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Léandri-Breton DJ, Jouanneau W, Legagneux P, Tarroux A, Moe BR, Angelier F, Blévin P, Bråthen VS, Fauchald P, Gabrielsen GW, Herzke D, Nikiforov VA, Elliott KH, Chastel O. Winter Tracking Data Suggest that Migratory Seabirds Transport Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances to Their Arctic Nesting Site. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:12909-12920. [PMID: 38991194 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Seabirds are often considered sentinel species of marine ecosystems, and their blood and eggs utilized to monitor local environmental contaminations. Most seabirds breeding in the Arctic are migratory and thus are exposed to geographically distinct sources of contamination throughout the year, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Despite the abundance and high toxicity of PFAS, little is known about whether blood concentrations at breeding sites reliably reflect local contamination or exposure in distant wintering areas. We tested this by combining movement tracking data and PFAS analysis (nine compounds) from the blood of prelaying black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) nesting in Arctic Norway (Svalbard). PFAS burden before egg laying varied with the latitude of the wintering area and was negatively associated with time upon return of individuals at the Arctic nesting site. Kittiwakes (n = 64) wintering farther south carried lighter burdens of shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs, C9-C12) and heavier burdens of longer chain PFCAs (C13-C14) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid compared to those wintering farther north. Thus, blood concentrations prior to egg laying still reflected the uptake during the previous wintering stage, suggesting that migratory seabirds can act as biovectors of PFAS to Arctic nesting sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don-Jean Léandri-Breton
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3 V9, Canada
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372-CNRS & La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - William Jouanneau
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372-CNRS & La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromso̷, Norway
| | - Pierre Legagneux
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372-CNRS & La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1 V0A6, Canada
| | - Arnaud Tarroux
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromso̷, Norway
| | - Bo Rge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372-CNRS & La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | | | - Vegard S Bråthen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Per Fauchald
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromso̷, Norway
| | | | - Dorte Herzke
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Fram Centre, 9296 Tromso̷, Norway
| | | | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3 V9, Canada
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372-CNRS & La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
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Andong FA, Ejere VC, Agina OA, Ekere SO, Mayowa ES. Assessment of biometrics and stress indicators of the adult Village Weaver birds ( Ploceus cucullatus) during breeding and post-breeding seasons in Jos, Nigeria. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31196. [PMID: 38784561 PMCID: PMC11112311 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In this era of climate change, some biological conservationists' concerns are based on seasonal studies that highlight how wild birds' physiological fitness are interconnected with the immediate environment to avoid population decline. We investigated how seasonal biometrics correlated to stress parameters of the adult Village Weavers (Ploceus cucullatus) during breeding and post-breeding seasons of the Weaver birds in Amurum Forest Reserve. Specifically, we explored the following objectives: (i) the seasonal number of birds captured; (ii) whether seasonal baseline corticosterone (CORT), packed cell volume (PCV), and heterophil to lymphocytes ratio (H:L) were sex-dependent; (iii) whether H:L ratio varied with baseline (CORT); (iv) whether phenotypic condition (post-breeding moult) and brood patch varied with baseline (CORT) and H:L ratio; and (v) how body biometrics co-varied birds' seasonal baseline (CORT), (PCV) and (H:L) ratio. Trapping of birds (May-November) coincided with breeding and post-breeding seasons. The birds (n = 53 males, 39 females) were ringed, morphologically assessed (body mass, wing length, moult, brood patch) and blood collected from their brachial vein was used to assess CORT, PCV and H:L ratio. Although our results indicated more male birds trapped during breeding, the multiple analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicated that the seasonal temperature of the trapping sites correlated (P < 0.05) significantly to baseline (CORT). The general linear mixed model analyses (GLMMs) indicated that the baseline (CORT) also correlated significantly to H:L ratio of the male and female birds. However, PCV correlated significantly to body size of the birds (wing length) and not body mass. Haematological parameters such as the baseline CORT and the H:L ratio as indicators of stress in wild birds. Hence, there is the possibility that the Village Weaver birds suffered from seasonally induced stress under the constrained effect of environmental temperature. Hence, future studies should investigate whether the effect observed is also attributable to other passerine species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix A. Andong
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
- AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
| | - Vincent C. Ejere
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
| | - Onyinyechukwu A. Agina
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
| | - Samuel O. Ekere
- Department of Veterinary Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
| | - Ezekiel S. Mayowa
- AP Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
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Ramenofsky M, Campion AW, Hwee DT, Wood SK, Krause JS, Németh Z, Pérez JH, Bodine S. Comparison of the Phenotypic Flexibility of Muscle and Body Condition of Migrant and Resident White-Crowned Sparrows. ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 97:11-28. [PMID: 38717370 DOI: 10.1086/729666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
AbstractSeasonally breeding birds express variations of traits (phenotypic flexibility) throughout their life history stages that represent adaptations to environmental conditions. Changes of body condition during migration have been well studied, whereas alterations of skeletal and cardiac muscles, body mass, and fat scores have yet to be characterized throughout the spring or fall migratory stages. Additionally, we examined flexible patterns of muscle, body mass, and fat score in migrant white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) in comparison with those in a resident subspecies (Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli) during the stages they share to evaluate the influence of different life histories. Migrants showed hypertrophy of the pectoralis muscle fiber area on the wintering grounds in late prealternate molt, yet increased pectoralis muscle mass was not detected until birds readied for spring departure. While pectoralis profile and fat scores enlarged at predeparture in spring and fall, pectoralis, cardiac, and body masses were greater only in spring stages, suggesting seasonal differences for migratory preparation. Gastrocnemius mass showed little change throughout all stages, whereas gastrocnemius fiber area declined steadily but rebounded in fall on the wintering grounds, where migrants become more sedentary. In general, residents are heavier birds with larger leg structures, while migrants sport longer wings and greater heart mass. Phenotypic flexibility was most prominent among residents with peaks of pectoralis, gastrocnemius, and body masses during the winter stage, when local weather is most severe. Thus, the subspecies express specific patterns of phenotypic flexibility with peaks coinciding with the stages of heightened energy demands: the winter stage for residents and the spring stages for migrants.
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Tamian A, Edwards PD, Neuhaus P, Boonstra R, Ruckstuhl AN, Emmanuel P, Pardonnet S, Palme R, Filippi D, Dobson FS, Saraux C, Viblanc VA. Weathering the storm: Decreased activity and glucocorticoid levels in response to inclement weather in breeding Columbian ground squirrels. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105426. [PMID: 37716083 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Inclement weather can rapidly modify the thermal conditions experienced by animals, inducing changes in their behavior, body condition, and stress physiology, and affecting their survival and breeding success. For animals living in variable environments, the extent to which they have adapted to cope with inclement weather is not established, especially for hibernating species with a short active season that are constrained temporally to breed and store energy for subsequent hibernation. We examined behavioral (foraging activity) and physiological (body mass and fecal cortisol metabolites) responses of Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus), small hibernating rodents inhabiting open meadows in Rocky Mountains, to 3 events of inclement weather (two snow storms in May 2021 and May 2022, one heavy rainfall in June 2022). We found that individuals adapted to inclement weather conditions by (1) reducing above-ground activity, including foraging, (2) decreasing the mobilization of stored resources as indicated by a decrease in the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and lower fecal cortisol metabolites in the hours/days following periods of inclement weather; and (3) compensating through increased foraging and more local activity when favorable conditions resumed. As a result, body mass and growth did not decrease following short periods of inclement weather. Columbian ground squirrels were well-adapted to short periods of inclement weather, coping via modifications of their behavior and the activity of the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouch Tamian
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Phoebe D Edwards
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Peter Neuhaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | | | - Patience Emmanuel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sylvia Pardonnet
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominique Filippi
- Sextant Technology Ltd., 131 Tutaenui Rd, RD2, 4788 Marton, New Zealand
| | - F Stephen Dobson
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Claire Saraux
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Vincent A Viblanc
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, 23 Rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
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Gonzalez-Gomez PL, Villavicencio CP, Quispe R, Schwabl P, Cornelius JM, Ramenofsky M, Krause JS, Wingfield JC. Perspectives on environmental heterogeneity and seasonal modulation of stress response in neotropical birds. Horm Behav 2023; 152:105359. [PMID: 37058919 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Corticosterone (CORT), the main glucocorticoid in birds, regulates physiological and behavioral traits linked to predictable and unpredictable environmental fluctuations (i.e., stressors). Baseline and stress-induced CORT concentrations are known to fluctuate seasonally, linked to life history stages (LHS) such as breeding, molt, and wintering stage. These variations have been relatively well described in North American birds, but poorly addressed in neotropical species. To fill this gap, we explored how baseline and stress-induced CORT variation by LHS was affected by seasonality and environmental heterogeneity (i.e., frequency of unpredictable events such as droughts, flashfloods, etc) within the Neotropics using two approaches. First, we reviewed all currently available data about CORT concentrations for neotropical bird species. Second, we performed an in-depth analysis comparing the CORT responses of the two most common species of the Zonotrichia genus from North and South America (Z. leucophrys and Z. capensis, respectively) and their subspecies to seasonality and environmental heterogeneity. These species have been analyzed with the same methodology, allowing for an in-depth comparison of CORT variations. Despite scant data on neotropical bird species, we observed overlap between molt and breeding, and lower fluctuations of CORT among LHS. These patterns would be considered atypical compared to those described for North temperate species. Further, we found no significant associations between environmental heterogeneity and the stress-responses. In Zonotrichia we observed a positive association between baseline and stress-induced concentrations of CORT and latitude. We also observed differences by LHS. Both baseline and stress-induced CORT concentrations were higher during breeding and lower during molt. In addition, for both species, the overall pattern of seasonal modulation of stress response was heavily influenced by the migration strategy, with long-distance migrants showing significantly higher stress-induced CORT levels. Our results highlight the need for more data collection in the Neotropics. Comparative data would shed further light on the sensitivity of the adrenocortical response to stress under different scenarios of environmental seasonality and unpredictability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina L Gonzalez-Gomez
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Av. Pedro de Valdivia 425, Providencia, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Camila P Villavicencio
- IEB, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rene Quispe
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11735, Santiago, Chile
| | - Philipp Schwabl
- Insitute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marilyn Ramenofsky
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, USA
| | - Jesse S Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, USA
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, USA
