Yolk carotenoids increase fledging success in great tit nestlings

Marri, Viviana; Richner, Heinz

doi:10.1007/s00442-014-3051-2

Cited by 29 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This relationship could be causal, as suggested by experimental studies (Deeming and Pike, 2013;Marri and Richner, 2014;Parolini et al, 2015;Romano et al, 2008;Saino et al, 2011). Alternatively, the size of an embryo may also reflect its degree of maturation, with larger/more mature embryos showing stronger antioxidant defenses.…”

Section: Questionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Antioxidants and embryo phenotype: is there experimental evidence for strong integration of the antioxidant system?

Possenti

Karadaş

Colombo

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Organisms have evolved complex defense systems against oxidative stress. Bird eggs contain maternally derived antioxidants that protect embryos from oxidative damage. The antioxidant system components are thought to be integrated, but few studies have analyzed the covariation between antioxidant concentrations, embryo 'oxidative status' and morphology. In addition, no study has tested the effects of experimental change in yolk antioxidant concentration on other antioxidants, on their reciprocal relationships and on their relationships with embryo oxidative status or growth, which are expected if antioxidants defenses are integrated. In yellowlegged gull (Larus michahellis) embryos, we analyzed the covariation between several antioxidants, markers of 'oxidative status' [total antioxidant capacity (TAC), concentration of pro-oxidants (TOS), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonylation (PC)] in the yolk, liver and brain, and morphology. Yolk and liver antioxidant concentrations were positively correlated reciprocally and with embryo size, and positively predicted TAC but not oxidative status. TOS and LPO were positively correlated in the liver, while TAC and LPO were negatively correlated in the brain. Weak relationships existed between antioxidants and TOS, PC and LPO. The effects of antioxidants on oxidative status and morphology were non-synergistic. An experimental physiological increase in yolk vitamin E had very weak effects on the relationships between other antioxidants or oxidative status and vitamin E concentration, the concentration of other antioxidants or oxidative status; the covariation between other antioxidants and oxidative status, and relationships between morphology or oxidative status and other antioxidants, challenging the common wisdom of strong functional relationships among antioxidants, at least for embryos in the wild.

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Section: Questionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Antioxidants and embryo phenotype: is there experimental evidence for strong integration of the antioxidant system?

Possenti

Karadaş

Colombo

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Apart from genetic effects the higher fledging success might also work through other pre‐hatching effects that may be related to male attractiveness, such as maternal investment in egg size (Horváthová et al . ), yolk carotenoids (Marri & Richner ) or yolk androgens (Kingma et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct fitness benefits explain mate preference, but not choice, for similarity in heterozygosity levels

et al. 2017

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Under sexual selection, mate preferences can evolve for traits advertising fitness benefits. Observed mating patterns (mate choice) are often assumed to represent preference, even though they result from the interaction between preference, sampling strategy and environmental factors. Correlating fitness with mate choice instead of preference will therefore lead to confounded conclusions about the role of preference in sexual selection. Here we show that direct fitness benefits underlie mate preferences for genetic characteristics in a unique experiment on wild great tits. In repeated mate preference tests, both sexes preferred mates that had similar heterozygosity levels to themselves, and not those with which they would optimise offspring heterozygosity. In a subsequent field experiment where we cross fostered offspring, foster parents with more similar heterozygosity levels had higher reproductive success, despite the absence of assortative mating patterns. These results support the idea that selection for preference persists despite constraints on mate choice.

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“…For instance, in good environmental conditions, mothers may improve the growth and survival of their chicks via higher allocation of yolk substances such as vitamins (Marri and Richner 2014a), antibodies (Abad‐Gómez et al. 2012), and carotenoids (Marri and Richner 2014b). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal effects as drivers of sibling competition in a parent–offspring conflict context? An experimental test

Merkling

Perrot

Helfenstein

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Maternal effects occur when the mother's phenotype influences her offspring's phenotype. In birds, differential allocation in egg yolk components can allow mothers to compensate for the competitive disadvantage of junior chicks. We hypothesize that the parent–older chick conflict peaks at intermediate conditions: parents benefit from the younger chick(s) survival, but its death benefits the older chick in terms of growth and survival. We thus expect maternal compensation to follow a bell‐shaped pattern in relation to environmental conditions. We studied a black‐legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) population where previous results revealed increased allocation of yolk testosterone in younger as compared to older chicks in intermediate conditions, in line with our theoretical framework. We therefore predicted a maternally induced increase in aggressiveness, growth, and survival for younger chicks born in intermediate environmental conditions. Controlling for parental effects and chick sex, we manipulated food availability before egg laying to create a situation with intermediate (Unfed group) and good (Fed group) environmental conditions. Within each feeding treatment, we further created experimental broods where the natural hatching order was reversed to maximize our chances to observe an effect of feeding treatment on the younger chicks' aggressiveness. As predicted, we found that chick aggressiveness was higher in younger chicks born from the Unfed group (i.e., in intermediate environmental conditions), but only when they were put in a senior position, in reversed broods. Predictions on growth and survival were not confirmed. Mothers thus seem to favor the competitiveness of their younger chick in intermediate conditions via egg yolk components, but our study also suggests that hatching asynchrony need to be small for maternal compensation to be efficient. We emphasize the need for further studies investigating other chick behaviors (e.g., begging) and focusing on the relative role of different yolk components in shaping parent–offspring conflict over sibling competition.

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Yolk carotenoids increase fledging success in great tit nestlings

Cited by 29 publications

References 33 publications

Antioxidants and embryo phenotype: is there experimental evidence for strong integration of the antioxidant system?

Antioxidants and embryo phenotype: is there experimental evidence for strong integration of the antioxidant system?

Direct fitness benefits explain mate preference, but not choice, for similarity in heterozygosity levels

Maternal effects as drivers of sibling competition in a parent–offspring conflict context? An experimental test

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