Parental food conditions affect sex-specific embryo mortality in the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis)

Pérez, Cristóbal; Velando, Alberto; Domínguez, Jorge

doi:10.1007/s10336-006-0074-4

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The pairs in the control group were fed in a similar manner but without fuel oil and only with sunflower oil (for more details about food supplementation, see Pérez et al 2006Pérez et al , 2008b.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil pollution increases plasma antioxidants but reduces coloration in a seabird

2010

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It has been suggested that condition-dependent signals may be a useful measure of environmental quality. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that oil pollution enhances oxidative stress and impairs expression of a carotenoid-based signal in a wild population of the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis). During the courtship period, a group of gulls were fed a supplementary diet containing heavy fuel oil from the Prestige oil spill and were compared with control gulls fed a similar supplementary diet without fuel oil. Blood levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the most toxic components of crude oils, were higher (30%) in the Prestige oil-fed gulls than in the control gulls. Plasma concentrations of vitamin E and carotenoids were also significantly higher in the Prestige oil-fed gulls (31 and 27%, respectively). Although, the plasma levels of lipid peroxidation markers were higher (13%) in gulls fed with Prestige oil than in the control gulls, these differences were not significant, possibly because of the small number of gulls analyzed. The red bill spot was significantly smaller (16%) in the oil-fed gulls than in the control individuals. This study provides the first experimental evidence that a carotenoid-based signal in a free-living seabird is affected by exposure to oil pollution and is hence indicative of environmental quality. Since the yellow-legged gull belongs to a complex of species widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, the method described may constitute a useful tool for evaluating sub-lethal effects of oil spills in seabirds.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil pollution increases plasma antioxidants but reduces coloration in a seabird

2010

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“…Yellow-legged gulls are territorial, defending aggressively several meters around their nest site (AlonsoAlvarez, 2001; Alonso-Alvarez and Velando, 2001). Moreover, a previous experience providing food in the same way and registering behavior of gulls around the territory reported that no food item was stolen by other birds (Pérez et al, 2006). The other 19 pairs (control birds, "C-birds") were fed in the same way, but the bread did not contain fuel oil, but only vegetable oil.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of acute exposure to heavy fuel oil from the Prestige spill on a seabird

2007

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Large quantities of petroleum products are released into the marine environment as result of tanker wrecks. Such catastrophic events have a dramatic impact on marine ecosystems, affecting a broad range of species. Seabirds are placed at the uppermost trophic level of the marine food chain. Therefore, important toxic effects are expected in these organisms. The recent Prestige oil spill gave the opportunity to test this. A previous study reported that yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) breeding in the oiled area (17 months after the spill) showed differences both in plasma biochemistry and in the total circulating levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAHs) in blood regard to gulls sampled in clean areas. In the present study, wild yellow-legged gulls were fed with heavy fuel oil from the Prestige oil spill (P-gulls) and compared with control gulls (C-gulls) fed only with the vehicle (vegetable oil). Consistent with the cited previous findings, gulls fed with fuel oil showed reduced glucose and inorganic phosphorus levels in plasma, as well as a trend to significantly reduced creatinine values. In addition, glucose concentration was negatively related to TPAH levels. Males but not females fed with fuel oil showed higher plasma activity of asparatate aminotransferase (AST) than controls. With regard to plasma activity of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), the results were opposite to the previous study. The GGT activity increased in C-females, apparently to meet with increased liver metabolism due to egg laying demands, but not in P-females. Differences to the previous study possibly reflect different adaptive responses of these enzymes to an acute short-term exposure to heavy fuel oil. Since the yellow-legged gull belongs to a complex of species widely distributed throughout the Northern hemisphere, the results as a whole might provide a tool for future evaluations of short-and long-term effects of oil spills on seabirds. Decreased glucose and inorganic phosphorus levels in plasma are expected in both short-and long-lasting exposures to fuel oil, whereas responses of AST and GGT enzymes would depend on both the sex of individuals and the temporal pattern of exposure.

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“…Rutkowska and Cichoń 2002;Bogdanova et al 2007). Furthermore, previous studies have shown that male and female embryo survival is differentially affected by conditions during embryonic development (Göth and Booth 2005;Pérez et al 2006), and unfavourable pre-natal developmental conditions can have long-lasting sex-specific effects on future performance (Gorman and Nager 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-specific costs of hatching last: an experimental study on herring gulls (Larus argentatus)

Bogdanova

Nager

2008

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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An organism's pattern of development can have important long-term fitness effects. In species where the sexes differ in size or other phenotypic traits, they may also have different optimal developmental rates. This influences both parental sex allocation strategies and susceptibility of the sexes to early developmental conditions. However, sex differences in developmental rate and vulnerability to environment during the embryonic period are not well understood. In birds, sibling competition and hatching asynchrony may select for accelerated embryonic development of the last offspring in order to reduce their competitive disadvantage after hatching. They may advance their hatching in response to vocal stimuli by the older siblings. It is, however, unclear whether this flexibility in developmental rates is sex specific. In this study, we experimentally manipulated between-embryo contact and tested whether this affected the pre-natal developmental rate and post-hatching performance of male and female offspring from last-laid eggs in the herring gull. Post-hatching performance was measured both in competitive and noncompetitive situations. Among young incubated in isolation, males hatched faster than females, but both sexes fledged in similar, relatively good condition. Among young incubated with normal between-embryo contact, hatching time did not differ between sexes, but males fledged in poorer condition than females, regardless of whether they were reared singly or in a brood. These results suggest that male and female offspring differ in their ability to mitigate the costs of hatching asynchrony.

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Parental food conditions affect sex-specific embryo mortality in the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis)

Cited by 26 publications

References 64 publications

Oil pollution increases plasma antioxidants but reduces coloration in a seabird

Oil pollution increases plasma antioxidants but reduces coloration in a seabird

Effects of acute exposure to heavy fuel oil from the Prestige spill on a seabird

Sex-specific costs of hatching last: an experimental study on herring gulls (Larus argentatus)

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