Meeting Abstract
Oxidative stress physiology has historically received attention in regards to medicine and nutrition. However, recent studies suggest that life history strategies of aerobic organisms may be constrained by tradeoffs between energetically costly activity (e.g., growth and reproduction) and maintaining oxidative balance. Oxidative balance refers to a state when antioxidant defenses are capable of neutralizing the negative effects of free radicals known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). In contrast, oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between ROS and antioxidants, and cells accumulate oxidative damage. Using Children’s pythons (Antaresia childreni), I tested the hypotheses that: (1) the tradeoff between oxidative state and reproduction is stage dependent with stages that have greater energetic cost imposing greater oxidative stress, and (2) maternal oxidative state influences the oxidative state of her eggs. I serially measured ROS and antioxidants in the blood of 30 female A. childreni during late vitellogenesis, just prior to oviposition, and when non-reproductive. These timepoints represent peak energetic investment by the mother, the end of reproductive investment, and a non-energetically costly life history phase, respectively. I explored the potential for vertical transfer of maternal oxidative state to offspring by comparing female oxidative state to that of her eggs at oviposition and at day 39 of incubation, just prior to hatching. The results from this study will provide insight into the notion that reproduction imposes oxidative costs to both the mother and her offspring.