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Freeman NE, Gustafson M, Hefley TJ, Boyle WA. Riding out the storm: depleted fat stores and elevated hematocrit in a small bodied endotherm exposed to severe weather. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad011. [PMID: 36950375 PMCID: PMC10026549 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the mid-continental grasslands of North America, climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Increasingly severe storms and prolonged periods of elevated temperatures can impose challenges that adversely affect an individual's condition and, ultimately, survival. However, despite mounting evidence that extreme weather events, such as heavy rain storms, can impose short-term physiological challenges, we know little regarding the putative costs of such weather events. To determine the consequences of extreme weather for small endotherms, we tested predictions of the relationships between both severe precipitation events and wet bulb temperatures (an index that combines temperature and humidity) prior to capture with body composition and hematocrit of grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) caught during the breeding season at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA, between 2014 and 2016. We measured each individual's fat mass, lean mass and total body water using quantitative magnetic resonance in addition to their hematocrit. Individuals exposed to storms in the 24 hours prior to capture had less fat reserves, more lean mass, more water and higher hematocrit than those exposed to moderate weather conditions. Furthermore, individuals stored more fat if they experienced high wet bulb temperatures in the week prior to capture. Overall, the analysis of these data indicate that extreme weather events take a physiological toll on small endotherms, and individuals may be forced to deplete fat stores and increase erythropoiesis to meet the physiological demands associated with surviving a storm. Elucidating the potential strategies used to cope with severe weather may enable us to understand the energetic consequences of increasingly severe weather in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- N E Freeman
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University,
116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University,
Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DG, UK
| | - M Gustafson
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University,
116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 2133 Cesar Chavez Lane, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - T J Hefley
- Department of Statistics, Kansas State University, 101 Dickens Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
| | - W A Boyle
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University,
116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
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Lima AS, de Figueredo AC, Floreste FR, Garcia Neto PG, Gomes FR, Titon SCM. Temperature Extreme Events Decrease Endocrine and Immune Reactive Scope in Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1671-1682. [PMID: 35771987 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Currently, effects of increased atmospheric temperature, in the context of ongoing climate change, have been investigated in multiple organisms and levels of biological organization. While there has been a focus on the impacts of increased mean temperature, an emergent and equally important point is the consequences of recurrent exposure to extreme temperature events, simulating heat waves. This study investigated the effects of serial exposure to high temperatures on immune and endocrine variables before and after exposure to an acute secondary stressor in bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). Adult males were divided into three groups and subjected to three thermal regimes: control (c; constant 22°C); experimental 1 (E1; kept at 22°C and exposed to 4 days of 30°C every 16 days); and experimental 2 (E2; kept at 22°C and exposed to 4 days of 30°C every 6 days). Blood samples were collected on the last day of key extreme heat events. Two weeks after the last extreme heat event, animals were subjected to restraint stress (1 h) and sampled again. Blood samples were used to determine neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio, plasma bacterial killing ability, as well as, corticosterone and plasma testosterone levels. Overall, we found exposure to extreme heat events did not affect immune and endocrine variables over time. Meanwhile, the previous exposure to extreme heat events modulated the responsiveness to restraint. The amplitude of increased corticosterone plasma levels and neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio in response to restraint decreased with the number of previous exposures to extreme heat events. These results suggest that exposure to extreme climatic events has hidden effects on bullfrog's stress response, expressed as diminished reactive scope to a novel stressor. This represents a highly deleterious facet of climate change since diminished responsiveness prevents proper coping with wildlife challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Siqueira Lima
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Aymam Cobo de Figueredo
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Felipe Rangel Floreste
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Patrício Getúlio Garcia Neto
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Fernando Ribeiro Gomes
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Stefanny Christie Monteiro Titon
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, trav. 14, 101, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
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Integrating orientation mechanisms, adrenocortical activity, and endurance flight in vagrancy behaviour. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22104. [PMID: 36543804 PMCID: PMC9772197 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26136-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian migratory processes are typically precisely oriented, yet vagrants are frequently recorded outside their normal range. Wind displaced vagrants often show corrective behaviour, and as an appropriate response is likely adaptive. We investigated the physiological response to vagrancy in passerines. Activation of the emergency life-history stage (ELHS), assessed by high baseline plasma corticosterone, is a potential mechanism to elicit compensatory behaviour in response to challenges resulting from navigational error, coupled with response to fuel load and flight. We compared circulating plasma corticosterone concentrations and body condition between three migratory groups in autumn: (1) wind displaced southwest (SW) vagrants and (2) long range southeast (SE) vagrants on the remote Faroe Islands, and (3) birds within the expected SW migratory route (controls) on the Falsterbo peninsula, Sweden. Vagrants were further grouped by those sampled immediately upon termination of over-water migratory flight and those already on the island. In all groups there was no indication of the activation of the ELHS in response to vagrancy. We found limited support for an increased rate of corticosterone elevation within our 3 min sample interval in a single species, but this was driven by an individual ELHS outlier. Fat scores were negatively correlated with circulating corticosterone; this relationship may suggest that ELHS activation depends upon an individual's energetic states. Interestingly, in individuals caught at the completion of an obligate long-distance flight, we found some evidence of corticosterone suppression. Although limited, data did support the induction of negative feedback mechanisms that suppress corticosterone during endurance exercise, even when fuel loads are low.
