Dataset Information

Plasma mammalian leptin analogue predicts reproductive phenology, but not reproductive output in a capital-income breeding seaduck.

ABSTRACT: To invest in energetically demanding life history stages, individuals require a substantial amount of resources. Physiological traits, particularly those related to energetics, can be useful for examining variation in life history decisions and trade-offs because they result from individual responses to environmental variation. Leptin is a protein hormone found in mammals that is proportional to the amount of endogenous fat stores within an individual. Recently, researchers have confirmed that a mammalian leptin analogue (MLA), based on the mammalian sequence of leptin, is present with associated receptors and proteins in avian species, with an inhibitory effect on foraging and body mass gain at high circulating levels. While MLA has been both quantified and manipulated in avian species, little is currently known regarding whether plasma MLA in wild-living species and individuals is associated with key reproductive decisions. We quantified plasma MLA in wild, Arctic-nesting female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) at arrival on the breeding grounds and followed them to determine subsequent breeding propensity, and reproductive phenology, investment, and success. Common eiders are capital-income breeding birds that require the accumulation of substantial fat stores to initiate laying and successfully complete incubation. We found that females with lower plasma MLA initiated breeding earlier and in a shorter period of time. However, we found no links between plasma MLA levels and breeding propensity, clutch size, or reproductive success. Although little is still known about plasma MLA, based on these results and its role in influencing foraging behaviors and condition gain, plasma MLA appears to be closely linked to reproductive timing and is therefore likely to underlie trade-offs surrounding life history decisions.

SUBMITTER: Hennin HL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6374671 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Plasma mammalian leptin analogue predicts reproductive phenology, but not reproductive output in a capital-income breeding seaduck.

Hennin Holly L HL Legagneux Pierre P Gilchrist H Grant HG Bêty Joël J McMurtry John P JP Love Oliver P OP

Ecology and evolution 20190113 3

To invest in energetically demanding life history stages, individuals require a substantial amount of resources. Physiological traits, particularly those related to energetics, can be useful for examining variation in life history decisions and trade-offs because they result from individual responses to environmental variation. Leptin is a protein hormone found in mammals that is proportional to the amount of endogenous fat stores within an individual. Recently, researchers have confirmed that a ...[more]

PMID: 30805178

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Project description:Due to climate change, the timing of spring arrival and nesting onset in many migratory bird species have advanced. Earlier spring onsets prolong the available breeding period but can also deteriorate local conditions, leading to increased temporal variation in resource availability. This interaction between phenological shifts in nesting onset and short-term temporal variation in food gain has unknown consequences for fitness of migratory bird species. We model two contrasting breeding strategies to investigate the fitness consequences of stochastically fluctuating food gain and storing of energetic reserves for reproduction. The model was inspired by the biology of common eiders (Somateria mollissima), which store extensive reserves prior to egg laying and incubation (capital breeding strategy), and king eiders (S. spectabilis), which continue to forage during nesting (income breeding strategy). For capital breeders, foraging prior to breeding increases energy reserves and clutch size, but for both strategies, postponing nesting reduces the chances of recruitment. We found that in scenarios with early spring onset, the average number of recruits produced by capital breeders was higher under conditions of stochastic rather than deterministic food gain. This is because under highly variable daily food gain, individuals successful in obtaining food can produce large clutches early in the season. However, income breeders do not build up reserve buffers; consequently, their fitness is always reduced, when food availability fluctuates. For both modeled strategies, resource uncertainty had only a minor effect on the timing of nesting onset. Our work shows that the fitness consequences of global changes in breeding season onset depend on the level of uncertainty in food intake and the degree to which reserves are used to fuel the reproductive effort. We predict that among migratory bird species producing one clutch per year, capital breeders are more resilient to climate-induced changes in spring phenology than income breeders.

Dataset Information

Plasma mammalian leptin analogue predicts reproductive phenology, but not reproductive output in a capital-income breeding seaduck.

Publications

Plasma mammalian leptin analogue predicts reproductive phenology, but not reproductive output in a capital-income breeding seaduck.

Similar Datasets

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