Data from: Age-specific patterns of maternal investment in common gull egg yolk
While the general patterns of age-specific changes in reproductive success are quite well established in long-lived animals, we still do not know if allocation patterns of maternally-transmitted compounds are related to maternal age. We measured yolk testosterone, carotenoids and vitamins A and E le...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-d5-9nml https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:108542 |
| Summary: | While the general patterns of age-specific changes in reproductive success are quite well established in long-lived animals, we still do not know if allocation patterns of maternally-transmitted compounds are related to maternal age. We measured yolk testosterone, carotenoids and vitamins A and E levels in a population of known-aged common gulls (Larus canus) and found an age-specific pattern in yolk lutein and vitamin A concentrations. Middle-aged mothers allocated more of these substances to yolk compared to young and old mothers. These results can be explained through differences in age-specific foraging, absorption, or deposition patterns of carotenoids and vitamins into yolk. If these molecules play a role in antioxidant defense and immune modulation, our results suggest a possible physiological pathway behind the age-specific changes in reproductive success of long-lived birds in the wild. |
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