Neonatal nutrition, adult antioxidant defences and sexual attractiveness in the zebra finch

Abstract

Early nutrition has recently been shown to have pervasive, downstream effects on adult life–history parameters including lifespan, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Damage to biomolecules caused by oxidants, such as free radicals generated during metabolic processes, is widely recognized as a key contributor to somatic degeneration and the rate of ageing. Lipophilic antioxidants (carotenoids, vitamins A and E) are an important component of vertebrate defences against such damage. By using an avian model, we show here that independent of later nutrition, individuals experiencing a short period of low–quality nutrition during the nestling period had a twofold reduction in plasma levels of these antioxidants at adulthood. We found no effects on adult external morphology or sexual attractiveness: in mate–choice trials females did not discriminate between adult males that had received standard– or lower–quality diet as neonates. Our results suggest low–quality neonatal nutrition resulted in a long–term impairment in the capacity to assimilate dietary antioxidants, thereby setting up a need to trade off the requirement for antioxidant activity against the need to maintain morphological development and sexual attractiveness. Such state–dependent trade–offs could underpin the link between early nutrition and senescence.