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Long-lasting effects of yolk androgens on phenotype in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

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Abstract

The hormonal environment during early development, such as maternally derived androgens in bird eggs, shapes the development of the offspring in ways that may have important long-term consequences for phenotype and behavior and, ultimately, fitness. We studied the long-term effects of yolk androgens on several phenotypic and physiological traits in male and female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) by experimentally elevating yolk androgen levels and rearing birds in common-garden environment in captivity. We found that high yolk androgen levels increased the basal metabolic rates in both females and males in adulthood. High yolk androgen levels did not affect male melanin coloration or plumage ornaments, or timing or speed of moult in either sex. No effect of androgen treatment on cell-mediated or humoral immune response was found in either sex. Covariation among the measured phenotypic traits was further not altered by androgen treatment. Our results suggest that exposure to high androgen levels can have long-lasting effects on some offspring traits, but do not seem to lead to different phenotypes. Furthermore, the role of yolk androgens affecting sexually selected male traits in our study species seems to be minor. The fitness consequences of yolk androgen-induced higher metabolic rates remain to be studied.

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Acknowledgments

We want to thank all field assistants and the staff at the Botanical Garden of University of Turku for their help in taking care of the captive birds. We further thank Anssi Lipponen for conducting the immune assays. This study was financially supported by Finnish Cultural Foundation (grant to S.R.) and Emil Aaltonen Foundation (grant to T.L.).

Ethical standards

The rearing of the birds in captivity and all experiments were conducted under license from the Animal Experiment Committee of the State Provincial Office of Southern Finland (license number ESLH-2008-03693) and the Environmental Center of Southwestern Finland (license number LOS-2007-L-264-254). All experiments comply with the current laws of Finland.

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  1. Suvi Ruuskanen

    Present address: Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Suvi Ruuskanen, Esa Lehikoinen & Toni Laaksonen

  2. Division of Genetics and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Mikko Nikinmaa & Wolfgang Waser

  3. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Heli Siitari

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  1. Suvi Ruuskanen
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Correspondence to Suvi Ruuskanen.

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Communicated by J. A. Graves

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Ruuskanen, S., Lehikoinen, E., Nikinmaa, M. et al. Long-lasting effects of yolk androgens on phenotype in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67, 361–372 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1456-7

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