Maternal hormones can shape offspring development and increase survival when predation risk is elevated. In songbirds, yolk androgens influence offspring growth and begging behaviors which can help mitigate offspring predation risk in the nest. Other steroids may also be important for responding to nest predation risk, but non-androgen steroids have been poorly studied. We used a nest predator playback experiment and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) to assess whether nest predation risk influences deposition of 10 yolk steroids. We found no clear evidence that yolk androgen deposition changed when perception of nest predation risk was experimentally increased. However, elevated nest predation risk led to decreased yolk progesterone deposition. Overall, our results suggest yolk progesterone may be more important than yolk androgens in responses to offspring predation risk and highlight new avenues for research.
Nest predation risk and deposition of yolk steroids in a cavity nesting songbird: an experimental test
Present address: Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, MRC 5503, Washington D.C. 20013-7012, USA
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): National Science Foundation
- Award Id(s): DEB-1350107
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- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Montana Institute on Ecosystems
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- Funder(s): American Ornithologists' Union
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- Funder(s): University of Arizona
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): University of Montana
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Currently Viewing Accepted Manuscript - Newer Version Available
James C. Mouton, Renée A. Duckworth, Ryan T. Paitz, Thomas E. Martin; Nest predation risk and deposition of yolk steroids in a cavity nesting songbird: an experimental test. J Exp Biol 2022; jeb.243047. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243047
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