scholarly journals Developmental plasticity of the stress response in female but not in male guppies

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 172268 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Chouinard-Thuly ◽  
A. R. Reddon ◽  
I. Leris ◽  
R. L. Earley ◽  
S. M. Reader
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Cortisol Release ◽  
Over Time

To survive, animals must respond appropriately to stress. Stress responses are costly, so early-life experiences with potential stressors could adaptively tailor adult stress responses to local conditions. However, how multiple stressors influence the development of the stress response remains unclear, as is the role of sex. Trinidadian guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) are small fish with extensive life-history differences between the sexes and population variation in predation pressure and social density. We investigated how sex and early-life experience influence hormonal stress responses by manipulating conspecific density and perceived predation risk during development. In adults, we sampled cortisol twice to measure initial release and change over time in response to a recurring stressor. The sexes differed considerably in their physiological stress response. Males released more cortisol for their body mass than females and did not reduce cortisol release over time. By contrast, all females, except those reared at high density together with predation cues, reduced cortisol release over time. Cortisol responses of males were thus less dynamic in response to current circumstances and early-life experiences than females, consistent with life-history differences between the sexes. Our study underscores the importance of early-life experiences, interacting ecological factors and sex differences in the organization of the stress response.

The effect of childhood unpredictability on co-parenting relationships during the transition to parenthood: A life history approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 2438-2458
Author(s):  
Ohad Szepsenwol
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Parental Behaviors ◽  
Childhood Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Environmental Unpredictability ◽  
History Approach

Recent extensions to life history theory posit that exposure to environmental unpredictability during childhood should forecast negative parental behaviors in adulthood. In the current research, this logic was extended to co-parental behaviors, which refer to how parents coordinate, share responsibility, and support each other’s parental efforts. The effects of early-life unpredictability on individual and dyadic co-parental functioning were examined in a sample of 109 families (two parents and their firstborn child) who were followed longitudinally from before the child’s birth until the age of two. Greater early-life unpredictability (family changes, residential changes, and parents’ occupational changes by age 8) experienced by mothers, but not fathers, predicted more negative co-parental behaviors in triadic observations 6 months post birth, and lower couple-reported co-parenting quality assessed 3, 9, 18, and 24 months post birth. These effects were not explained by parents’ childhood socioeconomic status or current relationship quality. These findings highlight the role of mothers in shaping co-parenting relationships and how these relationships might be influenced by mothers’ early-life experiences.

scholarly journals Causal effects of the early caregiving environment on development of stress response systems in children

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (18) ◽  
pp. 5637-5642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie A. McLaughlin ◽  
Margaret A. Sheridan ◽  
Florin Tibu ◽  
Nathan A. Fox ◽  
Charles H. Zeanah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Response System ◽  
Stress Response System

Disruptions in stress response system functioning are thought to be a central mechanism by which exposure to adverse early-life environments influences human development. Although early-life adversity results in hyperreactivity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in rodents, evidence from human studies is inconsistent. We present results from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project examining whether randomized placement into a family caregiving environment alters development of the autonomic nervous system and HPA axis in children exposed to early-life deprivation associated with institutional rearing. Electrocardiogram, impedance cardiograph, and neuroendocrine data were collected during laboratory-based challenge tasks from children (mean age = 12.9 y) raised in deprived institutional settings in Romania randomized to a high-quality foster care intervention (n = 48) or to remain in care as usual (n = 43) and a sample of typically developing Romanian children (n = 47). Children who remained in institutional care exhibited significantly blunted SNS and HPA axis responses to psychosocial stress compared with children randomized to foster care, whose stress responses approximated those of typically developing children. Intervention effects were evident for cortisol and parasympathetic nervous system reactivity only among children placed in foster care before age 24 and 18 months, respectively, providing experimental evidence of a sensitive period in humans during which the environment is particularly likely to alter stress response system development. We provide evidence for a causal link between the early caregiving environment and stress response system reactivity in humans with effects that differ markedly from those observed in rodent models.

scholarly journals Conserved serotonergic background of experience-dependent challenge-responding in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán K Varga ◽  
Diána Pejtsik ◽  
László Biró ◽  
Áron Zsigmond ◽  
Máté Varga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Partial Agonist ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Behavioral Impairment ◽  
Behavioral Responsiveness ◽  
Stress Dependent

