Early stress priming and the effects on fitness-related traits following an adult stress exposure

Developmental stressors can have strong effects that persist well into adulthood, and are generally seen as detrimental. However, recent work suggests that a mild developmental stressor can have beneficial effects by preparing the organism to better withstand negative impacts when exposed to high levels of the stressor later in life, also known as a conditioning hormesis. Still, little is known about the influence of such hormetic effects on fitness-related measures. We hypothesized that exposure to a mild stressor during development will protect individuals later in life from the negative effects of a high heat stressor on immune function and reproduction. To test this hypothesis, we subjected zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to a repeated mild heat stressor (38 degrees C) as juveniles for 28 days. As adults, the birds were then exposed to a high heat stressor (42 degrees C) for 3 consecutive days and we examined the effects on immune function via wound healing, and on female reproductive output. We found that females given the mild heat stressor as juveniles healed wounds marginally slower, but also had higher clutch viability than controls. For the adult treatment, we saw that high heat had a stimulatory effect on clutch viability as well. Our findings point toward the occurrence of trade-offs between immune function and reproduction due to a cost of hormetic priming when the adult environment does not match that of early life.