Life history shapes variation in egg composition in the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Abstract

Maternal investment directly shapes early developmental conditions and therefore has long-term fitness consequences for the offspring. In oviparous species prenatal maternal investment is fixed at the time of laying. To ensure the best survival chances for most of their offspring, females must equip their eggs with the resources required to perform well under various circumstances, yet the actual mechanisms remain unknown. Here we describe the blue tit egg albumen and yolk proteomes and evaluate their potential to mediate maternal effects. We show that variation in egg composition (proteins, lipids, carotenoids) primarily depends on laying order and female age. Egg proteomic profiles are mainly driven by laying order, and investment in the egg proteome is functionally biased among eggs. Our results suggest that maternal effects on egg composition result from both passive and active (partly compensatory) mechanisms, and that variation in egg composition creates diverse biochemical environments for embryonic development.

Cristina-Maria Valcu et al. present the proteomes of the blue tit egg albumen and yolk. They find that laying order and female age drive variation in overall egg composition but that the proteomes specifically are dependent on laying order, suggesting maternal effects on egg composition are a result of both passive and active mechanisms.