The effect of prey availability on offspring survival depends on maternal food resources

Warner, Daniel A.; Buckelew, Andrew; Pearson, P. R.; Dhawan, Agam

doi:10.1111/bij.12519

Cited by 25 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The interaction between energetics and life history traits is evident from studies showing different diet regimens producing a range of outcomes in traits such as reproduction and lifespan. For example, dietary restriction can extend lifespan in many species (Swindell 2012), whereas increased food availability can result in more and bigger offspring (Warner and others 2015). This response to energy availability can be described as a form of phenotypic plasticity (Wada and Sewall 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fluctuating temperature and food availability on reproduction and lifespan

Schwartz

Pearson

Dawson

et al. 2016

Experimental Gerontology

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Experimental studies on energetics and aging often remove two major factors that in part regulate the energy budget in a normal healthy individual: reproduction and fluctuating environmental conditions that challenge homeostasis. Here we use the cyclical parthenogenetic Daphnia pulex to evaluate the role of a fluctuating thermal environment on both reproduction and lifespan across six food concentrations. We test the hypotheses that (1) caloric restriction extends lifespan; (2) maximal reproduction will come with a cost of shortened lifespan; and (3) at a given food concentration, relative to a metabolically equivalent constant temperature environment a diel fluctuating thermal environment will alter the allocation of energy to reproduction and lifespan to maintain homeostasis. We did not identify a level of food concentration that extended lifespan in response to caloric restriction, and we found no cost of reproduction in terms of lifespan. Rather, the individuals at the highest food levels generally had the highest reproductive output and the longest lifespans, the individuals at the intermediate food level decreased reproduction and maintained lifespan, and the individuals at the three lower food concentrations had a decrease in reproduction and lifespan as would be predicted with increasing levels of starvation. Fluctuating temperature had no effect on lifespan at any food concentration, but delayed time to reproductive maturity and decreased early reproductive output at all food concentrations. This suggests that a fluctuating temperature regimen activates molecular pathways that alter energy allocation. The costs of fluctuating temperature on reproduction were not consistent across the lifespan. Statistical interactions for age of peak reproduction and lifetime fecundity suggest that senescence of the reproductive system may vary between temperature regimens at the different food concentrations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fluctuating temperature and food availability on reproduction and lifespan

Schwartz

Pearson

Dawson

et al. 2016

Experimental Gerontology

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“…For example, because A. sagrei lay a single‐egg clutch every 7–10 days across an extensive reproductive season (∼April–October; Lee et al., ), QMR could be used to assess temporal changes in body fat and its contribution to female fecundity. Moreover, given that prey availability affects reproductive allocation (Warner and Lovern, ; Warner et al., ), this application could provide new insights into Anolis nutritional ecology and reproductive investment. This technology could also be incorporated into field research (Guiglielmo et al., ) and useful in assessing fitness consequences of different body components; such studies rely upon longitudinal measurements via mark‐recapture studies where simple and noninvasive methods are required (e.g., QMR).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The details of housing conditions are described in Warner et al. (). All lizards were measured and weighed, and their body composition using QMR and CCA was determined on a single day.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of Body Condition Indices and Quantitative Magnetic Resonance in Estimating Body Composition in a Small Lizard

2016

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Measurements of body condition are typically used to assess an individual’s quality, health, or energetic state. Most indices of body condition are based on linear relationships between body length and mass. Although these indices are simple to obtain, nonlethal, and useful indications of energetic state, their accuracy at predicting constituents of body condition (e.g., fat and lean mass) are often unknown. The objectives of this research were to (1) validate the accuracy of another simple and noninvasive method, quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR), at estimating body composition in a small-bodied lizard, Anolis sagrei, and (2) evaluate the accuracy of two indices of body condition (based on length–mass relationships) at predicting body fat, lean, and water mass. Comparisons of results from QMR scans to those from chemical carcass analysis reveal that QMR measures body fat, lean, and water mass with excellent accuracy in male and female lizards. With minor calibration from regression equations, QMR will be a reliable method of estimating body composition of A. sagrei. Body condition indices were positively related to absolute estimates of each constituent of body composition, but these relationships showed considerable variation around regression lines. In addition, condition indices did not predict fat, lean, or water mass when adjusted for body mass. Thus, our results emphasize the need for caution when interpreting body condition based upon linear measurements of animals. Overall, QMR provides an alternative noninvasive method for accurately measuring fat, lean, and water mass in these small-bodied animals.

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“…Additionally, the ability to repeatedly sample individuals allows for careful tracking through ontogeny of phenotypic changes (Roosenburg & Kelley, ), as well as reproduction. Easy manipulation of environmental variables in the laboratory also allows for testing how phenotypes induced during development perform across multiple posthatching environments, or temporally shifting posthatching environments (Warner, Buckelew, Pearson, & Dhawan, ). Reduced mortality in the laboratory (compared to field studies) can also minimize bias in assessments of developmental environments on adult phenotypes and thus limit the potential for confounding plasticity with selection.…”

Section: Approaches For Addressing Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the effects of embryonic phenotypic plasticity on adult phenotypes in reptiles: A review of current knowledge and major gaps

2018

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Studies of reptiles have contributed greatly to understanding the impacts of developmental environments on offspring phenotypes. A major challenge for these studies, however, is quantifying the effects of embryonic environments on adult phenotypes and reproductive success. Such measurements may be necessary to gain full insight into the evolution of plasticity, as well as the long-term consequences of plasticity under environmental change. Unfortunately, most studies of reptile developmental plasticity only measure phenotypic traits of offspring at hatching, and rarely evaluate effects on subsequent adult phenotypes. This lack of information highlights a major gap in this active field. In this review, we first discuss conceptual issues regarding the ecology and evolution of plasticity to provide justification for long-term studies necessary to measure adult phenotypes. Second, we review case studies of reptiles that assessed the effects of developmental environments on adult phenotypes and/or reproduction, and we highlight the valuable insights that they provide. Importantly, we illustrate that terminating studies during early-life stages can lead to incomplete or even misleading interpretations. Third, we discuss the pros and cons of different experimental approaches for quantifying long-term effects of developmental environments. Overall, devoted long-term studies on taxa with diverse ecologies and life histories will provide major advances in the field of developmental plasticity.

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The effect of prey availability on offspring survival depends on maternal food resources

Cited by 25 publications

References 58 publications

Effects of fluctuating temperature and food availability on reproduction and lifespan

Effects of fluctuating temperature and food availability on reproduction and lifespan

Validation of Body Condition Indices and Quantitative Magnetic Resonance in Estimating Body Composition in a Small Lizard

Quantifying the effects of embryonic phenotypic plasticity on adult phenotypes in reptiles: A review of current knowledge and major gaps

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