Early exposure to nonlethal predation risk by size‐selective predators increases somatic growth and decreases size at adulthood in threespined sticklebacks

Bell, Alison M.; Dingemanse, Niels Jeroen; Hankison, Shala J.; Langenhof, Minke B. W.; Rollins, Kimberly

doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02247.x

Cited by 45 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…For example, predation pressure on sticklebacks (and other species; see Endler, 1995; Relyea, 2004; Vervust et al, 2007) is associated with smaller body size at sexual maturity (Bell, Dingemanse, Hankison, Langenhof, & Rollins, 2011), lower body condition (Frommen et al, 2011), reduced male nuptial coloration (Candolin, 1998) and reduced activity (Lacasse & Aubin-Horth, 2012). In this study, offspring of predator-exposed fathers had traits associated with predator-rich conditions: they were smaller, in poorer body condition, had reduced nuptial coloration (males) and were less active than offspring of unexposed fathers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paternal programming in sticklebacks

Stein¹,

Bell²

2014

Animal Behaviour

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In a wide range of organisms, including humans, mothers can influence offspring via the care they provide. Comparatively little is known about the effects of fathering on offspring. Here, we test the hypothesis that fathers are capable of programming their offspring for the type of environment they are likely to encounter. Male threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, were either exposed to predation risk while fathering or not. Fathers altered their paternal behaviour when exposed to predation risk, and consequently produced adult offspring with phenotypes associated with strong predation pressure (smaller size, reduced body condition, reduced behavioural activity). Moreover, more attentive fathers produced offspring that showed stronger antipredator responses. These results are consistent with behaviourally mediated paternal programming: fathers can alter offspring phenotypes to match their future environment and influence offspring traits well into adulthood.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paternal programming in sticklebacks

Stein¹,

Bell²

2014

Animal Behaviour

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“…Specifically, over 6 days, sticklebacks were exposed to olfactory, visual and tactile cues of rainbow trout, a natural predator, in order to simulate real predation risk. This procedure elicited enduring changes in stickleback growth and behavior [Dingemanse et al, 2009;Bell et al, 2011], and other studies using this population have shown that they exhibit strong antipredator responses to rainbow trout [Bell and Sih, 2007]. Nanda et al [2008] used a similar procedure to measure the immediate brain transcriptomic response of rats to olfactory, visual and acoustic cues of predators.…”

Section: Applying Predator Cuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain Transcriptomic Response of Threespine Sticklebacks to Cues of a Predator

Sanogo

Hankison²,

Band³

et al. 2011

Brain Behav Evol

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Predation pressure represents a strong selective force that influences the development and evolution of living organisms. An increasing number of studies have shown that both environmental and social factors, including exposure to predators, substantially shape the structure and function of the brain. However, our knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of the brain to environmental stimuli is limited. In this study, we used whole-genome comparative oligonucleotide microarrays to investigate the brain transcriptomic response to cues of a predator in the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. We found that repeated exposure to olfactory, visual and tactile cues of a predator (rainbow trout, Oncorrhynchus mykiss) for 6 days resulted in subtle but significant transcriptomic changes in the brain of sticklebacks. Gene functional analysis and gene ontology enrichment revealed that the majority of the transcripts differentially expressed between the fish exposed to cues of a predator and the control group were related to antigen processing and presentation involving the major histocompatibility complex, transmission of synaptic signals, brain metabolic processes, gene regulation and visual perception. The top four identified pathways were synaptic long-term depression, RAN signaling, relaxin signaling and phototransduction. Our study demonstrates that exposure of sticklebacks to cues of a predator results in the activation of a wide range of biological and molecular processes and lays the foundation for future investigations on the molecular factors that modulate the function and evolution of the brain in response to stressors.

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“…Adult offspring of predator-exposed fathers were smaller, in poorer condition and less active than offspring of unexposed fathers [28]. Interestingly, sticklebacks that were reared with predation risk [29], or have evolved with predation risk [12], also have these characteristics. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that fathers alter their paternal behavior in response to predation risk, and that fathers can ‘program’ their offspring for living in a high-predation environment.…”

Section: Effects Of Paternal Stress On Offspring Outcomes In Sticklebmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of mothers’ and fathers’ experience with predation risk on the behavioral development of their offspring in threespined sticklebacks

Bell

McGhee

Stein

2016

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

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Stressors experienced by parents can influence the behavioral development of their offspring. Here, we review recent studies in threespined sticklebacks (a species in which males are the sole providers of parental care) showing that when parents are exposed to an ecologically relevant stressor (predation risk), there are consequences for offspring. For example, female sticklebacks exposed to predation risk produce eggs with higher concentrations of cortisol, a stress hormone, and offspring with altered behavior and physiology. Male sticklebacks exposed to predation risk produce offspring that are less active, smaller, and in poorer condition. The precise mechanisms by which maternal and paternal experiences with predators affect offspring phenotypes are under investigation, and could include steroid hormones, olfactory cues and/or parental behavior. As in other species, some of the consequences of parental exposure to predation risk for offspring in sticklebacks might be adaptive, but depend on the stressor, the reliability of the parental and offspring environments and the evolutionary history of the population.

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Early exposure to nonlethal predation risk by size‐selective predators increases somatic growth and decreases size at adulthood in threespined sticklebacks

Cited by 45 publications

References 78 publications

Paternal programming in sticklebacks

Paternal programming in sticklebacks

Brain Transcriptomic Response of Threespine Sticklebacks to Cues of a Predator

Effects of mothers’ and fathers’ experience with predation risk on the behavioral development of their offspring in threespined sticklebacks

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