Date: November 18, 2015
Source: University of Exeter
Getting help with baby care could
keep families healthier and extend their lives, according to a new study into
bird behaviour.
Research into weaver birds in
South Africa, carried out at the University of Exeter and published
in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that a heavy breeding
workload led to increased free radical damage to cells, which can be associated
with aging and ill health. However, where birds were in larger groups and the
workload was shared, no increase in cell damage was found.
The team studied cooperative
white-browed sparrow weaver birds in the Kalahari Desert during their breeding
season and compared groups of birds that were not breeding with others that
were raising chicks.
In the three weeks after
hatching, adult birds work feverishly to bring chicks food and as a result they
grow to 40 times their original size. Meanwhile, non-breeding birds live a life
of relative leisure, with no hungry mouths to feed.
"We investigated oxidative
stress, which occurs when free-radicals cause damage to cells. Antioxidants
usually prevent this damage, but during hard work, free-radicals can overwhelm
antioxidant protection," said lead researcher Dominic Cram, who is now
based at the University of Cambridge.
"We found that the birds
that were feeding nestlings often had weaker antioxidant defences and suffered
from oxidative stress. However, in large groups where many birds assist with
nestling care, the birds showed stronger antioxidants and lower free radical damage.
So in larger groups many hands appear to have made light work."
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