels in males of different social status, while they had dependent nestlings, and determined the effect of testosterone treatment on provisioning rates of pairs. Testosterone levels were lower in subordinate helpers, although these do not provide more paternal care than dominant males. Conversely, testosterone levels were similar in dominant males with or without helpers, although as the number of helpers increases males invest substantially less in nestling care and more in extra-group courtship. Although testosterone levels are high, irrespective of paternal duties, experimental testosterone treatment of males resulted in a large (65%) reduction in nestling feeding rates. Surprisingly, there was no indication that females compensated for this reduction in provisioning, suggesting that females might assume a constant male contribution to offspring care. We conclude that during nestling provisioning, male fairy-wrens maintain testosterone at an individual level that does not interfere with parental duties, while allowing high investment in extra-group courtship. 相似文献
14.
Amanda J. Gilby Enrico Sorato Simon C. Griffith 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2012,66(11):1519-1529
Differential resource allocation by females across the laying sequence has been hypothesised as a mechanism through which females could either compensate nestlings that hatch last in asynchronous broods or promote brood reduction. In this study we artificially incubated eggs and cross-fostered offspring to manipulate nestlings’ position in the hatching order, to identify whether the competitive ability of nestlings is dependent on position in the laying sequence. In both control and experimentally reversed broods, first hatched chicks had a higher survival than last hatched siblings. Yet, nestlings that hatched from eggs laid in the second half of a clutch begged with a greater intensity than nestlings hatched from eggs laid in the first half of a clutch. In natural broods, the greater begging competitiveness of nestlings from later-laid eggs led to a moderation of sibling competition and these nestlings achieved the same body size and weight as nestlings from eggs laid in the first half of the clutch. The lack of a substantial difference in the size and condition of surviving nestlings in respect to laying order suggests that differential resource allocation across the egg-laying sequence partially compensates for hatching last in asynchronous broods and reduces the negative effects of the nestling size hierarchy. The effect of laying order, brood size and experimental treatment also differed for male and female nestlings. Our study highlights the need to be aware of the complex and subtle effects of nestling sex and laying sequence when investigating genetic and environmental influences on individual fitness. 相似文献
15.
Ruuskanen S Helle S Ahola M Adamczyck F Möstl E Laaksonen T 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(5):983-994
Early androgen exposure is known to have long-lasting effects on phenotype, behaviour and even fitness, but difficulties in
measuring the exposure hinders the study of its importance in evolutionary context. Digit ratios have been highlighted as
a potential easy-to-measure indicator of early steroid exposure, as they have been suggested to reflect steroid, mainly testosterone
levels during prenatal development. However, evidence for digit ratios reflecting early steroid levels is weak, as experimental
studies, especially in wild populations, are scarce. We studied the association between maternally derived yolk androgens
and digit ratios (2D:4D, 2D:3D and 3D:4D) using both correlative data and a rather high level of experimental elevation of
yolk androgens in a passerine bird, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). We also examined whether digit ratios have indicator value in an evolutionary context by studying correlations between
digit ratios and reproductive traits, secondary sexual traits and exploratory behaviour. We did not find any association between
digit ratios and yolk androgen level either in correlative or experimental data. Digit ratios were neither related to any
of the reproductive and secondary sexual traits or exploratory behaviour measured. There was, however, a sex difference in
2D:3D and 3D:4D of adult birds (due to second and fourth digits being shorter in females), which was not apparent in fledglings
or captivity-raised juveniles. This suggests that either the sex difference may develop as late as during the sexual maturation
for breeding. These results indicate that, in this species, digit ratios are not reliable markers of maternally derived yolk
androgen exposure and that they bear little relevance as correlates of the adaptive traits we measured. 相似文献
16.
A. P. Møller L. Z. Garamszegi D. Gil S. Hurtrez-Boussès M. Eens 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2005,58(6):534-544
Circulating levels of testosterone in adults have mainly evolved as a consequence of selection on males for increased levels, while levels of circulating testosterone in females may be an indirect consequence of selection on males. A review of the literature revealed that intense directional selection for high levels of circulating testosterone in birds is likely to be mainly due to direct selection on males. A comparative study of testosterone levels in birds revealed a strong positive relationship between peak testosterone levels in adult females and peak levels in males. The slope of this relationship was significantly less than unity, implying that the testosterone levels in females have been reduced in species with high levels in males. An analysis of the order of evolutionary events suggested that peak concentration of testosterone in females changed after peak concentrations of testosterone in males. Females in colonial species of birds had significantly higher circulating peak testosterone levels compared to females of solitary species, and relative levels after controlling for the effects of peak levels in males were also larger, suggesting that any costs of high testosterone levels in females are particularly likely in colonial birds. Direct selection on male circulating testosterone levels may increase the costs that females incur from high testosterone titers. For example, high female levels may negatively affect ovulation and laying and may also affect the levels of testosterone that females deposit in their eggs and hence the exposure of pre- and post-hatching offspring to testosterone. This in turn may affect not only offspring behavior, but also offspring development and the trade-offs between growth, development of immune function, and behavior in offspring. 相似文献
17.
