Selection On Personality In A Songbird Affects Maternal Hormone Levels Tuned To Its Effect On Timing Of Reproduction

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 02 Jul 2008 - 5:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

In birds, as in humans, mothers modulate offspring development by maternal hormones.

We found in a wild bird species differences in testosterone within and between clutches of mothers selected for distinct personalities.

Selection also affected timing of reproduction, allowing hormone mediated adjustments to seasonal variation in food availability.

Therefore, hormone transfer variation is heritable and related to personalities, implying that maternal effects are subject to Darwinian selection.

The results have implications also for the biomedical concept of prenatal programming of personality, health and disease that views maternal effects only from a pathophysiological perspective of interference with developmental programs.

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.

www.publishing.royalsociety.org/biologyletters