Exposing Chicks To Maternal Stress Leads To Long-term Reproductive Success
Monday, October 27, 2008 - 20:14
in Psychology & Sociology
Exposure to maternal stress during pre-natal development has negative impacts, so why doesn't natural selection work to block it? European starling sons exposed to the stress hormone corticosterone experienced increased mortality. But those that survived were of better quality. The mothers began later broods in better condition, had increased future reproduction, and increased survival compared to "stressed" mothers that raised "normal" offspring that were not exposed to corticosterone.