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Smith GD, Wilcoxen TE, Hudson SB, Virgin EE, Durso AM, Van der Walt M, Spence AR, Neuman‐Lee LA, Webb AC, Terletzky PA, French SS. Anthropogenic and climatic factors interact to influence reproductive timing and effort. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11306. [PMID: 38737567 PMCID: PMC11082630 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Reproduction, although absolutely essential to a species' persistence, is in itself challenging. As anthropogenic change increasingly affects every landscape on Earth, it is critical to understand how specific pressures impact the reproductive efforts of individuals, which directly contribute to the success or failure of populations. However, organisms rarely encounter a single burden at a time, and the interactions of environmental challenges can have compounding effects. Understanding environmental and physiological pressures is difficult because they are often context-dependent and not generalizable, but long-term monitoring across variable landscapes and weather patterns can improve our understanding of these complex interactions. We tested the effects of urbanization, climate, and individual condition on the reproductive investment of wild side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) by measuring physiological/reproductive metrics from six populations in urban and rural areas over six consecutive years of variable precipitation. We observed that reproductive stage affected body condition, corticosterone concentration, and oxidative stress. We also observed that reproductive patterns differed between urban and rural populations depending on rainfall, with rural animals increasing reproductive investment during rainier years compared to urban conspecifics, and that reproductive decisions appeared to occur early in the reproductive process. These results demonstrate the plastic nature of a generalist species optimizing lifetime fitness under varying conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey D. Smith
- Department of Biological SciencesUtah Tech UniversitySt. GeorgeUtahUSA
| | | | - Spencer B. Hudson
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Emily E. Virgin
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Andrew M. Durso
- Department of Biological SciencesFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityFt. MyersFloridaUSA
| | | | - Austin R. Spence
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of California ‐ DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Alison C. Webb
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Patricia A. Terletzky
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Susannah S. French
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
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2
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Smit JAH, Vooijs R, Lindenburg P, Baugh AT, Halfwerk W. Noise and light pollution elicit endocrine responses in urban but not forest frogs. Horm Behav 2024; 157:105453. [PMID: 37979210 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Urban areas are characterised by the presence of sensory pollutants, such as anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN). Animals can quickly adapt to novel environmental conditions by adjusting their behaviour, which is proximately regulated by endocrine systems. While endocrine responses to sensory pollution have been widely reported, this has not often been linked to changes in behaviour, hampering the understanding of adaptiveness of endocrine responses. Our aim was, therefore, to investigate the effects of urbanisation, specifically urban noise and light pollution, on hormone levels in male urban and forest túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus), a species with reported population divergence in behaviour in response to urbanisation. We quantified testosterone and corticosterone release rates in the field and in the lab before and after exposure to urban noise and/or light. We show that urban and forest frogs differ in their endocrine phenotypes under field as well as lab conditions. Moreover, in urban frogs exposure to urban noise and light led, respectively, to an increase in testosterone and decrease in corticosterone, whereas in forest frogs sensory pollutants did not elicit any endocrine response. Our results show that urbanisation, specifically noise and light pollution, can modulate hormone levels in urban and forest populations differentially. The observed endocrine responses are consistent with the observed behavioural changes in urban frogs, providing a proximate explanation for the presumably adaptive behavioural changes in response to urbanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A H Smit
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panamá.
| | - Riet Vooijs
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Lindenburg
- Research Group Metabolomics, Leiden Centre for Applied Bioscience, University of Applied Sciences Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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3
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Welsh GT, Anner SC, Westwood ML, Rockwell V, O'Toole H, Holiday M, Tinghitella RM. Consistent traffic noise impacts few fitness-related traits in a field cricket. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:78. [PMID: 38124034 PMCID: PMC10731782 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02190-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthropogenic habitat change is occurring rapidly, and organisms can respond through within-generation responses that improve the match between their phenotype and the novel conditions they encounter. But, plastic responses can be adaptive or maladaptive and are most likely to be adaptive only when contemporary conditions reasonably mimic something experienced historically to which a response has already evolved. Noise pollution is a ubiquitous anthropogenic stressor that accompanies expanding urbanization. We tested whether the amplitude of traffic noise influences a suite of fitness-related traits (e.g. survival, life history, reproductive investment, immunity) and whether that depends on the life stage at which the noise is experienced (juvenile or adult). Our treatments mimic the conditions experienced by animals living in urban roadside environments with variable vehicle types, but continuous movement of traffic. We used the Pacific field cricket, an acoustically communicating insect that was previously shown to experience some negative behavioral and life history responses to very loud, variable traffic noise, as a model system. RESULTS After exposing crickets to one of four traffic noise levels (silence, 50dBA, 60dBA, and 70dBA which are commonly experienced in their natural environment) during development, at adulthood, or both, we measured a comprehensive suite of fifteen fitness-related traits. We found that survival to adulthood was lower under some noise treatments than under silence, and that the number of live offspring hatched depended on the interaction between a female's juvenile and adult exposure to traffic noise. Both of these suggest that our noise treatments were indeed a stressor. However, we found no evidence of negative or positive fitness effects of noise on the other thirteen measured traits. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, in contrast to previous work with loud, variable traffic noise, when noise exposure is relatively constant, plasticity may be sufficient to buffer many negative fitness effects and/or animals may be able to habituate to these conditions, regardless of amplitude. Our work highlights the importance of understanding how the particular characteristics of noise experienced by animals influence their biological responses and provides insight into how commensal animals thrive in human-dominated habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle T Welsh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Sophia C Anner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Mary L Westwood
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Victoria Rockwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Hannah O'Toole
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Megan Holiday
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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Martin M, Gridley T, Elwen S, Charrier I. Inter-site variability in the Cape fur seal's behavioural response to boat noise exposure. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 196:115589. [PMID: 37776738 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
The impact of man-made noise on wildlife is recognised as a major global concern affecting many taxa in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with the degree of impact varying among individuals or species. Understanding the factors inducing intra-species differences in response to noise is essential for the development of adapted and effective mitigation measures. This study compares the behavioural response of Cape fur seals to boat noise exposures at two study sites showing differences in their level of exposure to anthropogenic activities, and individual composition. Increased vigilance was found for Lambert's Bay seals exposed to high noise level (70-80 dB) compared to those tested at Cape Town harbour. Comparisons with a similar study performed in Namibia were made. Intrinsic factors such as individuals' age-class, sex or arousal state as well as extrinsic factors such as the ambient noise and the nature/extent of human-seal interactions were suggested to induce such variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Martin
