Thesis
Variation in behavioral stress responses in reproductive female Plethodon cinereus: a test of the brood value hypothesis
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103602
Abstract
The tradeoff between reproduction and survival occurs when an animal is exposed to adverse environmental conditions during a reproductive effort, and the outcome is critical to lifetime reproductive success. The brood value hypothesis predicts that the individual's stress responsiveness will be suppressed when the value of the current clutch is high relative to potential future reproductive opportunities. This tradeoff may be controlled in part by variation in neuroendocrine stress response with reproductive status. We tested the brood value hypothesis in Plethodon cinereus, a terrestrial salamander with extended maternal care. We hypothesized that the incidence of clutch abandonment in response to stressors would decline and aggressive clutch defense would increase across the brooding period, while post-stressor plasma corticosterone would simultaneously decrease. Brooding females were more behaviorally responsive to stressors late in the brooding period, but plasma corticosterone did not vary between time points. Behavioral variation is likely a mechanism for avoiding negative effects of stressors. Hormonal mechanisms outside the stress axis may be responsible for the behavioral variation observed, and Plethodon cinereus is an excellent model for continued testing of hormone-behavior interactions in life history tradeoffs.
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Details
- Title
- Variation in behavioral stress responses in reproductive female Plethodon cinereus
- Creators
- Aurelia Chelan Kucera
- Contributors
- Erica J. Crespi (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525119701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis