Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross
International audience Although several studies have described age-speciWc pattern of breeding performance, physiological and endocrine mechanisms underlying the variation in reproductive success in relation to age are poorly understood. We described baseline levels of: (1) corticosterone, which can...
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ftunivnantes:oai:HAL:hal-00182549v1 2023-05-15T16:00:55+02:00 Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross Angelier, Frédéric Shaffer, Scott A. Weimerskirch, Henri Chastel, Olivier Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (DEEB) University of California Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) University of California (UC)-University of California (UC) 2006-04-17 https://hal.science/hal-00182549 en eng HAL CCSD Elsevier hal-00182549 https://hal.science/hal-00182549 ISSN: 0016-6480 EISSN: 1095-6840 General and Comparative Endocrinology https://hal.science/hal-00182549 General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2006, 149, pp.1-9 Age Breeding experience Senescence Parental expenditure Corticosterone Prolactin Long-lived bird Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2006 ftunivnantes 2023-02-08T08:32:39Z International audience Although several studies have described age-speciWc pattern of breeding performance, physiological and endocrine mechanisms underlying the variation in reproductive success in relation to age are poorly understood. We described baseline levels of: (1) corticosterone, which can trigger nest desertion when secreted at high levels, and (2) prolactin, a hormone known to trigger parental behaviour in incubating known-aged (7–39 years old) wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans). In this long-lived species, reproductive performance increases with age and breeding experience before it stabilizes in middle-aged individuals and declines in senescent individuals. We found that breeding experience was a much better statistical predictor of hormone levels than age. Baseline corticosterone levels slightly increased with advancing experience and reached maximal levels about the sixth breeding attempt. Similarly, prolactin levels were positively correlated with breeding experience in males. No such relationship was found in females, but Wrst-time breeding females had lower prolactin levels than experienced females. This parallel increases in hormonal levels with advancing experience could result from improvements of skills, development of an endocrine system adapted to energetic constraints of reproduction or may mirror a higher investment in reproduction. Corticosterone levels decreased in senescent birds, but such a decline was not observed for prolactin. Low corticosterone levels in senescent birds could be associated with a lower ability to secrete/sustain elevated corticosterone levels or with a decreased parental expenditure. Article in Journal/Newspaper Diomedea exulans Wandering Albatross Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnantes |
language |
English |
topic |
Age Breeding experience Senescence Parental expenditure Corticosterone Prolactin Long-lived bird Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
spellingShingle |
Age Breeding experience Senescence Parental expenditure Corticosterone Prolactin Long-lived bird Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes Angelier, Frédéric Shaffer, Scott A. Weimerskirch, Henri Chastel, Olivier Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
topic_facet |
Age Breeding experience Senescence Parental expenditure Corticosterone Prolactin Long-lived bird Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes |
description |
International audience Although several studies have described age-speciWc pattern of breeding performance, physiological and endocrine mechanisms underlying the variation in reproductive success in relation to age are poorly understood. We described baseline levels of: (1) corticosterone, which can trigger nest desertion when secreted at high levels, and (2) prolactin, a hormone known to trigger parental behaviour in incubating known-aged (7–39 years old) wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans). In this long-lived species, reproductive performance increases with age and breeding experience before it stabilizes in middle-aged individuals and declines in senescent individuals. We found that breeding experience was a much better statistical predictor of hormone levels than age. Baseline corticosterone levels slightly increased with advancing experience and reached maximal levels about the sixth breeding attempt. Similarly, prolactin levels were positively correlated with breeding experience in males. No such relationship was found in females, but Wrst-time breeding females had lower prolactin levels than experienced females. This parallel increases in hormonal levels with advancing experience could result from improvements of skills, development of an endocrine system adapted to energetic constraints of reproduction or may mirror a higher investment in reproduction. Corticosterone levels decreased in senescent birds, but such a decline was not observed for prolactin. Low corticosterone levels in senescent birds could be associated with a lower ability to secrete/sustain elevated corticosterone levels or with a decreased parental expenditure. |
author2 |
Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (DEEB) University of California Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) University of California (UC)-University of California (UC) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Angelier, Frédéric Shaffer, Scott A. Weimerskirch, Henri Chastel, Olivier |
author_facet |
Angelier, Frédéric Shaffer, Scott A. Weimerskirch, Henri Chastel, Olivier |
author_sort |
Angelier, Frédéric |
title |
Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
title_short |
Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
title_full |
Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
title_fullStr |
Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: The wandering albatross |
title_sort |
effect of age, breeding experience and senescence on corticosterone and prolactin levels in a long-lived seabird: the wandering albatross |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-00182549 |
genre |
Diomedea exulans Wandering Albatross |
genre_facet |
Diomedea exulans Wandering Albatross |
op_source |
ISSN: 0016-6480 EISSN: 1095-6840 General and Comparative Endocrinology https://hal.science/hal-00182549 General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2006, 149, pp.1-9 |
op_relation |
hal-00182549 https://hal.science/hal-00182549 |
_version_ |
1766396923675148288 |