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91400 Saclay, France; Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Tess Gridley
- Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Simon Elwen
- Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Isabelle Charrier
- Université Paris-Saclay, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91400 Saclay, France
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Alquezar RD, Arregui L, Macedo RH, Gil D. Birds living near airports do not show consistently higher levels of feather corticosterone. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad079. [PMID: 37869263 PMCID: PMC10588694 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Noise represents a threat to human and wildlife health, triggering physiological and behavioral challenges to individuals living close to sources of extreme noise. Here, we considered airport environments as sources of potentially stressful stimuli for birds and tested if those living near airports are under higher physiological stress than birds living in quiet sites. We used measurements of CORT in feathers (CORTf) as a proxy of chronic stress. We evaluated 14 passerine and 1 non-passerine species, living near three Brazilian airports. We found that, across species, individuals with a better body condition had lower CORTf concentration. At the species level, we found that CORTf concentration was not consistently affected by airport noise. Comparing individuals living in quiet sites with those living near airports, we found that 2 species had higher and 2 had lower CORTf concentrations near airports, while 11 species presented no significant differences between sites. At the population level, model selection indicated that the direction and strength of these differences are weakly related to species' song frequency (peak frequency), as lower-frequency singers tended to present higher CORTf levels at airport-affected sites. In summary, we were unable to find a consistent response among species, probably due to species-specific differences in their response to anthropogenic disturbances. Instead, we found that species might be affected differently according to their singing spectral frequency and that individuals in good body condition show lower CORTf, suggesting that this measure is consistent with lower physiological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata D Alquezar
- PG em Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70919-970, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - Lucía Arregui
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Regina H Macedo
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900, Brasília, DF, Brasil
| | - Diego Gil
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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Bonier F. Future directions in urban endocrinology - The effects of endocrine plasticity on urban tolerance. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2023; 565:111886. [PMID: 36775244 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2023.111886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
After twenty years of studies of endocrine traits in animals living in cities, the field of urban endocrinology has built a robust literature including numerous studies looking for signatures of the effects of urban living, usually in mean circulating hormone concentrations. The findings of this past research have primarily demonstrated the absence of any generalizable endocrine responses to city life. In this opinion paper, I suggest that a strong route forward would include investigations of the role of variation in endocrine plasticity in determining the degree to which organisms tolerate urban challenges (i.e., urban tolerance). Achieving this research aim will require creative experimental and comparative studies, consideration of alternative study systems, and teasing apart of sources of variation in plastic phenotypes (plasticity, sorting, and contemporary evolution). Insight into the role of endocrine plasticity in influencing urban tolerance could help us better understand and predict impacts of expanding urbanization on biodiversity across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Bonier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
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7
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von Holdt BM, Kartzinel RY, van Oers K, Verhoeven KJF, Ouyang JQ. Changes in the rearing environment cause reorganization of molecular networks associated with DNA methylation. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:648-664. [PMID: 36567635 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Disentangling the interaction between the genetic basis and environmental context underlying phenotypic variation is critical for understanding organismal evolution. Environmental change, such as increased rates of urbanization, can induce shifts in phenotypic plasticity with some individuals adapting to city life while others are displaced. A key trait that can facilitate adaptation is the degree at which animals respond to stressors. This stress response, which includes elevation of baseline circulating concentrations of glucocorticoids, has a heritable component and exhibits intra- and inter-individual variation. However, the mechanisms behind this variability and whether they might be responsible for adaptation to different environments are not known. Variation in DNA methylation can be a potential mechanism that mediates environmental effects on the stress response, as early-life stressors increase glucocorticoid concentrations and change adult phenotype. We used an inter- and intra-environmental cross-foster experiment to analyse the contribution of DNA methylation to early-life phenotypic variation. We found that at hatching, urban house wren (Troglodytes aedon) offspring had higher methylation frequencies compared with their rural counterparts. We also observed age-related patterns in offspring methylation, indicating the developmental effects of the rearing environment on methylation. At fledgling, differential methylation analyses showed that cellular respiration genes were differentially methylated in broods of different origins and behavioural and metabolism genes were differentially methylated in broods of different rearing environments. Lastly, hyper-methylation of a single gene (CNTNAP2) is associated with decreased glucocorticoid levels and the rearing environment. These differential methylation patterns linked to a specific physiological phenotype suggest that DNA methylation may be a mechanism by which individuals adjust to novel environments during their lifespan. Characterizing genetic and environmental influences on methylation is critical for understanding the role of epigenetic mechanisms in evolutionary adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridgett M von Holdt
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rebecca Y Kartzinel
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Koen J F Verhoeven
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
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8
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Duarte RHL, de Oliveira Passos MF, Beirão MV, Midamegbe A, Young RJ, de Azevedo CS. Noise interfere on feeding behaviour but not on food preference of saffron finches (Sicalis flaveola). Behav Processes 2023; 206:104844. [PMID: 36773856 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Noise pollution exerts negative well-being effects on animals, especially for captive individuals. A decrease in feeding, reproduction, attention, and an increase in stress are examples of negative effects of noise pollution on animals. Noise pollution can also negatively impact animals' lives by decreasing the efficiency of food choice: attention decrease can cause animals choose the least profitable food, which can affect their fitness. The aims of this study were to analyse the effects of noise on feeding behaviour and food preference of saffron finches. Foraging tests were performed under background sound pressure levels and under a noisy condition. The behaviours exhibited by the birds during the tests were recorded using focal sampling with instantaneous recording of behaviour every 10 s. Results showed that finches consumed more the higher energetic food, and that noise pollution did not impact food consumption by the birds. Noise changed the number of visits on the feeders, and increased the expression of the 'lower the head' and vigilance behaviours during feeding. These findings could be important for wild and captive animals because an increase in vigilance and in changes in foraging behaviour could ultimately impact their fitness. Thus, mitigation measures should be taken in relation to noise impact on wildlife, this is especially the case for captive animals, which have no chance to avoid noisy environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marina Vale Beirão
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Afiwa Midamegbe
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Brazil
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9
