Unpredictable mild stressors on laying females influence the composition of Japanese quail eggs and offspring’s phenotype
Maternal stress effects on offspring development have been studied largely in rodents and primates, and to a lesser extent in farm animals. Potential lack of knowledge concerning prenatal stress on farm animals is regrettable because they are frequently subjected to a variety of husbandry stressors. Above all, effects of maternal stress on poultry offspring have […]
Prenatal stress does not impair coping with challenge later in life
This study investigated whether the effects of prenatal social stress are pathological consequences of an adverse environment; or whether mothers adjust their offspring to prevalent social conditions. As a prenatal stressor social instability was used: we studied male guinea pig offspring whose mothers lived in a stable social environment (SE-sons) or in an unstable social […]
Habituation to humans affects yolk steroid levels and offspring phenotype in quail
In the field as well as in the laboratory, human-generated stress responses are reduced in adult animals previously habituated to humans in comparison to non-habituated individuals. In birds, yolk steroid levels vary with maternal environment and condition. We tested the hypothesis that the experience of female birds with humans could affect yolk steroids levels and […]
Living in a dangerous world decreases maternal care: A study in serotonin transporter knockout mice
Adverse early experiences can profoundly influence the adult behavioral profile. When pregnant and lactating mice are confronted with soiled bedding of unfamiliar males (UMB), these stimuli signal the danger of infanticide and thus simulate a “dangerous world”. In a previous study, offspring of UMB treated mothers were shown to display increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced […]
Maternal effects in animal ecology
Maternal effects comprise a class of phenotypic effects that parents have on phenotypes of their offspring that are unrelated to the offspring’s own genotype. Although biologists have known about the importance of these effects for decades, maternal effects have only recently been studied widely by evolutionary ecologists. Moreover, the impact of maternal effects on the […]
Maternal effects and the endocrine regulation of mandrill growth
Maternal effects can influence offspring growth and development, and thus fitness. However, the physiological factors mediating these effects in nonhuman primates are not well understood. We investigated the impact of maternal effects on variation in three important components of the endocrine regulation of growth in male and female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), from birth to 9 […]
Acute stress affects the corticosterone level in bird eggs: A case study with great tits (Parus major)
In vertebrates, stress experienced by mothers during the early stages of reproduction is an important source of epigenetic modifications in their offspring. Birds represent excellent models to test such effects as their maternal investment can be quantified in terms of egg quality. Recently, it has been demonstrated that corticosterone (CORT) can be transmitted from a […]
Long-lasting and sex-specific consequences of elevated egg yolk testosterone for social behavior in Japanese quail
In birds, early exposure to steroid hormones deposited in egg yolks is hypothesized to result in long-lasting effects on brain and behavior. However, the long-term effects of maternal androgens on the development of social behavior, and whether these could interfere with the effects of the endogenous gonadal hormones that mediate sexual differentiation, remain poorly known. […]
Maternal testosterone influences a begging component that makes fathers work harder in chick provisioning
Abstract In species with biparental care, parents disagree evolutionarily over the amount of care that each of them is willing to provide to offspring. It has recently been hypothesised that females may try to manipulate their mates by modifying offspring begging behaviour through yolk hormone deposition, shifting the division of labour in their own favour. […]
The adaptive function of hatching asynchrony: an experimental study in great tits
In many bird species offspring hatch over hours or days, which leads to an age and size hierarchy within broods. The function of hatching asynchrony is much debated, and it has been suggested that the induced size hierarchy among offspring may be an adaptive maternal mechanism for maximizing reproductive output under variable environmental conditions. The […]