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Benowitz-Fredericks ZM, Will AP, Pete SN, Whelan S, Kitaysky AS. Corticosterone release in very young siblicidal seabird chicks (Rissa tridactyla) is sensitive to environmental variability and responds rapidly and robustly to external challenges. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 355:114545. [PMID: 38701975 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2024.114545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
In birds, patterns of development of the adrenocortical response to stressors vary among individuals, types of stressors, and species. Since there are benefits and costs of exposure to elevated glucocorticoids, this variation is presumably a product of selection such that animals modulate glucocorticoid secretion in contexts where doing so increases their fitness. In this study, we evaluated hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity in first-hatched free-living seabird nestlings that engage in intense sibling competition and facultative siblicide (black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla). We sampled 5 day old chicks (of the ∼45 day nestling period), a critical early age when food availability drives establishment of important parent-offspring and intra-brood dynamics. We experimentally supplemented parents with food ("supplemented") and measured chick baseline corticosterone secretion and capacity to rapidly increase corticosterone in response to an acute challenge (handling and 15 min of restraint in a bag). We also used topical administration of corticosterone to evaluate the ability of chicks to downregulate physiologically relevant corticosterone levels on a short time scale (minutes). We found that 5 day old chicks are not hypo-responsive but release corticosterone in proportion to the magnitude of the challenge, showing differences in baseline between parental feeding treatments (supplemented vs non-supplemented), moderate increases in response to handling, and a larger response to restraint (comparable to adults) that also differed between chicks from supplemented and control nests. Topical application of exogenous corticosterone increased circulating levels nearly to restraint-induced levels and induced downregulation of HPA responsiveness to the acute challenge of handling. Parental supplemental feeding did not affect absorbance/clearance or negative feedback. Thus, while endogenous secretion of corticosterone in young chicks is sensitive to environmental context, other aspects of the HPA function, such as rapid negative feedback and/or the ability to clear acute elevations in corticosterone, are not. We conclude that 5 day old kittiwake chicks are capable of robust adrenocortical responses to novel challenges, and are sensitive to parental food availability, which may be transduced behaviorally, nutritionally, or via maternal effects. Questions remain about the function of such rapid, large acute stress-induced increases in corticosterone in very young chicks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A P Will
- World Wildlife Fund, US Arctic Program, United States; University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, United States
| | - S N Pete
- Bucknell University, Department of Biology, 1 Dent Drive, Lewisburg, PA, United States
| | - S Whelan
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, United States
| | - A S Kitaysky
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, United States
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2
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Angelier F, Wingfield JC, Barbraud C, Parenteau C, Trouvé C, Chastel O. Ontogeny and individual heterogeneity of the corticosterone stress response in a wild altricial seabird, the snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.902202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the current context of global change, there is evidence of a large inter-individual variability in the way animals physiologically respond to anthropogenic changes. In that context, the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and the corticosterone stress response are of primary importance because they are thought to govern the ability of individuals to adjust to stress. Several studies have reported that this stress response is variable among adults and they have successfully linked this variability with abiotic and biotic factors. However, the inter-individual variability of the glucocorticoid stress response has rarely been examined during the developmental phase in wild vertebrates, and its potential ecological determinants remain unclear. In this study, we examined the ontogeny of the corticosterone stress response in an altricial seabird species (i.e., how corticosterone levels increase in response to a standardized stress protocol), the Snow petrel. We reported a strong heterogeneity of the corticosterone stress response at all ages in snow petrel chicks (11-, 20-, and 37-days old chicks). Although the magnitude of this corticosterone stress response decreases with the age of the chick, we also found that this corticosterone stress response was repeatable throughout the post-hatching developmental period (repeatability: r > 0.50 for stress-induced corticosterone levels after a 30-min restraint). Importantly, this glucocorticoid stress response was negatively associated with the body condition of the chicks (i.e., mass corrected for body size), and previous exposure to sampling was associated with a dampened corticosterone stress response. However, we did not find any link between parental traits (parental condition or parental corticosterone stress response), nest quality, hatching date, and the chick’s corticosterone stress response. Our study suggests that the corticosterone stress response is a consistent individual trait that is affected to some extent by post-natal conditions, and which differs among individuals very early in life.
