Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment

Maternal hormones in avian egg yolks may signal and prepare offspring for the prevailing conditions. However, this adjustment requires some degree of flexibility in regulating yolk hormone deposition. The Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) has a particular mating system that combines mixed polygyny and p...

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Autores principales: Della Costa, Natalia, Martella, Mónica, Bernad, Lucía, Marin, Raúl, Navarro, Joaquín
Formato: Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12640
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.2602
https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.2602
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author Della Costa, Natalia
Martella, Mónica
Bernad, Lucía
Marin, Raúl
Navarro, Joaquín
author_browse Bernad, Lucía
Della Costa, Natalia
Marin, Raúl
Martella, Mónica
Navarro, Joaquín
author_facet Della Costa, Natalia
Martella, Mónica
Bernad, Lucía
Marin, Raúl
Navarro, Joaquín
author_sort Della Costa, Natalia
collection INTA Digital
description Maternal hormones in avian egg yolks may signal and prepare offspring for the prevailing conditions. However, this adjustment requires some degree of flexibility in regulating yolk hormone deposition. The Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) has a particular mating system that combines mixed polygyny and polyandry, communal nesting, and exclusive paternal care of chicks. In this species, we previously found that yolk hormone deposition varies among eggs of different captive populations and could influence chicks' physiology and behavior. However, it is still unknown whether females can modify yolk hormone deposition in a changing social environment. Using a captive population of Greater Rheas, in this study, we quantified yolk hormone levels before and after a reduction in the number of females present in the population. We found that females deposited on average higher yolk corticosterone and lower yolk progesterone after the change in their social environment. Since corticosterone deposited into the yolk comes exclusively from the female's plasma, our results suggest that females had, on average, higher plasma corticosterone levels. The change in the number of females may increase the events of male–male competitions, courtships, and matings, leading to an increase of corticosterone in the females' plasma and then into their eggs. Since we previously found that higher yolk corticosterone and lower yolk progesterone were associated with the production of chicks that have an attenuated stress response, the present study results suggest that yolk hormone deposition is mediated by flexible mechanisms that could adjust development to the prevailing conditions.
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spelling INTA126402022-08-22T10:26:20Z Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment Della Costa, Natalia Martella, Mónica Bernad, Lucía Marin, Raúl Navarro, Joaquín Ñandú Yema de Huevo Corticosterona Progesterona Hormonas Efectos Martenos Rheas Egg Yolk Corticosterone Progesterone Hormones Maternal Effects Maternal hormones in avian egg yolks may signal and prepare offspring for the prevailing conditions. However, this adjustment requires some degree of flexibility in regulating yolk hormone deposition. The Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) has a particular mating system that combines mixed polygyny and polyandry, communal nesting, and exclusive paternal care of chicks. In this species, we previously found that yolk hormone deposition varies among eggs of different captive populations and could influence chicks' physiology and behavior. However, it is still unknown whether females can modify yolk hormone deposition in a changing social environment. Using a captive population of Greater Rheas, in this study, we quantified yolk hormone levels before and after a reduction in the number of females present in the population. We found that females deposited on average higher yolk corticosterone and lower yolk progesterone after the change in their social environment. Since corticosterone deposited into the yolk comes exclusively from the female's plasma, our results suggest that females had, on average, higher plasma corticosterone levels. The change in the number of females may increase the events of male–male competitions, courtships, and matings, leading to an increase of corticosterone in the females' plasma and then into their eggs. Since we previously found that higher yolk corticosterone and lower yolk progesterone were associated with the production of chicks that have an attenuated stress response, the present study results suggest that yolk hormone deposition is mediated by flexible mechanisms that could adjust development to the prevailing conditions. EEA Balcarce Fil: Della Costa, Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina. Fil: Della Costa, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Martella, Mónica. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina. Fil: Martella, Mónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Bernad, Lucía. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: Marin, Raúl. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. El Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los alimentos; Argentina. Fil: Marin, Raúl. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina. Fil: Navarro, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada; Argentina. Fil: Navarro, Joaquín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Navarro, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Diversidad Biológica y Ecología; Argentina. 2022-08-22T10:23:32Z 2022-08-22T10:23:32Z 2022-07 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12640 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.2602 2471-5646 https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.2602 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Wiley Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology 337 (6) : 594-599 (July 2022)
spellingShingle Ñandú
Yema de Huevo
Corticosterona
Progesterona
Hormonas
Efectos Martenos
Rheas
Egg Yolk
Corticosterone
Progesterone
Hormones
Maternal Effects
Della Costa, Natalia
Martella, Mónica
Bernad, Lucía
Marin, Raúl
Navarro, Joaquín
Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title_full Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title_fullStr Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title_full_unstemmed Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title_short Yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs vary in a changing social environment
title_sort yolk corticosterone and progesterone levels in greater rhea rhea americana eggs vary in a changing social environment
topic Ñandú
Yema de Huevo
Corticosterona
Progesterona
Hormonas
Efectos Martenos
Rheas
Egg Yolk
Corticosterone
Progesterone
Hormones
Maternal Effects
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/12640
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jez.2602
https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.2602
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AT marinraul yolkcorticosteroneandprogesteronelevelsingreaterrhearheaamericanaeggsvaryinachangingsocialenvironment
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