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Kucheravy CE, Waterman JM, Dos Anjos EAC, Hare JF, Enright C, Berkvens CN. Extreme climate event promotes phenological mismatch between sexes in hibernating ground squirrels. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21684. [PMID: 34737436 PMCID: PMC8568959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01214-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hibernating ground squirrels rely on a short active period for breeding and mass accrual, and are thus vulnerable to extreme climate events that affect key periods in their annual cycle. Here, we document how a heatwave in March 2012 led to a phenological mismatch between sexes in Richardson’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii). Females emerged from hibernation and commenced breeding earlier in 2012 relative to average female emergence. Although males had descended testes and pigmented scrota, it appeared that not all males were physiologically prepared to breed since 58.6% of males had non-motile sperm when breeding commenced. Body condition, relative testes size, and the relative size of accessory glands were significant predictors of sperm motility. Males with non-motile sperm had smaller accessory glands than males with motile sperm. There was no decrease in the number of juveniles that emerged in 2012 or female yearlings recruited in 2013, nor did juveniles emerge later than other years. The impact of this heatwave on male ground squirrels emphasizes the importance of assessing the consequences of climate change on the breeding success of hibernating species in both sexes, since the different sensitivity to external cues for emergence led to a mismatch in timing under this event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caila E Kucheravy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Jane M Waterman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Elaine A C Dos Anjos
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - James F Hare
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Chris Enright
- Assiniboine Park Zoo, 2595 Roblin Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB, R3R 0B8, Canada
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10
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Moagi LL, Bourne AR, Cunningham SJ, Jansen R, Ngcamphalala CA, Ganswindt A, Ridley AR, McKechnie AE. Hot days are associated with short-term adrenocortical responses in a southern African arid-zone passerine bird. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:268362. [PMID: 34032270 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Relatively little effort has been directed towards elucidating the role of physiological stress pathways in mediating avian responses to global heating. For free-ranging southern pied babblers, Turdoides bicolor, daily maximum air temperatures (Tmax) between ∼35 and ∼40°C result in reduced foraging efficiency, loss of body mass and compromised breeding success. We tested the hypothesis that very hot days are experienced as stressors by quantifying relationships between Tmax and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels in naturally excreted droppings. On days when Tmax<38°C, fGCM levels were independent of Tmax (mean±s.d. 140.25±56.92 ng g-1 dry mass). At Tmax>38°C, however, fGCM levels increased linearly with Tmax and averaged 190.79±70.13 ng g-1 dry mass. The effects of Tmax on fGCM levels did not carry over to the following morning, suggesting that very hot days are experienced as acute stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesedi L Moagi
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.,Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Amanda R Bourne
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Raymond Jansen
- Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Celiwe A Ngcamphalala
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.,DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - André Ganswindt
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Amanda R Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, WA 6009Australia
| | - Andrew E McKechnie
- South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology, National Zoological Garden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.,DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
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11
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Spence AR, French SS, Hopkins GR, Durso AM, Hudson SB, Smith GD, Neuman‐Lee LA. Long‐term monitoring of two snake species reveals immune–endocrine interactions and the importance of ecological context. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 333:744-755. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Austin R. Spence
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA
| | - Susannah S. French
- Department of Biology, Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah USA
| | | | - Andrew M. Durso
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers Florida USA
| | - Spencer B. Hudson
- Department of Biology, Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah USA
| | - Geoffrey D. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences Dixie State University St. George Utah USA
| | - Lorin A. Neuman‐Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences Arkansas State University Jonesboro Arkansas USA
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12
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Mizel JD, Schmidt JH, Mcintyre CL. Climate and weather have differential effects in a high latitude passerine community. Oecologia 2021; 195:355-365. [PMID: 33439358 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04847-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Climatic factors act on populations at multiple timescales leading to the separation of long-term climate and shorter-term weather effects. We used passerine counts from 1995 to 2019 in subarctic Alaska (Denali National Park, USA) to assess the impacts of the prior breeding season's weather on breeding season abundance and the impacts of climate measured through shifts in elevational distribution. Weather and climate appear to have had opposing effects on the abundance of some shrub-associated species as evidenced by a positive response to nesting phase temperature over a 1-year lag and a negative response to warming-induced shifts in shrub-dominated habitats over the long term. The latter response was indicated by declines in abundance which occurred in some part through portions of these populations shifting upslope of our fixed sampling frame. Overall, the abundance of species was related to one or more of the lagged effects of weather and the effects of weather alone drove nearly twofold variation in annual abundance in most species. The effect of nesting phase temperature was a strong positive predictor at both community and individual species levels, whereas arrival phase temperature had weak support at both levels. The effects of total precipitation during the nesting phase and snowmelt timing shared mixed support at community and species levels, but generally indicated higher abundance following seasons that were drier and had earlier snowmelt. Together, our findings of opposing effects of climatic variables at different timescales have implications for understanding the mechanisms of population and distributional change in passerines in the subarctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D Mizel
- Arctic Network, U.S. National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA.
| | - Joshua H Schmidt
- Central Alaska Network, U.S. National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA
| | - Carol L Mcintyre
- Central Alaska Network, U.S. National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA
- Denali National Park and Preserve, U.S. National Park Service, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA
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13
