For better or worse: reduced adult lifespan following early-life stress is transmitted to breeding partners

Monaghan, P. , Heidinger, B.J., D'Alba, L., Evans, N.P. and Spencer, K.A. (2012) For better or worse: reduced adult lifespan following early-life stress is transmitted to breeding partners. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 279(1729), pp. 709-714. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1291)

Abstract

Stressful conditions early in life can give rise to exaggerated stress responses, which, while beneficial in the short term, chronically increase lifetime exposure to stress hormones and elevate disease risk later in life. Using zebra finches <i>Taeniopygia guttata</i>, we show here that individuals whose glucocorticoid stress hormones were experimentally increased for only a brief period in early post-natal life, inducing increased stress sensitivity, had reduced adult lifespans. Remarkably, the breeding partners of such exposed individuals also died at a younger age. This negative effect on partner longevity was the same for both sexes; it occurred irrespective of the partner's own early stress exposure and was in addition to any longevity reduction arising from this. Furthermore, this partner effect continued even after the breeding partnership was terminated. Only 5 per cent of control birds with control partners had died after 3 years, compared with over 40 per cent in early stress-early stress pairs. In contrast, reproductive capability appeared unaffected by the early stress treatment, even when breeding in stressful environmental circumstances. Our results clearly show that increased exposure to glucocorticoids early in life can markedly reduce adult life expectancy, and that pairing with such exposed partners carries an additional and substantial lifespan penalty.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Corticosterone, lifespan, early environment, mate choice, Taeniopygia guttata
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Monaghan, Professor Pat and D'Alba, Ms Liliana and Evans, Professor Neil and Heidinger, Dr Britt and Spencer, Dr Karen
• Authors: Monaghan, P., Heidinger, B.J., D'Alba, L., Evans, N.P., and Spencer, K.A.
• Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• ISSN: 0962-8452
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2954
• Published Online: 17 August 2011