Kristen J. Navara Geoffrey E. Hill Mary T. Mendonça 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2006,60(3):392-398
The deposition of androgens into the yolks of eggs can have long-lasting effects on the growth and development of young birds. It has been proposed that female birds and reptiles deposit yolk androgens according to the differential allocation hypothesis (DAH), which posits the allocation of more resources to offspring sired by more attractive, higher-quality males. We examined deposition patterns of yolk androgens in relation to mate attractiveness in the house finch Carpodacus mexicanus. Contrary to the predictions of the DAH, female house finches deposited significantly more androgens into eggs sired by less attractive males. We propose that, rather than serving as resources, androgens are used as mediators in a compensatory distribution strategy, enabling females to improve the quality of young produced with less attractive males. 相似文献
18.
János Török Rita Hargitai Gergely Hegyi Zoltán Matus Gábor Michl Péter Péczely Balázs Rosivall Gyula Tóth 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2007,61(4):541-550
Birds may influence the fitness of their offspring by transmission of different amounts of carotenoids to their eggs. Carotenoids
play crucial roles in antioxidant protection and immune defence mechanisms, but they may be available to females in limiting
amounts. Therefore, their allocation to the eggs may be influenced by the female’s condition, age and environmental circumstances.
Furthermore, the quality of the male parent, which affects the reproductive value of the offspring, may also influence this
investment. In this correlational study, we investigated proximate and ultimate factors that may lead to variation in yolk
lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene concentrations among and within clutches of a wild passerine, the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). We found that carotenoid concentration was positively associated with caterpillar supply at the time of egg formation,
which suggests a proximate constraint of carotenoid availability on yolk composition. Neither female condition, body size,
age, nor male plumage ornamentation, age and body size correlated with carotenoid deposition. Yolk β-carotene concentration
was found to be positively linked to yolk testosterone concentration. We suggest that females allocated more β-carotene to
their eggs to mitigate the potentially detrimental effects of elevated steroid concentration. We found that concentration
of β-carotene increased with laying order. The possible function of this pattern may be to enhance the resistance to oxidative
stress and pathogens of the disadvantaged last-hatching nestling, suggesting that collared flycatchers pursue a compensatory,
“brood survival” strategy. 相似文献
19.
Vladimír Remeš 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2011,65(6):1257-1266
Females can adaptively adjust phenotype of their offspring via deposition of various compounds into eggs, including androgens
and other hormones. Here, I investigated how egg yolk androgens (testosterone and androstenedione) related to environmental
conditions and parental traits in the great tit (Parus major) across three breeding seasons. Male and female traits studied included age, condition and multiple feather ornaments, both
carotenoid- and melanin-based (carotenoid and UV chroma of yellow breast feathers, area of black breast band and white cheek
immaculateness). Yolk mass increased with laying temperature, laying date and area of male black breast band. Concentration
of androgens increased with breeding density, territory quality and carotenoid chroma of male yellow breast feathers and was
higher in mates of 1 year old as compared to older males. Yolk androgens were not related to any of the female traits analysed.
These patterns were thus consistent with (1) social and environmental effects on yolk mass and composition and (2) both positive
and negative differential allocation strategies of resource allocation in females. Overall, male traits were the most important
predictors of egg yolk characteristics in this socially monogamous songbird. 相似文献
20.
Michael Tobler Dennis Hasselquist Henrik G. Smith Maria I. Sandell 《Behavioral ecology and sociobiology》2010,64(5):717-727
Hormone-mediated maternal effects play an important role in the formation of a differentiated phenotype. They have been shown
to influence a wide array of offspring traits, both early in life and in adulthood. One important offspring trait that is
under the influence of maternal androgens is the immune system. In birds, a growing number of studies show that yolk androgens
modulate immune function during the chick stage. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding long-term effects of prenatal
androgens on offspring immunity. In this study, we therefore investigated the influence of prenatal testosterone (T) on several
measures of immunity in fledgling and adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Cell-mediated immune response (towards phytohaemagglutinin, PHA) of fledglings hatching from control eggs was negatively
related to brood size, whereas there was no such association for fledglings hatching from eggs with experimentally elevated
T levels (T fledglings). Male control fledglings showed reduced mass gain compared to female control fledglings within 24 h
after the PHA injection. This pattern was reversed in T fledglings. Total antibody levels in fledglings were not affected
by egg treatment. Neither cell-mediated immunity nor total antibody levels in sexually mature zebra finches were influenced
by egg treatment. However, there was an immuno-enhancing effect of elevated egg T on both primary and secondary humoral immune
responses toward diphtheria and tetanus antigens in ca 5 and 7 month old zebra finches. In addition, the covariation between
different immune components differed between T and control offspring, suggesting that egg treatment may have altered the potential
trade-offs between different parts of the immune system. Our results suggest that prenatal androgens could be an important
factor contributing to individual variation in immune function even in adulthood. 相似文献