A simple biochemical plasma test as an indicator of maternal energy balance predicts offspring survival in bighorn sheep

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Ecology and Evolution

Morgan F. Gentzkow¹  Brianna R. Beechler¹  Connor Laliberte¹  Robert S. Spaan²  Claire E. Couch³  Clinton W. Epps³  Anne Devan-Song⁴  Julia D. Burco⁵ 

[1] Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR, United States;Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR, United States;Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States;Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States;Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States;Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Health and Population Lab, Corvallis, OR, United States;

关键词: bighorn sheep;    energy balance;    maternal effects;    body condition;    wildlife health monitoring;    plasma biochemistry profile;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fevo.2023.1106635

 received in 2022-11-24, accepted in 2023-04-25,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Laliberte, Devan-Song, Burco, Couch, Gentzkow, Spaan, Epps and Beechler.