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Krause JS, Németh Z, Pérez JH, Chmura HE, Word KR, Lau HJ, Swanson RE, Cheah JC, Quach LN, Meddle SL, Wingfield JC, Ramenofsky M. Annual regulation of adrenocortical function in migrant and resident subspecies of white-crowned sparrow. Horm Behav 2021; 127:104884. [PMID: 33171133 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Corticosterone affects physiology and behavior both during normal daily processes but also in response to environmental challenges and is known to mediate life history trade-offs. Many studies have investigated patterns of corticosterone production at targeted times of year, while ignoring underlying annual profiles. We aimed to understand the annual regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function of both migrant (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii; n = 926) and resident (Z. l. nutalli; n = 688) subspecies of white-crowned sparrow and how it is influenced by environmental conditions - wind, precipitation, and temperature. We predicted that more dramatic seasonal changes in baseline and stress-induced corticosterone would occur in migrants to precisely time the onset of breeding and cope with environmental extremes on their arctic breeding grounds, while changes in residents would be muted as they experience a more forgiving breeding schedule and comparatively benign environmental conditions in coastal California. During the course of a year, the harshest conditions were experienced the summer breeding grounds for migrants, at which point they had higher corticosterone levels compared to residents. For residents, the winter months coincided with harshest conditions at which point they had higher corticosterone levels than migrants. For both subspecies, corticosterone tended to rise as environmental conditions became colder and windier. We found that the annual maxima in stress-induced corticosterone occurred prior to egg lay for all birds except resident females. Migrants had much higher baseline and acute stress-induced corticosterone during breeding compared to residents; where in a harsher environment the timing of the onset of reproduction is more critical because the breeding season is shorter. Interestingly, molt was the only stage within the annual cycle in which subspecies differences were absent suggesting that a requisite reduction in corticosterone may have to be met for feather growth. These data suggest that modulation of the HPA axis is largely driven by environmental factors, social cues, and their potential interactions with a genetic program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse S Krause
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
| | - Zoltán Németh
- MTA-DE Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1., 4032, Hungary
| | - Jonathan H Pérez
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Inst. of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comp. Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; The Roslin Institute, Univ. of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Helen E Chmura
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Karen R Word
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Hannah J Lau
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Ryan E Swanson
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Cheah
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Lisa N Quach
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, Univ. of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Marilyn Ramenofsky
- Department of Neurobiology Physiology Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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14
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Ruuskanen S, Hsu BY, Nord A. Endocrinology of thermoregulation in birds in a changing climate. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021; 519:111088. [PMID: 33227349 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.111088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to maintain a (relatively) stable body temperature in a wide range of thermal environments by use of endogenous heat production is a unique feature of endotherms such as birds. Endothermy is acquired and regulated via various endocrine and molecular pathways, and ultimately allows wide aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial distribution in variable environments. However, due to our changing climate, birds are faced with potential new challenges for thermoregulation, such as more frequent extreme weather events, lower predictability of climate, and increasing mean temperature. We provide an overview on thermoregulation in birds and its endocrine and molecular mechanisms, pinpointing gaps in current knowledge and recent developments, focusing especially on non-model species to understand the generality of, and variation in, mechanisms. We highlight plasticity of thermoregulation and underlying endocrine regulation, because thorough understanding of plasticity is key to predicting responses to changing environmental conditions. To this end, we discuss how changing climate is likely to affect avian thermoregulation and associated endocrine traits, and how the interplay between these physiological processes may play a role in facilitating or constraining adaptation to a changing climate. We conclude that while the general patterns of endocrine regulation of thermogenesis are quite well understood, at least in poultry, the molecular and endocrine mechanisms that regulate, e.g. mitochondrial function and plasticity of thermoregulation over different time scales (from transgenerational to daily variation), need to be unveiled. Plasticity may ameliorate climate change effects on thermoregulation to some extent, but the increased frequency of extreme weather events, and associated changes in resource availability, may be beyond the scope and/or speed for plastic responses. This could lead to selection for more tolerant phenotypes, if the underlying physiological traits harbour genetic and individual variation for selection to act on - a key question for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bin-Yan Hsu
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Andreas Nord
- Lund University, Department of Biology, Section for Evolutionary Ecology, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37, SE-22362, Lund, Sweden
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15
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Cooper CE, Hurley LL, Deviche P, Griffith SC. Physiological responses of wild zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata) to heatwaves. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb225524. [PMID: 32376711 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.225524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Desert birds inhabit hot, dry environments that are becoming hotter and drier as a consequence of climate change. Extreme weather such as heatwaves can cause mass-mortality events that may significantly impact populations and species. There are currently insufficient data concerning physiological plasticity to inform models of species' response to extreme events and develop mitigation strategies. Consequently, we examine here the physiological plasticity of a small desert bird in response to hot (mean maximum ambient temperature=42.7°C) and cooler (mean maximum ambient temperature=31.4°C) periods during a single Austral summer. We measured body mass, metabolic rate, evaporative water loss and body temperature, along with blood parameters (corticosterone, glucose and uric acid) of wild zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to assess their physiological state and determine the mechanisms by which they respond to heatwaves. Hot days were not significant stressors; they did not result in modification of baseline blood parameters or an inability to maintain body mass, provided drinking water was available. During heatwaves, finches shifted their thermoneutral zone to higher temperatures. They reduced metabolic heat production, evaporative water loss and wet thermal conductance, and increased hyperthermia, especially when exposed to high ambient temperature. A consideration of the significant physiological plasticity that we have demonstrated to achieve more favourable heat and water balance is essential for effectively modelling and planning for the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Elizabeth Cooper
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 3102, Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura Leilani Hurley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Simon Charles Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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16
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Li D, Davis JE, Wang G, Nabi G, Bishop VR, Sun Y, Meddle SL, Wingfield JC, Lei F. Coping with extremes: Remarkably blunt adrenocortical responses to acute stress in two sympatric snow finches on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during winter relative to other seasons. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 291:113434. [PMID: 32057911 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The extreme climatic conditions (ECCs) of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau impose strong selective pressures on the evolution of phenotypic traits in free-living animals. It is not well understood how animals on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau modify their adrenocortical functions in response to both predictable and unpredictable events of ECCs, especially when the available resources are lowest during the wintering life-history stage. To uncover potential physiological mechanisms, we studied the life history stage dependent features of morphology, the plasma corticosterone response to acute stress and brain glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) mRNA expression in two sympatric snow finches: the white-rumped snow finch (Onychostruthus taczanowskii, WRSF); and the rufous-necked snow finch, Pyrgilauda ruficollis, RNSF) in Qinghai Province, China. Our results showed that (a) baseline corticosterone and stressor-induced corticosterone levels significantly varied with life history stage, but not between the species; (b) in WRSF, GR mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus was higher in the wintering stage compared to the pre-basic molt stage. There were no differences in hippocampus MR mRNA expression between stages in either species; (c) in the wintering stage, the suppression of corticosterone secretion in both species was an unexpected strategy in free-living animals. Both convergent and divergent phenotypic traits of adrenocortical responses to acute stress in two sympatric snow finches contribute to our understanding of the coping mechanisms of closely related species in the severe winter on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongming Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jason E Davis
