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271 results for “zebra”

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Egg size is unrelated to ambient temperature in the opportunistically breeding zebra finch

In many birds, there is significant variation in egg size both across and within clutches that remains to be explained. Birds lay one egg per day and in hot climates, the first laid eggs may start to develop before the laying of the rest of the clutch is complete, through warming by the ambient air temperature. Here, we test the hypothesis that in hot conditions, skews in egg size across the laying sequence may be more pronounced, as females use egg size to compensate for hatching asynchrony, providing a higher level of provisioning to the later laid eggs that would hatch later due to ambient incubation. We have focused on the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a species that typically breeds over an extended period of the year, and therefore across a particularly wide range of ambient temperatures. We characterised the variation in egg size using data from over 700 clutches, including historical specimens, a wild population, and both domesticated and wild birds breeding in captivity, in addition to clutches produced experimentally in controlled-temperature rooms. Here, we document significant variation in egg size between and within clutches, with eggs increasing in size over the laying order, with both maternal identity and population differences playing an important role (domesticated birds laid eggs that were much larger than their wild counterparts). However, we found no support for the idea that variation in egg size either within a clutch, and across clutches and populations, is related to variation in ambient temperature, despite the large range of thermal environments experienced during laying. In conclusion, whilst egg size is clearly a labile characteristic there is no evidence this is flexibly adjusted to local ambient temperatures before and during laying.

opencc-zeroJan 2020View details →

dryad36/100

Dynamic changes in DNA methylation during postnatal development in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) exposed to different temperatures

Epigenetic changes associated with early life conditions are known to play a significant role in shaping the adult phenotype. Studies of DNA methylation in wild animals are lacking, yet are important for understanding the fitness consequences of environmentally induced epigenetic change. In our study, we quantified variation in DNA methylation in wild, post-hatch zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata developing at seasonally variable temperatures in the Australian desert. We also compared variation in DNA methylation among captive zebra finch siblings raised in temperature controlled 'hot' or 'cool' rooms. We detected an increase in genome-wide levels of DNA methylation between day 3 and day 11 of post hatch development in wild zebra finches. In the wild, ambient temperatures were also found to affect genome-wide levels of DNA methylation and plasticity in the methylation state of individual loci. Family effects had a significant influence on DNA methylation throughout our study, and while we did not detect an effect of temperature on DNA methylation levels in non-related captive birds, our sibling pair analyses revealed that within families, elevated temperatures were associated with higher levels of DNA methylation. Our findings suggest a wide window in early development during which climatically induced variation in DNA methylation could occur. Further work is necessary to understand the potential for such variation to promote ecologically relevant variation in wild birds.

opencc-zeroFeb 2020View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Variable ambient temperature promotes song learning and production in zebra finches

This data set contains the data used in the analysis of the article titled: Variable ambient temperature promotes song learning and production in zebra finches.

opencc-zeroFeb 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Mitochondrial function declines with age within individuals but is not linked to the pattern of growth or mortality risk in zebra finch

Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered a highly conserved hallmark of ageing. However, most studies in both model and non-model organisms are cross-sectional in design; therefore, little is known, at the individual level, on how mitochondrial function changes with age, its link to early developmental conditions or its relationship with survival. Here we manipulated the postnatal growth in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) via dietary modification that induced accelerated growth without changing adult body size. In the same individuals, we examined blood cells mitochondrial functioning (mainly erythrocytes) when they were young (ca 36 weeks) and again in mid-aged (ca 91 weeks) adulthood. Mitochondrial function was strongly influenced by age but not by postnatal growth conditions. Across all groups, within individual ROUTINE respiration, OXPHOS and OXPHOS coupling efficiency significantly declined with age, while LEAK respiration increased. However, we found no link between mitochondrial function and the probability of survival into relatively old age (ca 4 years). Our results suggests that the association between accelerated growth and reduced longevity, evident in this as in other species, is not attributable to age-related changes in any of the measured mitochondrial function traits.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Physiological constraints and cognitive chunking in Zebra Finch songs: Data and R script

Learned bird songs often have a hierarchical organization. In the case of zebra finches, each bird's song is made up of a string of notes delivered in a stereotyped sequence to form a "motif", and motifs are repeated to form a song bout. During song learning, young males copy "chunks" of two or more consecutive notes from their tutors' songs. These chunks are represented as distinct units within memory (during learning) and within motor systems (during song production). During song performance, motifs may deviate from the learned sequence by stopping short, starting late, or by skipping, inserting or repeating notes. We measured acoustic and temporal variables related to the respiratory and vocal physiology of song production and asked how they related to deviations from each bird's "canonical" sequence. The best predictor of deviations from that sequence was the duration of the silent interval between notes, when inspiration normally occurs. Deviations from the canonical motif occurred less often after higher-pitched notes, perhaps because a high-low sequence forms a prosodic unit. Premature stops often followed louder and longer notes, suggesting that respiratory and muscular physiology influence the location of such stops. Boundaries between the learned chunks of a male's motif predicted where and how often non-canonical starts occurred. Physiological and cognitive elements also interacted to define the segmentation of zebra finch song sequences. Long silent intervals between notes were associated both with physiology (inspirations) and with the cognitive boundaries of learned chunks – and hence with deviations from the canonical motif.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Reduced parental brood visit rate in wild zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) is correlated with high maximum daily ambient temperature

As a result of a warming global climate, understanding how organisms adjust their behaviour to environmental thermal conditions has become an increasingly important question in animal biology. Temperature-driven adjustments in parental care are potentially important given the repercussions on offspring size, quality and survival. In 2015 and 2016, we monitored 83 zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) breeding attempts in the wild. We recorded the frequency of parental visits to the nest together with mean maximum ambient temperature experienced between day 7 and 14 of the nestling period. We found that for each increase of 1 °C in the daytime temperature there was a 0.91% reduction in the hourly rate of parental visits, whilst also accounting for other variables such as nestling age, time of season, and wind speed. Our data suggest that nestlings may receive less food under thermally challenging conditions, which is consistent with recent studies that demonstrate offspring are smaller when reared during periods of high temperature. Understanding the behavioural drivers that may contribute to the production of smaller offspring in extreme heat conditions could prove useful to forecast long-term consequences for fitness triggered by climate change.

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

dryad36/100