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Heppner JJ, Krause JS, Ouyang JQ. Urbanization and maternal hormone transfer: Endocrine and morphological phenotypes across ontogenetic stages. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 333:114166. [PMID: 36402244 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The phenotypes observed in urban and rural environments are often distinct; however, it remains unclear how these novel urban phenotypes arise. Hormone-mediated maternal effects likely play a key role in shaping developmental trajectories of offspring in different environments. Thus, we measured corticosterone (Cort) and testosterone (T) concentrations in eggs across the laying sequence in addition to Cort concentrations in nestling and adult female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) at one urban and one rural site. We found that egg T concentrations were not different between birds from urban and rural sites. However, across all life stages (egg, nestling, and adult female), Cort concentrations were higher at the urban site. Additionally, urban nestling Cort concentrations, but not rural, correlated with fine-scale urban density scores. Furthermore, rural egg volume increased over the laying sequence, but urban egg volume leveled off mid-sequence, suggesting either that urban mothers are resource limited or that they are employing a different brood development strategy than rural mothers. Our study is one of the first to show that egg hormone concentrations differ in an urban environment with differences persisting in chick development and adult life stages. We suggest that maternal endocrine programing may shape offspring phenotypes in urban environments and are an overlooked yet important aspect underlying mechanisms of urban evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse S Krause
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
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10
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Deviche P, Sweazea K, Angelier F. Past and future: Urbanization and the avian endocrine system. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 332:114159. [PMID: 36368439 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Urban environments are evolutionarily novel and differ from natural environments in many respects including food and/or water availability, predation, noise, light, air quality, pathogens, biodiversity, and temperature. The success of organisms in urban environments requires physiological plasticity and adjustments that have been described extensively, including in birds residing in geographically and climatically diverse regions. These studies have revealed a few relatively consistent differences between urban and non-urban conspecifics. For example, seasonally breeding urban birds often develop their reproductive system earlier than non-urban birds, perhaps in response to more abundant trophic resources. In most instances, however, analyses of existing data indicate no general pattern distinguishing urban and non-urban birds. It is, for instance, often hypothesized that urban environments are stressful, yet the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis does not differ consistently between urban and non-urban birds. A similar conclusion is reached by comparing blood indices of metabolism. The origin of these disparities remains poorly understood, partly because many studies are correlative rather than aiming at establishing causality, which effectively limits our ability to formulate specific hypotheses regarding the impacts of urbanization on wildlife. We suggest that future research will benefit from prioritizing mechanistic approaches to identify environmental factors that shape the phenotypic responses of organisms to urbanization and the neuroendocrine and metabolic bases of these responses. Further, it will be critical to elucidate whether factors affect these responses (a) cumulatively or synergistically; and (b) differentially as a function of age, sex, reproductive status, season, and mobility within the urban environment. Research to date has used various taxa that differ greatly not only phylogenetically, but also with regard to ecological requirements, social systems, propensity to consume anthropogenic food, and behavioral responses to human presence. Researchers may instead benefit from standardizing approaches to examine a small number of representative models with wide geographic distribution and that occupy diverse urban ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Karen Sweazea
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Frederic Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372, CNRS - La Rochelle Universite, Villiers en Bois, France
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11
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Effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, bill color, and growth in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Acta Ethol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-022-00406-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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12
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White JH, Heppner JJ, Ouyang JQ. Increased lead and glucocorticoid concentrations reduce reproductive success in house sparrows along an urban gradient. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2688. [PMID: 35754197 PMCID: PMC9722646 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is increasing at a rapid pace globally. Understanding the links among environmental characteristics, phenotypes, and fitness enables researchers to predict the impact of changing landscapes on individuals and populations. Although avian reproductive output is typically lower in urban compared with natural areas, the underlying reasons for this discrepancy may lie at the intersection of abiotic and biotic environmental and individual differences. Recent advances in urban ecology highlight the effect of heavy metal contamination on stress physiology. As high levels of glucocorticoid hormones decrease parental investment, these hormones might be the link to decreased reproductive success in areas of high environmental pollution. In this study, we aimed to identify which abiotic stressors are linked to avian reproductive output in urban areas and whether this link is mediated by individual hormone levels. We used fine-scaled estimates (2 m2 spatial resolution) of nighttime light, noise, and urban density to assess their impacts on the physiological condition of adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We measured circulating levels of lead and glucocorticoid concentrations in 40 breeding pairs of free-living house sparrows and related these physiological traits to reproductive success. Using structural equation modeling, we found that increased urban density levels linked directly to increased plasma corticosterone and lead concentrations that subsequently led to decreased fledgling mass. Sparrows with increased lead concentrations in plasma also had higher corticosterone levels. Although urban areas may be attractive due to decreased natural predators and available nesting sites, they may act as ecological traps that increase physiological damage and decrease fitness. To illustrate, avian development is strongly explained by parental corticosterone levels, which vary significantly in response to urban density and lead pollution. With fine-scale ecological mapping for a species with small home ranges, we demonstrated the presence and impacts of urban stressors in a small city with high human densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin H White
- Department of Economics and Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
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13
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Corsini M, Leanza P, Rodewald AD, Sudyka J, Dhondt AA, Szulkin M. Coping with novelty across an urban mosaic: Provisioning latency increases closer to roads and is associated with species-specific reproductive success in two urban adapters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157450. [PMID: 35863574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Most research on urban avian ecology has focused on population- and community-level phenomena, whereas fewer studies have examined how urbanization affects individual behavioral responses to a sudden and novel stimulus, and how those translate to fitness. We measured between-individual variation in provisioning latency in two urban adapters - great tits and blue tits - in response to an infrared camera installed in the nestbox, encountered when offspring in the nest were at the peak of food demand (9-10-days old). For each nestbox, we quantified urbanization as intensity in human activity, distance to road and proportion of impervious surface area. In both species, provisioning latency increased closer to roads. Moreover, increased provisioning latency when exposed to a novel object was associated with higher reproductive success in great tits whose nestboxes were surrounded by high amounts of impervious surface. In contrast, increased provisioning latency was consistently associated with lower reproductive success in blue tits. Our results suggest that provisioning latency changes in relation to the environment surrounding the nest, and may be context- and species-specific when exposed to a novel stimulus, such as a novel object in the nest. To better understand the role of initial behavioral responses towards novelty across an individual's lifetime and, ultimately, its impact on fitness in the urban mosaic, further research explicitly testing different behavioral responses across the entire breeding cycle in wild model systems is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Corsini
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, ul. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, 14850, NY, USA.
