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Catitti B, Grüebler MU, Farine DR, Kormann UG. Natal legacies cause social and spatial marginalization during dispersal. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14366. [PMID: 38332501 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14366] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Early-life experiences can drive subsequent variation in social behaviours, but how differences among individuals emerge remains unknown. We combined experimental manipulations with GPS-tracking to investigate the pathways through which developmental conditions affect social network position during the early dispersal of wild red kites (Milvus milvus). Across 211 juveniles from 140 broods, last-hatched chicks-the least competitive-had the fewest number of peer encounters after fledging. However, when food supplemented, they had more encounters than all others. Using 4425 bird-days of GPS data, we revealed that this was driven by differential responses to competition, with less competitive individuals naturally spreading out into marginal areas, and clustering in central foraging areas when food supplemented. Our results suggest that early-life adversities can cause significant natal legacies on individual behaviour beyond independence, with potentially far-reaching consequences on the social and spatial structure of animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Catitti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Urs G Kormann
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
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2
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Sirman AE, Schmidt JE, Clark ME, Kittilson JD, Reed WL, Heidinger BJ. Compensatory Growth Is Accompanied by Changes in Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 but Not Markers of Cellular Aging in a Long-Lived Seabird. Am Nat 2023; 202:78-91. [PMID: 37384761 DOI: 10.1086/724599] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
AbstractDeveloping organisms often plastically modify growth in response to environmental circumstances, which may be adaptive but is expected to entail long-term costs. However, the mechanisms that mediate these growth adjustments and any associated costs are less well understood. In vertebrates, one mechanism that may be important in this context is the highly conserved signaling factor insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is frequently positively related to postnatal growth and negatively related to longevity. To test this idea, we exposed captive Franklin's gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) to a physiologically relevant nutritional stressor by restricting food availability during postnatal development and examined the effects on growth, IGF-1, and two potential biomarkers of cellular and organismal aging (oxidative stress and telomeres). During food restriction, experimental chicks gained body mass more slowly and had lower IGF-1 levels than controls. Following food restriction, experimental chicks underwent compensatory growth, which was accompanied by an increase in IGF-1 levels. Interestingly, however, there were no significant effects of the experimental treatment or of variation in IGF-1 levels on oxidative stress or telomeres. These findings suggest that IGF-1 is responsive to changes in resource availability but is not associated with increased markers of cellular aging during development in this relatively long-lived species.
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3
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Salaberria C, Chávez-Zichinelli CA, López-Rull I, Romano MC, Schondube JE. Physiological status of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) along an ozone pollution gradient. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:261-272. [PMID: 36810751 PMCID: PMC10008774 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02632-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mexico City is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and one in which air contamination is considered a public health threat. Numerous studies have related high concentrations of particulate matter and ozone to several respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and a higher human mortality risk. However, almost all of those studies have focused on human health outcomes, and the effects of anthropogenic air pollution on wildlife species is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impacts of air pollution in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) on house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We assessed two physiological responses commonly used as biomarkers: stress response (the corticosterone concentration in feathers), and constitutive innate immune response (the concentration of both natural antibodies and lytic complement proteins), which are non-invasive techniques. We found a negative relationship between the ozone concentration and the natural antibodies response (p = 0.003). However, no relationship was found between the ozone concentration and the stress response or the complement system activity (p > 0.05). These results suggest that ozone concentrations in air pollution within MCMA may constrain the natural antibody response in the immune system of house sparrows. Our study shows, for the first time, the potential impact of ozone pollution on a wild species in the MCMA presenting the Nabs activity and the house sparrow as suitable indicators to assess the effect of air contamination on the songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concepción Salaberria
- Área de Biodiversidad, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, España
| | | | - Isabel López-Rull
- Área de Biodiversidad, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, España
| | - Marta C Romano
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 07360, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Jorge E Schondube
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Colonia Ex Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
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4
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Sonnenberg BR, Heinen VK, Pitera AM, Benedict LM, Branch CL, Bridge ES, Ouyang JQ, Pravosudov VV. Natural variation in developmental condition has limited effect on spatial cognition in a wild food-caching bird. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221169. [PMID: 36196540 PMCID: PMC9532986 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1169] [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: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory studies show that increased physiological burden during development results in cognitive impairment. In the wild, animals experience a wide range of developmental conditions, and it is critical to understand how variation in such conditions affects cognitive abilities later in life, especially in species that strongly depend on such abilities for survival. We tested whether variation in developmental condition is associated with differences in spatial cognitive abilities in wild food-caching mountain chickadees. Using tail feathers grown during development in juvenile birds, we measured feather corticosterone (Cortf) levels and growth rates and tested these birds during their first winter on two spatial learning tasks. In only 1 of the 3 years, higher feather Cortf was negatively associated with memory acquisition. No significant associations between feather Cortf and any other measurement of spatial cognition were detected in the other 2 years of the study or between feather growth rate and any measurement of cognition during the entire study. Our results suggest that in the wild, naturally existing variation in developmental condition has only a limited effect on spatial cognitive abilities, at least in a food-caching species. This suggests that there may be compensatory mechanisms to buffer specialized cognitive abilities against developmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R. Sonnenberg
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Virginia K. Heinen
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Angela M. Pitera
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Lauren M. Benedict
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Carrie L. Branch
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jenny Q. Ouyang
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Vladimir V. Pravosudov
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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5
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Whitehead EA, Russell JC, Hickey AJ, Taylor GA, O'Reilly KM, Della Penna A, Dunphy BJ. Seabird stress and breeding: Endocrine and hematological stress biomarkers differ between gray-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi) colonies. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:381-392. [PMID: 35167183 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Seabird breeding success is known to reflect oceanic conditions. Gray-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) breeding on the east coast of Auckland, New Zealand, exhibit poor reproductive success and slow chick development compared to west coast conspecifics. This study mapped changes in physiological traits (corticosterone [CORT] and hematological parameters) indicative of sublethal stress in this Procellariiform species between the west coast (Ihumoana) and east coast (Hāwere) island colonies. We found adult gray-faced petrels on the east coast to be lighter and, unlike west coast birds, exhibited an attenuation of response CORT levels between incubation and chick-rearing phases. Such responses were also reflected in east coast chicks that were lighter and had higher feather CORT titers than west coast chicks. Measures of adult hematology and plasma biochemistry revealed significantly lower glucose levels in east coast birds and indicated that chick rearing is the most stressful phase of breeding for this species Combined; these results suggest that east coast birds are under greater nutritional stress and that parents appear to transfer the costs of poor foraging to their chicks to preserve their own condition, consequently increasing chick developmental stress. Our results suggest that any long-term decrease in ocean conditions and/or climatic shifts would be more acutely felt by east coast chicks and potentially their parents, resulting in years of poor breeding success rates on a local scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edin A Whitehead
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Institute of Marine Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - James C Russell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Statistics, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anthony J Hickey
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Katie M O'Reilly
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Alice Della Penna
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Institute of Marine Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Brendon J Dunphy
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Institute of Marine Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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6
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Baños‐Villalba A, Carrete M, Tella JL, Blas J, Potti J, Camacho C, Diop MS, Marchant TA, Cabezas S, Edelaar P. Selection on individuals of introduced species starts before the actual introduction. Evol Appl 2021; 14:781-793. [PMID: 33767752 PMCID: PMC7980263 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological invasion is a global problem with large negative impacts on ecosystems and human societies. When a species is introduced, individuals will first have to pass through the invasion stages of uptake and transport, before actual introduction in a non-native range. Selection is predicted to act during these earliest stages of biological invasion, potentially influencing the invasiveness and/or impact of introduced populations. Despite this potential impact of pre-introduction selection, empirical tests are virtually lacking. To test the hypothesis of pre-introduction selection, we followed the fate of individuals during capture, initial acclimation, and captivity in two bird species with several invasive populations originating from the international trade in wild-caught pets (the weavers Ploceus melanocephalus and Euplectes afer). We confirm that pre-introduction selection acts on a wide range of physiological, morphological, behavioral, and demographic traits (incl. sex, age, size of body/brain/bill, bill shape, body mass, corticosterone levels, and escape behavior); these are all traits which likely affect invasion success. Our study thus comprehensively demonstrates the existence of hitherto ignored selection acting before the actual introduction into non-native ranges. This could ultimately change the composition and functioning of introduced populations, and therefore warrants greater attention. More knowledge on pre-introduction selection also might provide novel targets for the management of invasive species, if pre-introduction filters can be adjusted to change the quality and/or quantity of individuals passing through such that invasion probability and/or impacts are reduced.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Julio Blas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana‐CSICSevillaSpain
| | - Jaime Potti
- Estación Biológica de Doñana‐CSICSevillaSpain
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7
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Häffelin KE, Kaufmann F, Lindenwald R, Döhring S, Spindler B, Preisinger R, Rautenschlein S, Kemper N, Andersson R. Corticosterone in feathers: Inter- and intraindividual variation in pullets and the importance of the feather type. Vet Anim Sci 2020; 11:100155. [PMID: 33732944 PMCID: PMC7943748 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2020.100155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring corticosterone concentrations in feathers of poultry may be suitable to determine birds' exposure to stress. It is thinkable, that in laying hens such information could be helpful as an animal welfare indicator to evaluate adverse husbandry conditions and to predict the risk of developing behavioral disorders, such as feather pecking and cannibalism. Yet, there are some fundamental issues which remain unclear. Therefore, the objective of the current pilot study was to examine the inter- and intraindividual variation of pullets at the end of the rearing period, when most of the feathers are fully grown and animals are reaching sexual maturity. Flight feathers from both wings (n = 4), the tail (n = 2 – 3), and body feathers (n = 1 pool of 3 – 5 feathers) were taken from pullets (n = 10), genetics Lohmann Brown, at an age of 19 weeks who were reared in the same flock (N = 728). Corticosterone analysis was performed applying a validated protocol for laying hens. Results indicate not only high intraindividual, but also high interindividual variation. Mean over all samples was 75.2 pg/mg (± 38.58 pg/mg, n = 76), showing higher intraindividual variation (between feather types; SD: 23.75 pg/mg – 49.38 pg/mg; n = 10 pullets) than interindividual variation (within feather types; SD: 11.91 pg/mg – 49.55 pg/mg; n = 6 feather types). The variation between different feather types within one bird was higher than the variation within one feather type between different birds, indicating that birds a) may respond differently when exposed to stressors and b) corticosterone measurements should be done with the same feather type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Elisabeth Häffelin
- Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Falko Kaufmann
- Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Rebecca Lindenwald
- Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Foundation), 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefanie Döhring
- Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Birgit Spindler
- Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behavior, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Foundation), 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Silke Rautenschlein
- Clinic for Poultry, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Foundation), 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Nicole Kemper
- Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behavior, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Foundation), 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Robby Andersson
- Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
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8
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Reese L, Baumgartner K, von Fersen L, Merle R, Ladwig-Wiegard M, Will H, Haase G, Tallo-Parra O, Carbajal A, Lopez-Bejar M, Thöne-Reineke C. Feather Corticosterone Measurements of Greater Flamingos Living under Different Forms of Flight Restraint. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10040605. [PMID: 32244837 PMCID: PMC7222806 DOI: 10.3390/ani10040605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Deflighting zoo birds is a practice that receives increasing criticism due to its presumed incompatibility with animal welfare. To our knowledge, this is the first approach to address this problem in a scientific way. To do this, we compared feather corticosterone (CORTf) from Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus, n = 151) of different flight status (i.e., pinioned, feather clipped, airworthy) from twelve different zoological institutions. To complement the hormone measurements, behavioral observations (scan samplings) were conducted prior to feather sampling within the presumed time frame of feather growth. We hypothesized that CORTf of the deflighted flamingos would differ from CORTf of their airworthy conspecifics. No significant difference in CORTf was found between the three groups, and our hypothesis was rejected. However, the impact of the institution itself (i.e., the housing conditions) proved to be the most dominant variable (variance between the institutions = 53.82%). Due to high variability, the behavioral observations were evaluated descriptively but did not give rise to doubt the findings in CORTf. Therefore, we assume that the method of flight restraint of Greater Flamingos does not have a measurable effect on CORTf. We consider this model for evaluating animal welfare of zoo birds a useful tool and provide ideas for further adjustments for consecutive studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Reese
- Animal Behaviour and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, D-14163 Berlin, Germany; (M.L.-W.); (G.H.); (C.T.-R.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Katrin Baumgartner
- Tiergarten Nürnberg, Am Tiergarten 30, D-90480 Nuremberg, Germany; (K.B.); (L.v.F.); (H.W.)
| | - Lorenzo von Fersen
- Tiergarten Nürnberg, Am Tiergarten 30, D-90480 Nuremberg, Germany; (K.B.); (L.v.F.); (H.W.)
| | - Roswitha Merle
- Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, D-14163 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Mechthild Ladwig-Wiegard
- Animal Behaviour and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, D-14163 Berlin, Germany; (M.L.-W.); (G.H.); (C.T.-R.)
| | - Hermann Will
- Tiergarten Nürnberg, Am Tiergarten 30, D-90480 Nuremberg, Germany; (K.B.); (L.v.F.); (H.W.)
| | - Gudrun Haase
- Animal Behaviour and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, D-14163 Berlin, Germany; (M.L.-W.); (G.H.); (C.T.-R.)
| | - Oriol Tallo-Parra
- Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (O.T.-P.); (A.C.); (M.L.-B.)
| | - Annaïs Carbajal
- Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (O.T.-P.); (A.C.); (M.L.-B.)
| | - Manel Lopez-Bejar
- Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (O.T.-P.); (A.C.); (M.L.-B.)
- College of Veterinary medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Animal Behaviour and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, D-14163 Berlin, Germany; (M.L.-W.); (G.H.); (C.T.-R.)
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9
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Freeman NE, Norris DR, Sutton AO, Newman AEM. Raising young with limited resources: supplementation improves body condition and advances fledging of Canada Jays. Ecology 2019; 101:e02909. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikole E. Freeman
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
- Nature Conservancy of Canada 245 Eglington Avenue East Toronto Ontario M4P 3J1 Canada
| | - Alex O. Sutton
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Amy E. M. Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
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10
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Krone O, Bailey LD, Jähnig S, Lauth T, Dehnhard M. Monitoring corticoid metabolites in urine of white-tailed sea eagles: Negative effects of road proximity on breeding pairs. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 283:113223. [PMID: 31323229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is known to be sensitive to disturbance. To better understand potential stressors, we measured corticosterone metabolite levels in H. albicilla excreta and recorded the nest success of breeding pairs. We tested the ability of four enzyme immunoassays (EIA) to measure urinary glucocorticoid metabolites (uGM) in the excreta of one adult female eagle subjected to a controlled physiological stress treatment. We identified corticosterone-21-HS to be the most sensitive EIA to changes in uGM concentration. To exclude a sex bias, we confirmed the assay's applicability with samples collected from similar stress treatments in two juvenile males. We used the identified EIA to measure uGM in wild breeding pairs and tested effects of disturbance. Breeding pairs nesting closer to roads and paths had higher uGM concentrations (p = 0.02), which is likely an effect of human recreational activity and disturbance. There was no difference in uGM concentrations between failed and successful nests. Our results highlight the potential impact of road and path proximity on white-tailed sea eagles, with potential importance for species management and conservation, particularly with respect to nest protection zone legislation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Krone
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Liam D Bailey
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Jähnig
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Martin Dehnhard
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
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11
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Will A, Wynne‐Edwards K, Zhou R, Kitaysky A. Of 11 candidate steroids, corticosterone concentration standardized for mass is the most reliable steroid biomarker of nutritional stress across different feather types. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11930-11943. [PMID: 31695898 PMCID: PMC6822065 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring corticosterone in feathers has become an informative tool in avian ecology, enabling researchers to investigate carry-over effects and responses to environmental variability. Few studies have, however, explored whether corticosterone is the only hormone expressed in feathers and is the most indicative of environmental stress. Essential questions remain as to how to compare hormone concentrations across different types of feathers and whether preening adds steroids, applied after feather growth.We used liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry to quantify a suite of 11 steroid hormones in back, breast, tail, and primary feathers naturally grown at overlapping time intervals by rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata captive-reared fledglings and wild-caught juveniles. The captive-reared birds were raised on either a restricted or control diet. Measured steroids included intermediates in the adrenal steroidogenesis pathway to glucocorticoids and the sex steroids pathway to androgens and estrogens.Corticosterone was detected in the majority of feathers of each type. We also detected cortisone in back feathers, androstenedione in breast feathers, and testosterone in primary feathers. Captive fledglings raised on a restricted diet had higher concentrations of corticosterone in all four feather types than captive fledglings raised on a control diet. Corticosterone concentrations were reliably repeatable across feather types when standardized for feather mass, but not for feather length. Of the seven hormones looked for in uropygial gland secretions, only corticosterone was detected in one out of 23 samples.We conclude that corticosterone is the best feather-steroid biomarker for detection of developmental nutritional stress, as it was the only hormone to manifest a signal of nutritional stress, and that exposure to stress can be compared among different feather types when corticosterone concentrations are standardized by feather mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Will
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAlaska
| | | | - Ruokun Zhou
- Veterinary Medicine & Hotchkiss Brain InstituteUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryAlberta
| | - Alexander Kitaysky
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAlaska
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12
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Berg KS, Delgado S, Mata-Betancourt A, Krause JS, Wingfield JC, Beissinger SR. Ontogeny of the adrenocortical response in an extremely altricial bird. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2019; 331:521-529. [PMID: 31545013 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Life history theory predicts that physiological and behavioral responsiveness to stress should be delayed in development until the benefits of heightened reactivity outweigh the costs of potentially chronic glucocorticoid levels. Birds often acquire stress-responsiveness at locomotor independence, however, both stress-responsiveness and locomotor ability are delayed in birds with altricial developmental strategies. Parrots (Psittacidae) are extremely altricial, but it is not known whether they also postpone physiological responsiveness to stress until locomotor independence. We quantified individual variation in baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentrations, the main avian glucocorticoid, in wild green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) of Venezuela at four stages of nestling development. Parrotlet neonates are very underdeveloped and compete for parental care among extreme sibling size hierarchies, a competitive scenario that might benefit from early hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) functionality. Nestlings that underwent a standardized restraint stress-treatment showed higher average CORT concentrations compared to baseline in all age groups sampled, and exhibited no evidence of age-related changes in the stress response. This is 2 weeks before locomotor independence and earlier than previously documented for altricial species. Results suggest that precocity of HPA function may be advantageous to growth and survivorship in extremely altricial birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl S Berg
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, Texas
| | - Soraya Delgado
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, Texas
| | | | - Jesse S Krause
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
| | - John C Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Steven R Beissinger
- Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California
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Breuner CW, Berk SA. Using the van Noordwijk and de Jong Resource Framework to Evaluate Glucocorticoid-Fitness Hypotheses. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:243-250. [PMID: 31268138 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ten years ago, two reviews clarified the need to tie glucocorticoid (GC) levels directly to survival and reproductive measures. Three primary hypotheses emerged from that work: the CORT-Fitness hypothesis, the CORT-Adaptation hypothesis, and the CORT-Tradeoff hypothesis. The two reviews have since been cited nearly 900 times, but no clear consensus has emerged supporting one hypothesis over another. We propose that resource availability may be a major confound across studies. Life-history investment is determined by both allocation and acquisition, but current literature testing among the three GC-fitness hypotheses rarely incorporate metrics of resource availability. In 1986, van Noordwijk and de Jong (vN and dJ) proposed the acquisition/allocation Y-model to explain positive versus negative correlations between reproduction and survival across individuals. Their model elevated resources as critical to evaluating individual allocation strategies (favoring reproduction vs. survival), and therefore provides the ideal framework for testing across the three CORT hypotheses. Here, we review the three hypotheses in light of the last 10 years of data, introduce the vN and dJ framework as a model for fitness/GC hypothesis testing, and discuss best practices for using this framework. We believe incorporation of resource availability will reduce unexplained variability in GC-fitness tests, clarify support among the three hypotheses, and allow for greater power in testing across other context dependencies (e.g., life-history strategy) that likely regulate differential allocation to reproduction versus survival as GCs increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Creagh W Breuner
- Organismal Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
| | - Sara A Berk
- Organismal Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
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Sagar RL, Mitchell C, Rayner MJ, Stanley MC, Dunphy BJ. Maximising success: Translocation does not negatively impact stress reactivity and development in petrel chicks. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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15
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Beaugeard E, Brischoux F, Henry P, Parenteau C, Trouvé C, Angelier F. Does urbanization cause stress in wild birds during development? Insights from feather corticosterone levels in juvenile house sparrows ( Passer domesticus). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:640-652. [PMID: 30680144 PMCID: PMC6342122 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban landscapes are associated with abiotic and biotic environmental changes that may result in potential stressors for wild vertebrates. Urban exploiters have physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations to live in cities. However, there is increasing evidence that urban exploiters themselves can suffer from urban conditions, especially during specific life-history stages. We looked for a link between the degree of urbanization and the level of developmental stress in an urban exploiter (the house sparrow, Passer domesticus), which has recently been declining in multiple European cities (e.g., London, UK). Specifically, we conducted a large-scale study and sampled juvenile sparrows in 11 urban and rural sites to evaluate their feather corticosterone (CORT) levels. We found that juvenile feather CORT levels were positively correlated with the degree of urbanization, supporting the idea that developing house sparrows may suffer from urban environmental conditions. However, we did not find any correlation between juvenile feather CORT levels and body size, mass, or body condition. This suggests either that the growth and condition of urban sparrows are not impacted by elevated developmental CORT levels, or that urban sparrows may compensate for developmental constraints once they have left the nest. Although feather CORT levels were not correlated with baseline CORT levels, we found that feather CORT levels were slightly and positively correlated with the CORT stress response in juveniles. This suggests that urban developmental conditions may potentially have long-lasting effects on stress physiology and stress sensitivity in this urban exploiter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Beaugeard
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - François Brischoux
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Pierre‐Yves Henry
- Centre de Recherches sur la Biologie des Populations d’Oiseaux (CRBPO)CESCO UMR 7204 Sorbonne Universités‐MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMCParisFrance
| | - Charline Parenteau
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Colette Trouvé
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐Université de La RochelleVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
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Moreira FX, Carmo H, Melo A, André MB, Silva R, Azevedo Z, Bastos ML, de Pinho PG. The Use of Feathers from Racing Pigeons for Doping Control Purposes. J Anal Toxicol 2018; 43:307-315. [DOI: 10.1093/jat/bky088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando X Moreira
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, Portugal
| | - Helena Carmo
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
| | - Armindo Melo
- LAQV/REQUIMTE/ Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Laboratório de Bromatologia e Hidrologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Saúde Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Rua Alexandre Herculano, 321, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria B André
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
| | - Renata Silva
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
| | - Zélia Azevedo
- ICETA/REQUIMTE/LAQV – Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria L Bastos
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula G de Pinho
- REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Laboratório de Toxicologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, Porto, Portugal
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James C, Asher L, Herborn K, Wiseman J. The effect of supplementary ultraviolet wavelengths on broiler chicken welfare indicators. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018; 209:55-64. [PMID: 30510331 PMCID: PMC6222521 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
Qualities of the light environment are important for good welfare in a number of species. In chickens, UVA light is visible and may facilitate flock interactions. UVB wavelengths promote endogenous vitamin D synthesis, which could support the rapid skeletal development of broiler chickens. The aim of the study was to investigate the impacts of Ultraviolet wavelengths (UV) on welfare indicators in broiler chickens. Day-old Ross 308 birds reared under commercially representative conditions were randomly assigned to one of three lighting treatments: A) White Light Emitting Diode (LED) and supplementary UVA LED lighting (18-hour photoperiod); B) White LED with supplementary UVA and UVB fluorescent lighting providing 30 micro watts/cm2 UVB at bird level (on for 8 h of the total photoperiod to avoid over-exposure of UVB); C) White LED control group, representative of farm conditions (18-hour photoperiod). Welfare indicators measured were; feather condition (day 24, n = 546), tonic immobility duration (day 29, n = 302), and gait quality, using the Bristol Gait Score (day 31, n = 293). Feather condition was improved in male broilers in the UVA treatment (A), compared to the control treatment (C). Birds in the UVA treatment had shorter tonic immobility durations compared to the control treatment (C), suggesting lower fearfulness. Broilers reared in UVA (A) and UVA + UVB (B) had better Bristol Gait Scores compared to the control (C). Together these results suggest UV may be beneficial for broiler chicken welfare. While treatment A and B both provided UVA, the improvements in welfare indicators were not consistent, which may be due to exposure time-dependent beneficial effects of UVA. The modification of commercial lighting regimes to incorporate UVA wavelengths for indoor-reared broiler chickens would be an achievable change with significant positive impacts on bird welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte James
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, UK
| | - Lucy Asher
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution IoN, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle, UK
| | - Katherine Herborn
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution IoN, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle, UK
| | - Julian Wiseman
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, UK
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de Bruijn R, Romero LM. The role of glucocorticoids in the vertebrate response to weather. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:11-32. [PMID: 30012539 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Changes in the environment related to inclement weather can threaten survival and reproductive success both through direct adverse exposure and indirectly by decreasing food availability. Glucocorticoids, released during activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as part of the stress response, are an important candidate for linking vertebrate coping mechanisms to weather. This review attempts to determine if there is a consensus response of glucocorticoids to exposure to weather-related stimuli, including food availability, precipitation, temperature and barometric pressure. The included studies cover field and laboratory studies for all vertebrate taxa, and are separated into four exposure periods, e.g., hours, days, weeks and months. Each reported result was assigned a score based on the glucocorticoid response, e.g., increased, no change, or decreased. Short-term exposure to weather-related stimuli, of up to 24 h, is generally associated with increased glucocorticoids (79% of studies), suggesting that these stimuli are perceived as stressors by most animals. In contrast, the pattern for exposures longer than 24 h shows more variation, even though a majority of studies still report an increase (64%). Lack of glucocorticoid increases appeared to result from instances where: (1) prolonged exposure was a predictable part of the life history of an animal; (2) environmental context was important for the ultimate effect of a stimulus (e.g., precipitation limited food availability in one environment, but increased food in another); (3) prolonged exposure induced chronic stress; and (4) long-term responses appeared to reflect adaptations to seasonal shifts, instead of to short-term weather. However, there is a strong bias towards studies in domesticated laboratory species and wild animals held in captivity, indicating a need for field studies, especially in reptiles and amphibians. In conclusion, the accumulated literature supports the hypothesis that glucocorticoids can serve as the physiological mechanism promoting fitness during inclement weather.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert de Bruijn
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
| | - L Michael Romero
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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19
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Hamilton MT, Finger JW, Elsey RM, Mastromonaco GF, Tuberville TD. Corticosterone in American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) tail scutes: Evaluating the feasibility of using unconventional samples for investigating environmental stressors. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 268:7-13. [PMID: 30031024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 06/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Baseline plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentrations have been widely used to investigate the effects of stressors in wild and captive crocodilians. However, collecting baseline plasma CORT samples from wild crocodilians may be particularly difficult due to the capture and handling protocols used for large individuals. Thus, it may prove beneficial to use recently modified techniques for extracting CORT deposited in keratinized and non-keratinized tissues to better quantify the effects of long-term stress in crocodilians. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) tail scute tissues to quantify CORT by collecting blood and tail scutes from 40 alligators before and after a short-term handling stressor. The objective of the current study was to better understand CORT deposition in crocodilian scutes and whether short-term increases in CORT could be detected. We found that CORT can be reliably extracted from alligator scute tissue and quantified using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay. However, there was a significant increase in scute CORT concentrations following an alligator being exposed to a short-term stressor (p = 0.017), although the magnitude of change was less than observed in plasma samples from the same individuals (p = 0.002). Furthermore, our results indicate that there was a significant effect of body condition on an alligator's post-stressor CORT concentration (p = 0.02). While our study is among the first to experimentally examine the usefulness of tissue CORT in crocodilians, a combination of field and laboratory experiments are needed to better understand deposition rates of CORT in scute tissues and to further validate the usefulness of tissue glucocorticoids for evaluating the effects of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Hamilton
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA.
| | - John W Finger
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ruth M Elsey
- Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Grand Chenier, LA 70643, USA
| | | | - Tracey D Tuberville
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
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20
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Studholme KR, Hipfner JM, Romero LM, Gormally BM, Iverson SJ, Crossin GT. Egg size is independent of variation in pre-breeding feather corticosterone in Cassin's auklets during favorable oceanographic conditions. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 268:64-70. [PMID: 30056135 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The measurement of corticosterone levels in feathers (fCort) is gaining recognition as an effective means for describing links between stages of the annual cycle in birds. Many seabirds are especially good models for exploring these links, or carryover effects, due to their migratory behavior and reproductive investment in a single-egg clutch. Here, we measure fCort in Cassin's auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) breast feathers at two colonies in British Columbia during 2011, a year of favorable oceanographic conditions, and examine its relationship with egg size. These feathers are grown at sea during the late winter period, 1-2 months prior to egg laying. Assuming that fCort provides some measure of nutritional stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity during feather growth, we predicted that fCort would be positively correlated with egg size via increased support for foraging activity during the nutritionally demanding molt stage. We also analyzed the δ13C and δ15N stable isotope content of breast feathers, measures commonly used to characterize seabird diet composition. Contrary to prediction, neither fCort nor stable isotope ratios were good predictors of egg size. Our results appear to conflict with two previous studies on alcids in which fCort and stable isotopes showed clear links with egg size; however, both studies were conducted in years when oceanographic and foraging conditions were poor. Under these conditions, upregulation of corticosterone may be needed to mediate the energetic tradeoffs between self-maintenance and reproduction, supporting increased foraging effort and thus increasing both the likelihood of reproduction and large egg size. However, when foraging conditions are favorable, we suggest that such tradeoffs and associated physiological constraints are minimized and regulation of egg size may be effectively independent of circulating corticosterone levels and diet type.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J Mark Hipfner
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Research Division, Delta, British Columbia V4K 3N2, Canada
| | | | | | - Sara J Iverson
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Glenn T Crossin
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
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21
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Monclús L, Ballesteros-Cano R, De La Puente J, Lacorte S, Lopez-Bejar M. Influence of persistent organic pollutants on the endocrine stress response in free-living and captive red kites (Milvus milvus). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 242:329-337. [PMID: 29990940 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.06.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have the potential to impair the endocrine regulation of organisms and alter their ability to respond to environmental changes. We studied whether polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) affected the endocrine regulation of free-living and captive red kites (Milvus milvus) through studying the dynamics of corticosterone (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). We sampled migratory free-living kites coming from northern Europe and captive kites born in a rehabilitation center in Spain. We used body feathers from the interscapular region as a minimally-invasive and integrative matrix. The most abundant compound detected in free-living kites was 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (4,4'-DDE; 6.10 ± 1.56 ng g-1 dw feather) followed by CB-153 (3.10 ± 0.63 ng g-1 dw feather) and CB-180 (2.43 ± 1.08 ng g-1 dw feather). In captive kites, the most abundant compounds were 4,4'-dichlorodyphenyltrichloroethane (4,4'-DDT; 2.38 ± 1.30 ng g-1 dw feather), CB-153 (2.15 ± 0.47 ng g-1 dw feather) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB; 2.03 ± 0.45 ng g-1 dw feather) at similar concentrations. Free-living kites showed higher levels of 4,4'-DDE and CB-180 in comparison to captive kites. Age influenced HCB and CB-101 levels, whereas body mass was inversely related to CB-180 and 4,4'-DDT. Interestingly, captive kites showed a ratio DDT/DDE higher than 1 suggesting a relatively recent exposure of DDT, in contrast to free-living kites. Regarding hormonal levels, free-living kites showed higher levels of CORT (3.30 ± 0.22 pg mm-1 feather) than captive (2.40 ± 0.16 pg mm-1 feather), reflecting higher allostatic load. In addition, a positive association between PCBs and DDTs and adrenal hormones was found in free-living kites, suggesting an increase of CORT as a response of the endocrine system to cope with stressors and a subsequent elevation of DHEA to ameliorate the potential negative effects that high CORT levels could cause to the organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Monclús
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Rubèn Ballesteros-Cano
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Javier De La Puente
- SEO-Montícola Ornithological Group, Unidad de Zoología, Edificio de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Silvia Lacorte
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Manel Lopez-Bejar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
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Assessment of Commercially Available Immunoassays to Measure Glucocorticoid Metabolites in African Grey Parrot ( Psittacus Erithacus) Droppings: A Ready Tool for Non-Invasive Monitoring of Stress. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:ani8070105. [PMID: 29958413 PMCID: PMC6071241 DOI: 10.3390/ani8070105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The African Grey Parrot is a very popular bird commonly found in zoological collections. However, captivity can prevent it from meeting its natural needs and so become an ongoing stressor, leading sometimes to clinical and/or behavioral disorders. Non-invasive forms of stress assessment are of definite interest for monitoring welfare in captive bird populations. One notable stress outcome is the excretion of glucocorticoid metabolites (from the stress hormone corticosterone) in droppings. The aim of this study was to carefully assess methods of glucocorticoid metabolites extraction and measurement in droppings from African Grey Parrots. Several extraction and enzyme immunoassays procedures were tested, based on the evaluation of analytical quality parameters and biological relevance. The best procedure was found to be a combination of a 60% methanol extraction with the use of a commercial corticosterone enzyme immunoassay. To determine whether this method was suitable for assessing different stress levels, a significant correlation with another reliable stress marker in birds, the Heterophil: Lymphocyte Ratio, was evidenced. This method can thus be used to evaluate stress in African Gray Parrots in a non-invasive way and help to monitor their welfare in zoo populations for instance. Abstract Despite being undomesticated, African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) are commonly found in captivity, in zoos or as pets. Captivity can be an ongoing stressor. Non-invasive glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) measurements from bird droppings are of interest for assessing stress but require careful evaluation in each newly studied species. This study describes the assessment of such methods for Psittacus erithacus to provide tools for evaluating stress and monitoring welfare. We evaluated 12 method combinations of GCM extraction and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) from a pool of African Grey Parrot droppings, through the validation of several analytical parameters. Then, Heterophil: Lymphocyte Ratios (HLR), another reliable stress marker, were determined and correlated to individual dropping GCM concentrations for 29 birds to determine whether the method is biologically relevant. We found that the best procedure to measure GCM in African Grey Parrot droppings is a combination of 60% methanol extraction measured using a Corticosterone EIA kit (Cayman Chemical Company) from fresh or dry droppings. The establishment of a significant correlation (Pearson coefficient correlation = 0.48; p = 0.0082) between HLR and GCM in the studied population confirmed the method biological relevance. This method can thus be applied to assess stress in Psittacus erithacus and support welfare monitoring in zoo populations.
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Sepp T, Desaivre S, Lendvai AZ, Németh J, McGraw KJ, Giraudeau M. Feather corticosterone levels are not correlated with health or plumage coloration in juvenile house finches. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tuul Sepp
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Steve Desaivre
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Adam Z Lendvai
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - József Németh
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Egyetem, Hungary
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
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24
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Lamb JS, Satgé YG, Jodice PGR. Influence of density-dependent competition on foraging and migratory behavior of a subtropical colonial seabird. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6469-6481. [PMID: 28861249 PMCID: PMC5574757 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Density-dependent competition for food resources influences both foraging ecology and reproduction in a variety of animals. The relationship between colony size, local prey depletion, and reproductive output in colonial central-place foragers has been extensively studied in seabirds; however, most studies have focused on effects of intraspecific competition during the breeding season, while little is known about whether density-dependent resource depletion influences individual migratory behavior outside the breeding season. Using breeding colony size as a surrogate for intraspecific resource competition, we tested for effects of colony size on breeding home range, nestling health, and migratory patterns of a nearshore colonial seabird, the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), originating from seven breeding colonies of varying sizes in the subtropical northern Gulf of Mexico. We found evidence for density-dependent effects on foraging behavior during the breeding season, as individual foraging areas increased linearly with the number of breeding pairs per colony. Contrary to our predictions, however, nestlings from more numerous colonies with larger foraging ranges did not experience either decreased condition or increased stress. During nonbreeding, individuals from larger colonies were more likely to migrate, and traveled longer distances, than individuals from smaller colonies, indicating that the influence of density-dependent effects on distribution persists into the nonbreeding period. We also found significant effects of individual physical condition, particularly body size, on migratory behavior, which in combination with colony size suggesting that dominant individuals remain closer to breeding sites during winter. We conclude that density-dependent competition may be an important driver of both the extent of foraging ranges and the degree of migration exhibited by brown pelicans. However, the effects of density-dependent competition on breeding success and population regulation remain uncertain in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliet S Lamb
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University Clemson SC USA.,South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Clemson SC USA
| | - Yvan G Satgé
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University Clemson SC USA.,South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Clemson SC USA
| | - Patrick G R Jodice
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University Clemson SC USA.,U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Clemson SC USA
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Salleh Hudin N, De Neve L, Strubbe D, Fairhurst GD, Vangestel C, Peach WJ, Lens L. Supplementary feeding increases nestling feather corticosterone early in the breeding season in house sparrows. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6163-6171. [PMID: 28861222 PMCID: PMC5574790 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies on birds have proposed that a lack of invertebrate prey in urbanized areas could be the main cause for generally lower levels of breeding success compared to rural habitats. Previous work on house sparrows Passer domesticus found that supplemental feeding in urbanized areas increased breeding success but did not contribute to population growth. Here, we hypothesize that supplementary feeding allows house sparrows to achieve higher breeding success but at the cost of lower nestling quality. As abundant food supplies may permit both high‐ and low‐quality nestlings to survive, we also predict that within‐brood variation in proxies of nestling quality would be larger for supplemental food broods than for unfed broods. As proxies of nestling quality, we considered feather corticosterone (CORTf), body condition (scaled mass index, SMI), and tarsus‐based fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Our hypothesis was only partially supported as we did not find an overall effect of food supplementation on FA or SMI. Rather, food supplementation affected nestling phenotype only early in the breeding season in terms of elevated CORTf levels and a tendency for more variable within‐brood CORTf and FA. Early food supplemented nests therefore seemed to include at least some nestlings that faced increased stressors during development, possibly due to harsher environmental (e.g., related to food and temperature) conditions early in the breeding season that would increase sibling competition, especially in larger broods. The fact that CORTf was positively, rather than inversely, related to nestling SMI further suggests that factors influencing CORTf and SMI are likely operating over different periods or, alternatively, that nestlings in good nutritional condition also invest in high‐quality feathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noraine Salleh Hudin
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium.,Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science & Mathematics Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris Tanjong Malim Perak Malaysia
| | - Liesbeth De Neve
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Diederik Strubbe
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Graham D Fairhurst
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
| | - Carl Vangestel
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium.,Joint Experimental Molecular Unit Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium
| | - Will J Peach
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science RSPB Sandy Bedfordshire UK
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit Department of Biology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
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Feather corticosterone during non-breeding correlates with multiple measures of physiology during subsequent breeding in a migratory seabird. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2017; 208:1-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Aharon-Rotman Y, Buchanan KL, Klaassen M, Buttemer WA. An experimental examination of interindividual variation in feather corticosterone content in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus in southeast Australia. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2017; 244:93-100. [PMID: 26699204 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Revised: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Non-invasive techniques for measuring glucocorticoids (GCs) have become more prevalent, due to the advantage of eliminating the effects of animal disturbance on GC levels and their potential to provide an integrated, historic estimate of circulating GC levels. In the case of birds, corticosterone (CORT) is deposited in feathers, and may reflect a bird's GC status over the period of feather synthesis. This technique thus permits a retrospective view of the average circulating GC levels during the moult period. While it is generally assumed that differences in feather CORT content (CORTf) between individuals reflects their different stress histories during either natural or induced moult, it is not clear how much of this variation is due to extrinsic versus intrinsic factors. We examined this question by determining CORTf in free-living house sparrows (Passer domesticus) from two populations, one urban and the other rural, that were plucked before and after exposure to different plasma CORT levels while held captive. We experimentally manipulated plasma CORT by implanting birds with either a corticosterone-filled, metyrapone-filled, or empty ('sham') silastic capsule as replacement feathers first emerged. The pattern of post-treatment CORTf was consistent with our expectations, based on plasma CORT levels of an experimentally implanted reference group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in CORTf between these treatment groups unless sex, population origin, and CORTf of original feathers for each individual were included in a model. Thus, birds with higher CORTf in feathers removed for this experiment tended to have higher CORTf in post-treatment replacement feathers, irrespective of treatment. In addition, we found that feather fault bar scores were significantly higher in CORT-treated birds than in the other two treatment groups, but did not vary directly with CORTf level. Our study therefore broadly confirms the use of feathers as a non-invasive tool to estimate plasma CORT during moult in birds, but importantly demonstrates the potential for intrinsic differences in stress characteristics between populations and individuals to obscure the effects extrinsic stressors might have on CORTf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Aharon-Rotman
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; Department of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - William A Buttemer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
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Romero LM, Fairhurst GD. Measuring corticosterone in feathers: Strengths, limitations, and suggestions for the future. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 202:112-122. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Jovani R, Rohwer S. Fault bars in bird feathers: mechanisms, and ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1113-1127. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roger Jovani
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology; Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC); Avenida Americo Vespucio s/n 41092 Seville Spain
| | - Sievert Rohwer
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum; University of Washington; Seattle WA 98195 U.S.A
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López‐Jiménez L, Blas J, Tanferna A, Cabezas S, Marchant T, Hiraldo F, Sergio F. Ambient temperature, body condition and sibling rivalry explain feather corticosterone levels in developing black kites. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lidia López‐Jiménez
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
| | - Julio Blas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
| | - Alessandro Tanferna
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
| | - Sonia Cabezas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
| | - Tracy Marchant
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan SK S7N 5E2 Saskatoon Canada
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
| | - Fabrizio Sergio
- Estación Biológica de Doñana Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) C/Américo Vespucio Seville 41092 Spain
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Will A, Watanuki Y, Kikuchi DM, Sato N, Ito M, Callahan M, Wynne-Edwards K, Hatch S, Elliott K, Slater L, Takahashi A, Kitaysky A. Feather corticosterone reveals stress associated with dietary changes in a breeding seabird. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:4221-32. [PMID: 26664674 PMCID: PMC4667832 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in climate and anthropogenic pressures might affect the composition and abundance of forage fish in the world's oceans. The junk‐food hypothesis posits that dietary shifts that affect the quality (e.g., energy content) of food available to marine predators may impact their physiological state and consequently affect their fitness. Previously, we experimentally validated that deposition of the adrenocortical hormone, corticosterone, in feathers is a sensitive measure of nutritional stress in seabirds. Here, we use this method to examine how changes in diet composition and prey quality affect the nutritional status of free‐living rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata). Our study sites included the following: Teuri Is. Japan, Middleton Is. central Gulf of Alaska, and St. Lazaria Is. Southeast Alaska. In 2012 and 2013, we collected “bill loads” delivered by parents to feed their chicks (n = 758) to document dietary changes. We deployed time–depth–temperature recorders on breeding adults (n = 47) to evaluate whether changes in prey coincided with changes in foraging behavior. We measured concentrations of corticosterone in fledgling (n = 71) and adult breeders' (n = 82) feathers to determine how birds were affected by foraging conditions. We found that seasonal changes in diet composition occurred on each colony, adults dove deeper and engaged in longer foraging bouts when capturing larger prey and that chicks had higher concentrations of corticosterone in their feathers when adults brought back smaller and/or lower energy prey. Corticosterone levels in feathers of fledglings (grown during the breeding season) and those in feathers of adult breeders (grown during the postbreeding season) were positively correlated, indicating possible carryover effects. These results suggest that seabirds might experience increased levels of nutritional stress associated with moderate dietary changes and that physiological responses to changes in prey composition should be considered when evaluating the effect of prey quality on marine predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Will
- Department of Biology and Wildlife Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks 311 N. Koyukuk Dr. Fairbanks Alaska 99775
| | - Yutaka Watanuki
- Graduate School of Fisheries Hokkaido University Minato-cho 3-1-1 Hakodate 041-8611 Japan
| | - Dale M Kikuchi
- National Institute of Polar Research Tachikawa Tokyo 190-8518 Japan
| | - Nobuhiko Sato
- National Institute of Polar Research Tachikawa Tokyo 190-8518 Japan
| | - Motohiro Ito
- Department of Polar Science SOKENDAI Tachikawa Tokyo 190-8518 Japan
| | - Matt Callahan
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ted Stevens Research Institute 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Rd. Juneau Alaska
| | - Katherine Wynne-Edwards
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Hotchkiss Brain Institute University of Calgary HRIC 1B41 3330 Hospital Drive NW Calgary Alberta T2N 4N1 Canada
| | - Scott Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation 12850 Mountain Place Anchorage Alaska 99516
| | - Kyle Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences McGill University Ste Anne de Bellevue PQ H9X 3V9 Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Leslie Slater
- Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge United States Fish and Wildlife Service 95 Sterling Hwy Suite 1 Homer Alaska 99603
| | - Akinori Takahashi
- National Institute of Polar Research Tachikawa Tokyo 190-8518 Japan ; Department of Polar Science SOKENDAI Tachikawa Tokyo 190-8518 Japan
| | - Alexander Kitaysky
- Department of Biology and Wildlife Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks 311 N. Koyukuk Dr. Fairbanks Alaska 99775
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32
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Lodjak J, Mägi M, Rooni U, Tilgar V. Context-dependent effects of feather corticosterone on growth rate and fledging success of wild passerine nestlings in heterogeneous habitat. Oecologia 2015; 179:937-46. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3357-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Fairhurst GD, Berzins LL, Bradley DW, Laughlin AJ, Romano A, Romano M, Scandolara C, Ambrosini R, Dawson RD, Dunn PO, Hobson KA, Liechti F, Marchant TA, Norris DR, Rubolini D, Saino N, Taylor CM, Whittingham LA, Clark RG. Assessing costs of carrying geolocators using feather corticosterone in two species of aerial insectivore. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150004. [PMID: 26064659 PMCID: PMC4453251 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Despite benefits of using light-sensitive geolocators to track animal movements and describe patterns of migratory connectivity, concerns have been raised about negative effects of these devices, particularly in small species of aerial insectivore. Geolocators may act as handicaps that increase energetic expenditure, which could explain reported effects of geolocators on survival. We tested this 'Energetic Expenditure Hypothesis' in 12 populations of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from North America and Europe, using measurements of corticosterone from feathers (CORTf) grown after deployment of geolocators as a measure of physiology relevant to energetics. Contrary to predictions, neither among- (both species) nor within-individual (tree swallows only) levels of CORTf differed with respect to instrumentation. Thus, to the extent that CORTf reflects energetic expenditure, geolocators apparently were not a strong handicap for birds that returned post-deployment. While this physiological evidence suggests that information about migration obtained from returning geolocator-equipped swallows is unbiased with regard to levels of stress, we cannot discount the possibility that corticosterone played a role in reported effects of geolocators on survival in birds, and suggest that future studies relate corticosterone to antecedent factors, such as reproductive history, and to downstream fitness costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham D. Fairhurst
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
- Environment Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0X4
- Author for correspondence: Graham D. Fairhurst e-mail:
| | - Lisha L. Berzins
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - David W. Bradley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 1E4
- Bird Studies Canada, 115 Front Street, Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada N0E 1M0
| | - Andrew J. Laughlin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Maria Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Chiara Scandolara
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach 6204, Switzerland
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, Milan 20126, Italy
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N 4Z9
| | - Peter O. Dunn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3209 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413, USA
| | - Keith A. Hobson
- Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5
| | - Felix Liechti
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, Sempach 6204, Switzerland
| | - Tracy A. Marchant
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
| | - D. Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 1E4
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Caz M. Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - Linda A. Whittingham
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, 3209 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413, USA
| | - Robert G. Clark
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
- Environment Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 0X4
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Strong RJ, Pereira MG, Shore RF, Henrys PA, Pottinger TG. Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 214:47-55. [PMID: 25776461 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility of measuring corticosterone in feathers from cryo-archived raptor specimens, in order to provide a retrospective assessment of the activity of the stress axis in relation to contaminant burden. Feather samples were taken from sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, kestrel Falco tinnunculus, buzzard Buteo buteo, barn owl Tyto alba, and tawny owl Strix aluco and the variation in feather CORT concentrations with respect to species, age, sex, feather position, and body condition was assessed. In sparrowhawks only, variation in feather CORT content was compared with hepatic metal concentrations. For individuals, CORT concentration (pgmm(-1)) in adjacent primary flight feathers (P5 and P6), and left and right wing primaries (P5), was statistically indistinguishable. The lowest concentrations of CORT were found in sparrowhawk feathers and CORT concentrations did not vary systematically with age or sex for any species. Significant relationships between feather CORT content and condition were observed in only tawny owl and kestrel. In sparrowhawks, feather CORT concentration was found to be positively related to the hepatic concentrations of five metals (Cd, Mn, Co, Cu, Mo) and the metalloid As. There was also a negative relationship between measures of condition and total hepatic metal concentration in males. The results suggest that some factors affecting CORT uptake by feathers remain to be resolved but feather CORT content from archived specimens has the potential to provide a simple effects biomarker for exposure to environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Strong
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom; University of Lancaster, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom
| | - M Glória Pereira
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom
| | - Richard F Shore
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom
| | - Peter A Henrys
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom
| | - Tom G Pottinger
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom.
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