AbstractForming effective responses to threatening stimuli requires the adequate and coordinated emergence of stress-related internal states. Such ability depends on early-life experiences and, in connection, the adequate formation of neuromodulatory systems, particularly serotonergic signaling. Here, we assess the serotonergic background of experience-dependent behavioral responsiveness employing a zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. For the first time, we have characterized a period during the behavioral metamorphosis in which zebrafish are highly reactive to their environment. Absence of social stimuli during this phase established by isolated rearing fundamentally altered the behavioral phenotype of post-metamorphic zebrafish in a challenge-specific manner, partially due to a decline in responsiveness and an inability to develop stress-associated arousal state. In line with this, isolation differently affected whole-brain 5-HT signaling in resting and stress-induced conditions, an effect that was present at the level of the dorsal pallium and was negatively associated with responsiveness. Administration of the 5HT1AR partial agonist buspirone prevented the isolation-induced serotonin response to novelty in the forebrain and rescued stress-induced arousal along with challenge-induced behaviors, which altogether indicates a functional connection between these changes. In summary, there is a consistent negative association between behavioral responsiveness and serotonergic signaling in zebrafish, which is well recognizable through the modifying effects of developmental perturbation and pharmacological manipulations as well. Our results imply a conserved serotonergic mechanism that context-dependently modulates environmental reactivity and is highly sensitive to experiences acquired during a specific early-life time-window, a phenomenon that was previously only suggested in mammals.Significance statementThe ability to respond to challenges is a fundamental factor in survival. We show that zebrafish that lack appropriate social stimuli in a sensitive developmental period show exacerbated alertness in non-stressful conditions while failing to react adequately to stressors. This shift is reflected inversely by central serotonergic signaling, a system that is implicated in numerous mental disorders in humans. Serotonergic changes in brain regions modulating responsivity and behavioral impairment were both prevented by the pharmacological blockade of serotonergic function. These results imply a serotonergic mechanism in zebrafish that transmits early-life experiences to the later phenotype by shaping stress-dependent behavioral reactivity, a phenomenon that was previously only suggested in mammals. Zebrafish provide new insights into early-life-dependent neuromodulation of behavioral stress-responses.

Biological Sensitivity to Context

2019 ◽  
pp. 600-624
Author(s):  
Nila Shakiba ◽  
Elisabeth Conradt ◽  
Bruce J. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Context Model ◽  
Stress Responsivity ◽  
Response Systems ◽  
Biological Sensitivity To Context

It is now well established that early experiences of adversity play a central role in development of many mental health problems in adulthood. However, the effects are more pronounced and detrimental for some individuals compared to others. Informed by the biological sensitivity to context model, an evolutionary-developmental model of individual differences in stress responsivity, the present chapter highlights the role of stress response system as one moderating mechanism in the pathway between early life experiences and development of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The model posits that the magnitude and integrated patterns of autonomic and adrenocortical responses to psychosocial challenges are indicators of the organisms’ level of susceptibility to both positive and negative environmental influences. The final part of the chapter focuses on the role of early life experiences in programming the functioning of stress response systems, development of adaptive stress responsivity patterns, and related behavioral profiles.

Early Life History of Fishes in the San Francisco Estuary and Watershed

2004 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Early Life ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Pacific Herring ◽  
Spawning Grounds ◽  
Clupea Pallasi ◽  
Over Time

<em>Abstract.</em>—San Francisco Bay provides spawning and rearing habitat for California’s largest population of Pacific herring <em>Clupea pallasi</em>. This population provides a food source for other species and supports a valuable fishery for Pacific herring roe. Since the inception of the roe fishery in 1973, the California Department of Fish and Game has conducted annual surveys of spawning in San Francisco Bay as part of an ongoing assessment of population status and management of the fishery. The purpose of this paper is to document (1) regions of San Francisco Bay used by Pacific herring as spawning grounds over time, and (2) time periods in which spawning took place. Spawn data were analyzed by geographic region in the bay and by month for the period 1973–2000. During this period, we documented 269 spawning events from Point San Pablo south to Redwood City. Estimates of spawning adult biomass (fish that were not harvested by the fishery) ranged from 80,813 metric tons in 1981–1982 to 3,199 metric tons in 1997– 1998 (mean = 34,688 ± 19,325 SD). January was the peak spawning month, followed by December and February; small variations in this pattern occurred during some years. Overall, the majority of spawning took place in the north-central bay region (Point Bonita to Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Angel Island, Point San Pablo, Berkeley flats; 55%) and the San Francisco region (Golden Gate Bridge to Candlestick Point; 34%), although it alternated between these two regions over time. In some years, considerable spawning took place in the Oakland–Alameda region (San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to Bay Farm Island). The largest spawns and peak periods of spawning may not contribute most toward the next generation of Pacific herring, due to differential mortality within the season. For this reason, all regions documented in this study are important spawning grounds for Pacific herring from November through March each year. A number of recent studies have furthered our understanding of Pacific herring early life history and the forces that drive year-class formation in San Francisco Bay. However, studies are especially needed that will improve our ability to adequately address the potential impacts of human activities on Pacific herring in this highly urbanized estuary.

