life history
- Low incubation temperature slows the development of cold tolerance in a precocial bird
Highlighted Article: Precocial birds incubated at low temperature take longer to develop cold tolerance, with possible costs for energy acquisition in early life.
- Hormone-mediated dispersal and sexual maturation in males of the social paper wasp Polistes lanio
Summary: Delayed dispersal from the natal nest by male paper wasps is regulated by juvenile hormone and associated with sexual maturation.
- Similar foraging energetics of two sympatric albatrosses despite contrasting life histories and wind-mediated foraging strategies
Highlighted Article: Related albatrosses have similar guard-stage foraging costs despite life history and foraging strategy differences; however, lighter forecasted wind in endemic albatross ranges may increase take-off costs and increase sit-and-wait strategies.
- Endurance and sprint training affect immune function differently in green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis)
Summary: Increased allocation to different types of locomotor performance (endurance versus sprinting) results in complex trade-offs with the immune system that are not caused by energy limitation alone.
- Maternal glucocorticoids promote offspring growth without inducing oxidative stress or shortening telomeres in wild red squirrels
Summary: Experimental increases in glucocorticoids in breeding female North American red squirrels affects offspring postnatal growth but not levels of oxidative damage and antioxidants or telomere lengths.
- Prolonged survival out of water is linked to a slow pace of life in a self-fertilizing amphibious fish
Summary: Intrinsically low metabolic rates increase survival and fitness of an amphibious fish when access to water is limited; there is no apparent cost when water is abundant.
- Ontogeny of effective mechanical advantage in eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Editors' Choice: Hindlimb muscle leverage declines during growth in cottontail rabbits, likely promoting increased locomotor performance during the precarious juvenile period of life history.
- Developmental plasticity in metabolism but not in energy reserve accumulation in a seasonally polyphenic butterfly
Summary: The switch between diapause and direct development results in developmental pre-diapause plasticity in life history and metabolism but not in reserve accumulation in a seasonally polyphenic butterfly.
- Understanding diversity in oxidative status and oxidative stress: the opportunities and challenges ahead
Summary: This Commentary highlights the distinction between biochemical and biological definitions of oxidative stress, discusses issues to consider when designing experiments to investigate oxidative stress, and proposes the ‘redox signalling hypothesis’ of life history.
- Prior reproduction alters how mitochondria respond to an oxidative event
Summary: Interactions among oxidative stressors are predicted to impact performance. Reproduction prior to an oxidative stressor improved liver mitochondria coupling, while skeletal muscle mitochondrial density decreased.