10.5061/DRYAD.CT121
Crino, Ondi L.
Macquarie University
Prather, Colin T.
University of Montana
Driscoll, Stephanie C.
University of Montana
Good, Jeffrey M.
University of Montana
Breuner, Creagh W.
University of Montana
Data from: Developmental stress increases reproductive success in male
zebra finches
Dryad
dataset
2014
developmental stress
alternative reproductive tactic
Reproductive success
2014-09-04T18:40:32Z
2014-09-04T18:40:32Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1266
26511 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
There is increasing evidence that exposure to stress during development
can have sustained effects on animal phenotype and performance across
life-history stages. For example, developmental stress has been shown to
decrease the quality of sexually selected traits (e.g. bird song), and
therefore is thought to decrease reproductive success. However, animals
exposed to developmental stress may compensate for poor quality sexually
selected traits by pursuing alternative reproductive tactics. Here, we
examine the effects of developmental stress on adult male reproductive
investment and success in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). We tested
the hypothesis that males exposed to developmental stress sire fewer
offspring through extra-pair copulations (EPCs), but invest more in
parental care. To test this hypothesis, we fed nestlings corticosterone
(CORT; the dominant avian stress hormone) during the nestling period and
measured their adult reproductive success using common garden breeding
experiments. We found that nestlings reared by CORT-fed fathers received
more parental care compared with nestlings reared by control fathers.
Consequently, males fed CORT during development reared nestlings in better
condition compared with control males. Contrary to the prediction that
developmental stress decreases male reproductive success, we found that
CORT-fed males also sired more offspring and were less likely to rear
non-genetic offspring compared with control males, and thus had greater
overall reproductive success. These data are the first to demonstrate that
developmental stress can have a positive effect on fitness via changes in
reproductive success and provide support for an adaptive role of
developmental stress in shaping animal phenotype.
Dryad data