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3
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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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4
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Watson H, Monaghan P, Heidinger BJ, Bolton M. Effects of human disturbance on postnatal growth and baseline corticosterone in a long-lived bird. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab052. [PMID: 34257995 PMCID: PMC8271141 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Prolonged or repeated episodes of environmental stress could be especially detrimental for developing young, via impaired growth or development. Despite this, most studies investigating the effects of human recreational and tourism activities have focused on adults. An increasing demand for nature-based tourism in remote locations means that many seabirds, which have evolved largely in the absence of predators and humans, are being exposed to novel pressures. The slow-growing semi-precocial nestlings of the European storm petrel Hydrobates pelagicus experience higher mortality rates in nests exposed to human recreational disturbance. Here, we examine whether surviving nestlings reared in disturbed areas are also affected via changes in growth trajectories and baseline circulating glucocorticoids. Nestlings reared in high-disturbance areas displayed delayed mass growth, and we found weak evidence for slower rates of mass gain and tarsus growth, compared with nestlings reared in undisturbed areas. There were no differences in wing growth, consistent with prioritization of long wings, important for post-fledging survival. A tendency for a less marked age-related decline in corticosterone (CORT) in disturbed nestlings offers limited evidence that changes in growth trajectories were mediated by baseline CORT. However, disturbed nestlings could have experienced overall higher GC exposure if the acute GC response was elevated. 'Catch-up' growth enabled high-disturbance nestlings to overcome early constraints and achieve a similar, or even larger, asymptotic body size and mass as low-disturbance nestlings. While catch-up growth has been shown to carry costs for parents and offspring, the effects of disturbance were slight and considerably smaller than growth alterations driven by variation in environmental conditions between years. Nonetheless, effects of human recreational activities could be exacerbated under higher levels of human disturbance or in the presence of multiple pressures, as imposed by present rapid rates of environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Watson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- Evolutionary Ecology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Britt J Heidinger
- Biological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK
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5
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Cinque C, Williams NM, Bencini C, Cozzolino R. Adverse weather conditions reduce food availability and increase glucocorticoid metabolite levels in barn swallow nestlings. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Cinque
- C. Cinque (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-641X) ✉ , N. M. Williams, C. Bencini and R. Cozzolino, Fondazione Ethoikos, Convento dell'Osservanza, Radicondoli, Italy
| | - Nicholas Moray Williams
- C. Cinque (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-641X) ✉ , N. M. Williams, C. Bencini and R. Cozzolino, Fondazione Ethoikos, Convento dell'Osservanza, Radicondoli, Italy
| | - Cristina Bencini
- C. Cinque (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-641X) ✉ , N. M. Williams, C. Bencini and R. Cozzolino, Fondazione Ethoikos, Convento dell'Osservanza, Radicondoli, Italy
| | - Roberto Cozzolino
- C. Cinque (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-641X) ✉ , N. M. Williams, C. Bencini and R. Cozzolino, Fondazione Ethoikos, Convento dell'Osservanza, Radicondoli, Italy
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Sagar RL, Cockrem J, Rayner MJ, Stanley MC, Welch J, Dunphy BJ. Regular handling reduces corticosterone stress responses to handling but not condition of semi-precocial mottled petrel (Pterodroma inexpectata) chicks. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 272:1-8. [PMID: 30419229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Handling of avian study species is common in ecological research, yet few studies account for the impact of handling in nestlings where exposure to stress may result in negative lifetime fitness consequences. As a result, our understanding of stress reactivity in free-living avian young is limited. In this study we examined the cumulative impact of three levels of research-relevant handling (control, daily and every three days) on the development of the stress response, growth and condition of semi-precocial seabird chicks from near-hatching to near-fledging. By measuring corticosterone concentrations in plasma, we found that mottled petrel (Pterodroma inexpectata) chicks were capable of mounting a stress response comparable to adults from near-hatching. There were no differences in plasma corticosterone concentrations in initial samples (<4 min) between groups at six weeks of age, though by 12 weeks of age plasma corticosterone concentrations in initial samples collected from chicks handled daily were lower than chicks that were handled once every three days, and from control chicks. Corticosterone responses to handling were lower in chicks handled daily at six and 12 weeks of age when compared to other handling groups. Handling chicks daily or every three days had no negative effect on the growth or condition of chicks when compared to control chicks. These findings indicate that daily handling results in chicks became accustomed to handling, with no evidence that regular handling was detrimental to mottled petrel chicks. However, given the unique life-history characteristics of mottled petrels relative to closely related species, we caution that this finding may be species-specific, and wider testing is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael L Sagar
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
| | - John Cockrem
- Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Matt J Rayner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; Auckland War Memorial Museum, The Domain, Private Bag 92018, Victoria St West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Margaret C Stanley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jemma Welch
- Department of Conservation, Wairepo Road, Twizel 7901, New Zealand
| | - Brendon J Dunphy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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7
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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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8
