Data from: Prenatal acoustic communication programs offspring for high post-hatching temperatures in a songbird

In many species, embryos can perceive and learn external sounds. Yet, the possibility that parents may use these embryonic capacities to alter their offspring’s developmental trajectories has not been considered. Here, we demonstrate that zebra finch parents acoustically signal high ambient temperatures (above 26°C) to their embryos. We show that exposure of embryos to these acoustic cues alone adaptively alters subsequent nestling begging and growth in response to nest temperature and influences individuals’ reproductive success and thermal preferences as adults. These findings have implications for our understanding of maternal effects, phenotypic plasticity, developmental programming, and the adaptation of endothermic species to a warming world.在众多物种中，胚胎能够感知并学习外界声响。然而，学界尚未考虑过亲本或许可利用胚胎的这类感知学习能力，以改变子代的发育轨迹这一可能性。本研究证实，斑胸草雀（zebra finch）的亲本可通过声学信号向胚胎传递环境高温（高于26℃）的信息。研究表明，仅让胚胎接触这类声学信号，即可使其后续的雏鸟乞食行为与生长模式随巢温变化产生适应性调整，并影响个体成年后的繁殖成功率与热偏好。本研究结果有助于深化我们对母体效应、表型可塑性、发育编程以及内温物种适应气候变暖世界的理解。