- Department of Biology, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Ghulam Nabi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Valerie R Bishop
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
| | - Yanfeng Sun
- Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao, China
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
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17
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Marcelino J, Silva JP, Gameiro J, Silva A, Rego FC, Moreira F, Catry I. Extreme events are more likely to affect the breeding success of lesser kestrels than average climate change. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7207. [PMID: 32350294 PMCID: PMC7190627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64087-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is predicted to severely impact interactions between prey, predators and habitats. In Southern Europe, within the Mediterranean climate, herbaceous vegetation achieves its maximum growth in middle spring followed by a three-month dry summer, limiting prey availability for insectivorous birds. Lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) breed in a time-window that matches the nestling-rearing period with the peak abundance of grasshoppers and forecasted climate change may impact reproductive success through changes in prey availability and abundance. We used Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a surrogate of habitat quality and prey availability to investigate the impacts of forecasted climate change and extreme climatic events on lesser kestrel breeding performance. First, using 14 years of data from 15 colonies in Southwestern Iberia, we linked fledging success and climatic variables with NDVI, and secondly, based on these relationships and according to climatic scenarios for 2050 and 2070, forecasted NDVI and fledging success. Finally, we evaluated how fledging success was influenced by drought events since 2004. Despite predicting a decrease in vegetation greenness in lesser kestrel foraging areas during spring, we found no impacts of predicted gradual rise in temperature and decline in precipitation on their fledging success. Notwithstanding, we found a decrease of 12% in offspring survival associated with drought events, suggesting that a higher frequency of droughts might, in the future, jeopardize the recent recovery of the European population. Here, we show that extreme events, such as droughts, can have more significant impacts on species than gradual climatic changes, especially in regions like the Mediterranean Basin, a biodiversity and climate change hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marcelino
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves"/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - J P Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
- REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
| | - J Gameiro
- cE3c, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - A Silva
- Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, I.P., Rua C do Aeroporto, 1749-077, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - F C Rego
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves"/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - F Moreira
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
- REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
| | - I Catry
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
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18
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de Zwaan DR, Wilson S, Gow EA, Martin K. Sex-Specific Spatiotemporal Variation and Carry-Over Effects in a Migratory Alpine Songbird. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
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19
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Hunt KE, Hahn TP, Buck CL, Wingfield JC. Effect of testosterone blockers on male aggression, song and parental care in an arctic passerine, the Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus). Horm Behav 2019; 110:10-18. [PMID: 30735664 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In many passerine birds, testosterone stimulates song and aggression but inhibits paternal care, but few studies have explored whether such effects can be reversed with testosterone blockers. We explored the effect of testosterone blockers on song, aggression and paternal care of Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus), an arctic passerine with a short breeding season. Twenty-one "blocker males" received implants containing an androgen receptor blocker and an aromatase inhibitor, compared to 27 control males with empty or no implants. Song, aggression and other behaviors were evaluated with simulated territorial intrusions (STI) during mate-guarding, and with focal observations (without STI) during mate-guarding and incubation. Nests were monitored and nestlings weighed as an indirect measure of paternal care. During STI, blocker males exhibited similar song rates, significantly lower aggression, and were significantly less likely to be found on territory than control males. Focal observations revealed no differences in spontaneous song, aggression, foraging, preening, or flight activity. Blocker males' nestlings had greater body mass on day 5 after hatching, but this difference disappeared by fledging, and both groups fledged similar numbers of young. Two blocker males exhibited unusual paternal care: incubation and brooding of young, or feeding of nestlings at another male's nest. In sum, testosterone blockers affected aggression but not song, contrasting with results from previously published testosterone implant studies. Effects on paternal care were concordant with testosterone implant studies. These patterns may be related to rapid behavioral changes characteristic of the short breeding season of the Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen E Hunt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
| | - Thomas P Hahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - C Loren Buck
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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20
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de Bruijn R, Romero LM. The role of glucocorticoids in the vertebrate response to weather. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:11-32. [PMID: 30012539 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Changes in the environment related to inclement weather can threaten survival and reproductive success both through direct adverse exposure and indirectly by decreasing food availability. Glucocorticoids, released during activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as part of the stress response, are an important candidate for linking vertebrate coping mechanisms to weather. This review attempts to determine if there is a consensus response of glucocorticoids to exposure to weather-related stimuli, including food availability, precipitation, temperature and barometric pressure. The included studies cover field and laboratory studies for all vertebrate taxa, and are separated into four exposure periods, e.g., hours, days, weeks and months. Each reported result was assigned a score based on the glucocorticoid response, e.g., increased, no change, or decreased. Short-term exposure to weather-related stimuli, of up to 24 h, is generally associated with increased glucocorticoids (79% of studies), suggesting that these stimuli are perceived as stressors by most animals. In contrast, the pattern for exposures longer than 24 h shows more variation, even though a majority of studies still report an increase (64%). Lack of glucocorticoid increases appeared to result from instances where: (1) prolonged exposure was a predictable part of the life history of an animal; (2) environmental context was important for the ultimate effect of a stimulus (e.g., precipitation limited food availability in one environment, but increased food in another); (3) prolonged exposure induced chronic stress; and (4) long-term responses appeared to reflect adaptations to seasonal shifts, instead of to short-term weather. However, there is a strong bias towards studies in domesticated laboratory species and wild animals held in captivity, indicating a need for field studies, especially in reptiles and amphibians. In conclusion, the accumulated literature supports the hypothesis that glucocorticoids can serve as the physiological mechanism promoting fitness during inclement weather.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert de Bruijn
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
| | - L Michael Romero
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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21
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Krause JS, Pérez JH, Chmura HE, Meddle SL, Hunt KE, Gough L, Boelman N, Wingfield JC. Weathering the storm: Do arctic blizzards cause repeatable changes in stress physiology and body condition in breeding songbirds? Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 267:183-192. [PMID: 30031732 PMCID: PMC6127033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Severe weather events are increasing worldwide because of climate change. To cope with severe weather events, vertebrates rely on the stress response which is activated by the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis to adjust physiology and behavior. Previous studies have detailed changes in baseline concentrations of the stress hormone corticosterone during a single storm event, but little data exists on how stress physiology and body condition are adjusted as the storm progresses across multiple days. This represents a serious gap in our understanding of how birds respond physiologically over the duration of a storm. We documented arctic snowstorms that occurred over five consecutive years that were endured by Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus; 2012-2016) and in three consecutive years by white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii; 2014-2016). Data were collected on storm-free days, during snowstorms ranging in length from 1 to 3 days, and the day immediately following a snowstorm. The specific aims were to understand how stress physiology, measured at baseline and in response to restraint handling, and body condition changed over multiple days of the storm, and if these responses were consistent across years. Snowstorms did not affect baseline corticosterone concentrations for either species except for female Lapland longspurs and male white-crowned sparrows in 2014. Lapland longspurs, regardless of sex, increased stress-induced (restraint handling) corticosterone in response to snowstorms in all years but 2013, which was characterized by unusually harsh conditions. Both sexes of White-crowned sparrows showed a significant increase in the stress-induced levels of corticosterone during snowstorms in one of the three years of the study. Stress-induced corticosterone concentrations were only different across each day of the storm in one year of the study for Lapland longspurs. Changes in fat and body mass were not uniform across years, but measurable increases in fat stores and body mass were detected in males of both species during the first day of a snowstorm with declines typically occurring by the second day. Our study showed that severe weather events often caused rapid increases in HPA axis activity and body condition, but these profiles are likely dependent upon ecological and environmental context within the breeding season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse S Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Jonathan H Pérez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Helen E Chmura
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Kathleen E Hunt
- Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
| | - Natalie Boelman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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22
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Wingfield JC. Environmental Endocrinology: Insights into the Diversity of Regulatory Mechanisms in Life Cycles. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:790-799. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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23
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Oliver RY, Ellis DPW, Chmura HE, Krause JS, Pérez JH, Sweet SK, Gough L, Wingfield JC, Boelman NT. Eavesdropping on the Arctic: Automated bioacoustics reveal dynamics in songbird breeding phenology. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaaq1084. [PMID: 29938220 PMCID: PMC6010323 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaq1084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Bioacoustic networks could vastly expand the coverage of wildlife monitoring to complement satellite observations of climate and vegetation. This approach would enable global-scale understanding of how climate change influences phenomena such as migratory timing of avian species. The enormous data sets that autonomous recorders typically generate demand automated analyses that remain largely undeveloped. We devised automated signal processing and machine learning approaches to estimate dates on which songbird communities arrived at arctic breeding grounds. Acoustically estimated dates agreed well with those determined via traditional surveys and were strongly related to the landscape's snow-free dates. We found that environmental conditions heavily influenced daily variation in songbird vocal activity, especially before egg laying. Our novel approaches demonstrate that variation in avian migratory arrival can be detected autonomously. Large-scale deployment of this innovation in wildlife monitoring would enable the coverage necessary to assess and forecast changes in bird migration in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Y. Oliver
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | | | - Helen E. Chmura
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jesse S. Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jonathan H. Pérez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Shannan K. Sweet
- Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Laura Gough
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA
| | - John C. Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Natalie T. Boelman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
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24
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Liu G, Hu X, Kessler AE, Gong M, Wang Y, Li H, Dong Y, Yang Y, Li L. Snow cover and snowfall impact corticosterone and immunoglobulin a levels in a threatened steppe bird. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 261:174-178. [PMID: 29462600 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Birds use both the corticosterone stress response and immune system to meet physiological challenges during exposure to adverse climatic conditions. To assess the stress level and immune response of the Asian Great Bustard during conditions of severe winter weather, we measured fecal corticosterone (CORT) and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) before and after snowfall in a low snow cover year (2014) and a high snow cover year (2015). A total of 239 fecal samples were gathered from individuals in Tumuji Nature Reserve, located in eastern Inner Mongolia, China. We observed high CORT levels that rose further after snowfall both in high and low snow cover years. IgA levels increased significantly after snowfall in the low snow cover year, but decreased after snowfall in the high snow cover year. These results suggest that overwintering Asian Great Bustards are subjected to climatic stress during severe winter weather, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune system react to this challenge. Extreme levels of stress, such as snowfall in already prolonged and high snow cover conditions may decrease immune function. Supplemental feeding should be considered under severe winter weather conditions for this endangered subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Liu
- Wetland Research Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
| | - Xiaolong Hu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, 330022, China
| | | | - Minghao Gong
- Wetland Research Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Yihua Wang
- Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Huixin Li
- Wetland Research Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Yuqiu Dong
- Xingan Meng Meteorological Bureau, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 137500, China
| | - Yuhui Yang
- Xingan Meng Meteorological Bureau, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 137500, China
| | - Linhai Li
- State Forestry Planning and Design Institute of Forest Products Industry, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100013, China.
