Progress 07/01/17 to 06/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems:Research from 2020 to the present was disrupted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and so progress on all objectives slowed significantly. We hope to publish resulting products from this research in the near future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate student by performing the proposed research and being mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. Citizen scientists are involved in data collection with the rock iguana work in the field, broadening the scope of training. Finally, relatively new work in spiny tailed iguanas has provided training to people from undeveloped countries where iguanas live to help them better manage their wildlife moving forward. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1. Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts 2. Departmental seminar presentation by Geoff Smith at Utah State University, June 2017 3. Departmental seminar presentation by Susannah French at Pennsylvania State University, April 2017 4. Departmental seminar presentation by Susannah French at Texas AM University, June 2017 5. Presentations by graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in New Orleans LA., January 2017 6. Reports to the State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 7. Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in San Francisco CA., January 2018 8. Presentations by myself and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group meetings Dallas Ft. Worth TX, November 2018 9. Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Tampa FL., January 201910. 10. Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Snowbird UT., July 2019 11. Presentations by myself and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group meetings Roatan Honduras, November 2019 12. Presentations by my graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Austin TX., January 2020 13. Presentation by my graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group Annual meeting in November of 2020, held virtually 14. Presentation by the PI at departmental seminars (Oklahoma State, University of Montreal, University of Toledo). 15. Presentations by PI, graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Phoenix AZ., January 2022 16. Presentations by the PI and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group Annual meeting in November of 2021, held virtually What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?**Please note that work was slowed significantly due to COVID restrictions for research. -Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. -Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. -Present findings at national and international meetings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We performed a series of laboratory studies testing the interactive effects of temperature and immune challenges on the metabolic rate and sprint performance. Food availability was measured in all animals, as were performance and immunological responses to an immune challenge with a mitogen lipopolysaccharide. We wanted to test how the energetic costs of integrated immunity varied depending on the magnitude of the challenge. We also gathered information regarding the effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on populations of side-blotched lizards and iguanas, including genomic samples, circulating hormones, energy metabolites, immunity, parasites, reproduction, stable isotope ratios, and gut microbiomes. 3) Significant Results Achieved: In the laboratory we found that immune challenges alter both metabolic rate and performance. We next worked to uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effect via altered metabolism. As a result, we found that energetic strategy varied depending on the magnitude of the immune challenge (i.e., dose of LPS). Animals with low challenges show elevated metabolic responses and sprint faster, but with increasing challenges we start to see trade-offs with sprint and healing rate emerge. Thus, care must be taken when interpreting immunological results depending on type and size of immune challenge. We next hope to test whether we can uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effect via altered metabolism. In the field, we found differences in isotope ratios between urban versus rural populations of side-blotched lizards and the ratios were related to some important physiological measures (i.e., stress, immunity). Additionally, we analyzing population genomic data and finding evidence for selection on some of the key physiological traits we are measuring across an urban landscape, in particular baseline corticosterone and antioxidants. From ongoing analyses, we have found that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites, elevated oxidative stress, changes in reproduction and shifts in the microbiome. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Similar findings are also emerging in spiny tailed iguanas, whereby oxidative stress and energy metabolites vary across populations and in response to reproduction. Interestingly, with the removal of tourist feeding we are seeing the physiology of the animals shift to resemble that of animals at unvisited sites. Finally, we received two major federal grants from NSF to support this ongoing research. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and graduate students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We performed laboratory studies testing the relationship between maternal reproductive investment, reproductive state, and energy output. For this project we investigated how egg immunity changed over the course of embryonic development. In a subsequent study we tested relationship between site type (urban vs. rural), maternal reproductive investment, and immune challenge. We also investigated how egg microbiome compared to maternal vs nesting location microbiomes. Lastly, in conjunction with an NSF RAPID grant, we traveled to The Bahamas to test the effects of the cessation of tourism on the health and physiology of rock iguanas. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From laboratory studies we found significant immune and metabolic differences among reproductive states. We also found that egg immunity stayed elevated during early embryonic development but that it dropped off significantly just before hatching. There were significant immune differences among fertilized and unfertilized eggs, and significant differences in the rate of fertilization among urban and rural populations. There is also a relationship with maternal parasite load and egg physiology, suggesting the potential for maternal priming of offspring to match environmental challenges. We are still analyzing microbiome samples from this study to test for vertical transfer. In the Bahamas during the anthropause, we found significant decreases in reproductive rates at high tourist sites. These were also coupled with significantly reduced body condition at one of our high-tourist sites. These results suggest that the COVID-induced reduction in tourism and feeding are having lasting impacts on iguana populations. Moreover, previous physiological distinctions from high-tourist sites were no longer present in most cases. More changes from pre-pandemic levels were observed in females relative to males which may either be due to added reproductive costs females that coincided with the cessation of feeding or that more aggressive males are outcompeting females for what limited feeding has continued by private boats. Private boat travel continued during the pandemic and so moderately visited sites may have retained more normal visitation and feeding during the pandemic and did not differ as significantly with previous years before the pandemic. Overall, the majority of significant changes following the pandemic were observed at high tourist sites that are frequented by tour operators. 4) Key Impacts: Over the course of this project we have validated for the first-time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. We also validated for first time protocols to complete many of these physiological assays in a field setting using mobile lab equipment. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: In the laboratory we performed a study to investigate how temperature interacted with an immune challenge to affect oxidative stress. Also, we tested how animals behaviorally responded an integrative immune response along a thermal gradient. In the field, we investigated how body temperature affected stress reactivity and immunity in free living lizards. Specifically, we performed stress challenges on lizards in the field and simultaneously recorded body temperature. Moreover, we performed field experiments to assess relationships among urban microhabitat, temperature and lizard morphology and behavior. 3) Significant Results Achieved: In the laboratory we found that immune challenges significantly elevated oxidative stress. We also found that thermoregulatory behavioral responses vary depending on the type and magnitude of immune challenges. These results are echoed in the performance measures of the animals. This is significant in that it suggests that animals are adjusting their energetic strategy partly through behavioral thermoregulation differentially depending on the challenge at hand and their ectoparasite load. In the field, we found that corticosterone was positively related to body temperature and the stress induced immune performance was inversely related. We are also finding differences in aggressive behaviors between urban and rural lizards in southern Utah.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
French, S., Webb, A., Wilcoxen, T., Iverson, J., DeNardo, D., Lewis, L., & Knapp, C. (2022). Complex tourism and season interactions contribute to disparate physiologies in an endangered rock iguana. Conservation Physiology, 10(1).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
French, S., Alison, W., Knapp, C., Virgin, E., Smith, G., Lewis, E., Iverson, J., & DeNardo, D. (2022). Glucose tolerance of iguanas is negatively affectedby high sugar diets in the lab and supplemental feeding by ecotourists in the wild. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(8).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Hudson, S., Virgin, E., Brodie, E. D., & French, S. (2021). Energy expenditure acrossimmune challenge severities in a lizard: consequences for innate immunity, locomotorperformance, and oxidative status. Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(17).
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Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems:Research in 2021 was disrupted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and so progress on all objectives slowed significantly. We hope to increase productivity in the final 6 months of this project and continue to publish resulting products from this research. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate student by performing the proposed research and being mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. Citizen scientists are involved in data collection with the rock iguana work in the field, broadening the scope of training. Finally, relatively new work in spiny tailed iguanas has provided training to people from undeveloped countries where iguanas live to help them better manage their wildlife moving forward. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1. Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts. 2. Presentation by the PI at departmental seminars (Oklahoma State, University of Montreal, University of Toledo). 3. Presentations by PI, graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Phoenix AZ., January 2022 4. Presentations by the PI and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group Annual meeting in November of 2021, held virtually What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?**Please note that many of these are the same from 2020 report because work was slowed significantly due to COVID restrictions for research. Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1. Finish analyzing samples from 2021 during anthropause from animals with regard to physiology and the microbiome. 2. Continue to monitor free-living populations for comparison with laboratory studies. 3. Look at microbiome and genomic samples to better understand natural and anthropogenically based patterns of condition and stress. 4. Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. 5. Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1. Analyze data on the interactive effects of site type, condition and sperm number and morphology 2. Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. 3. Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1. Complete analysis of thermal, habitat and behavioral data from field animals across an urban landscape 2. Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goals/objectives Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We collected data testing the effects of urbanization on sperm quality in side-blotched lizards in Utah. We also tested the effects of anthropoause on endangered rock iguanas. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From ongoing analyses we have found that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites, elevated oxidative stress, changes in reproduction and shifts in the microbiome. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Results have been incorporated into manuscripts submitted for publication in 2021. Similar findings are also emerging in spiny tailed iguanas, whereby oxidative stress and energy metabolites vary across populations and in response to reproduction. Interestingly, with the removal of tourist feeding we are seeing the physiology of the animals shift to resemble that of animals at unvisited sites. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and graduate students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: In conjunction with the new NSF RAPID grant, the PI, graduate students and collaborators traveled to The Bahamas to test the effects of the cessation of tourism on the health and physiology of rock iguanas. We are currently preparing manuscripts from this and previously collected data for submission in 2021 2022. 3) Significant Results Achieved: Overall the PI found significant decreases in reproductive rates at high tourist sites. These were also coupled with significantly reduced body condition at one of our high-tourist sites. These results suggest that the COVID-induced reduction in tourism and feeding are having lasting impacts on iguana populations. Moreover, previous physiological distinctions from high-tourist sites were no longer present in most cases, whereby circulating energy metabolites in animals from high tourist sites now resembled levels in animals with no tourism exposure or feeding. Likewise, previous differences in body condition immunity, oxidative status and corticosterone in iguanas from fed populations were also mostly absent. More changes from pre-pandemic levels were observed in females relative to males which may either be due to added reproductive costs females that coincided with the cessation of feeding or that more aggressive males are outcompeting females for what limited feeding has continued by private boats. There were also saw differences in the response between the northern and southern Exumas which may be driven by difference in accessibility during the pandemic, as well as different timing for the resumption of tour operations. Interestingly, private boat travel continued during the pandemic and so moderately visited sites (e.g., visited by private boaters) may have retained more normal visitation and feeding during the pandemic and did not differ as significantly with previous years before the pandemic. Overall, the majority of significant changes following the pandemic were observed at high tourist sites that are frequented by tour operators. Dr. French and students are currently extracting DNA samples for both diet analysis and gut microbes. Once these samples are extracted we can test for relationships among these key measures with iguana physiology. 4) Key Impacts:Over the course of this project the PI and graduate students have validated for the first time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. We also validated for first time in 2021 protocols to complete many of these physiological assays in a field setting using mobile lab equipment. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr French and Graduate students performed field experiments to assess relationship among urban microhabitat, temperature and lizard morphology and behavior. 3) Significant Results Achieved: Analysis of new behavior, quantifying natural behaviors in relationship to urban temperature and habitat features is currently underway. Analysis of previously collected data is suggesting that thermoregulatory behavioral responses vary depending on the type and magnitude of immune challenges is complete. These results are echoed in the performance measures of the animals. This is significant in that it suggests that animals are adjusting their energetic strategy partly through behavioral thermoregulation differentially depending on the challenge at hand. These are currently being prepared for publication.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Durso, A. M., Keehn, J., Alaasam, V., French, S., & Feldman, C. (2021). Ectoparasite Load Is Reduced in Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta stansburiana) at Wind Farms: Implications for Oxidative Stress. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 94(1), 35-49.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Durso, A., Smith, G., Hudson, S., & French, S. (2020). Stoichiometric and stable isotope ratios ofwild lizards in an urban landscape vary with reproduction, physiology,space, and time. Conservation Physiology, 8(1), coaa001.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
French, S., Hudson, S., & Lidgard, A. (2021). Glucocorticoids, energy metabolites, andimmunity vary across allostatic states for plateau side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana uniformis) residing in a heterogeneous thermal environment. Journal of Experimental Zoology A., 333(10), 732-743.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
French, S., Virgin, E., Ki, K., Maryon, D., Goode, A., & Pasachnik, S. (2021). Reproductive stage and clutch size incur energetic and oxidative costs in an endangered iguana, Ctenosaura oedirhina. Journal of Herpetology.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Hudson, S., Smith, G., Brodie, E. D., & French, S. (2021). Recovery from discrete woundseverities in side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana): implications for energy budget,locomotor performance, and oxidative stress. Journal of Comparative Physiology B.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Ryan, M., Neuman-Lee, L., Durham, S., Smith, G., & French, S. (2018). A sex dependent change in behavioral temperature regulation in African house snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus) challenged with different pathogens. Journal of Thermal Biology, 73, 8-13.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Spence, A., French, S., Hopkins, G., Durso, A., Hudson, S., Smith, G., & Neuman-lee, L. (2021). Long-term monitoring of two snake species reveals immune-endocrine interactions and importance of ecological context. Journal of Experimental Zoology A, 333(10), 744-755.
