Natural variation in yolk fatty acids, but not androgens, predicts offspring fitness in a wild bird.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In egg-laying animals, mothers can influence the developmental environment and thus the phenotype of their offspring by secreting various substances into the egg yolk. In birds, recent studies have demonstrated that different yolk substances can interactively affect offspring phenotype, but the implications of such effects for offspring fitness and phenotype in natural populations have remained unclear. We measured natural variation in the content of 31 yolk components known to shape offspring phenotypes including steroid hormones, antioxidants and fatty acids in eggs of free-living great tits (Parus major) during two breeding seasons. We tested for relationships between yolk component groupings and offspring fitness and phenotypes.

Results

Variation in hatchling

SUBMITTER: Mentesana L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8340462 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature