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Brlík V, Koleček J, Burgess M, Hahn S, Humple D, Krist M, Ouwehand J, Weiser EL, Adamík P, Alves JA, Arlt D, Barišić S, Becker D, Belda EJ, Beran V, Both C, Bravo SP, Briedis M, Chutný B, Ćiković D, Cooper NW, Costa JS, Cueto VR, Emmenegger T, Fraser K, Gilg O, Guerrero M, Hallworth MT, Hewson C, Jiguet F, Johnson JA, Kelly T, Kishkinev D, Leconte M, Lislevand T, Lisovski S, López C, McFarland KP, Marra PP, Matsuoka SM, Matyjasiak P, Meier CM, Metzger B, Monrós JS, Neumann R, Newman A, Norris R, Pärt T, Pavel V, Perlut N, Piha M, Reneerkens J, Rimmer CC, Roberto-Charron A, Scandolara C, Sokolova N, Takenaka M, Tolkmitt D, van Oosten H, Wellbrock AHJ, Wheeler H, van der Winden J, Witte K, Woodworth BK, Procházka P. Weak effects of geolocators on small birds: A meta-analysis controlled for phylogeny and publication bias. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:207-220. [PMID: 30771254 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Currently, the deployment of tracking devices is one of the most frequently used approaches to study movement ecology of birds. Recent miniaturization of light-level geolocators enabled studying small bird species whose migratory patterns were widely unknown. However, geolocators may reduce vital rates in tagged birds and may bias obtained movement data. There is a need for a thorough assessment of the potential tag effects on small birds, as previous meta-analyses did not evaluate unpublished data and impact of multiple life-history traits, focused mainly on large species and the number of published studies tagging small birds has increased substantially. We quantitatively reviewed 549 records extracted from 74 published and 48 unpublished studies on over 7,800 tagged and 17,800 control individuals to examine the effects of geolocator tagging on small bird species (body mass <100 g). We calculated the effect of tagging on apparent survival, condition, phenology and breeding performance and identified the most important predictors of the magnitude of effect sizes. Even though the effects were not statistically significant in phylogenetically controlled models, we found a weak negative impact of geolocators on apparent survival. The negative effect on apparent survival was stronger with increasing relative load of the device and with geolocators attached using elastic harnesses. Moreover, tagging effects were stronger in smaller species. In conclusion, we found a weak effect on apparent survival of tagged birds and managed to pinpoint key aspects and drivers of tagging effects. We provide recommendations for establishing matched control group for proper effect size assessment in future studies and outline various aspects of tagging that need further investigation. Finally, our results encourage further use of geolocators on small bird species but the ethical aspects and scientific benefits should always be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vojtěch Brlík
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Koleček
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Malcolm Burgess
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds-Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, UK
| | - Steffen Hahn
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Diana Humple
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California
| | - Miloš Krist
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Janne Ouwehand
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emily L Weiser
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin
| | - Peter Adamík
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,Museum of Natural History, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - José A Alves
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.,South Iceland Research Centre, University of Iceland, Laugarvatn, Iceland
| | - Debora Arlt
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sanja Barišić
- Institute of Ornithology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | - Václav Beran
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,Municipal Museum of Ústí nad Labem, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic.,ALKA Wildlife o.p.s., Dačice, Czech Republic
| | - Christiaan Both
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Martins Briedis
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Davor Ćiković
- Institute of Ornithology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Nathan W Cooper
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Joana S Costa
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | - Tamara Emmenegger
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Kevin Fraser
- Avian Behaviour and Conservation Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Olivier Gilg
- UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.,Groupe de recherche en Ecologie Arctique, Francheville, France
| | - Marina Guerrero
- Servicio de Jardines, Bosques y Huertas, Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife, Granada, Spain
| | - Michael T Hallworth
- Migratory Bird Center-Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Chris Hewson
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, UK
| | - Frédéric Jiguet
- UMR7204 CESCO, MNHN-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, CP135, Paris, France
| | - James A Johnson
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage, Alaska
| | - Tosha Kelly
- Advanced Facility for Avian Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dmitry Kishkinev
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.,Biological station Rybachy, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Rybachy, Russia
| | | | - Terje Lislevand
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Simeon Lisovski
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Cosme López
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Peter P Marra
- Migratory Bird Center-Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Steven M Matsuoka
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage, Alaska.,U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
| | - Piotr Matyjasiak
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Christoph M Meier
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Juan S Monrós
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Paterna, València, Spain
| | | | - Amy Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tomas Pärt
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Václav Pavel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,Centre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Noah Perlut
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine
| | - Markus Piha
- Finnish Museum of Natural History LUOMUS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jeroen Reneerkens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Amélie Roberto-Charron
- Avian Behaviour and Conservation Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Chiara Scandolara
- Bird Migration Department, Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Sokolova
- Arctic Research Station of Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch Russian Academy of Sciences, Labytnangi, Russia.,Arctic Research Center of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russia
| | | | | | - Herman van Oosten
- Oenanthe Ecologie, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Animal Ecology, Physiology and Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Arndt H J Wellbrock
- Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Hazel Wheeler
- Wildlife Preservation Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Klaudia Witte
- Institute of Biology, Department of Chemistry-Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
| | - Bradley K Woodworth
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Petr Procházka
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Alba AC, Strauch TA, Keisler DH, Wells KD, Kesler DC. Using a keratinase to degrade chicken feathers for improved extraction of glucocorticoids. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 270:35-40. [PMID: 30291864 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stress in animals is a concern in conservation breeding programs and livestock production facilities. The biological stress response is mediated by the release of glucocorticoids, which can suppress reproduction, growth, and immunity if recurrently activated. Feathers can be used to extract and monitor concentrations of corticosterone, a primary glucocorticoid in birds. However, current techniques for extracting feather corticosterone present challenges, including difficulty assessing extraction efficiency or hormone recovery, inconsistent extraction across feather lengths or pieces, and several uncertainties regarding the mechanisms of hormone deposition into feathers. To overcome such challenges and to provide tools useful for facilitating conservation breeding and livestock production, we developed and validated an alternative procedure for extracting feather glucocorticoids. We first developed a protocol to enzymatically digest the protein matrix of feathers using a keratinase, such that non-protein analytes could be isolated by organic extraction. We then developed an extraction protocol and evaluated techniques by measuring extraction efficiency and by testing parallelism and hormone recovery (accuracy) using radioimmunoassay. Our results demonstrated high and consistent extraction efficiency, as well as high accuracy and reliable parallelism to a standard curve upon measurement of corticosterone concentrations from extracts. By dissolving feather material into solution prior to extraction, we were able to replicate hormone deposition into the feather matrix and ensure consistent extraction across feathers. This work provides additional support for the validity and practicality of extracting glucocorticoids from feathers. Our extraction protocol is likely to extend to other applications as well, including the isolation of numerous non-protein analytes from various keratinized tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Alba
- Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Department, University of Missouri Columbia, 1105 E Rollins St., Columbia, MO 65211, United States; Disney's Animal Kingdom, 1200 North Savannah Circle East, Bay Lake, FL 32830, United States
| | - Trista A Strauch
- Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Department, University of Missouri Columbia, 1105 E Rollins St., Columbia, MO 65211, United States; Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, 160 Animal Science Research Center, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Duane H Keisler
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, 160 Animal Science Research Center, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Kevin D Wells
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, 160 Animal Science Research Center, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Dylan C Kesler
- Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Department, University of Missouri Columbia, 1105 E Rollins St., Columbia, MO 65211, United States; The Institute for Bird Populations, PO Box 1346, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, United States.
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11
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Boves TJ, Fairhurst GD, Rushing CS, Buehler DA. Feather corticosterone levels are related to age and future body condition, but not to subsequent fitness, in a declining migratory songbird. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 4:cow041. [PMID: 27729982 PMCID: PMC5055283 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cow041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In migratory species, breeding and non-breeding locations are geographically separate, yet the effects of conditions from one stage may carry over to affect a subsequent stage. Ideally, to understand the mechanisms and implications of 'carry-over effects', one would need to follow individuals throughout the year, quantify potential environmental causal factors and physiological mediators during multiple life-history stages, and measure downstream fitness. Owing to current limitations of tracking technology, this is impossible for small, long-distance migrants, so indirect methods to characterize carry-over effects are required. Corticosterone (CORT) is a suspected physiological mediator of carry-over effects, but when collected from blood it provides only a physiological snapshot at that point in time. When extracted from feathers, however, feather corticosterone (CORTf) provides a measure of responses to stressors from previous, and longer, time periods. We collected feathers grown during two life-history stages (post-breeding and subsequent wintering) from individuals of two age classes of a rapidly declining migratory songbird, the cerulean warbler (Setophaga cerulea), on their breeding grounds and quantified CORTf concentrations. We then monitored reproduction and survival of individuals and analysed relationships among CORTf and age, body condition and future fitness. Compared with older males, second-year males had higher CORTf concentrations during both stages. When controlling for age and year, body condition at capture was positively related to CORTf concentrations from winter (especially for older birds). However, we found no relationships between CORTf and fitness (as defined by reproduction and survival). Thus, elevated CORT may represent a beneficial physiological response (e.g. hyperphagia prior to migration), particularly for certain life-history stages, and may mediate the condition in which individuals transition between stages. But for those birds that survive migration, subsequent fitness is likely determined by more recent events and local conditions (i.e. on breeding grounds), which have the potential to counteract conditions from the winter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Than J. Boves
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Graham D. Fairhurst
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, CanadaSK S7N 5E2
| | - Clark S. Rushing
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - David A. Buehler
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37966, USA
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