Sex‐specific effects of dietary restriction on physiological variables in Japanese quails

• Published in: Ecology and evolution 2024-05, Vol.14 (5), p.e11405-n/a
• Main Authors: Reda, Gebrehaweria K., Ndunguru, Sawadi F., Csernus, Brigitta, Lugata, James K., Knop, Renáta, Szabó, Csaba, Czeglédi, Levente, Lendvai, Ádám Z.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal reproduction; Birds; Body mass; Body size; Circulation; Coturnix japonica; Dietary restrictions; Domestication; Egg production; Fasting; Females; Food; Gender differences; Gene expression; Growth factors; IGF‐1; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factor I; Insulin-like growth factors; Kinases; Lipids; Males; Metabolism; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrients; Nutrition; nutritional limitation; Organisms; Physiological effects; Physiology; Plasma; Resource depletion; Sex; sex difference; Signal transduction; Tradeoffs; Triglycerides
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11405

Nutritional limitation is a common phenomenon in nature that leads to trade‐offs among processes competing for limited resources. These trade‐offs are mediated by changes in physiological traits such as growth factors and circulating lipids. However, studies addressing the sex‐specific effect of nutritional deficiency on these physiological variables are limited in birds. We used dietary restriction to mimic the depletion of resources to various degrees and investigated sex‐specific effects on circulating levels of insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) and triglycerides in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) subjected to ad libitum, 20%, 30% or 40% restriction of their daily requirement, for 2 weeks. We also explored the association of both physiological variables with body mass and egg production. While dietary restriction showed no effects on circulating IGF‐1, this hormone exhibited a marked sexual difference, with females having 64.7% higher IGF‐1 levels than males. Dietary restriction significantly reduced plasma triglyceride levels in both sexes. Females showed more than six‐fold higher triglyceride levels than males. Triglyceride levels were positively associated with body mass in females while showed not association in males. Overall, our findings revealed sex‐specific expression of physiological variables under dietary restriction conditions, which coincide with body size. Trade‐offs among processes competing for limited resources are mediated by changes in physiological traits such as growth factors and circulating lipids. However, studies addressing the sex‐specific effect of nutritional deficiency on these physiological variables are limited in birds. Our findings reveal a sex‐specific expression of physiological variables under dietary restriction conditions and coincide with body size in Japanese quails.