24 research outputs found
Modifying the charge state distribution of proteins in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry by chemical derivatization
Diffusivity of Solutes Measured in Glass Capillaries Using Taylor's Analysis of Dispersion and a Commercial CE Instrument
Protein Charge Ladders, Capillary Electrophoresis, and the Role of Electrostatics in Biomolecular Recognition
Ordered stretching of single molecules of deoxyribose nucleic acid between microfabricated polystyrene lines
Representing Primary Electrophoretic Data in the 1/Time Domain:Â Comparison to Representations in the Time Domain
Analysis by Capillary Electrophoresis of the Kinetics of Charge Ladder Formation for Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase
Environmental Cues and Dietary Antioxidants Affect Breeding Behavior and Testosterone of Male European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).
Environmental cues, such as photoperiod, regulate the timing of major life-history events like breeding through direct neuroendocrine control. Less known is how supplementary environmental cues (e.g., nest sites, food availability) interact to influence key hormones and behaviors involved in reproduction, specifically in migratory species with gonadal recrudescence largely occurring at breeding sites. We investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of male European starlings to the sequential addition of nest boxes and nesting material, green herbs, and female conspecifics and how these responses depend on the availability of certain antioxidants (anthocyanins) in the diet. As expected, cloacal protuberance volume and plasma testosterone of males generally increased with photoperiod. More notably, testosterone levels peaked in males fed the high antioxidant diet when both nest box and herbal cues were present, while males fed the low antioxidant diet showed no or only a muted testosterone response to the sequential addition of these environmental cues; thus our results are in agreement with the oxidation handicap hypothesis. Males fed the high antioxidant diet maintained a constant frequency of breeding behaviors over time, whereas those fed the low antioxidant diet decreased breeding behaviors as environmental cues were sequentially added. Overall, sequential addition of the environmental cues modulated physiological and behavioral measures of reproductive condition, and dietary antioxidants were shown to be a key factor in affecting the degree of response to each of these cues. Our results highlight the importance of supplementary environmental cues and key resources such as dietary antioxidants in enhancing breeding condition of males, which conceivably aid in attraction of high quality females and reproductive success