Plasticity in metabolism of maternal androgens in avian embryos.

ABSTRACT: Mothers can influence offspring phenotypes by transferring non-genetic information to the young, which provides them with a flexible tool to adjust the developmental trajectory of the young in fluctuating environments. Mothers can differentially deposit their resources in the same reproductive attempt in relation to the offspring position in the sibling hierarchy. However, whether embryos from different positions can be plastic in their response to the maternal signals, potentially leading to a mother-offspring conflict, is yet unclear. We used Rock pigeons (Columba livia), that lay two egg clutches where maternal androgen levels in second laid eggs at oviposition are higher than in first laid eggs, and investigated the plasticity of embryonic metabolism of maternal androgens. We experimen

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10195863 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature