Elevated oxidative stress in pied flycatcher nestlings of eumelanic foster fathers under low rearing temperatures

Striking variation in melanin coloration within natural populations is likely due to the different fitness outcomes of alternative phenotypes in varying environmental conditions. There are two types of melanins. Eumelanins yield blackish hues, while pheomelanins yield reddish hues. The production of eumelanins requires low levels of glutathione (GSH), which is the most important intracellular antioxidant, while the production of pheomelanins requires high levels of GSH. We investigated the oxidative status of male pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) with different degrees of melanin coloration under different temperatures during the nestling period. Moreover, we assessed the oxidative status of offspring in relation to their biological or foster father's melanin coloration and ambient temperature. To separate offspring genotype effects and paternal effects in different temperatures, we used a partial cross-foster design. The temperature differently affected the oxidative status of dif...

自然种群内黑色素着色的显著变异，大概率源于不同环境条件下，不同表型所对应的适合度差异。黑色素共分为两类：真黑素（Eumelanins）可产生偏黑色调，褐黑素（Pheomelanins）则可产生偏红色调。真黑素的合成需要低水平的谷胱甘肽（glutathione, GSH）——这是细胞内最重要的抗氧化物质，而褐黑素的合成则需要高水平的GSH。本研究针对育雏期内不同环境温度下，羽毛黑色素着色程度各异的雄性斑鹟（Ficedula hypoleuca）的氧化状态展开了调查。此外，本研究还评估了雏鸟的氧化状态与其生父或养父的黑色素着色程度以及环境温度之间的相关性。为了在不同温度条件下区分子代的基因型效应与父本效应，本研究采用了部分交叉寄养实验设计。环境温度对不同个体的氧化状态存在差异化影响……