Compensating for a stressful pregnancy? Glucocorticoid treatment during gravidity reduces metabolic rate in female fence lizards post-parturition.

Autor: MacLeod KJ; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund 223 62, Sweden. Electronic address: kirsty.macleod@biol.lu.se., Langkilde T; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA., Heppner JJ; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA., Howey CAF; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, University of Scranton, Loyola Science Center, Scranton, PA 18510, USA., Sprayberry K; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA., Tylan C; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA., Sheriff MJ; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Hormones and behavior [Horm Behav] 2021 Nov; Vol. 136, pp. 105072. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Oct 07.
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105072
Abstrakt: Reproduction is a critical part of an animal's life history, but one which incurs significant costs to survival and future reproductive potential. These physiological consequences are likely to be influenced by context - for example, if an individual is subject to environmental stressors, physiological and behavioral changes associated with reproduction may be altered. Glucocorticoids, hormones produced as part of the physiological response to stressors, may alter how reproduction affects female physiology and behavior, and therefore the outcomes of reproductive trade-offs. Glucocorticoids prioritize immediate survival over reproduction, for example through changes in immune function, metabolic rate, and foraging, which may reduce energy expenditure or increase energy gain. However, we previously found that female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) experiencing elevated glucocorticoid levels during gestation were nevertheless able to maintain reproductive output and body condition. Here we investigate compensatory mechanisms by which eastern fence lizard females may maintain reproduction under experimental increases in a glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT). We found that, although CORT-treated females had similar immune function and behavior, they had reduced metabolic rates 3-5 days post-parturition compared to control females. Given that CORT-treated females spent a similar time basking and had equal food intake compared to control females, we suggest that the reduced metabolic rate is a mechanism by which CORT-treated females maintain their energy balance and reduce the energetic costs of gestation during periods of stress. This study suggests that physiological responses to reproduction may be context-dependent and could act to minimize costs of reproduction in situations where CORT is elevated (such as during periods of environmental stress).
(Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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