| | - Pietro Leanza
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, ul. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Amanda D Rodewald
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, 14850, NY, USA; Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14850, NY, USA
| | - Joanna Sudyka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - André A Dhondt
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, 14850, NY, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14850, NY, USA
| | - Marta Szulkin
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, ul. Banacha 2c, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
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Bernat-Ponce E, Gil-Delgado JA, López-Iborra GM. Recreational noise pollution of traditional festivals reduces the juvenile productivity of an avian urban bioindicator. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 286:117247. [PMID: 33984779 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Noise is a pollutant of emergent concern for ecologists and conservation biologists. Recreational noise pollution, especially unpredictable and intermittent sounds, and its effects on wildlife and biodiversity have been poorly studied. Researchers have paid very little attention to the effect of noisy traditional festivals (fireworks and powder-guns). This study aimed to explore the effect of these recreational activities on the juvenile productivity of an urban avian bioindicator: the house sparrow. We studied five pairs of localities in the Valencia Region (E Spain) with noisy traditional festivals. Each pair was composed of one locality with festivals during the breeding season and the closest similar locality, but with festivals outside the reproductive period (controls). Both locality types were sampled twice each spring (May-June of 2019 and 2020). Sampling dates were selected as 15 and 30 days after noisy festivals ended, while the control localities were sampled 1 day after the census of their correspondent town pair with noisy breeding season festivals. The ratio of the juveniles/adults detected during surveys in the influence area of festivals (100-m buffer around the parades route) was used as a house sparrow breeding success proxy. Data were analysed using GLMM: year (2019/2020), festivals season (breeding/non-breeding), survey (15/30 days), and their interactions were included as fixed factors. Pair of localities and locality nested within the pair were random factors. In 2019, juvenile productivity was lower in the towns with noisy traditional festivals during the breeding season than in the control towns. The 2020 festivals were cancelled due to COVID-19. In spring 2020, house sparrow juvenile productivity was the same in both town groups. Lockdown did not increase this species' juvenile productivity in the control localities in 2020 versus 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Bernat-Ponce
- Department of Microbiology and Ecology / Terrestrial Vertebrates Ecology, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, C/ Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980, Paterna, Spain.
| | - José A Gil-Delgado
- Department of Microbiology and Ecology / Terrestrial Vertebrates Ecology, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, C/ Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, 46980, Paterna, Spain.
| | - Germán M López-Iborra
- Departamento de Ecología/IMEM Ramon Margalef, Universidad de Alicante, Apdo. Correos 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain.
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15
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Obomsawin AP, Mastromonaco GF, Leonard ML. Chronic noise exposure has context-dependent effects on stress physiology in nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 311:113834. [PMID: 34181934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is increasing in intensity and scope, resulting in changes to acoustic landscapes and largely negative effects on a range of species. In birds, noise can mask acoustic signals used in a variety of communication systems, including parent-offspring communication. As a result, nestling birds raised in noise may have challenges soliciting food from parents and avoiding detection by predators. Given that passerine nestlings are confined to a nest and therefore cannot escape these challenges, noise may also act as a chronic stressor during their development. Here, we raised Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings with or without continuous, white noise to test whether noise exposure affected baseline and stress-induced plasma, integrated feather corticosterone levels, and immune function. Stress physiology and immune function may also vary with the competitive environment during development, so we also examined whether noise effects varied with brood size and nestling mass. We found that overall, exposure to noise did not alter nestling stress physiology or immune function. However, light nestlings raised in noise exhibited lower baseline plasma and integrated feather corticosterone than heavy nestlings, suggesting alternative physiological responses to anthropogenic stimuli. Furthermore, light nestlings in larger broods had reduced PHA-induced immune responses compared to heavy nestlings, and PHA-induced immune responses were associated with higher levels of baseline plasma and feather CORT. Overall, our findings suggest that noise can alter the stress physiology of developing birds; however, these effects may depend on developmental conditions and the presence of other environmental stressors, such as competition for resources. Our findings may help to explain why populations are not uniformly affected by noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anik P Obomsawin
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | | | - Marty L Leonard
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
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16
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Dominoni DM, Teo D, Branston CJ, Jakhar A, Albalawi BFA, Evans NP. Feather, But Not Plasma, Glucocorticoid Response to Artificial Light at Night Differs between Urban and Forest Blue Tit Nestlings. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1111-1121. [PMID: 34272860 PMCID: PMC8490687 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization drives phenotypic variation in many animal species. This includes behavioral and physiological traits such as activity patterns, aggression, and hormone levels. A current challenge of urban evolutionary ecology is to understand the environmental drivers of phenotypic variation in cities. Moreover, do individuals develop tolerance to urban environmental factors, which underlie adaptative responses and contribute to the evolution of urban populations? Most available evidence comes from correlative studies and rare experiments where a single urban-related environmental factor has been manipulated in the field. Here we present the results of an experiment in which we tested for differences in the glucocorticoid (CORT) response of urban and rural blue tits nestlings (Cyanistes caeruleus) to artificial light at night (ALAN). ALAN has been suggested to alter CORT response in several animal species, but to date no study has investigated whether this effect of ALAN differs between urban and rural populations. Immediately after hatching, urban and forest broods were either exposed to 2 lux of ALAN (using an LED source mounted inside the nestbox) or received no treatment (dark control). The experiment lasted until the chicks fledged. When the chicks were 13 days old plasma samples were collected to measure baseline CORT concentrations, and feather samples to provide an integrative measure of CORT during growth. Forest birds had higher plasma CORT (pCORT) concentrations than their urban counterparts, irrespective of whether they were exposed to ALAN or not. Conversely, we found population-specific responses of feather CORT to ALAN. Specifically, urban birds that received ALAN had increased feather CORT compared with the urban dark controls, while the opposite was true for the forest birds. pCORT concentrations were negatively associated to fledging success, irrespective of population and treatment, while feather CORT was positively associated to fledging success in broods exposed to ALAN, but negatively in the dark control ones. Our results demonstrate that ALAN can play a role in determination of the glucocorticoid phenotype of wild animals, and may thus contribute to phenotypic differences between urban and rural animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide M Dominoni
