Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)

Maternal corticosterone in avian eggs may modify offspring phenotype in order to increase survival in poor environments. In the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), we previously found that yolk immunoreactive corticosterone is influenced by the quality of the maternal environment: eggs laid by females of...

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Main Authors: Della Costa, Natalia Soledad, Navarro, Joaquín Luis, Bernad, Lucía, Marín, Raúl Héctor, Martella, Mónica Beatriz
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X19300376
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/6265
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.05.003
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author Della Costa, Natalia Soledad
Navarro, Joaquín Luis
Bernad, Lucía
Marín, Raúl Héctor
Martella, Mónica Beatriz
author_browse Bernad, Lucía
Della Costa, Natalia Soledad
Martella, Mónica Beatriz
Marín, Raúl Héctor
Navarro, Joaquín Luis
author_facet Della Costa, Natalia Soledad
Navarro, Joaquín Luis
Bernad, Lucía
Marín, Raúl Héctor
Martella, Mónica Beatriz
author_sort Della Costa, Natalia Soledad
collection INTA Digital
description Maternal corticosterone in avian eggs may modify offspring phenotype in order to increase survival in poor environments. In the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), we previously found that yolk immunoreactive corticosterone is influenced by the quality of the maternal environment: eggs laid by females of the intensive rearing system (IRS), living in poor captive conditions, had higher yolk immunoreactive corticosterone than those produced by females of the semi-extensive rearing system (SRS), living in better conditions. Here, we evaluate if these different hormone levels are associated with the production of different phenotypes. We collected eggs from the IRS and SRS for hormonal quantification and artificial incubation. Then, half of the chicks selected from each environment were exposed to a capture and restraint protocol, and the rest remained undisturbed and were used as controls. In the IRS, we found that higher yolk immunoreactive corticosterone was associated with the production of chicks that had reduced hatchability, lower hatchling mass and higher baseline fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) than those produced by SRS females. Moreover, after capture and restraint, IRS chicks did not modify their FGM nor their behaviors compared to their controls, while SRS chicks increased their FGM and spent more time ambulating and less time pecking, compared to their controls. These results indicate that yolk immunoreactive corticosterone could modify offspring phenotype. Although future studies are needed to elucidate their implications for fitness, our results suggest that yolk corticosterone could be mediating an adaptive maternal effect that allows individuals to better cope with poor conditions.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
language Inglés
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
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spelling INTA62652019-11-01T17:33:38Z Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) Della Costa, Natalia Soledad Navarro, Joaquín Luis Bernad, Lucía Marín, Raúl Héctor Martella, Mónica Beatriz Ñandu Rheas Yema de Huevo Corticosterona Maternidad Fenotipos Sistemas de Cría Supervivencia Egg Yolk Corticosterone Maternity Phenotypes Rearing Systems Surviral Adrenocortical Activity Maternal corticosterone in avian eggs may modify offspring phenotype in order to increase survival in poor environments. In the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), we previously found that yolk immunoreactive corticosterone is influenced by the quality of the maternal environment: eggs laid by females of the intensive rearing system (IRS), living in poor captive conditions, had higher yolk immunoreactive corticosterone than those produced by females of the semi-extensive rearing system (SRS), living in better conditions. Here, we evaluate if these different hormone levels are associated with the production of different phenotypes. We collected eggs from the IRS and SRS for hormonal quantification and artificial incubation. Then, half of the chicks selected from each environment were exposed to a capture and restraint protocol, and the rest remained undisturbed and were used as controls. In the IRS, we found that higher yolk immunoreactive corticosterone was associated with the production of chicks that had reduced hatchability, lower hatchling mass and higher baseline fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) than those produced by SRS females. Moreover, after capture and restraint, IRS chicks did not modify their FGM nor their behaviors compared to their controls, while SRS chicks increased their FGM and spent more time ambulating and less time pecking, compared to their controls. These results indicate that yolk immunoreactive corticosterone could modify offspring phenotype. Although future studies are needed to elucidate their implications for fitness, our results suggest that yolk corticosterone could be mediating an adaptive maternal effect that allows individuals to better cope with poor conditions. EEA Balcarce Fil: Della Costa, Natalia Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina. Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Navarro, Joaquín Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina. Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Bernad, Lucía. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: Marin, Raúl Héctor. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina. Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Fil: Martella, Mónica Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina. Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. 2019-11-01T17:13:58Z 2019-11-01T17:13:58Z 2019-08 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X19300376 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/6265 0018-506X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.05.003 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess application/pdf Elsevier Hormones and behavior 114 : 104534. (August 2019)
spellingShingle Ñandu
Rheas
Yema de Huevo
Corticosterona
Maternidad
Fenotipos
Sistemas de Cría
Supervivencia
Egg Yolk
Corticosterone
Maternity
Phenotypes
Rearing Systems
Surviral
Adrenocortical Activity
Della Costa, Natalia Soledad
Navarro, Joaquín Luis
Bernad, Lucía
Marín, Raúl Héctor
Martella, Mónica Beatriz
Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title_full Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title_fullStr Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title_full_unstemmed Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title_short Effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
title_sort effect of maternal environment on yolk immunoreactive corticosterone and its influence on adrenocortical and behavioral activity in chicks of greater rhea rhea americana
topic Ñandu
Rheas
Yema de Huevo
Corticosterona
Maternidad
Fenotipos
Sistemas de Cría
Supervivencia
Egg Yolk
Corticosterone
Maternity
Phenotypes
Rearing Systems
Surviral
Adrenocortical Activity
url https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X19300376
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/6265
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.05.003
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