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The oxidative costs of reproduction are group-size dependent in a wild cooperative breeder.
Cram, Dominic L; Blount, Jonathan D; Young, Andrew J.
Afiliação
  • Cram DL; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK dom.cram@gmail.com.
  • Blount JD; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
  • Young AJ; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK a.j.young@exeter.ac.uk.
Proc Biol Sci ; 282(1819)2015 Nov 22.
Article em En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26582023
ABSTRACT
Life-history theory assumes that reproduction entails a cost, and research on cooperatively breeding societies suggests that the cooperative sharing of workloads can reduce this cost. However, the physiological mechanisms that underpin both the costs of reproduction and the benefits of cooperation remain poorly understood. It has been hypothesized that reproductive costs may arise in part from oxidative stress, as reproductive investment may elevate exposure to reactive oxygen species, compromising survival and future reproduction and accelerating senescence. However, experimental evidence of oxidative costs of reproduction in the wild remains scarce. Here, we use a clutch-removal experiment to investigate the oxidative costs of reproduction in a wild cooperatively breeding bird, the white-browed sparrow weaver, Plocepasser mahali. Our results reveal costs of reproduction that are dependent on group size relative to individuals in groups whose eggs were experimentally removed, individuals in groups that raised offspring experienced an associated cost (elevated oxidative damage and reduced body mass), but only if they were in small groups containing fewer or no helpers. Furthermore, during nestling provisioning, individuals that provisioned at higher rates showed greater within-individual declines in body mass and antioxidant protection. Our results provide rare experimental evidence that reproduction can negatively impact both oxidative status and body mass in the wild, and suggest that these costs can be mitigated in cooperative societies by the presence of additional helpers. These findings have implications for our understanding of the energetic and oxidative costs of reproduction, and the benefits of cooperation in animal societies.
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Texto completo: 1 Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Reprodução / Peso Corporal / Estresse Oxidativo / Pardais Tipo de estudo: Health_economic_evaluation Limite: Animals País como assunto: Africa Idioma: En Ano de publicação: 2015 Tipo de documento: Article

Texto completo: 1 Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Reprodução / Peso Corporal / Estresse Oxidativo / Pardais Tipo de estudo: Health_economic_evaluation Limite: Animals País como assunto: Africa Idioma: En Ano de publicação: 2015 Tipo de documento: Article