Individual variation in avian reproductive physiology does not reliably predict variation in laying date

Schaper, Sonja V.; Dawson, Alistair; Sharp, P. J.; Samuel, P.; Visser, Marcel E.

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.021

Cited by 42 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…After collection, chicks were transferred to the Netherlands (Netherlands Institute of Ecology, NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen) and hand reared following basic protocols (e.g., Drent et al 2003, Reparaz et al 2014). Once they were adults, birds were settled in opposite-sex pairs in 36 climate-controlled chambers (2 3 The Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:218-227, Q 2018 American Ornithological Society 2 3 2.25 m; chamber walls made of white sandwich panels; one pair of birds per aviary; see also Visser et al 2009, Schaper et al 2012a, 2012b) under artificial light. Photoperiod was adjusted every day, and the main sources of light were 3 high-frequency, 36 W TL-tubes, which had different spectra in order to approach a natural range of wavelengths; 5 min before the TLs were switched on and 5 min after they were turned off, an 8 W light bulb mimicked dawn and dusk.…”

Section: Controlled-climate Chambers: Blue Titsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

Lambrechts

Samuel

2018

The Auk

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To anticipate future breeding conditions in spatiotemporally dynamic environments, any proximate aspect of breeding is expected to be causally associated with environmental cues or constraints. Photoperiod, ambient temperature, and food are considered to be among the most important environmental determinants of breeding performance. However, the importance of these determinants in the expression of nest size has not previously been investigated experimentally in laboratory conditions. We report that captive Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tits (Parus major) did not adjust the size of their cavity nest to experimental changes in photoperiod or ambient-temperature regimes. Results did not change when we controlled for first-egg date and clutch size. In addition, captive birds fed ad libitum did not build larger nests than free-ranging breeders in standardized nest boxes. Thus, we report no evidence that nest size per se is proximately influenced by commonly studied environmental factors like photoperiod, temperature, food abundance, or the level of investment in egg production-factors that can all pose energetic challenges to breeding birds. However, we do not exclude the possibility that, in natural conditions, energy-or resource-associated constraints might influence aspects of nest design other than nest size (e.g., rare nest components) or that constraints on nest building might only be revealed when birds need to build substantially larger nests (i.e. in larger cavities). Therefore, additional experimental work will be required to determine which are the proximate determinants of nest design in cavity breeders. Keywords: Blue Tit, breeding, Cyanistes caeruleus, Great Tit, nest size, Parus major La manipulación experimental del fotoperiodo y la temperatura no influencian el tamaño del nido en Cyanistes caeruleus y Parus major RESUMEN Para anticipar las condiciones reproductivas futuras en ambientes espacial y temporalmente dinámicos, se espera que cualquier aspecto que influencie de modo directo la reproducción este causalmente asociado con señales o restricciones ambientales. Se considera que el fotoperiodo, la temperatura ambiente y el alimento están entre los determinantes ambientales más importantes del desempeño reproductivo. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha, la importancia de estos determinantes en la expresión del tamaño del nido no ha sido investigada experimentalmente en condiciones de laboratorio. Nuestros hallazgos indican que los individuos cautivos de Cyanistes caeruleus y Parus major no ajustaron el tamaño de sus nidos en cavidades a los cambios experimentales en los regímenes del fotoperiodo o de la temperatura ambiente. Los resultados no cambiaron cuando controlamos por la fecha del primer huevo y el tamaño de la nidada. Adicionalmente, las aves cautivas alimentadas ad libitum no construyeron nidos más grandes que las aves libres que criaron en cajas nido estandarizadas. De este modo, no hallamos evidencia de que el tamaño del nido per se esté influenciado directamente por los fact...

