Age-dependent effects of carotenoids on sexual ornaments and reproductive performance of a long-lived seabird

Beamonte‐Barrientos, René; Velando, Alberto; Torres, Roxana

doi:10.1007/s00265-013-1628-0

Cited by 22 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…As with any trade‐off, experimental studies will be needed to conclusively demonstrate causal links (Getty, ; Reznick, Nunney, & Tessier, ). However, given the well‐established links between—on the one hand—oxidative metabolism, telomere erosion, and senescence (Badás et al., ; Haussmann & Heidinger, ; Haussmann, Longenecker, Marchetto, Juliano, & Bowden, ; Herborn et al., ; Kim & Velando, ; Monaghan, ) and—on the other hand—oxidative metabolism and carotenoid‐based signal expression (Beamonte‐Barrientos, Velando, & Torres, ; Hill, Hood, & Huggins, ; Simons, Cohen, & Verhulst, ), we suggest that trade‐offs between signal investment and telomere maintenance are likely to occur. Regardless of whether telomere dynamics directly influence coloration, it is clear that when females evaluate males on the basis of bib coloration, as we have demonstrated previously in this population (Dunn, Whittingham, Freeman‐Gallant, & Decoste, ; Freeman‐Gallant et al., ; Taff et al., ), they effectively choose mates with more favorable telomere phenotypes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual signals reflect telomere dynamics in a wild bird

Taff

Freeman‐Gallant

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Telomere dynamics in natural populations have been linked to survival, reproduction, and energetic investment. Given their putative role in mediating life‐history trade‐offs, telomeres are also a likely candidate for maintaining honesty in sexually selected signals; few studies to date, however, have demonstrated a correlation between sexual signals and telomere dynamics. Here, we show that plumage coloration in male common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) is correlated with both relative telomere length and with the rate of telomere loss between years. Elevated antioxidant capacity is also associated with reduced telomere loss, but only among older males. Previous work in this population has demonstrated that males with brighter plumage are in better condition, have higher reproductive success, and are more likely to survive over winter. Thus, the signal attribute associated with mate choice in this system also conveys reliable information about telomere dynamics. At present, it is unclear whether telomere maintenance plays a causal role in maintaining signal honesty or whether the correlation arises due to underlying variation in individual resources or genotypes. We suggest that subsequent work should consider the possibility that fundamental trade‐offs between signal investment and cell‐level processes that influence aging and reproductive senescence may provide a foundation for understanding the maintenance of sexual signal honesty.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual signals reflect telomere dynamics in a wild bird

Taff

Freeman‐Gallant

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Could carotenoids (not only β-carotene) actually be detrimental in specific physiological circumstances, for example, under oxidative stress (Hartley and Kennedy 2004;Bertrand et al 2006;Svensson and Wong 2011;Beamonte-Barrientos et al 2013)? In such a scenario, signal expression of carotenoid-dependent coloration may actually be a handicap (Zahavi 1975;Grafen 1990), showing the ability to evade and/or tolerate carotenoid's detrimental effects, rather than its presumed benefits to physiological functioning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Context-dependent effects of carotenoid supplementation on reproduction in zebra finches

et al. 2014

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Carotenoid-dependent sexual coloration is one of the best-studied sexual signals, but how the honesty of such signals is maintained remains uncertain. The main hypotheses focus on acquisition limits and physiological use of carotenoids in immune function and regulating oxidative stress. A hypothesis that has received less attention states that carotenoids can also be detrimental, depending on an animal's state. Hence, carotenoid-dependent signals may be a handicap, signaling the ability to evade or tolerate detrimental effects of carotenoids. To investigate this hypothesis, we examined the effects of carotenoid supplementation on subsequent reproduction in zebra finches in 2 different foraging environments ("easy" and "hard"), thereby generating variation in physiological state. We find support for context-dependent negative effects of carotenoid supplementation on subsequent laying latency and on total number of eggs laid: carotenoids had a detrimental effect in the "easy" conditions and a beneficial effect in the "hard" conditions. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that carotenoids can have context-dependent detrimental effects. Dissecting the relative contribution of the different mutually nonexclusive honesty mechanisms-acquisition, physiological benefits, and context-dependent detrimental effects of carotenoids-maintaining carotenoid-dependent signal honesty will be an exciting challenge.

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“…Previous studies on little penguins have reported an attendance peak at the Phillip Island mega colony in Autumn (Salton et al., 2015). Here we explored that autumn pattern further in an interdisciplinary approach that combines biological data (colony and nest attendance) with environmental information (trends in sea temperature and patterns in marine productivity) within an ecological/evolutionary framework that relies on the consistent evidence for the existence of age‐related increments in individuals' reproductive effort (Beamonte‐Barrientos et al., 2013; Christians, 2002; Ramírez et al., 2015). Although we could not identify the ultimate cause underlying resource allocation strategies to reproduction in little penguins, we provide strong evidence pointing to age and age‐related "boundary conditions" (i.e., experience and senescence) as important drivers of individual strategies based on single versus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making the most of the old age: Autumn breeding as an extra reproductive investment in older seabirds

Ramírez¹,

Chiaradia

O'Leary

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Life-history theory describes the fundamental trade-offs animals must make in allocating limited energetic resources to competing for life-history functions, particularly reproductive investment and self-survival (Stearns, 1992). The relative importance of these two competing needs in maximizing an individual's overall fitness will determine whether the animal should invest more resources into the current breeding effort, or store energy for survival and future reproductive potential (Erikstad et al., 1998;Reed et al., 2008).Driven by this trade-off, the course of evolution has resulted in a myriad of life-history strategies across the tree of life (Capdevila & Salguero-Gomez, 2019). Short-lived species generally display characteristics of fast-strategists (formerly r-strategies), such as early maturation and a high reproductive effort to maximize the number of offspring produced in each attempt (Nichols et al., 1976), while long-lived species are typically expected to be slow strategists

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Age-dependent effects of carotenoids on sexual ornaments and reproductive performance of a long-lived seabird

Cited by 22 publications

References 86 publications

Sexual signals reflect telomere dynamics in a wild bird

Sexual signals reflect telomere dynamics in a wild bird

Context-dependent effects of carotenoid supplementation on reproduction in zebra finches

Making the most of the old age: Autumn breeding as an extra reproductive investment in older seabirds

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