Dataset Information

Diet quality and resource allocation in the zebra finch.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the effect of diet quality on resource allocation in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) by providing females with a high-quality (HQ) or low-quality (LQ) diet for six weeks prior to pairing, and continuing these diets during egg laying and chick rearing. Diet treatments were then reversed and the experiment repeated. When females laid on the HQ diet, egg mass increased with laying order, but the reverse was true on the LQ diet. Females laid significantly more male eggs on the LQ diet compared with on the HQ diet. In addition, female eggs were more frequent at the end of the clutch when on the HQ diet and at the beginning of the clutch when on the LQ diet. These differences in the primary sex ratio are in line with predictions from sex allocation theory, since in this species females are more vulnerable to nutritional stress than males.

SUBMITTER: Rutstein AN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1810080 | biostudies-other | 2004 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Publications

Diet quality and resource allocation in the zebra finch.

Rutstein A N AN Slater P J B PJ Graves J A JA

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20040801

We investigated the effect of diet quality on resource allocation in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) by providing females with a high-quality (HQ) or low-quality (LQ) diet for six weeks prior to pairing, and continuing these diets during egg laying and chick rearing. Diet treatments were then reversed and the experiment repeated. When females laid on the HQ diet, egg mass increased with laying order, but the reverse was true on the LQ diet. Females laid significantly more male eggs on the LQ ...[more]

PMID: 15503996

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Project description:Like human speech, birdsong is a complex vocal behavior that is acquired by sensorimotor learning based on coordination of auditory input and vocal output to mimic memorized tutor song. Here we investigate neural circuits for vocal learning and production in deafened songbirds to elucidate how sensory-input regulate genetic and epigenetic property of vocal development and its associated gene expression dynamics. Compared with audition-intact birds, in deafened zebra finches, the vocal development is delayed but song crystallization is observed at more than three times later, producing individually different but structured vocal patterns. In contrast to the distinct difference of vocal ontogeny between audition (+) and (-), unexpectedly, developmental regulation of gene expression dynamics is strictly conserved with age-locked trend in vocal motor circuit in both intact and deafened birds, indicating sensory-input independent robustness of developmental gene expression dynamics in the motor circuit for sensorimotor learning. This discrepancy between outward vocal phenotype and inward gene expression dynamics provides new insight into neural regulation at closing of the critical period for vocal learning by two different forms: auditory inputs-dependent M-bM-^@M-^XactiveM-bM-^@M-^Y crystallization and gene expression dynamics-mediated M-bM-^@M-^XpassiveM-bM-^@M-^Y crystallization. We collected brain samples from intact and early-deafened birds (deafened at day-post hatch 17-23) under silent and dark condition. Song nuclei in vocal motor circuit, HVC and RA tissue samples (juvenile; n = 3, young; n = 3, old; n = 3 of intact and early-deafened birds for HVC and RA) were laser-microdissected from total 24 birds (intact; n = 12, early-deafened; n = 12). Each sample was hybridized to a single array, totaling 36 arrays. Birds were selected per slide such that early-deafened birds were paired with intact birds. To minimize possible interslide bias or batch effects, intact and early-deafened bird samples matching with brain area and age conditions were hybridized side by side on same array glass.

Dataset Information

Diet quality and resource allocation in the zebra finch.

Publications

Diet quality and resource allocation in the zebra finch.

Similar Datasets

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