Neonatal nutrition, adult antioxidant defences and sexual attractiveness in the zebra finch.
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Version: author
Serval ID
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Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Neonatal nutrition, adult antioxidant defences and sexual attractiveness in the zebra finch.
Journal
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
ISSN
0962-8452
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2003
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
270
Number
1525
Pages
1691-1696
Language
english
Abstract
Early nutrition has recently been shown to have pervasive, downstream effects on adult life-history parameters including lifespan, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Damage to biomolecules caused by oxidants, such as free radicals generated during metabolic processes, is widely recognized as a key contributor to somatic degeneration and the rate of ageing. Lipophilic antioxidants (carotenoids, vitamins A and E) are an important component of vertebrate defences against such damage. By using an avian model, we show here that independent of later nutrition, individuals experiencing a short period of low-quality nutrition during the nestling period had a twofold reduction in plasma levels of these antioxidants at adulthood. We found no effects on adult external morphology or sexual attractiveness: in mate-choice trials females did not discriminate between adult males that had received standard- or lower-quality diet as neonates. Our results suggest low-quality neonatal nutrition resulted in a long-term impairment in the capacity to assimilate dietary antioxidants, thereby setting up a need to trade off the requirement for antioxidant activity against the need to maintain morphological development and sexual attractiveness. Such state-dependent trade-offs could underpin the link between early nutrition and senescence.
Keywords
Animals, Antioxidants/metabolism, Body Weights and Measures, Female, Male, Nutritional Status/physiology, Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology, Songbirds/metabolism, Songbirds/physiology
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
19/11/2007 11:26
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:59