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Section: Controlled-climate Chambers: Blue Titsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

Lambrechts

Samuel

2018

The Auk

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“…Some studies also failed to find any correlation between prolactin levels and LH levels (e.g. Small et al, 2007;Schaper et al, 2012;Ryan et al, 2014) suggesting that prolactin and LH levels or egg production may be uncoupled under some circumstances (such as in determinate layers that always lay the same clutch size). Because of this potential disconnection between prolactin levels and egg laying, other specific hormones could be involved and play a major role in clutch size determination (Rozenboim et al, 2004;Mobarkey et al, 2013).…”

Section: Prolactin Stress and Clutch Size Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does prolactin mediate parental and life-history decisions in response to environmental conditions in birds? A review

Angelier

Wingfield

Tartu

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

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This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". In vertebrates, adjustments of physiology and behavior to environmental changes are often mediated by central physiological mechanisms, and more specifically by hormonal mechanisms. As a consequence, these mechanisms are thought to orchestrate life-history decisions in wild vertebrates. For instance, investigating the hormonal regulation of parental behavior is relevant to evaluate how parents modulate their effort according to specific environmental conditions. Surprisingly and despite being classically known as the 'parental hormone', prolactin has been overlooked in birds relative to this context. Our aim is to review evidence that changes in prolactin levels can mediate, at least to some extent, the response of breeding birds to environmental conditions. To do so, we first examine current evidence and limits for the role of prolactin in mediating parental behavior in birds. Second, we emphasize the influence of environmental conditions and stressors on circulating prolactin levels. In addition, we review to what extent prolactin levels are a reliable predictor of breeding success in wild birds. By linking environmental conditions, prolactin regulation, parental behavior, and breeding success, we highlight the potential role of this hormone in mediating parental decisions in birds. Finally, we also review the potential role of prolactin in mediating other life history decisions such as clutch size, re-nesting, and the timing of molt. By evaluating the influence of stressors on circulating prolactin levels during these other life-history decisions, we also raise new hypotheses regarding the potential of the prolactin stress response to regulate the orchestration of the annual cycle when environmental changes occur. To sum up, we show in this review that prolactin regulation has a strong potential to allow ecological physiologists to better understand how individuals adjust their life-history decisions (clutch size, parental behavior, re-nesting, and onset of molt) according to the environmental conditions they encounter and we encourage further research on that topic.

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“…The temporal discrepancy found between the effects of light at night on reproductive physiology and laying date suggests that while reproductive physiology of temperate avian species is mostly modulated by light (Dawson et al 2001 ), and thus light pollution can have a stronger effect on it, laying date is a complex life history decision that is regulated not only by photoperiod, but also by factors that reflect more the current environmental conditions, such as temperature and food abundance (Caro et al 2013 ). A recent captive study on the relationship between gonadal growth and egg laying date has shown very weak correlation between the two variables, highlighting that these are independent mechanisms that can be differentially affected by artificial lights (Schaper et al 2012 ). It remains to be established how light at night affects reproductive timing.…”

Section: Light Pollution and Annual Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

Dominoni

2015

J Ornithol

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Light pollution is considered a threat for biodiversity given the extent to which it can affect a vast number of behavioral and physiological processes in several species. This comes as no surprise as light is a fundamental, environmental cue through which organisms time their daily and seasonal activities, and alterations in the light environment have been found to affect profoundly the synchronization of the circadian clock, the endogenous mechanism that tracks and predicts variation in the external light/dark cycles. In this context, birds have been one of the most studied animal taxa, but our understanding of the effects of light pollution on the biological rhythms of avian species is mostly limited to behavioral responses. In order to understand which proximate mechanisms may be affected by artificial lights, we need an integrated perspective that focuses on light as a physiological signal, and especially on how photic information is perceived, decoded, and transmitted through the whole body. The aim of this review is to summarize the effects of light pollution on physiological and biochemical mechanisms that underlie changes in birds' behavior, highlighting the current gaps in our knowledge and proposing future research avenues.

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Individual variation in avian reproductive physiology does not reliably predict variation in laying date

Cited by 42 publications

References 51 publications

Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

Experimental manipulation of photoperiod and temperature does not influence nest size in Blue and Great tits

Does prolactin mediate parental and life-history decisions in response to environmental conditions in birds? A review

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

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