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Newberry GN, Swanson DL. Elevated temperatures are associated with stress in rooftop-nesting Common Nighthawk ( Chordeiles minor) chicks. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 6:coy010. [PMID: 29515805 PMCID: PMC5830973 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coy010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Grasslands and riparian forests in southeastern South Dakota have been greatly reduced since historical times, primarily due to conversion to row-crop agriculture. Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) nesting habitat includes grasslands, open woodlands and urban rooftops, but nesting sites in southeastern South Dakota are confined to rooftops, as natural nesting habitat is limited. Nighthawks nesting on exposed rooftop habitats may encounter thermal conditions that increase operative temperatures relative to vegetated land cover types. Mean humidity has increased and mean wind speed and cloud cover have decreased during the nighthawk breeding season from 1948 to 2016 in southeastern South Dakota. These changes might contribute to increasing operative temperatures at exposed rooftop nest sites and this could influence chick condition. We studied nest micro-climate and the plasma stress response for 24 rooftop-nesting nighthawk chicks from 17 nests during 2015 and 2016. High humidity prior to blood collection reduced both baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone (CORT). In contrast, high maximum temperatures during the day before sampling increased stress-induced CORT. The magnitude of the chick stress response was significantly negatively related to maximum wind speed for the week prior to CORT measurement. Other weather and micro-climate variables were not significant effectors of CORT metrics. Most chicks had low baseline CORT and were able to mount a stress response, but a subset of chicks (n = 4) showed elevated baseline CORT and a negative association between the magnitude of stress response and ambient temperature. For this subset, mean ambient temperature for the day before sampling was significantly higher (2.3°C) than for chicks with typical baseline CORT levels. These data suggest that regional climate change trends could affect the ability of nighthawk chicks to mount a stress response, which, in turn, might influence the susceptibility of nighthawk chicks to climate change in the Northern Prairie region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen N Newberry
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 E Clark ST, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
| | - David L Swanson
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 E Clark ST, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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9
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Watson H, Bolton M, Heidinger BJ, Boner W, Monaghan P. Assessing the effects of repeated handling on the physiology and condition of semi-precocial nestlings. THE IBIS 2016; 158:834-843. [PMID: 27708454 PMCID: PMC5032895 DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids during development can have long-term detrimental effects on survival and fitness, potentially associated with increased telomere attrition. Nestling birds are regularly handled for ecological research, yet few authors have considered the potential for handling-induced stress to influence hormonally mediated phenotypic development or bias interpretations of subsequent focal measurements. We experimentally manipulated the handling experience of the semi-precocial nestlings of European Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus to simulate handling in a typical field study and examined cumulative effects on physiology and condition in late postnatal development. Neither baseline corticosterone (the primary glucocorticoid in birds), telomere length nor body condition varied with the number of handling episodes. The absence of a response could be explained if Storm Petrels did not perceive handling to be stressful or if there is dissociation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis from stressful stimuli in early life. Eliciting a response to a stressor may be maladaptive for cavity-dwelling young that are unable to escape or defend themselves. Furthermore, avoiding elevated overall glucocorticoid exposure may be particularly important in a long-lived species, in which accelerated early-life telomere erosion could impact negatively upon longevity. We propose that the level of colony-wide disturbance induced by investigator handling of young could be important in underlining species-specific responses. Storm Petrel nestlings appear unresponsive to investigator handling within the limits of handling in a typical field study and handling at this level should not bias physiological and morphological measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Watson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowG12 8QQUK
- Present address: Evolutionary EcologyDepartment of BiologyLund UniversitySE‐22362LundSweden
| | - Mark Bolton
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceThe Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsThe LodgeSandyBedfordshireSG19 2DLUK
| | - Britt J. Heidinger
- Biological Sciences DepartmentNorth Dakota State UniversityFargoND58108USA
| | - Winnie Boner
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowG12 8QQUK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowG12 8QQUK
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10
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Cockrem JF. Individual variation in glucocorticoid stress responses in animals. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 181:45-58. [PMID: 23298571 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2012] [Revised: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 11/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
When stimuli from the environment are perceived to be a threat or potential threat then animals initiate stress responses, with activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and secretion of glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol and corticosterone). Whilst standard deviation or standard error values are always reported, it is only when graphs of individual responses are shown that the extensive variation between animals is apparent. Some animals have little or no response to a stressor that evokes a relatively large response in others. Glucocorticoid responses of fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds, and mammals are considered in this review. Comparisons of responses between animals and groups of animals focused on responses to restraint or confinement as relatively standard stressors. Individual graphs could not be found in the literature for glucocorticoid responses to capture or restraint in fish or reptiles, with just one graph in mammals with the first sample was collected when animals were initially restrained. Coefficients of variation (CVs) calculated for parameters of glucocorticoid stress responses showed that the relative magnitudes of variation were similar in different vertebrate groups. The overall mean CV for glucocorticoid concentrations in initial (0 min) samples was 74.5%, and CVs for samples collected over various times up to 4 h were consistently between 50% and 60%. The factors that lead to the observed individual variation and the extent to which this variation is adaptive or non-adaptive are little known in most animals, and future studies of glucocorticoid responses in animals can focus on individual responses and their origins and significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- John F Cockrem
- Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
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11
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Fairhurst GD, Navarro J, González-Solís J, Marchant TA, Bortolotti GR. Feather corticosterone of a nestling seabird reveals consequences of sex-specific parental investment. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:177-84. [PMID: 21632628 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring of long-lived species should face costs of parental trade-offs that vary with overall energetic demands encountered by parents during breeding. If sex differences exist in how parents make the trade-off, sex-specific differences may exist in the contribution of each parent to those costs. Adaptations of offspring facing such costs are not well understood, but the hormone corticosterone probably plays a role. We manipulated breeding effort in Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) to increase costs to offspring and used an integrated measure of corticosterone from chick feathers to investigate how experimental variation in parental investment influences offspring physiology. Average foraging trip duration and foraging efficiency (FE) of breeding pairs were not related to chick corticosterone, but sex biases in FE were. Adult male investment was more strongly related to chick corticosterone than was female investment. Importantly, we show for the first time suppression of adrenocortical activity in nestling Procellariiform seabirds, and explain how our results indicate an adaptive mechanism invoked by chicks facing increased costs of parental trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham D Fairhurst
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
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12
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Rivers JW, Martin LB, Liebl AL, Betts MG. Parental Alarm Calls of the White-Crowned Sparrow Fail to Stimulate Corticosterone Production in Nest-Bound Offspring. Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01883.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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13
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Poisbleau M, Demongin L, Chastel O, Eens M, Quillfeldt P. Reversed hatching order, body condition and corticosterone levels in chicks of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2010; 169:244-9. [PMID: 20850443 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2010.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2010] [Revised: 07/13/2010] [Accepted: 09/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In altricial and semi-altricial species, asynchronous hatching gives the first chicks to hatch an initial advantage over other siblings and often leads to the elimination of the smallest chicks. Both baseline corticosterone and acute stress-induced corticosterone levels have been shown to be higher in food deprived chicks than in chicks fed ad libitum. However, first-hatched chicks have also been shown to exhibit higher corticosterone levels than last-hatched chicks, suggesting an influence of the initial differences between eggs on corticosterone levels. We subjected single-chicks of southern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome to a standardised capture-stress protocol. In this species having very dimorphic two-egg clutches, we examined whether corticosterone levels were different between the two chick categories and tested for the effect of body condition controlled by the chick category. Neither body sizes, nor corticosterone levels differed between A- and B-chicks at 18 days. In contrast to baseline corticosterone levels, acute stress-induced levels of corticosterone were negatively correlated to body condition: chicks with a good body condition had lower acute stress-induced levels of corticosterone than chicks with a poor condition, whatever the chick category. Our results do not support the idea that initial differences in egg characteristics could drive the difference in corticosterone levels between siblings. On the contrary, they show that the A-egg of rockhopper penguins has, when reared alone, the same intrinsic potential to develop into a fledged chick as the B-egg. Later differences in body condition appear to lead to variation in the acute stress-induced levels of corticosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maud Poisbleau
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Schlossallee 2, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
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14
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Corbel HÃ, Geiger S, Groscolas R. Preparing to fledge: the adrenocortical and metabolic responses to stress in king penguin chicks. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01619.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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Quillfeldt P, Poisbleau M, Chastel O, Masello JF. Acute stress hyporesponsive period in nestling Thin-billed prions Pachyptila belcheri. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2008; 195:91-8. [PMID: 19002692 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-008-0385-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2008] [Revised: 10/15/2008] [Accepted: 10/20/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
When confronted with acute stressors, vertebrates show a highly conserved evolved sequence of physiological, hormonal and behavioural responses, including the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Many young vertebrates show a stress hyporesponsive period, where they exhibit a reduced glucocorticoid response. Here, we analyzed the stress response of nestling Thin-billed prions Pachyptila belcheri and compared chicks with different previous experience with capture and handling. We found that chicks had a stress response, but baseline and peak levels were below those measured in adults. The stress response of the chicks was rapid and followed by fast recovery, such that the total amount of corticosterone released in response to handling was very much lower in chicks than adults. These results indicate that nestling Thin-billed prions exhibit a stress hyporesponsive period. This was not due to habituation, as CORT measurements at baseline and elevated levels were similar in chicks handled daily and naïve chicks. The comparison with other published studies showed that the stress response of chicks usually peaks earlier and lower than in adults, and researchers should take care to measure stress-induced levels at an appropriate sampling time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Quillfeldt
- Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Schlossallee 2, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany.
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