mariette-aprenatal-2022.pdf (6.33 MB)
A prenatal acoustic signal of heat affects thermoregulation capacities at adulthood in an arid-adapted bird
journal contribution
posted on 2022-01-01, 00:00 authored by A Pessato, A E McKechnie, Mylene MarietteMylene MarietteUnderstanding animal physiological adaptations for tolerating heat, and the causes of inter-individual variation, is key for predicting climate change impacts on biodiversity. Recently, a novel mechanism for transgenerational heat adaptation was identified in a desert-adapted bird, where parents acoustically signal hot conditions to embryos. Prenatal exposure to “heat-calls” adaptively alters zebra finch development and their thermal preferences in adulthood, suggesting a long-term shift towards a heat-adapted phenotype. However, whether such acoustic experience improves long-term thermoregulatory capacities is unknown. We measured metabolic rate (MR), evaporative water loss (EWL) and body temperature in adults exposed to a stepped profile of progressively higher air temperatures (Ta) between 27 and 44 °C. Remarkably, prenatal acoustic experience affected heat tolerance at adulthood, with heat-call exposed individuals more likely to reach the highest Ta in morning trials. This was despite MR and EWL reaching higher levels at the highest Ta in heat-call individuals, partly driven by a stronger metabolic effect of moderate activity. At lower Ta, however, heat-call exposed individuals had greater relative water economy, as expected. They also better recovered mass lost during morning trials. We therefore provide the first evidence that prenatal acoustic signals have long-term consequences for heat tolerance and physiological adaptation to heat.
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Journal
Scientific ReportsVolume
12Issue
1Article number
5842Pagination
1 - 11Publisher
SpringerLocation
Berlin, GermanyPublisher DOI
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eISSN
2045-2322Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalUsage metrics
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