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Dylon Teo
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Claire J Branston
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Aryan Jakhar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | | | - Neil P Evans
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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17
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Abstract
Urbanization poses a major threat to biodiversity worldwide. We focused on birds as a well-studied taxon of interest, in order to review literature on traits that influence responses to urbanization. We review 226 papers that were published between 1979 and 2020, and aggregate information on five major groups of traits that have been widely studied: ecological traits, life history, physiology, behavior and genetic traits. Some robust findings on trait changes in individual species as well as bird communities emerge. A lack of specific food and shelter resources has led to the urban bird community being dominated by generalist species, while specialist species show decline. Urbanized birds differ in the behavioral traits, showing an increase in song frequency and amplitude, and bolder behavior, as compared to rural populations of the same species. Differential food resources and predatory pressure results in changes in life history traits, including prolonged breeding duration, and increases in clutch and brood size to compensate for lower survival. Other species-specific changes include changes in hormonal state, body state, and genetic differences from rural populations. We identify gaps in research, with a paucity of studies in tropical cities and a need for greater examination of traits that influence persistence and success in native vs. introduced populations.
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18
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Iglesias-Carrasco M, Aich U, Jennions MD, Head ML. Stress in the city: meta-analysis indicates no overall evidence for stress in urban vertebrates. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201754. [PMID: 33023414 PMCID: PMC7657868 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As cities continue to grow it is increasingly important to understand the long-term responses of wildlife to urban environments. There have been increased efforts to determine whether urbanization imposes chronic stress on wild animals, but empirical evidence is mixed. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis to test whether there is, on average, a detrimental effect of urbanization based on baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid levels of wild vertebrates. We found no effect of urbanization on glucocorticoid levels, and none of sex, season, life stage, taxon, size of the city nor methodology accounted for variation in the observed effect sizes. At face value, our results suggest that urban areas are no more stressful for wildlife than rural or non-urban areas, but we offer a few reasons why this conclusion could be premature. We propose that refining methods of data collection will improve our understanding of how urbanization affects the health and survival of wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maider Iglesias-Carrasco
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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19
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Grunst ML, Grunst AS, Pinxten R, Eens M. Anthropogenic noise is associated with telomere length and carotenoid-based coloration in free-living nestling songbirds. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 260:114032. [PMID: 32006886 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that anthropogenic noise has deleterious effects on the behavior and physiology of free-living animals. These effects may be particularly pronounced early in life, when developmental trajectories are sensitive to stressors, yet studies investigating developmental effects of noise exposure in free-living populations remain scarce. To elucidate the effects of noise exposure during development, we examined whether noise exposure is associated with shorter telomeres, duller carotenoid-based coloration and reduced body mass in nestlings of a common urban bird, the great tit (Parus major). We also assessed how the noise environment is related to reproductive success. We obtained long-term measurements of the noise environment, over a ∼24-h period, and characterized both the amplitude (measured by LAeq, LA90, LA10, LAmax) and variance in noise levels, since more stochastic, as well as louder, noise regimes might be more likely to induce stress. In our urban population, noise levels varied substantially, with louder, but less variable, noise characteristic of areas adjacent to a highway. Noise levels were also highly repeatable, suggesting that individuals experience consistent differences in noise exposure. The amplitude of noise near nest boxes was associated with shorter telomeres among smaller, but not larger, brood members. In addition, carotenoid chroma and hue were positively associated with variance in average and maximum noise levels, and average reflectance was negatively associated with variance in background noise. Independent of noise, hue was positively related to telomere length. Nestling mass and reproductive success were unaffected by noise exposure. Results indicate that multiple dimensions of the noise environment, or factors associated with the noise environment, could affect the phenotype of developing organisms, that noise exposure, or correlated variables, might have the strongest effects on sensitive groups of individuals, and that carotenoid hue could serve as a signal of early-life telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Andrea S Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rianne Pinxten
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium; Faculty of Social Sciences, Antwerp School of Education, Research Group Didactica, University of Antwerp, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
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20
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Akçay Ç, Porsuk YK, Avşar A, Çabuk D, Bilgin CC. Song overlapping, noise, and territorial aggression in great tits. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Communication often happens in noisy environments where interference from the ambient noise and other signalers may reduce the effectiveness of signals which may lead to more conflict between interacting individuals. Signalers may also evolve behaviors to interfere with signals of opponents, for example, by temporally overlapping them with their own, such as the song overlapping behavior that is seen in some songbirds during aggressive interactions. Song overlapping has been proposed to be a signal of aggressive intent, but few studies directly examined the association between song overlapping and aggressive behaviors of the sender. In the present paper, we examined whether song overlapping and ambient noise are associated positively with aggressive behaviors. We carried out simulated territorial intrusions in a population of great tits (Parus major) living in an urban–rural gradient to assess signaling and aggressive behaviors. Song overlapping was associated negatively with aggressive behaviors males displayed against a simulated intruder. This result is inconsistent with the hypothesis that song overlapping is an aggressive signal in this species. Ambient noise levels were associated positively with aggressive behaviors but did not correlate with song rate, song duration, or song overlapping. Great tits in noisy urban habitats may display higher levels of aggressive behaviors due to either interference of noise in aggressive communication or another indirect effect of noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Çağlar Akçay
- Department of Psychology, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Caddesi, Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Y Kağan Porsuk
