Match and mismatch: conservation physiology, nutritional ecology and the timescales of biological adaptation

Adaptive trade-offs between foraging and social behavior intuitively explain many aspects of individual decision-making. Given the intimate connection between social behavior and feeding/foraging at the behavioral level, we propose that social behaviors are linked to foraging on a mechanistic level, and that modifications of feeding circuits are crucial in the evolution of complex social behaviors. In this Review, we first highlight the overlap between mechanisms underlying foraging and parental care and then expand this argument to consider the manipulation of feeding-related pathways in the evolution of other complex social behaviors. We include examples from diverse taxa to highlight that the independent evolution of complex social behaviors is a variation on the theme of feeding circuit modification.

Section: At the Intersection Of Foraging And Social Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Modification of feeding circuits in the evolution of social behavior

Fischer

O’Connell

2017

“…Maternal advantages (or disadvantages) in affecting offspring phenotype, for example, should also be considered (Marshall and Uller, 2007), and the level of prediction between maternal and offspring environments should be measured (Burgess and Marshall, 2011;Raubenheimer et al, 2012;Uller et al, 2013).…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Trans-generational plasticity in physiological thermal tolerance is modulated by maternal pre-reproductive environment in the polychaeteOphryotrocha labronica

N’Siala

Prevedelli

Simonini

2014

Maternal temperature is known to affect many aspects of offspring phenotype, but its effect on offspring physiological thermal tolerance has received less attention, despite the importance of physiological traits in defining organismal ability to cope with temperature changes. To fill this gap, we used the marine polychaete Ophryotrocha labronica to investigate the influence of maternal temperature on offspring upper and lower thermal tolerance limits, and assess whether maternal influence changed according to the stage of offspring pre-zygotic development at which a thermal cue was provided. Measurements were taken on adult offspring acclimated to 18 or 30°C, produced by mothers previously reared at 24°C and then exposed to 18 or 30°C at an early and late stage of oogenesis. When the shift from 24°C was provided early during oogenesis, mothers produced offspring with greater cold and heat tolerance whenever mother-offspring temperatures did not match, with respect to when they matched, suggesting the presence of an anticipatory maternal effect triggered by the thermal variation. Conversely, when the cue was provided later during oogenesis, more tolerant offspring were observed when temperatures persisted across generations. In this case, maternal exposure to 18 or 30°C may have benefited offspring performance, while limitations in the transmission of the thermal cue may account for the lack of correlation between maternal experiences and offspring performance when mother-offspring environments did not match. Our results provided evidence for a trans-generational effect of temperature on physiological performance characterised by a high context dependency, and are discussed in the light of maternal pre-reproductive experiences.

“…The need for a physiologically based, mechanistic understanding of the impacts of environmental change in species conservation is becoming increasingly recognized (Seebacher and Franklin, 2012;Stevenson et al, 2005;Wikelski and Cooke, 2006), and the field of vertebrate eco-physiology has grown rapidly in the past decade (e.g. Blaustein et al, 2012;Cooke et al, 2012;Klaassen et al, 2012;Raubenheimer et al, 2012). To accurately predict the physiological impacts of temperature variation on amphibians in situ, we need a better understanding of the distinct effects of variable weather patterns versus changes in absolute temperatures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic impacts of temperature variability on amphibian immune function

Terrell

Quintero

Murray

et al. 2013

SUMMARYEctothermic species living in temperate regions can experience rapid and potentially stressful changes in body temperature driven by abrupt weather changes. Yet, among amphibians, the physiological impacts of short-term temperature variation are largely unknown. Using an ex situ population of Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, an aquatic North American salamander, we tested the hypothesis that naturally occurring periods of temperature variation negatively impact amphibian health, either through direct effects on immune function or by increasing physiological stress. We exposed captive salamanders to repeated cycles of temperature fluctuations recorded in the population's natal stream and evaluated behavioral and physiological responses, including plasma complement activity (i.e. bacteria killing) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas hydrophila. The best-fit model (ΔAIC c =0, w i =0.9992) revealed 70% greater P. aeruginosa killing after exposure to variable temperatures and no evidence of thermal acclimation. The same model predicted 50% increased E. coli killing, but had weaker support (ΔAIC c =1.8, w i =0.2882). In contrast, plasma defenses were ineffective against A. hydrophila, and other health indicators (leukocyte ratios, growth rates and behavioral patterns) were maintained at baseline values. Our data suggest that amphibians can tolerate, and even benefit from, natural patterns of rapid warming/cooling. Specifically, temperature variation can elicit increased activity of the innate immune system. This immune response may be adaptive in an unpredictable environment, and is undetectable by conventional health indicators (and hence considered cryptic). Our findings highlight the need to consider naturalistic patterns of temperature variation when predicting species' susceptibility to climate change.