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25
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McLean N, van der Jeugd HP, van de Pol M. High intra-specific variation in avian body condition responses to climate limits generalisation across species. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192401. [PMID: 29466460 PMCID: PMC5821336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that populations of a species will have similar responses to climate change, and thereby that a single value of sensitivity will reflect species-specific responses. However, this assumption is rarely systematically tested. High intraspecific variation will have consequences for identifying species- or population-level traits that can predict differences in sensitivity, which in turn can affect the reliability of projections of future climate change impacts. We investigate avian body condition responses to changes in six climatic variables and how consistent and generalisable these responses are both across and within species, using 21 years of data from 46 common passerines across 80 Dutch sites. We show that body condition decreases with warmer spring/early summer temperatures and increases with higher humidity, but other climate variables do not show consistent trends across species. In the future, body condition is projected to decrease by 2050, mainly driven by temperature effects. Strikingly, populations of the same species generally responded just as differently as populations of different species implying that a single species signal is not meaningful. Consequently, species-level traits did not explain interspecific differences in sensitivities, rather population-level traits were more important. The absence of a clear species signal in body condition responses implies that generalisation and identifying species for conservation prioritisation is problematic, which sharply contrasts conclusions of previous studies on the climate sensitivity of phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina McLean
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Henk P. van der Jeugd
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Vogeltrekstation - Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Division of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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26
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Wingfield JC, Pérez JH, Krause JS, Word KR, González-Gómez PL, Lisovski S, Chmura HE. How birds cope physiologically and behaviourally with extreme climatic events. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0140. [PMID: 28483870 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As global climate change progresses, the occurrence of potentially disruptive climatic events such as storms are increasing in frequency, duration and intensity resulting in higher mortality and reduced reproductive success. What constitutes an extreme climatic event? First we point out that extreme climatic events in biological contexts can occur in any environment. Focusing on field and laboratory data on wild birds we propose a mechanistic approach to defining and investigating what extreme climatic events are and how animals cope with them at physiological and behavioural levels. The life cycle of birds is made up of life-history stages such as migration, breeding and moult that evolved to match a range of environmental conditions an individual might expect during the year. When environmental conditions deteriorate and deviate from the expected range then the individual must trigger coping mechanisms (emergency life-history stage) that will disrupt the temporal progression of life-history stages, but enhance survival. Using the framework of allostasis, we argue that an extreme climatic event in biological contexts can be defined as when the cumulative resources available to an individual are exceeded by the sum of its energetic costs-a state called allostatic overload. This allostatic overload triggers the emergency life-history stage that temporarily allows the individual to cease regular activities in an attempt to survive extreme conditions. We propose that glucocorticoid hormones play a major role in orchestrating coping mechanisms and are critical for enduring extreme climatic events.This article is part of the themed issue 'Behavioural, ecological and evolutionary responses to extreme climatic events'.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jonathan H Pérez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jesse S Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Karen R Word
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Paulina L González-Gómez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Simeon Lisovski
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Helen E Chmura
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behaviour, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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27
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Sheriff MJ, Boonstra R, Palme R, Buck CL, Barnes BM. Coping with differences in snow cover: the impact on the condition, physiology and fitness of an arctic hibernator. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 5:cox065. [PMID: 29218224 PMCID: PMC5710611 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The Earth's climate is changing at an unprecedented rate and, as ecologists, we are challenged with the difficult task of predicting how individuals and populations will respond to climate-induced changes to local and global ecosystems. Although we are beginning to understand some of the responses to changing seasonality, the physiological mechanisms that may drive these responses remain unknown. Using long-term data comparing two nearby populations (<20 km apart) of free-living arctic ground squirrels in northern Alaska, we have previously shown that the timing of spring snowmelt greatly influences their phenology of hibernation and reproduction in a population and site-specific manner. Here, we integrate these site-specific phenologies with body condition, stress physiology, reproductive success and juvenile recruitment to understand phenotypic selection in the two populations. We found that at the site with relatively late spring snowmelt and early autumn snow cover: (i) adult females were larger and in better body condition but had significantly higher stress hormone levels; (ii) females had similar numbers of comparably sized offspring, but offspring had higher stress hormone levels; and (iii) offspring density was lower just prior to hibernation. Thus, adult females at the two sites appear to use different coping strategies that allow them to maintain reproductive fitness; however, marked shortening of the active season because of later snowmelt in spring and earlier snow cover in autumn may compromise juvenile recruitment. We discuss the significance of these findings within the broader context of changing animal-environment relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Sheriff
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Huck Institute of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - C Loren Buck
- Center for Bioengineering Innovation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - Brian M Barnes
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
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28
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Habitat quality affects stress responses and survival in a bird wintering under extremely low ambient temperatures. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:99. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1519-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 10/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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29
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Williams CT, Buck CL, Sheriff MJ, Richter MM, Krause JS, Barnes BM. Sex-Dependent Phenological Plasticity in an Arctic Hibernator. Am Nat 2017; 190:854-859. [PMID: 29166160 DOI: 10.1086/694320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Hibernation provides a means of escaping the metabolic challenges associated with seasonality, yet the ability of mammals to prolong or reenter seasonal dormancy in response to extreme weather events is unclear. Here, we show that Arctic ground squirrels in northern Alaska exhibited sex-dependent plasticity in the physiology and phenology of hibernation in response to a series of late spring snowstorms in 2013 that resulted in the latest snowmelt on record. Females and nonreproductive males responded to the >1-month delay in snowmelt by extending heterothermy or reentering hibernation after several days of euthermy, leading to a >2-week delay in reproduction compared to surrounding years. In contrast, reproductive males neither extended nor reentered hibernation, likely because seasonal gonadal growth and development and subsequent testosterone release prevents a return to torpor. Our findings reveal intriguing differences in responses of males and females to climatic stressors, which can generate a phenological mismatch between the sexes.
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30
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Boelman NT, Krause JS, Sweet SK, Chmura HE, Perez JH, Gough L, Wingfield JC. Extreme spring conditions in the Arctic delay spring phenology of long-distance migratory songbirds. Oecologia 2017; 185:69-80. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3907-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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31
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Krause JS, Pérez JH, Meddle SL, Wingfield JC. Effects of short-term fasting on stress physiology, body condition, and locomotor activity in wintering male white-crowned sparrows. Physiol Behav 2017; 177:282-290. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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32
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Feather corticosterone during non-breeding correlates with multiple measures of physiology during subsequent breeding in a migratory seabird. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 208:1-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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33
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Goymann W, Trappschuh M, Urasa F. Corticosterone Concentrations Reflect Parental Expenditure in Contrasting Mating Systems of Two Coucal Species. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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