Meeting Abstract
P3.39 Monday, Jan. 6 15:30 The effects of early nutrition on metabolic rate and fitness in the house mouse (Mus musculus) SIRMAN, A.E*; DEVRIES, Z.C; DONOVIEL, Z.S; HOOD, W.R; Auburn University; NC State University, Raleigh; Auburn University; Auburn University aubrey.sirman@gmail.com
Effects of diet on individuals can be far-reaching, particularly during the period of rapid growth during early development. Plastic responses of genotype to environmental conditions experienced during development can have lasting effects on physiological variables that impact metabolism. Although individual differences in life history are often attributed to differences in energy utilization, few studies have found a relationship between BMR and reproductive performance. Due to impacts on physiological processes, it is feasible that the early diet has formative effects on an individual’s fitness. Our goal was to determine if an individual’s diet during development has persistent effects on whole animal metabolic rate. We manipulated dietary protein levels of wild house mice (Mus musculus) maintained in semi-natural enclosures, allowed the parental generation to breed, and monitored F1 individuals into adulthood. Parents were maintained on a 20% or 10% protein diet, and their offspring were maintained on the same diet or switched to the alternative diet around the time of weaning. We measured resting metabolic rate of each F1 mouse at 30 days (just prior to the dietary shift where applicable) and at 75 days (adulthood). Diet did not impact F1 body mass at 30 days or 75 days. Dietary treatment had a significant impact on pup metabolic rate at 30 days but not at 75 days. This suggests that the whole animal metabolic rate responds to the diet an individual’s parent consumes during gestation and lactation, and is sufficiently labile that this effect may not persist into adulthood. The relationship between dietary treatment, metabolic rate, and F1 fitness variables will be discussed.
