Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks

The interaction between prenatal environments and postnatal environments is an important source of phenotypic variability. We examined the ability of prenatal steroid exposure and postnatal energy restriction to explain adrenocortical function and fledging age in captive seabird chicks. We proposed...

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Published in:Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
Main Authors: Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan, Schultner, Jannik, Kitaysky, Alexander S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/effects-of-prenatal-environment-on-phenotype-are-revealed-by-postnatal-challenges(95c70369-3d39-49a8-a842-c7a98f752b4e).html
https://doi.org/10.1086/683259
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spelling ftuluenebcrispub:oai:pure.leuphana.de:publications/95c70369-3d39-49a8-a842-c7a98f752b4e 2023-05-15T15:56:05+02:00 Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan Schultner, Jannik Kitaysky, Alexander S. 2015 http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/effects-of-prenatal-environment-on-phenotype-are-revealed-by-postnatal-challenges(95c70369-3d39-49a8-a842-c7a98f752b4e).html https://doi.org/10.1086/683259 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Benowitz-Fredericks , Z M , Schultner , J & Kitaysky , A S 2015 , ' Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges : embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks ' , Physiological and Biochemical Zoology , vol. 88 , no. 6 , pp. 607-623 . https://doi.org/10.1086/683259 /dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/557265479 Environmental planning article 2015 ftuluenebcrispub https://doi.org/10.1086/683259 2021-07-30T08:29:17Z The interaction between prenatal environments and postnatal environments is an important source of phenotypic variability. We examined the ability of prenatal steroid exposure and postnatal energy restriction to explain adrenocortical function and fledging age in captive seabird chicks. We proposed and tested two hypotheses: (1) the strength of prenatal effects is attenuated by challenging postnatal environments (postnatal override) and (2) the strength of prenatal effects increases with the severity of postnatal challenges (postnatal reveal). We reared common murre (Uria aalge) chicks and measured prenatal exposure to corticosterone (CORT) and testosterone (T) from allantoic waste. Adrenocortical function was assessed after 10 d of ad lib. feeding and then after 5 and 10 d on controlled diets. Postnatal override predicts that prenatal steroids will explain more phenotypic variation before implementation of energy restriction; postnatal reveal predicts that the contribution of prenatal steroids will increase with duration and severity of energy restriction. Energy restriction increased secretion of baseline CORT and the adrenocortical response to the standardized stressor of handling and restraint. The ability of prenatal steroids to explain baseline CORT increased with duration of energy restriction, and for day 20 free baseline CORT, there was a significant interaction between kilojoules per day and prenatal CORT levels; severity of restriction strengthened the relationship between prenatal hormone levels and postnatal hormone levels. Both maximum CORT at day 20 and fledging age were best explained by diet treatment and day 15 or day 20 baseline CORT, respectively. Overall, prenatal CORT increased fledging age and baseline secretion of CORT, while prenatal T decreased them. However, prenatal effects on adrenocortical function were apparent only under the energy restriction conditions. Thus, we found some support for the postnatal reveal hypothesis; our results suggest that some prenatal effects on phenotype may be more likely to manifest in challenging postnatal environments. Article in Journal/Newspaper Common Murre Uria aalge uria Leuphana University of Lüneburg: Forschungsindex FOX Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 88 6 607 623
institution Open Polar
collection Leuphana University of Lüneburg: Forschungsindex FOX
op_collection_id ftuluenebcrispub
language English
topic /dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/557265479
Environmental planning
spellingShingle /dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/557265479
Environmental planning
Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan
Schultner, Jannik
Kitaysky, Alexander S.
Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
topic_facet /dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/557265479
Environmental planning
description The interaction between prenatal environments and postnatal environments is an important source of phenotypic variability. We examined the ability of prenatal steroid exposure and postnatal energy restriction to explain adrenocortical function and fledging age in captive seabird chicks. We proposed and tested two hypotheses: (1) the strength of prenatal effects is attenuated by challenging postnatal environments (postnatal override) and (2) the strength of prenatal effects increases with the severity of postnatal challenges (postnatal reveal). We reared common murre (Uria aalge) chicks and measured prenatal exposure to corticosterone (CORT) and testosterone (T) from allantoic waste. Adrenocortical function was assessed after 10 d of ad lib. feeding and then after 5 and 10 d on controlled diets. Postnatal override predicts that prenatal steroids will explain more phenotypic variation before implementation of energy restriction; postnatal reveal predicts that the contribution of prenatal steroids will increase with duration and severity of energy restriction. Energy restriction increased secretion of baseline CORT and the adrenocortical response to the standardized stressor of handling and restraint. The ability of prenatal steroids to explain baseline CORT increased with duration of energy restriction, and for day 20 free baseline CORT, there was a significant interaction between kilojoules per day and prenatal CORT levels; severity of restriction strengthened the relationship between prenatal hormone levels and postnatal hormone levels. Both maximum CORT at day 20 and fledging age were best explained by diet treatment and day 15 or day 20 baseline CORT, respectively. Overall, prenatal CORT increased fledging age and baseline secretion of CORT, while prenatal T decreased them. However, prenatal effects on adrenocortical function were apparent only under the energy restriction conditions. Thus, we found some support for the postnatal reveal hypothesis; our results suggest that some prenatal effects on phenotype may be more likely to manifest in challenging postnatal environments.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan
Schultner, Jannik
Kitaysky, Alexander S.
author_facet Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan
Schultner, Jannik
Kitaysky, Alexander S.
author_sort Benowitz-Fredericks, Z. Morgan
title Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
title_short Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
title_full Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
title_fullStr Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
title_full_unstemmed Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
title_sort effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges:embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks
publishDate 2015
url http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/effects-of-prenatal-environment-on-phenotype-are-revealed-by-postnatal-challenges(95c70369-3d39-49a8-a842-c7a98f752b4e).html
https://doi.org/10.1086/683259
genre Common Murre
Uria aalge
uria
genre_facet Common Murre
Uria aalge
uria
op_source Benowitz-Fredericks , Z M , Schultner , J & Kitaysky , A S 2015 , ' Effects of prenatal environment on phenotype are revealed by postnatal challenges : embryonic hormone exposure, adrenocortical function, and food in seabird chicks ' , Physiological and Biochemical Zoology , vol. 88 , no. 6 , pp. 607-623 . https://doi.org/10.1086/683259
op_rights info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1086/683259
container_title Physiological and Biochemical Zoology
container_volume 88
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