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Yolk androgens reduce offspring survival.

K W Sockman1, H Schwabl

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-4236, USA. ksockman@wsu.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|September 13, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Parental favoritism in American kestrels involves yolk hormones. Injecting testosterone and androstenedione into early eggs harmed nestling growth and survival, unlike in canaries.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive endocrinology
  • Avian biology
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Differential hormone deposition in eggs can influence offspring development.
  • Yolk androgens, like testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A4), vary across clutch-laying sequences in American kestrels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of yolk androgens (T and A4) on American kestrel nestling fitness.
  • To compare the impact of experimentally elevated yolk androgens in early-laid eggs with control groups.

Main Methods:

  • First-laid eggs of American kestrels were injected with T and A4, or a vehicle control.
  • Hatching time, nestling growth, and survival rates were monitored and compared between treatment and control groups.

Main Results:

  • Injection of T and A4 into first-laid eggs delayed hatching.
  • Nestling growth and survival rates were reduced in eggs treated with yolk androgens compared to controls.
  • Yolk androgen treatment of early eggs did not affect the survival of later-hatched siblings.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated yolk androgens in early-laid American kestrel eggs have detrimental effects on nestling fitness, contrasting with findings in other species.
  • The role of yolk androgen deposition as parental favoritism or an endocrine byproduct requires further investigation.
  • Transgenerational effects of steroid hormones may play a role in the evolution of reproductive hormonal mechanisms.

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