|
Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems:All research in 2020 was disrupted due to COVID and so progress on all objectives was virtually stopped. No UAES monies where spent by the PI, all money was recouped by UAES, and thus the overall products from this 5-year project will be less than expected. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate student by performing the proposed research and being mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. Citizen scientists are involved in data collection with the rock iguana work in the field, broadening the scope of training. Finally, relatively new work in spiny tailed iguanas has provided training to people from undeveloped countries where iguanas live to help them better manage their wildlife moving forward. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1. Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts 2. Presentations by my graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Austin TX., January 2020 3. A presentation by my graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group Annual meeting in November of 2020, held virtually What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?**Please note that many of these are the same from 2019 report because very little work was completed due to COVID restrictions for research. Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. a) Finish analyzing maternal and egg differences from rural and urban animals with regard to physiology and the microbiome. b) Continue to monitor free-living populations for comparison with laboratory studies. c) Look at microbiome and genomic samples to better understand natural and anthropogenically based patterns of condition and stress. d) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. e) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. a) Analyze data on the interactive effects of site type, reproductive investment, maternal and egg physiology and microbiome. b) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. c) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. a) Complete analysis of behavioral data from thermoregulatory immune challenge study. b) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goals/objectives Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We were unable to collect any new data due to COVID. We focused on analyzing results from previous years work. The PI also prepared and submitted NSF RAPID grant. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From analysis of previously collected data we are also seeing that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites, elevated oxidative stress, changes in reproduction and shifts in the microbiome. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Results have been incorporated into manuscripts submitted for publication in 2020. Similar findings are also emerging in spiny tailed iguanas, whereby oxidative stress and energy metabolites vary across populations and in response to reproduction. The PI was also awarded a new NSF RAPID grant to further contribute to this work. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influences physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and graduate students presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: No new data was collected due to COVID. Data from previous years are currently being analyzed. We are currently preparing manuscripts from previously collected data for submission in 2020 and 2021. The PI also prepared and submitted NSF RAPID grant. 3) Significant Results Achieved: We are still analyzing microbiome samples from this study to test for vertical transfer. The PI was successfully awarded a new NSF RAPID grant to further contribute to this work. 4) Key Impacts: Over the course of this project the PI and graduate students have validated for the first time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: No new data was collected due to COVID. Data from previous years are currently being analyzed. We are currently preparing manuscripts from previously collected data for submission in 2020 and 2021. 3) Significant Results Achieved: Analysis of previously collected data is suggesting that thermoregulatory behavioral responses vary depending on the type and magnitude of immune challenges. These results are echoed in the performance measures of the animals. This is significant in that it suggests that animals are adjusting their energetic strategy partly through behavioral thermoregulation differentially depending on the challenge at hand.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Durso, A., Smith, G., Hudson, S., & French, S. (2020). Stoichiometric and stableisotope ratios ofwild lizards in an urban landscape vary with reproduction, physiology,space, and time. To appear in Conservation Physiology.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tylan, C., Camacho, K., French, S., Graham, S., Herr, M., Jones, J., McCormick, G., O'Brien, M., Tennessen, J., Thawley, J., Webb, A., & Langkilde, T. (2020). Obtaining plasma to measure baseline glucocorticoid concentrations in reptiles: How quick is quick enough? To appear in General and Comparative Endocrinology..
