Fatty acid profiles of great tit (Parus major) eggs differ between urban and rural habitats, but not between coniferous and deciduous forests

Toledo, A., Andersson, M. N., Wang, H.-L., Salmón, P. , Watson, H., Burdge, G. C. and Isaksson, C. (2016) Fatty acid profiles of great tit (Parus major) eggs differ between urban and rural habitats, but not between coniferous and deciduous forests. Naturwissenschaften, 103(7-8), 55. (doi: 10.1007/s00114-016-1381-0) (PMID:27300022) (PMCID:PMC4908168)

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Abstract

Early-life nutrition is an important determinant of both short- and long-term performance and fitness. The avian embryo develops within an enclosed package of nutrients, of which fatty acids (FA) are essential for many aspects of development. The FA composition of yolk depends on maternal nutrition and condition prior to egg formation, which may be affected by the external environment. To test if maternal environment affects yolk FA composition, we investigated whether the FA composition of great tit (Parus major) egg yolks differed between urban and rural habitats, and between deciduous and coniferous habitats. The results reveal differences in FA composition between eggs laid in urban and rural habitats, but not between eggs from the coniferous and deciduous habitats. To a large extent, this difference likely reflects dietary differences associated with urban habitats rather than dominating vegetation type. Specifically, urban yolks contained lower proportions of both ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated FAs (PUFA), which are important for chick development. We also found a positive association between the proportion of saturated fatty acids and laying date, and a negative association between the proportion of ω-6 PUFA and clutch size. Given that urbanization is expanding rapidly, future studies should investigate whether factors such as anthropogenic food in the urban environment underlie these differences and whether they impair chick development.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Watson, Miss Hannah and Salmon, Dr Pablo
Authors: Toledo, A., Andersson, M. N., Wang, H.-L., Salmón, P., Watson, H., Burdge, G. C., and Isaksson, C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Naturwissenschaften
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:0028-1042
ISSN (Online):1432-1904
Published Online:14 June 2016
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 The Authors
First Published:First published in Naturwissenschaften 103(78): 55
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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