- Department of Psychology, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Caddesi, Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Alican Avşar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Üniversiteler, Dumlupınar Blv. No:1, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dilan Çabuk
- Department of Psychology, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Caddesi, Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - C Can Bilgin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Üniversiteler, Dumlupınar Blv. No:1, Ankara, Turkey
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21
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Injaian AS, Francis CD, Ouyang JQ, Dominoni DM, Donald JW, Fuxjager MJ, Goymann W, Hau M, Husak JF, Johnson MA, Kircher BK, Knapp R, Martin LB, Miller ET, Schoenle LA, Williams TD, Vitousek MN. Baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels across birds and reptiles do not reflect urbanization levels. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coz110. [PMID: 31993201 PMCID: PMC6978728 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Rates of human-induced environmental change continue increasing with human population size, potentially altering animal physiology and negatively affecting wildlife. Researchers often use glucocorticoid concentrations (hormones that can be associated with stressors) to gauge the impact of anthropogenic factors (e.g. urbanization, noise and light pollution). Yet, no general relationships between human-induced environmental change and glucocorticoids have emerged. Given the number of recent studies reporting baseline and stress-induced corticosterone (the primary glucocorticoid in birds and reptiles) concentrations worldwide, it is now possible to conduct large-scale comparative analyses to test for general associations between disturbance and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone across species. Additionally, we can control for factors that may influence context, such as life history stage, environmental conditions and urban adaptability of a species. Here, we take a phylogenetically informed approach and use data from HormoneBase to test if baseline and stress-induced corticosterone are valid indicators of exposure to human footprint index, human population density, anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night in birds and reptiles. Our results show a negative relationship between anthropogenic noise and baseline corticosterone for birds characterized as urban avoiders. While our results potentially indicate that urban avoiders are more sensitive to noise than other species, overall our study suggests that the relationship between human-induced environmental change and corticosterone varies across species and contexts; we found no general relationship between human impacts and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone in birds, nor baseline corticosterone in reptiles. Therefore, it should not be assumed that high or low levels of exposure to human-induced environmental change are associated with high or low corticosterone levels, respectively, or that closely related species, or even individuals, will respond similarly. Moving forward, measuring alternative physiological traits alongside reproductive success, health and survival may provide context to better understand the potential negative effects of human-induced environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison S Injaian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca NY 14850, USA
| | - Clinton D Francis
- Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
| | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Davide M Dominoni
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Jeremy W Donald
- Coates Library, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence RI 02912, USA
| | | | - Michaela Hau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen 82319, Germany
- University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jerry F Husak
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Michele A Johnson
- Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX 78212, USA
| | - Bonnie K Kircher
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Rosemary Knapp
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Lynn B Martin
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | | | - Laura A Schoenle
- Office of Undergraduate Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA
| | - Tony D Williams
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca NY 14850, USA
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22
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Dominoni D, Smit JAH, Visser ME, Halfwerk W. Multisensory pollution: Artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise have interactive effects on activity patterns of great tits (Parus major). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 256:113314. [PMID: 31761596 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Urbanisation is increasing globally at a rapid pace. Consequently, wild species face novel environmental stressors associated with urban sprawl, such as artificial light at night and noise. These stressors have pervasive effects on the behaviour and physiology of many species. Most studies have singled out the impact of just one of these stressors, while in the real world they are likely to co-occur both temporally and spatially, and we thus lack a clear understanding of the combined effect of anthropogenic stressors on wild species. Here, we experimentally exposed captive male great tits (Parus major) to artificial light at night and 24 h noise in a fully factorial experiment. We then measured the effect of both these stressors on their own and their combination on the amount and timing of activity patterns. We found that both light and noise affected activity patterns when presented alone, but in opposite ways: light increased activity, particularly at night, while noise reduced it, particularly during the day. When the two stressors were combined, we found a synergistic effect on the total activity and the nighttime activity, but an antagonistic effect on daytime activity. The significant interaction between noise and light treatment also differed among forest and city birds. Indeed, we detected a significant interactive effect on light and noise on daytime, nighttime, dusktime and offset of activity of urban birds, but not of forest birds. These results suggest that both artificial light at night and anthropogenic noise can drive changes in activity patterns, but that the specific impacts depend on the habitat of origin. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that co-occurring exposure to noise and light can lead to a stronger impact at night than predicted from the additive effects and thus that multisensory pollution may be a considerable threat for wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Dominoni
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands; Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Judith A H Smit
- Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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23
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Ouyang JQ, Baldan D, Munguia C, Davies S. Genetic inheritance and environment determine endocrine plasticity to urban living. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191215. [PMID: 31362633 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
As urban areas continue to expand globally, understanding how and why species respond to novel habitats becomes increasingly important. Knowledge of the mechanisms behind observed phenotypic changes in urban animals will enable us to better evaluate the impact of urbanization on current and future generations of wildlife. Physiological changes, such as those involved in the endocrine stress response, may allow individuals to inhabit and thrive in urbanized areas, but it is currently unknown how these changes arise in natural populations. In this study, we performed a four-way cross-foster experiment in free-living house wren chicks, Troglodytes aedon, to disentangle whether differences in baseline corticosterone between urban and rural individuals are a result of genetic and/or plastic mechanisms during development. We found that urban chicks already had higher corticosterone levels than their rural counterparts on the day they hatched, which suggests a possible genetic component to the corticosterone phenotype. However, rural offspring that were moved to an urban environment significantly increased their corticosterone levels, mimicking those of urban offspring. Our findings suggest that, although differences in baseline corticosterone concentrations between urban and rural individuals may have a genetic component, plasticity plays a pivotal role and can modify the corticosterone phenotype in response to the environment experienced in the first two weeks of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Davide Baldan
