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Sumasgutner P, Nilles T, Hykollari A, de Chapa MM, Isaksson C, Hochleitner L, Renner S, Fusani L. Integument colouration and circulating carotenoids in relation to urbanisation in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:48. [PMID: 37736824 PMCID: PMC10516791 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01874-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Urbanisation is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, yet we still lack an integrative understanding of how cities affect behaviour, physiology and parasite susceptibility of free-living organisms. In this study, we focus on carotenoids, strictly dietary micronutrients that can either be used as yellow-red pigments, for integument colouration (signalling function), or as antioxidants, to strengthen the immune system (physiological function) in an urban predator, the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Kestrels are specialised vole hunters but shift to avian prey in cities where diurnal rodents are not sufficiently available. This different foraging strategy might determine the quantity of carotenoids available. We measured integument colouration, circulating carotenoids in the blood and ectoparasite burden in kestrels along an urban gradient. Our results showed that nestlings that were raised in more urbanised areas displayed, unrelated to their ectoparasite burden, a paler integument colouration. Paler colours were furthermore associated with a lower concentration of circulating carotenoids. These findings support the hypothesis that the entire urban food web is carotenoid deprived and only prey of low quality with low carotenoid content is available (e.g. fewer carotenoids in urban trees, insects, small birds and finally kestrels). The alternative hypothesis that nestlings allocate carotenoids to reduce physiological stress and/or to cope with parasites rather than invest into colouration could not be supported. Our study adds to existing evidence that urban stressors negatively affect carotenoid production in urban areas, a deficiency that dissipate into higher trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Sumasgutner
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Tom Nilles
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alba Hykollari
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuela Merling de Chapa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Hessian Agency for Nature, Environment and Geology, Biodiversity Center, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Hochleitner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Swen Renner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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Aastrup C, Nilsson JÅ, Hasselquist D, Hegemann A. Size and immune function as predictors of predation risk in nestling and newly fledged jackdaws. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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Avilés JM, Cruz-Miralles Á, Parejo D. Moonlight influence on quality of nestlings of scops owls depends on paternal coloration. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Lunar phases might favor the maintenance of color polymorphism via disruptive selection if the different color variants performed differently in terms of prey capture under different moonlight levels. Moonlight, however, may affect prey capture as a side effect of its influence on prey behavior. Here we combine data of parental provisioning and quality of owlets with one ex-situ study of grasshopper activity to test whether Eurasian scops owls (Otus scops) with different plumage color and their prey are differently affected by moonlight. Food provisioning increased from new- to full-moon. However, the effect of moonlight on owlet mass gain and immune response depended on paternal coloration. On the one hand, body mass gain of nestlings of the greyest fathers increased from nights with new- to full-moon, whereas it did not change with moonlight for the brownest fathers. On the other hand, PHA response of nestlings of the brownest fathers increased with high moonlight levels during the first week of life, whereas it did not change with moonlight levels for the greyest fathers. Grasshoppers were more active at new moon than at full or waning moon. Our study provides supporting evidence that moonlight influences the behavior of both scops owls and its prey and suggests that fluctuations in environmental conditions can modulate the advantages of morphs. These results are important because they provide a general insight into a little appreciated mechanism for the maintenance of color polymorphism in natural populations based on the interactive effect of different environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús M Avilés
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería E-04001, España
- Unidad Asociada (UNEX-CSIC): Ecología en el Antropoceno, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz E-06006, España
| | - Ángel Cruz-Miralles
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz E-04001, España
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, EEZA-CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería E-04001, España
- Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz E-04001, España
- Unidad Asociada (UNEX-CSIC): Ecología en el Antropoceno, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz E-06006, España
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Wemer L, Hegemann A, Isaksson C, Nebel C, Kleindorfer S, Gamauf A, Adrion M, Sumasgutner P. Reduced ectoparasite load, body mass and blood haemolysis in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) along an urban-rural gradient. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:42. [PMID: 34491450 PMCID: PMC8423637 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01745-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Urbanisation is proceeding at an alarming rate which forces wildlife to either retreat from urban areas or cope with novel stressors linked to human presence and activities. For example, urban stressors like anthropogenic noise, artificial light at night and chemical pollution can have severe impacts on the physiology of wildlife (and humans), in particular the immune system and antioxidant defences. These physiological systems are important to combat and reduce the severity of parasitic infections, which are common among wild animals. One question that then arises is whether urban-dwelling animals, whose immune and antioxidant system are already challenged by the urban stressors, are more susceptible to parasitic infections. To assess this, we studied nestlings of Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in Vienna, Austria, during 2015 and 2017. We measured biomarkers of innate immune function, oxidative stress and body mass index and ectoparasite infection intensity in 143 nestlings (from 56 nests) along an urban gradient. Nestlings in more urbanised areas had overall fewer ectoparasites, lower haemolysis (complement activity) and lower body mass index compared to nestlings in less urbanised areas. None of the other immune or oxidative stress markers were associated with the urban gradient. Despite some non-significant results, our data still suggest that kestrel nestlings experience some level of reduced physiological health, perhaps as a consequence of exposure to more urban stressors or altered prey availability in inner-city districts even though they had an overall lower ectoparasite burden in these heavily urbanised areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Wemer
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arne Hegemann
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Carina Nebel
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5001, Australia
| | | | - Marius Adrion
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,NABU E.V, Head office, Berlin, Germany
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. .,Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Nebel C, Sumasgutner P, Rodseth E, Ingle RA, Childs DZ, Curtis‐Scott O, Amar A. Multigenerational pedigree analysis of wild individually marked black sparrowhawks suggests that dark plumage coloration is a dominant autosomal trait. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Nebel
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
- Department of Biology University of Turku Turku Finland
| | - P. Sumasgutner
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology Konrad Lorenz Research Centre (KLF) Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - E. Rodseth
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - R. A. Ingle
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - D. Z. Childs
- School of Biosciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - O. Curtis‐Scott
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - A. Amar
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology DSI‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
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