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems:Goal 1) We will continue to examine effects of anthropogenic stressors on similar parameters (including energy metabolites, oxidative stress, immunity, parasites, and reproduction) in a comparative species of lizards inhabiting a different landscape (i.e., spiny-tailed and rock iguanas) to test how life history and environmental differences influence physiological responses to stress. This part of the project will also provide training for international students from underdeveloped countries. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate student by performing the proposed research and being mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. Citizen scientists are involved in data collection with the rock iguana work in the field, broadening the scope of training. Finally, relatively new work in spiny tailed iguanas has provided training to people from undeveloped countries where iguanas live to help them better manage their wildlife moving forward. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1) Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts 2) Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in Tampa FL., January 2019 3) Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Snowbird UT., July 2019 4) Presentations by myself and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group meetings Roatan Honduras, November 2019 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. a) Analyze immune and metabolic data from dose-dependent immune performance study. b) Finish analyzing maternal and egg differences from rural and urban animals with regard to physiology and the microbiome. c) Continue to monitor free-living populations for comparison with laboratory studies. d) Look at microbiome and genomic samples to better understand natural and anthropogenically based patterns of condition and stress. e) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. f) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. a) Analyze data on the interactive effects of site type, reproductive investment, maternal and egg physiology and microbiome. b) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. c) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. a) Complete analysis for field study testing effects of temperature and immunity endocrine stress response. b) Analyze behavioral data from thermoregulatory immune challenge study c) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goals/objectives Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We performed a laboratory study testing the interactive effects of temperature and an immune challenge on the metabolic rate and sprint performance, using 60 males in a repeated measures design. Food availability was measured in all animals, as were performance and immunological responses to an immune challenge with a mitogen lipopolysaccharide. We wanted to test how the energetic costs of integrated immunity varied depending on the magnitude of the challenge. We also gathered information regarding the effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on populations of side-blotched lizards and rock iguanas, including genomic samples, circulating hormones, energy metabolites, immunity, parasites, reproduction, and stable isotope ratios. In addition, we collected cloacal swabs to test for effects on individual animal's microbiome. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found that energetic strategy varied depending on the magnitude of the immune challenge (i.e., dose of LPS). Animals with low challenges show elevated metabolic responses and sprint faster, but with increasing challenges we start to see trade-offs with sprint and healing rate emerge. Thus care must be taken when interpreting immunological results depending on type and size of immune challenge. We next hope to test whether we can uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effect via altered metabolism. In the field we have found significant differences in isotope ratios between urban versus rural populations of side-blotched lizards and in some instances the ratios were related to important physiological measures (i.e., stress reactivity, immunity), but we are testing to see how this changes temporally. Additionally, we are continuing to analyze population genomic data and are finding evidence for selection on some of the key physiological traits we are measuring across an urban landscape, in particular baseline corticosterone and antioxidant capacity. We are also seeing that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites and elevated oxidative stress. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Results have been incorporated into manuscripts published in 2019 and prepared for publication in 2020. Similar findings are also emerging in spiny tailed iguanas, whereby oxidative stress and energy metabolites vary across populations and in response to reproduction. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and graduate students conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French and students performed a study testing relationship between site type (urban vs. rural), maternal reproductive investment, and immune challenge. We also investigated how egg microbiome compared to maternal vs nesting location microbiomes. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found significant immune differences among fertilized and unfertilized eggs, and significant differences in the rate of fertilization among urban and rural populations. We are still analyzing microbiome samples from this study to test for vertical transfer. 4) Key Impacts: Over the course of this project the PI and graduate students have validated for the first time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French and students performed a study to investigate how body temperature affected stress reactivity and immunity in free living lizards. Specifically, we performed stress challenges on lizards in the field and simultaneously recorded body temperature. We then analyzed blood samples for stress hormones and immunity. Also, in the lab we tested how animals behaviorally responded an integrative immune response, cutaneous biopsy healing, along a thermal gradient. Data for this study are currently being analyzed. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found that corticosterone was positively related to body temperature and the stress induced immune performance was inversely related. Data for laboratory thermoregulatory studies are still be analyzed, but preliminarily we found that that animals adjusted their behavior to change temperature in response to an immune challenge (behavioral fever), although the response to wound healing does not appear to be as robust as with a mitogen challenge (i.e., LPS).