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Crystal Munguia
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Scott Davies
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA
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24
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Injaian AS, Gonzalez-Gomez PL, Taff CC, Bird AK, Ziur AD, Patricelli GL, Haussmann MF, Wingfield JC. Traffic noise exposure alters nestling physiology and telomere attrition through direct, but not maternal, effects in a free-living bird. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 276:14-21. [PMID: 30796896 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic impacts, such as noise pollution from transportation networks, can serve as stressors to some wildlife species. For example, increased exposure to traffic noise has been found to alter baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels, reduce body condition and reproductive success, and increase telomere attrition in free-living birds. However, it remains unknown if alterations in nestling phenotype are due to direct or indirect effects of noise exposure. For example, indirect (maternal) effects of noise may occur if altered baseline and stress-induced corticosterone in mothers results in differential deposition of yolk steroids or other components in eggs. Noise exposure may also alter nestling corticosterone levels directly, given that nestlings cannot escape the nest during development. Here, we examined maternal versus direct effects of traffic noise exposure on baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels, and body condition (as measured by size-corrected mass) in nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). We used a two-way factorial design and partially cross-fostered eggs between nests exposed to differing levels (i.e. amplitudes) of traffic noise. For nestlings that were not cross-fostered, we also investigated the effects of traffic noise on telomere dynamics. Our results show a positive relationship between nestling baseline and stress-induced corticosterone and nestling noise exposure, but not maternal noise exposure. While we did not find a relationship between noise and body condition in nestlings, nestling baseline corticosterone was negatively associated with body condition. We also found greater telomere attrition for nestlings from nests with greater traffic noise amplitudes. These results suggest that direct, rather than maternal, effects result in potentially long-lasting consequences of noise exposure. Reduced nestling body condition and increased telomere attrition have been shown to reduce post-fledging survival in this species. Given that human transportation networks continue to expand, strategies to mitigate noise exposure on wildlife during critical periods (i.e. breeding) may be needed to maintain local population health in free-living passerines, such as tree swallows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison S Injaian
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Paulina L Gonzalez-Gomez
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 425, Santiago, Chile
| | - Conor C Taff
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Alicia K Bird
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Alexis D Ziur
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, 701 Moore Ave, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
| | - Gail L Patricelli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Mark F Haussmann
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, 701 Moore Ave, Lewisburg, PA 17837, 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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25
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French SS, Webb AC, Hudson SB, Virgin EE. Town and Country Reptiles: A Review of Reptilian Responses to Urbanization. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:948-966. [PMID: 29873730 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of the world population is now inhabiting urban areas, and with staggering population growth, urbanization is also increasing. While the work studying the effects of changing landscapes and specific urban pressures on wildlife is beginning to amass, the majority of this work focuses on avian or mammalian species. However, the effects of urbanization likely vary substantially across taxonomic groups due to differences in habitat requirements and life history. The current article aims first to broaden the review of urban effects across reptilian species; second, to summarize the responses of reptilian fauna to specific urban features; and third, to assess the directionality of individual and population level responses to urbanization in reptile species. Based on our findings, urban research in reptilian taxa is lacking in the following areas: (1) investigating interactive or additive urban factors, (2) measuring multiple morphological, behavioral, and physiological endpoints within an animal, (3) linking individual to population-level responses, and (4) testing genetic/genomic differences across an urban environment as evidence for selective pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Alison C Webb
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Emily E Virgin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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26
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Zollinger SA, Dorado-Correa A, Goymann W, Forstmeier W, Knief U, BastidasUrrutia AM, Brumm H. Traffic noise exposure depresses plasma corticosterone and delays offspring growth in breeding zebra finches. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz056. [PMID: 31620292 PMCID: PMC6788579 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The impact of human activity on the acoustic environment is overwhelming, with anthropogenic noise reaching even remote areas of the planet. The World Health Organization has identified noise pollution as one of the leading environmental health risks in humans, and it has been linked to a myriad of short- and long-term health effects in exposed individuals. However, less is known about the health effects of anthropogenic noise exposure on animals. We investigated long- and short-term effects of traffic noise on zebra finches breeding in small communal aviaries, using a repeated measures design. Birds bred in both noise and no-noise conditions, and we measured baseline plasma glucocorticoid levels before, during and after breeding. In addition, we assayed immune function, measured reproductive success and offspring growth and compared rates of extra-pair paternity of breeding adults. Breeding birds had significantly lower baseline plasma corticosterone levels when exposed to traffic noise than when they were not exposed to noise playback. In addition, the nestlings reared during noise exposure were lighter than nestlings of the same parents when breeding in control conditions. Our results suggest that traffic noise poses a more severe hurdle to birds at more vulnerable stages of their life history, such as during reproductive events and ontogeny. While chronic exposure to traffic noise in our birds did not, by itself, prove to be a sufficient stressor to cause acute effects on health or reproductive success in exposed individuals, it did result in disruptions to normal glucocorticoid profiles and delayed offspring growth. However, animals living in urban habitats are exposed to a multitude of anthropogenic disturbances, and it is likely that even species that appear to be thriving in noisy environments may suffer cumulative effects of these multiple disturbances that may together impact their fitness in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Anne Zollinger
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, John Dalton East, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
- Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Corresponding author: Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK.
