scholarly journals Birds with high lifetime reproductive success experience increased telomere loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 20180637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Sudyka ◽  
Aneta Arct ◽  
Szymon M. Drobniak ◽  
Lars Gustafsson ◽  
Mariusz Cichoń
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Attrition Rate ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Success Experience ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Telomere Dynamics ◽  
Telomere Erosion

Lifetime reproductive success (LRS) is what counts in terms of evolution, but investments in reproduction entail costs for an organism. The idea that telomere dynamics may be shaped in response to such costs is already established; however, we still lack information on whether this relation translates to overall fitness. Here, we quantified LRS (number of fledged young) and longitudinal telomere dynamics of small passerine birds—the blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus ). We found that individual telomere erosion rate was positively associated with lifetime fledgling number. Birds with more fledged young experienced increased telomere attrition. We show that telomere attrition rate, but not telomere length, is related to individual fitness and suggest that telomere dynamics may underlie reproductive costs experienced by animals as a consequence of prioritizing their lifetime fitness. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to provide evidence that more pronounced telomere erosion is associated with higher fitness gain.

scholarly journals Parental provisioning behaviour plays a key role in linking personality with reproductive success

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1764) ◽  
pp. 20131019 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mutzel ◽  
N. J. Dingemanse ◽  
Y. G. Araya-Ajoy ◽  
B. Kempenaers
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Multivariate Approach ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Behavioural Syndromes ◽  
Behavioural Phenotypes ◽  
Parental Provisioning ◽  
Blue Tits ◽  
Provisioning Behaviour

Repeatable behavioural traits (‘personality’) have been shown to covary with fitness, but it remains poorly understood how such behaviour–fitness relationships come about. We applied a multivariate approach to reveal the mechanistic pathways by which variation in exploratory and aggressive behaviour is translated into variation in reproductive success in a natural population of blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus . Using path analysis, we demonstrate a key role for provisioning behaviour in mediating the link between personality and reproductive success (number of fledged offspring). Aggressive males fed their nestlings at lower rates than less aggressive individuals. At the same time, their low parental investment was associated with increased female effort, thereby positively affecting fledgling production. Whereas male exploratory behaviour was unrelated to provisioning behaviour and reproductive success, fast-exploring females fed their offspring at higher rates and initiated breeding earlier, thus increasing reproductive success. Our findings provide strong support for specific mechanistic pathways linking components of behavioural syndromes to reproductive success. Importantly, relationships between behavioural phenotypes and reproductive success were obscured when considering simple bivariate relationships, underlining the importance of adopting multivariate views and statistical tools as path analysis to the study of behavioural evolution.

scholarly journals Do glucocorticoids predict fitness? Linking environmental conditions, corticosterone and reproductive success in the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. 170875 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Henderson ◽  
N. P. Evans ◽  
B. J. Heidinger ◽  
K. A. Herborn ◽  
K. E. Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Blue Tit ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
Fledging Success ◽  
Harsh Conditions ◽  
Blue Tits

Glucocorticoids, including corticosterone (CORT), have been suggested to provide a physiological link between ecological conditions and fitness. Specifically, CORT, which is elevated in response to harsh conditions, is predicted to be correlated with reduced fitness. Yet, empirical studies show that CORT can be non-significantly, positively and negatively linked with fitness. Divergent environmental conditions between years or study systems may influence whether CORT is linked to fitness. To test this, we monitored free-living blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus ) during breeding over 3 years. We quantified foraging conditions during brood rearing, and examined whether they were correlated with parental baseline CORT and reproductive success. We then tested whether CORT predicted fitness. Elevated parental CORT was associated with lower temperatures, greater rainfall and lower territory-scale oak density. Whereas asynchrony with the caterpillar food peak was correlated with reduced nestling mass and fledging success, but not parental CORT. Only low temperatures were associated with both reduced nestling mass and elevated parental CORT. Despite this, parents with elevated CORT had lighter offspring in all years. Contrarily, in 2009 parental CORT was positively correlated with the number fledged. The absence of a direct link between the foraging conditions that reduce nestling quality and elevate parental CORT suggests that parental CORT may provide a holistic measure of conditions where parents are working harder to meet the demands of developing young. As the positive correlation between parental CORT and fledging success differed between years, this suggests that contrasting conditions between years can influence correlations between parental CORT and fitness. Ultimately, as CORT concentrations are intrinsically variable and linked to the prevalent conditions, studies that incorporate environmental harshness will improve our understanding of evolutionary endocrinology.