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Pettit, T., Pettit, J., Durso, A., & French, S. (2019). Investment of both essential fatty and amino acids to immunity varies depending on reproductive stage. Journal of Experimental Zoology A, 331(10), 552-561.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Webb, A., Iverson, J., Knapp, C., DeNardo, D., & French, S. (2019). Energetic investment associated with vitellogenesis induces an oxidative cost of reproduction. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88, 461-472
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems:Goal 1) We will examine effects of anthropogenic stressors on similar parameters (including energy metabolites, oxidative stress, immunity, parasites, and reproduction) in a comparative species of lizard inhabiting a different landscape, the spiny-tailed iguana to test how life history and environmental differences influence physiological responses to stress. This part of the project will also provide training for international students from underdeveloped countries. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for a graduate student and undergraduate student by performing the proposed research and being mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. Citizen scientists are involved in data collection with the rock iguana work in the field, broadening the scope of training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1) Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts 2) Presentations by myself, graduate, and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in San Francisco CA., January 2018 3) Presentations by myself and graduate students at the Iguana Specialist Group meetings Dallas Ft. Worth TX, November 2018 4) Reports to the State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. a) Analyze immune and metabolic data from temperature -immune challenge study. b) Test for effects of different immune challenges (stimulate different immune pathways) on racing performance. c) Continue to monitor free-living populations for comparison with laboratory studies. d) Look at microbiome and genomic samples to better understand natural and anthropogenically based patterns of condition and stress. e) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. f) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. a) Analyze data on the interactive effects of energy status, reproductive investment, reproductive state on maternal metabolism and performance outcomes. b) Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. c) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. a) Complete analysis for common garden study testing effects of temperature and immunity on oxidative stress. This will allow us to uncouple whether oxidative changes are due to immune activation or metabolism. b) Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We performed a laboratory study testing the interactive effects of temperature and an immune challenge on the metabolic rate, using 60 males in a repeated measures design. Food availability was measured in all animals, as were behavioral and immunological responses to an immune challenge with a mitogen (LPS). We wanted to test how the energetic costs of immunity interacted with the temperature the animal was maintained at, and what the overall effects would be on immune performance. We also gathered information regarding the effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on populations of side-blotched lizards and rock iguanas, including genomic samples, circulating hormones, energy metabolites, immunity, parasites, reproduction, and stable isotope ratios. In addition, we collected cloacal swabs to test for effects on individual animal's microbiome. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. Preliminarily we have found that immune challenge and temperature interact to alter both metabolic rate and immune performance. We also found that animals adjusted their behavior to change temperature in response to an immune challenge (behavioral fever). We next hope to test whether we can uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effect via altered metabolism. In the field we have found significant differences in isotope ratios between urban versus rural populations of side-blotched lizards and in some instances the ratios were related to important physiological measures (i.e., stress reactivity, immunity), but we are testing to see how this changes temporally. Additionally, we are finding evidence for selection on some of the key physiological traits we are measuring across an urban landscape, in particular baseline corticosterone and antioxidant capacity. We are also seeing that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites and elevated oxidative stress. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Results have been incorporated into manuscripts published in 2017 and prepared for publication in 2018. Finally, we received a major federal grant from NSF to continue the Rock Iguana work in the Bahamas. This will allow us to test for interactions among diet, immunity and microbiome both out in the field but also in the laboratory on a larger scale. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influence physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French and graduate students conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French and students performed a study testing relationship between maternal reproductive investment, reproductive state, and energy output. We also investigated how egg immunity changed over the course of embryonic development. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found significant immune differences among reproductive states, and we are currently analyzing the metabolic data. We also found that egg immunity stayed elevated during early embryonic development but that it dropped off significantly just before hatching. 4) Key Impacts: Over the course of this project the PI and graduate students have validated for the first time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French and students performed a study to investigate how temperature interacted with an immune challenge to affect oxidative stress. Specifically, we manipulated immune status and temperature via a 2 X 2 factorial design (e.g., low, high temperature and LPS or no LPS). Data for this study are currently being analyzed. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found that immune challenges significantly elevated oxidative stress. We are currently investigating whether this elevation in oxidative stress is due to immune activation directly or elevated metabolic rate.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Durso, A. M., & French, S. (2018). Stable isotope tracers reveal a trade-off between reproduction and immunity in a reptile with competing needs. To appear in Functional Ecology, 32(3), 648-656.
