A simple biochemical plasma test as an indicator of maternal energy balance predicts offspring survival in bighorn sheep
A simple biochemical plasma test as an indicator of maternal energy balance predicts offspring survival in bighorn sheep
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DOI：
10.3389/fevo.2023.1106635
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发表时间：
2023-05
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通讯作者：
Connor Laliberte;Anne Devan‐Song;J. Burco;Claire E. Couch;Morgan F. Gentzkow;Robert S. Spaan;C. Epps;B. Beechler
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作者：
Connor Laliberte;Anne Devan‐Song;J. Burco;Claire E. Couch;Morgan F. Gentzkow;Robert S. Spaan;C. Epps;B. Beechler
在物种的后代生存是高度可变的相对于成年人的生存，如大角羊（Ovis canadensis），产妇投资的生理指标可以澄清的功能机制的生活史权衡，并作为重要的预测人口动态。从管理的角度来看，简单的预测青少年生存测量非致命的母亲样本可以帮助识别风险人口或个人之前，发生重大死亡。血液生化参数可以提供低成本的见解，动物的健康和生理，因此，我们试图开发一个简单的生物化学预测的基础上母体血液样本的青少年生存。我们在1月或2月的一个时间点测量成年大角羊能量平衡的生化指标，然后监测同年8月的存活率，以评估这些指标与成年个体及其幼年后代的存活率之间的关系。在随后的春季和夏季，当母体成年血清β-羟基丁酸（β-HBA）浓度较高时，幼仔存活率较低，表明母体中存在负能量平衡。然而，血清β-HBA与同期成人生存率无关。我们的研究结果表明，即使母亲的身体状况很高，短期的热量不足可能是足够的触发器，以减少对后代生存的投资。这种机制可以保护成年雌性在资源过于有限而无法支持人口增长时，不对少年生存进行大量投资。本研究表明，β-HBA可作为资源有限条件下大角羊及其他受威胁反刍动物种群的有力监测工具。
In species where offspring survival is highly variable relative to adult survival, such as bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), physiological indicators of maternal investment could clarify the functional mechanisms of life history trade-offs and serve as important predictors of population dynamics. From a management perspective, simple predictors of juvenile survival measured non-lethally from maternal samples could aid in identifying at-risk populations or individuals before significant mortality occurs. Blood biochemical parameters can offer low-cost insights into animal health and physiology, therefore we sought to develop a simple biochemical predictor of juvenile survival based on maternal blood samples. We measured biochemical indicators of energy balance in adult bighorn sheep at a single time point in January or February, and then monitored survival through August of the same year to assess how those measures related to survival of individual adults and their juvenile offspring. Juvenile survival was lower over the subsequent spring and summer when maternal adult serum beta-hydroxybutyric acid (β-HBA) concentration was high, indicating a negative energy balance in the mothers. However, serum β-HBA did not correlate with adult survival over the same period. Our findings suggest that even when maternal body condition is high, short-term caloric deficit may be sufficient trigger to decrease investment in offspring survival. This mechanism could protect adult females from investing heavily in juvenile survival when resources become too limited to support population growth. Our study suggests that β-HBA could be a powerful monitoring tool for bighorn sheep and other threatened ruminant populations under resource limitation.