Meeting Abstract
Females allocate varying amounts of hormones to their offspring in response to the breeding environment and pre-natal exposure to these maternal hormones alters offspring phenotype in potentially adaptive ways (i.e., a maternal effect). In avian species, the positive effect social stimulation has on the allocation of testosterone to egg yolks is one of the most consistently supported environmental effects on female hormone allocation. However, to our knowledge, yolk testosterone has never been measured in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) eggs after a social stimulation. Zebra finches would make an ideal study species for this maternal effect because they express aggressive behaviors, have quick sexual maturation, and their popularity for use in laboratory studies gives a context for findings. Furthermore, zebra finches have already been shown to alter hormone allocation based on laying order, male quality, and female quality. Therefore, we have collected entire clutches from female zebra finches prior to and during a simulated territorial intrusion to determine the effect of social stimulation on zebra finch yolk testosterone allocation. These findings will help create a model species for testing maternal effects and prepare the field for more in-depth questions concerning the mechanisms that mediate yolk testosterone allocation.
