Meeting Abstract
Physiological maternal effects are adaptive if differential allocation increases offspring fitness, and therefore, maternal fitness. Oviparous animals can alter offspring phenotypes in response to changes in the environment by varying the allocation of physiological factors (e.g., hormones, nutrients, immune factors) to the yolk. Although the relationship between egg yolk physiology and offspring phenotype is well-documented, it is unclear how anthropogenic change (i.e., urbanization) influences maternal allocation of physiological factors and offspring quality. In this study, we compared the egg yolk physiology and offspring quality of Side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) occupying urban and rural environments using a split clutch design. We extracted yolk samples from half of the eggs within a clutch and measured bactericidal capacity, energy metabolites, and oxidative physiology. The other half of the clutch was incubated until hatching. Following hatching, we collected hatchling morphometric data and assayed hatchling wound healing ability. Studying the transgenerational impacts of urbanization will help us better understand how organisms are responding to changing landscapes.
