Abstract

To survive and reproduce successfully, animals have to find the optimal time of breeding. Species living in nontropical environments often adjust their reproduction plastically according to seasonal changes of the environment. Information about the prevailing season can be transmitted in utero, leading to the adaptation of the offspring to the prevailing season. After birth, animals acquire additional personal information about the environment, which allows them to adjust their reproductive investment. Here, we tested in a full-factorial match–mismatch experiment the influence of reproductive adjustments according to maternal and personal information. We bred wild cavies (Cavia aperea), a precocial rodent, either into increasing (spring) or decreasing (autumn) photoperiod and, subsequently, after weaning, transferred female offspring to the matching or mismatching season. We measured growth, specific metabolic rate (sRMR) and reproductive events across six months. Although sRMR was elevated for females primed for good (spring) conditions when transferred to the mismatching autumn condition, we found no maternal effects on reproduction. Females adjusted their reproductive decisions according to the season they personally experienced, thereby implying a potentially high level of plasticity. Females reproducing in spring started reproduction earlier with a lower reproductive effort than females reproducing in autumn but, ultimately, the two groups did not differ in survival, growth, or reproduction. These data suggest important developmental plasticity, highlight the use of personal information acquired after weaning over early information provided until weaning, and point out the potential value of multiple cues, such as food abundance and quality and temperature besides photoperiod.

中文翻译：

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季节性不同生活史的健康后果？匹配不匹配实验

摘要

为了成功生存和繁殖，动物必须找到最佳繁殖时间。生活在非热带环境中的物种通常会根据环境的季节性变化对繁殖进行可塑性调整。有关盛行季节的信息可以在子宫内传输，从而使后代适应盛行季节。出生后，动物会获得有关环境的额外个人信息，这使它们能够调整其生殖投资。在这里，我们在一个全因素匹配-不匹配实验中测试了根据母亲和个人信息进行的生殖调整的影响。我们饲养了野生豚鼠（Cavia aperea），一种早熟啮齿动物，进入增加（春季）或减少（秋季）光周期，随后在断奶后，将雌性后代转移到匹配或不匹配的季节。我们测量了六个月的生长、特定代谢率 (sRMR) 和生殖事件。尽管当转移到不匹配的秋季条件时，为良好（春季）条件做好准备的雌性的 sRMR 升高，但我们没有发现母体对繁殖的影响。女性根据她们个人经历的季节调整了她们的生殖决定，从而意味着潜在的高可塑性。春季繁殖的雌性比秋季繁殖的雌性更早开始繁殖，繁殖努力较低，但最终，两组在存活、生长或繁殖方面没有差异。