Meeting Abstract

P3.31  Jan. 6  The Parent Trap: Breeding black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) in better body condition have higher levels of lipid peroxidation VAUGHN, EA*; POTT, M; MOE, MK; MAUCK, RA; HAUSSMANN, MF; Kenyon College; Bowdoin College; Kenyon College; Kenyon College and Bowdoin College; Kenyon College vaughne@kenyon.edu

A central assumption of life history theory is that reproduction is costly. Recent studies have shown that susceptibility to oxidative damage might be a mechanism by which the cost of reproduction is conferred. In order to measure the cost of reproduction in terms of oxidative damage, we measured lipid peroxidation (LPO) and catalase activity in a population of wild birds. If higher metabolic rates generate more reactive oxygen species (ROS), we should see more oxidative damage in individuals in better body condition. Alternatively, individuals in poorer body condition might show high levels of oxidative damage due to a decreased ability to scavenge ROS. We collected our samples from adult black guillemots, a black and white seabird with red feet, during the breeding season. Our results showed a positive correlation between LPO and catalase activity (r²=0.43, p=0.05). Variation in LPO was well described (r²=0.80, p=0.0001) by a combination of body condition and date such that LPO increased with body condition and decreased during the study dates. Catalase activity increased with date (r²=0.45, p=0.008) but did not correlate with body condition. Our results suggest that intracellular antioxidant activity responds to increased damage loads and that breeding individuals in better body condition experience higher levels of oxidative damage. We are currently investigating the possibility that the redness of guillemot feet is an honest signal of oxidative stress.