DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Oxidative stress and trade-offs in the cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

氧化损伤是由于生物体不能处理代谢副产物中形成的活性氧物种(ROS)造成的。各种生物分子的损伤与细胞衰老、衰老和衰弱疾病有关。这项研究将首次在自由生活的长寿鸟类模型中解决氧化损伤的多个方面对健康相关措施的影响。目前从这项研究中开发的框架可能对医学界很重要，因为鸟类越来越被认为是评估人类对抗氧化损伤、衰老和相关疾病的适应能力的可行模式。佛罗里达灌木鸟将被用来评估氧化损伤的积累是否会对生殖决定和产量以及健康产生负面影响。雏鸟和成年鸟都将补充抗氧化剂，以中和ROS。因此，接受抗氧化剂的鸟类预计会表现出更高的繁殖力和存活率。佛罗里达灌木鸟是联邦濒危物种，因此，这项研究的结果可以广泛应用于帮助保护该物种和其他受威胁物种，为补充抗氧化剂饮食的最佳管理实践提供重要线索。此外，通过与阿奇博尔德生物站(ABS)的合作，这项研究将把科学进步与教育机会结合起来。ABS是一家密切参与环境教育的生态研究机构。这项研究将发表在备受瞩目的期刊上，并在科学和非专业会议上发表。它还将通过与ABS的访问者的互动非正式地分享，正式的分享方式包括车站的S实习计划和ABS生态教育计划。前者每年吸引数十名本科生和研究生来该站进行独立项目的工作，后者每年接待近3000名3-5年级的小学生。

Oxidative damage results from the inability of an organism to cope with reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are formed as byproducts of metabolism. Damage to various classes of biomolecules has been implicated in cellular senescence, aging and debilitating diseases. This research will be the first to address the effects of multiple aspects of oxidative damage on fitness-related measures in a free-living long-lived avian model. The framework currently being developed from this research may be of importance to the medical community as birds are increasingly being recognized as viable models to assess adaptations to combat oxidative damage, senescence, and associated diseases in humans. Florida Scrub-Jays will be used to assess whether the accumulation of oxidative damage negatively affects reproductive decisions and output, as well as fitness. Both nestling and adult birds will be supplemented with antioxidants which neutralize ROS. Thus, birds that receive antioxidants are predicted to demonstrate higher reproduction and survivorship. Florida Scrub-Jays are a federally threatened species and therefore, the results of this research may be applied broadly to assist in the conservation of this, and other threatened species by providing important clues as to the best management practices with regard to supplemental antioxidant diets. Additionally, through collaboration with Archbold Biological Station (ABS), an ecological research facility intimately involved in environmental education, this research will integrate scientific advancement with educational opportunities. This research will be published in high profile journals and presented at scientific and lay meetings. It will also be shared informally through interactions with visitors to ABS, and formally both through the station?s internship program which brings several dozen undergraduate and graduate students to the station to work on independent projects each year and the ABS ecology education program which hosts nearly 3,000 3rd-5th grade schoolchildren every year.