Age,experience and reproductive performance in a long-lived bird: a hormonal perspective |
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Authors: | Frédéric Angelier Henri Weimerskirch Stéphanie Dano Olivier Chastel |
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Institution: | (1) Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 79360 Villiers en Bois, Deux-Sèvres, France |
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Abstract: | The ultimate factors influencing age-specific reproductive performance in birds have been widely discussed, and several hypotheses
have been suggested to explain why young/inexperienced breeders have lower reproductive success than older individuals. In
comparison, proximate factors and, particularly, hormonal mechanisms influencing age-related reproductive performance have
received lesser attention. In this paper, we examined how baseline levels of corticosterone and prolactin, two hormones involved
in reproduction, changed with age and experience in a long-lived bird, the Black-browed albatross (Thallasarche melanophris) during the brooding stage. Corticosterone levels were not linked to age, whereas prolactin levels increased until individuals
reached 15 years of age. First-time breeders had higher corticosterone levels and lower prolactin levels than experienced
ones. Corticosterone levels were not correlated with breeding experience among experienced birds, whereas prolactin levels
slightly increased with advancing experience. Among experienced breeders, there was no effect of individual quality on corticosterone
and prolactin levels. Baseline corticosterone and prolactin levels were respectively, positively and negatively correlated
to time spent fasting/brooding on the nest. Moreover, the probability of successfully fledging a chick was negatively related
to corticosterone levels, but not to prolactin levels. Elevated corticosterone levels in first time breeders may serve as
evidence for depleted body reserves resulting from lower foraging/brooding capabilities and therefore support the constraint
hypothesis. Low prolactin levels in young/inexperienced birds may be interpreted either as evidence for their lower breeding
capacities (constraint hypothesis) or for their limited breeding investment (restraint hypothesis). Finally, we report, for
the first time, the hormonal changes associated with the onset of senescence. The very old and most experienced birds, which
had the lowest probability of successfully fledging a young, displayed elevated corticosterone levels and low prolactin levels,
possibly indicating a degradation of breeding skills and/or a disruption of the endocrine system in senescent birds. |
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Keywords: | Reproduction Age Senescence Hormones Corticosterone Prolactin Black-browed albatross |
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