scholarly journals A tagging method for very small fish

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa K. Solomon-Lane ◽  
Hans A. Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Model System ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Unique Color ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponders ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
Tagging Methods ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTThe ability to reliably identify individuals over time and across contexts is essential in numerous areas of science. There are a variety of well-established methods for uniquely marking individuals, such as using paint or dye, visible implant elastomer tags, numbers or barcodes glued to the animal, passive integrated transponders, and more. For some species, life history stages, and/or experiments, however, these existing tagging methods are not sufficient. Here, we describe the method we developed for tagging juveniles of the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, which are too small for the methods used to tag adults. We used fishing line threaded through the needle of an insulin syringe to tie a loop of line through the dorsal muscle of juveniles as small as 10 mm standard length. Unique color patterns on the line can be used to distinguish among individuals. The tag is compatible with normal locomotion and social behavior, discernible to the eye and on camera, durable enough to last at least months, and the juvenile can grow with the tag. For A. burtoni, which is a model system in social neuroscience, the lack of an appropriate tagging method for very small juveniles likely contributes to the relative lack of early-life studies, and the same may be true for other small species. We expect this method to be useful in a variety of species and will facilitate the integration of organismal and behavioral development into more research programs.

scholarly journals Social bonds do not mediate the relationship between early adversity and adult glucocorticoids in wild baboons

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (33) ◽  
pp. 20052-20062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy Rosenbaum ◽  
Shuxi Zeng ◽  
Fernando A. Campos ◽  
Laurence R. Gesquiere ◽  
Jeanne Altmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Early Adversity ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Wild Baboons

In humans and other animals, harsh conditions in early life can have profound effects on adult physiology, including the stress response. This relationship may be mediated by a lack of supportive relationships in adulthood. That is, early life adversity may inhibit the formation of supportive social ties, and weak social support is itself often linked to dysregulated stress responses. Here, we use prospective, longitudinal data from wild baboons in Kenya to test the links between early adversity, adult social bonds, and adult fecal glucocorticoid hormone concentrations (a measure of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal [HPA] axis activation and the stress response). Using a causal inference framework, we found that experiencing one or more sources of early adversity led to a 9 to 14% increase in females’ glucocorticoid concentrations across adulthood. However, these effects were not mediated by weak social bonds: The direct effects of early adversity on adult glucocorticoid concentrations were 11 times stronger than the effects mediated by social bonds. This pattern occurred, in part, because the effect of social bonds on glucocorticoids was weak compared to the powerful effects of early adversity on glucocorticoid levels in adulthood. Hence, in female baboons, weak social bonds in adulthood are not enough to explain the effects of early adversity on glucocorticoid concentrations. Together, our results support the well-established notions that early adversity and weak social bonds both predict poor adult health. However, the magnitudes of these two effects differ considerably, and they may act independently of one another.

Aging, Life History, and Human Evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Bribiescas
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Evolution Of Aging ◽  
Physical Degradation ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Over Time

Aging occurs in all sexually reproducing organisms. That is, physical degradation over time occurs from conception until death. While the life span of a species is often viewed as a benchmark of aging, the pace and intensity of physical degradation over time varies owing to environmental influences, genetics, allocation of energetic investment, and phylogenetic history. Significant variation in aging within mammals, primates, and great apes, including humans, is therefore common across species. The evolution of aging in the hominin lineage is poorly known; however, clues can be derived from the fossil record. Ongoing advances continue to shed light on the interactions between life-history variables such as reproductive effort and aging. This review presents our current understanding of the evolution of aging in humans, drawing on population variation, comparative research, trade-offs, and sex differences, as well as tissue-specific patterns of physical degradation. Implications for contemporary health challenges and the future of human evolutionary anthropology research are also discussed.

Interaction synchrony and neural circuits contribute to shared intentionality

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-698
Author(s):  
Ruth Feldman ◽  
Linda C. Mayes ◽  
James E. Swain
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Cultural Cognition ◽  
Shared Intentionality ◽  
And Behaviors

In the dyadic and triadic sharing of emotions, intentions, and behaviors in families, interactive synchrony is important to the early life experiences that contribute to the development of cultural cognition. This synchrony likely depends on neurobiological circuits, currently under study with brain imaging, that involve attention, stress response, and memory.

scholarly journals Litter characteristics and helping context during early life shape the responsiveness of the stress axis in a wild cooperative breeder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurelie Cohas ◽  
Coraline Bichet ◽  
Rebecca Garcia ◽  
Sylvia Pardonnet ◽  
Sophie Lardy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Stress Axis ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
The Social

Stress responses have evolved to quickly and appropriately deal with environmental stressors in order to secure or restore homeostasis. Since the regulation of stress hormones plays a key adaptive role, the regulatory processes controlling stress hormones levels may be under high selective pressure. The social environment during early life (parents and litter characteristics) strongly affects ontogeny of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In cooperative breeders, offspring are also confronted with helpers but whether and how variation in the helping context can affect HPA axis responsiveness of offspring remains unanswered. Combining dexamethasone suppression and adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation tests, we investigated the link between the social environment and the characteristics of the HPA axis at the early stages of life in wild Alpine marmots. We show that when raised in the presence of helpers, marmot pups exhibit a greater capacity not only to mount, but also to turn off a stress response. The capacity to mount a stress response was also higher as the pups were raised in large litters. Determining impacts of such social modulation of the HPA axis functioning on individual fitness would make an important contribution to our understanding of the evolution of cooperative breeding.

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