| | - Adriana Dorado-Correa
- Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Goymann
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Forstmeier
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Knief
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, 82152 PlaneggMartinsried, Germany
| | - Ana María BastidasUrrutia
- Biodiversity and Global Change Lab, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Technical University of Munich, HansCarlvonCarlowitzPlatz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Henrik Brumm
- Communication and Social Behaviour Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, EberhardGwinnerStrasse 1, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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27
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Injaian AS, Taff CC, Pearson KL, Gin MMY, Patricelli GL, Vitousek MN. Effects of experimental chronic traffic noise exposure on adult and nestling corticosterone levels, and nestling body condition in a free-living bird. Horm Behav 2018; 106:19-27. [PMID: 30189211 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Transportation noise affects urbanized, rural, and otherwise unaltered habitats. Given expanding transportation networks, alterations in the acoustic landscapes experienced by animals are likely to be pervasive and persistent (i.e. chronic). It is important to understand if chronic noise exposure alters behavior and physiology in free-living animals, as it may result in long-lasting impacts, such as reduced reproductive success. Here, we experimentally tested the effects of chronic traffic noise on baseline and stress-induced corticosterone (the primary avian glucocorticoid), parental feeding behavior, and fitness proxies in breeding tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Our results show that chronic traffic noise is related to altered corticosterone in both adult female and nestling tree swallows, suggesting that noise may be a stressor in both groups. In adult females, our results suggest that traffic noise is related to a limited ability to respond to subsequent acute stressors (i.e. reduced stress-induced corticosterone levels after handling). Further, our results show no evidence of habituation to noise during the breeding season, as the negative relationship between traffic noise and adult female stress-induced corticosterone became stronger over time. In nestlings, we found a positive relationship between traffic noise exposure and baseline corticosterone. Finally, we found a negative relationship between traffic noise and nestling body condition, despite no detectable effects of noise on nestling provisioning (e.g. parental feeding rate, or insect bolus size/composition). These results highlight the potential long-term consequences of chronic noise exposure, as increased baseline corticosterone and reduced nestling body condition in noise-exposed areas may have negative, population-level consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison S Injaian
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Conor C Taff
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Kira L Pearson
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Michelle M Y Gin
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Gail L Patricelli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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28
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Davies S, Haddad N, Ouyang JQ. Stressful city sounds: glucocorticoid responses to experimental traffic noise are environmentally dependent. Biol Lett 2018; 13:rsbl.2017.0276. [PMID: 29046372 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A major challenge in urban ecology is to identify the environmental factors responsible for phenotypic differences between urban and rural individuals. However, the intercorrelation between the factors that characterize urban environments, combined with a lack of experimental manipulations of these factors in both urban and rural areas, hinder efforts to identify which aspects of urban environments are responsible for phenotypic differences. Among the factors modified by urbanization, anthropogenic sound, particularly traffic noise, is especially detrimental to animals. The mechanisms by which anthropogenic sound affects animals are unclear, but one potential mechanism is through changes in glucocorticoid hormone levels. We exposed adult house wrens, Troglodytes aedon, to either traffic noise or pink noise (a non-traffic noise control). We found that urban wrens had higher initial (pre-restraint) corticosterone than rural wrens before treatment, and that traffic noise elevated initial corticosterone of rural, but not urban, wrens. By contrast, restraint stress-induced corticosterone was not affected by noise treatment. Our results indicate that traffic noise specifically contributes to determining the glucocorticoid phenotype, and suggest that glucocorticoids are a mechanism by which anthropogenic sound causes phenotypic differences between urban and rural animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Davies
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Nicole Haddad
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Jenny Q Ouyang
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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29
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Hernández M, Navarro-Castilla Á, Piñeiro A, Barja I. Wood mice aggressiveness and flight response to human handling: Effect of individual and environmental factors. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ana Piñeiro
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria; Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida; Universidad Andres Bello; Santiago de Chile Chile
| | - Isabel Barja
- Departamento de Biología; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Madrid Spain
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30
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Effects of Low-level Brodifacoum Exposure on the Feline Immune Response. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8168. [PMID: 29802369 PMCID: PMC5970145 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26558-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Anticoagulant rodenticides have been implicated as a potential inciting factor in the development of mange in wild felids, but a causative association between anticoagulant rodenticide exposure and immune suppression has not been established. Specific-pathogen-free domestic cats were exposed to brodifacoum over a 6-week period to determine whether chronic, low-level exposure altered the feline immune response. Cats were vaccinated with irrelevant antigens at different points during the course of the experiment to assess recall and direct immune responses. Measures of immune response included delayed-type hypersensitivity tests and cell proliferation assays. IgE and antigen-specific antibodies were quantified via ELISA assays, and cytokine induction following exposure to vaccine antigens was also analyzed. While cats had marked levels of brodifacoum present in blood during the study, no cats developed coagulopathies or hematologic abnormalities. Brodifacoum-exposed cats had transient, statistically significant decreases in the production of certain cytokines, but all other measures of immune function remained unaffected throughout the study period. This study indicates that cats may be more resistant to clinical effects of brodifacoum exposure than other species and suggests that the gross impacts of environmentally realistic brodifacoum exposure on humoral and cell-mediated immunity against foreign antigen exposures in domestic cats are minimal.
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31
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Curry CM, Des Brisay PG, Rosa P, Koper N. Noise Source and Individual Physiology Mediate Effectiveness of Bird Songs Adjusted to Anthropogenic Noise. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3942. [PMID: 29500452 PMCID: PMC5834586 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22253-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive pollutant altering behaviour of wildlife that communicates acoustically. Some species adjust vocalisations to compensate for noise. However, we know little about whether signal adjustments improve communication in noise, the extent to which effectiveness of adjustments varies with noise source, or how individual variation in physiology varies with response capacity. We played noise-adjusted and unadjusted songs to wild Passerculus sandwichensis (Savannah Sparrows) after measurements of adrenocortical responsiveness of individuals. Playbacks using songs adjusted to noisy environments were effective in restoring appropriate conspecific territorial aggression behaviours in some altered acoustic environments. Surprisingly, however, levels of adrenocortical responsiveness that reduced communication errors at some types of infrastructure were correlated with increased errors at others. Song adjustments that were effective in communicating for individuals with lower adrenocortical responsiveness at pumpjacks were not effective at screwpumps and vice versa. Our results demonstrate that vocal adjustments can sometimes allow birds to compensate for disruptions in communication caused by anthropogenic noise, but that physiological variation among receivers may alter effectiveness of these adjustments. Thus mitigation strategies to minimize anthropogenic noise must account for both acoustic and physiological impacts of infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M Curry
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada. .,Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
| | - Paulson G Des Brisay
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
| | - Patricia Rosa
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
| | - Nicola Koper
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, 70 Dysart Road, 303 Sinnott Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2M7, Canada
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