Giordano M, Costantini D, Tschirren B
Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland,
Oecologia. 2015 Jan;177(1):123-31. doi: 10.1007/s00442-014-3100-x. Epub 2014 Nov 7.
The early life period is characterized by fast growth and development, which can lead to high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Young animals thus have to balance their investment in growth versus ROS defence, and this balance is likely mediated by resource availability. Consequently resources transferred prenatally by the mother and nutritional conditions experienced shortly after birth may crucially determine the oxidative status of young animals. Here, we experimentally investigated the relative importance of pre- and early postnatal nutritional conditions on the oxidative status of great tit nestlings (Parus major). We show that resources transferred by the mother through the egg and nutritional conditions encountered after hatching affect the oxidative status of nestling in a sex-specific way. Daughters of non-supplemented mothers and daughters which did not receive extra food during the early postnatal period had higher oxidative damage than sons, while no differences between sons and daughters were found when extra food was provided pre- or postnatally. No effect of the food supplementations on growth, fledging mass or tarsus length was observed, indicating that female nestlings maintained their investment in growth at the expense of ROS defence mechanisms when resources were limited. The lower priority of the antioxidant defence system for female nestlings was also evidenced by lower levels of specific antioxidant components. These results highlight the important role of early parental effects in shaping oxidative stress in the offspring, and show that the sensitivity to these parental effects is sex-specific.
生命早期阶段的特点是快速生长和发育，这可能导致高活性氧（ROS）产生。因此，幼小动物必须在生长投资与ROS防御之间取得平衡，而这种平衡可能由资源可用性介导。因此，母亲产前转移的资源和出生后不久经历的营养状况可能会关键地决定幼小动物的氧化状态。在这里，我们通过实验研究了产前和产后早期营养状况对大山雀雏鸟（Parus major）氧化状态的相对重要性。我们表明，母亲通过卵转移的资源和孵化后遇到的营养状况以性别特异性方式影响雏鸟的氧化状态。未补充营养的母亲的女儿以及产后早期未获得额外食物的女儿比儿子有更高的氧化损伤，而在产前或产后提供额外食物时，儿子和女儿之间没有发现差异。未观察到食物补充对生长、离巢体重或跗骨长度有影响，这表明当资源有限时，雌性雏鸟以ROS防御机制为代价维持其生长投资。雌性雏鸟抗氧化防御系统的较低优先级也通过特定抗氧化成分的较低水平得到证明。这些结果突出了早期亲代效应在塑造后代氧化应激中的重要作用，并表明对这些亲代效应的敏感性是性别特异性的。