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Progress 07/01/17 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project includes both physiological and ecological scientists interested in the effects of stress on health and reproductive success of individuals and the effects of individual physiology on population changes over time. Changes/Problems: None to report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided valuable training opportunities for one graduate student and an undergraduate student mentored by the principle investigator. These students have gained experience and training in experimental design, data collection, data entry and analysis, manuscript preparation, and research presentation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of this project thus far have been disseminated in the following key ways: 1)Departmental seminar presentation by Geoff Smith at Utah State University, June 2017 2)Departmental seminar presentation by Susannah French at Pennsylvania State University, April 2017 3)Departmental seminar presentation by Susannah French at Texas AM University, June 2017 4)Publication of findings as they are analyzed and composed into manuscripts 5)Presentations by graduate and undergraduate students at Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Meeting in New Orleans LA., January 2017 6)Reports to the State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. a)Analyze immune and metabolic data from racing performance study. b)Test for effects of different immune challenges (stimulate different immune pathways) on racing performance. c)Continue to monitor free-living populations for comparison with laboratory studies. d)Look at microbiome and genomic samples to better understand natural and anthropogenically based patterns of condition and stress. e)Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. f)Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influences physiological and energetic responses to stressors. a)Test the interactive effects of energy status and immune challenge on maternal provisioning of immune components to her eggs. b)Finish laboratory analysis of previously collected samples. c)Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. a)Complete common garden study testing effects of temperature and immunity on metabolic rate. Specifically, we would manipulate immune status using immune challenge and temperature using a 2 X 3 factorial design (e.g., low, medium, high temperature and wound or no wound control). This will allow us to test how animals respond metabolically depending on immune status and temperature. b)Submit resulting manuscripts to peer-review journals. c)Submit a major NSF grant to fund rock iguana research at a larger scale
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1) Understand the effects of different types of stress on energy allocation decisions. 1) Major Activities: Dr. French conducted some of the proposed experiments, presented results at meetings and invited seminars, submitted manuscripts to peer-review journals, applied for additional federal funding, and mentored graduate and undergraduate students. 2) Specific Objectives Met: We performed a metabolic study in the laboratory, using 40 males in a repeated measures design, testing the effects of wound size on performance. Food availability was measured in all animals, coloration was also quantified, and racing speed was repeatedly tested in all animals to simulate antipredator escape behavior. We wanted to see how the energetic costs of immunity extended to other performance traits and whether we can uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effects via altered metabolism. We also gathered information regarding the effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on populations of side-blotched lizards and rock iguanas, including genomic samples, circulating hormones, energy metabolites, immunity, parasites, reproduction, and stable isotope ratios. In addition, we collected cloacal swabs to test for effects on the microbiome. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. Preliminarily we have found that immune challenges alter both metabolic rate and performance. We next hope to test whether we can uncouple direct effects of immunity on performance traits versus indirect effect via altered metabolism. In the field we have found significant differences in isotope ratios between urban versus rural populations of side-blotched lizards and in some instances the ratios were related to important physiological measures (i.e., stress reactivity, immunity), but we are testing to see how this changes temporally. Additionally, we are finding evidence for selection on some of the key physiological traits we are measuring across an urban landscape, in particular baseline corticosterone and antioxidant capacity. We are also seeing that food supplementation of wild populations of rock iguanas is leading to altered energy metabolites and elevated oxidative stress. This has important implications for changing landscapes and different natural and novel sources of stress on the physiology of animals. Results have been incorporated into manuscripts published in 2017 and prepared for publication in 2018. Goal 2) Explore how energy status influences physiological and energetic responses to stressors. 1) Major Activities: This project began in July 2017 and thus we have not yet initiated this line of research. Dr. French has begun designing experiments for the 2018 field season to test for interactive effects of temperature and stress on immunity, and applied for additional federal funding. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French has begun designing experiments for the 2018 field season to test for effects of energy state and immune challenge on maternal energetic and immune investment in her eggs. We performed a pilot study testing relationship between maternal immunity and egg immunity. 3) Significant Results Achieved: From this research we obtained the following preliminary results. We found significant inter and intra clutch variation in egg immunity. For this work we also validated immune assays for use in yolk samples, an important experimental step forward. 4) Key Impacts: Over the course of this project the PI and graduate students have validated for the first time immunological assays for use in egg yolk. These procedures can be applied to assess immune activity across a variety of oviparous models systems. Goal 3) Test how variable ambient and body temperatures affect energy-stress interactions. 1) Major Activities: This project began in July 2017 and thus we have not yet initiated this line of research. Dr. French has begun designing experiments for the 2018 field season to test for interactive effects of temperature and stress on immunity, and applied for additional federal funding. 2) Specific Objectives Met: Dr. French has begun designing experiments for the 2018 field season to test for interactive effects of temperature and immunity on metabolism. 3) Significant Results Achieved: NA
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Smith, G. D., French, S. (2017). Physiological Trade-Offs in Lizards: Costs for Individuals and Populations. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 57(2), 344-351. + http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/icx062
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