Body size is associated with yearling breeding and extra-pair mating in the Island Scrub-Jay

The Auk ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A Desrosiers ◽  
Kathryn M Langin ◽  
W Chris Funk ◽  
T Scott Sillett ◽  
Scott A Morrison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Large Body Size ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Breeding Territory ◽  
Pair Mating ◽  
Extra Pair Mating

Abstract Large body size is an important determinant of individual fitness in many animal species, especially in island systems where habitat saturation may result in strong intraspecific competition for mates and breeding territories. Here we show that large body size is associated with benefits to yearling breeding and extra-pair mating in the Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis), endemic to Santa Cruz Island, California. This species is ~20% larger than its mainland congener, consistent with the island syndrome, indicating that body size may be a trait under selection. From 2009 to 2013, we quantified the reproductive success of a marked population of Island Scrub-Jays, tracked which yearlings acquired a breeding territory and bred, and measured the occurrence of extra-pair paternity. Two potential contributors to fitness were positively related to body size. Larger yearling males were more likely to breed, possibly due to greater behavioral dominance during aggressive encounters. Larger males were also less likely to lose paternity to extra-pair males and, anecdotally, extra-pair males were larger than the social male cuckolded. This study provides evidence that larger males may have a fitness advantage over smaller males by breeding earlier and avoiding paternity loss, but estimates of lifetime reproductive success are ultimately needed for Island Scrub-Jays and other long-lived species.

scholarly journals Lifetime reproductive benefits of cooperative polygamy vary for males and females in the acorn woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus )

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1957) ◽  
pp. 20210579
Author(s):  
Sahas Barve ◽  
Christina Riehl ◽  
Eric L. Walters ◽  
Joseph Haydock ◽  
Hannah L. Dugdale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Cooperative Strategies ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Direct Fitness ◽  
Melanerpes Formicivorus ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Acorn Woodpeckers ◽  
Longitudinal Dataset

Cooperative breeding strategies lead to short-term direct fitness losses when individuals forfeit or share reproduction. The direct fitness benefits of cooperative strategies are often delayed and difficult to quantify, requiring data on lifetime reproduction. Here, we use a longitudinal dataset to examine the lifetime reproductive success of cooperative polygamy in acorn woodpeckers ( Melanerpes formicivorus ), which nest as lone pairs or share reproduction with same-sex cobreeders. We found that males and females produced fewer young per successful nesting attempt when sharing reproduction. However, males nesting in duos and trios had longer reproductive lifespans, more lifetime nesting attempts and higher lifetime reproductive success than those breeding alone. For females, cobreeding in duos increased reproductive lifespan so the lifetime reproductive success of females nesting in duos was comparable to those nesting alone and higher than those nesting in trios. These results suggest that for male duos and trios, reproductive success alone may provide sufficient fitness benefits to explain the presence of cooperative polygamy, and the benefits of cobreeding as a duo in females are higher than previously assumed. Lifetime individual fitness data are crucial to reveal the full costs and benefits of cooperative polygamy.

scholarly journals Telomere dynamics in relation to experimentally increased locomotion costs and fitness in great tits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Els Atema ◽  
Arie van Noordwijk ◽  
Simon Verhulst
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Extra Weight ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Evidence that telomere length (TL) and dynamics can be interpreted as proxy for ‘life stress’ experienced by individuals stems largely from correlational studies. We tested for effects of an experimental increase of workload on telomere dynamics by equipping male great tits (Parus major) with a 0.9 gram backpack for a full year. In addition, we analysed associations between natural life-history variation, TL and TL dynamics. Carrying 5% extra weight for a year did not significantly accelerate telomere attrition. This agrees with our earlier finding that this experiment did not affect survival or future reproduction. Apparently, great tit males were able to compensate behaviourally or physiologically for the increase in locomotion costs we imposed. We found no cross-sectional association between reproductive success and TL, but individuals with higher reproductive success (number of recruits) lost fewer telomere base pairs in the subsequent year. We used the TRF method to measure TL, which method yields a TL distribution for each sample, and the association between reproductive success and telomere loss was more pronounced in the higher percentiles of the telomere distribution, in agreement with the higher impact of ageing on longer telomeres within individuals. Individuals with longer telomeres and less telomere shortening were more likely to survive to the next breeding season, but these patterns did not reach statistical significance. Whether successful individuals are characterized by losing fewer or more base pairs from their telomeres varies between species, and we discuss aspects of ecology and social organisation that may explain this variation.

scholarly journals Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1951) ◽  
pp. 20210560
Author(s):  
Britt J. Heidinger ◽  
Aurelia C. Kucera ◽  
Jeff D. Kittilson ◽  
David F. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Telomere Loss ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document