Effects of ectoparasites on seasonal variation in quality of nestling Tree Swallows (<i>Tachycineta</i> <i>bicolor</i>)

Harriman, Vanessa B.; Dawson, Russell D.; Clark, Robert G.; Fairhurst, Graham D.; Bortolotti, Gary R.

doi:10.1139/cjz-2013-0209

Cited by 31 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Concentrations of CORT in feathers have been shown to vary in response to life history events (Bortolotti et al, 2008;Crossin et al, 2013), sibling competition (Yosef et al, 2013), health status (Harriman et al, 2014;Meitern et al, 2013;Mougeot et al, 2010;Sild et al, 2014), overwinter survival (Koren et al, 2012), food limitation , reproductive investment (Fairhurst et al, 2012a;Kouwenberg et al, 2013), and with environmental conditions (Carrete et al, 2013;Fairhurst et al, 2011;Fairhurst et al, 2012b;Legagneux et al, 2013). Feather CORT concentrations have also been shown to be related to problem solving and learning (Bókony et al, 2014), and to feather pigmentation (Fairhurst et al, 2014;Kennedy et al, 2013;Lendvai et al, 2013;Martínez-Padilla et al, 2013). However, as far as we are aware there have been only a few studies that report feather CORT concentration in relation to pollutant exposure (Cruz-Martinez et al, 2015;Harms et al, 2010;Lattin et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration

Strong

Pereira

Shore

et al. 2015

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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Article (refereed) -postprintStrong, Rebecca J.; Pereira, M. Gloria; Shore, Richard F.; Henrys, Peter A.; Pottinger, Tom G. 2015. Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration.Contact CEH NORA team at noraceh@ceh.ac.ukThe NERC and CEH trademarks and logos ('the Trademarks') are registered trademarks of NERC in the UK and other countries, and may not be used without the prior written consent of the Trademark owner. 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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration

Strong

Pereira

Shore

et al. 2015

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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“…That per-capita feeding rates (trips per hour per nestling) did not decline with increased brood size is inconsistent with previous studies in this species (e.g., Leffelaar and Robertson, 1986;Leonard et al, 2000;Murphy et al, 2000;Shutler et al, 2006;Hainstock et al, 2010). Food abundance at my study areas may be low in comparison to other populations of tree swallows (e.g., Bortolotti et al, 2011;Harriman et al, 2013), and so my results may differ from previous studies if males need to invest heavily in offspring when rearing an enlarged brood to maintain their quality. This may also explain why total provisioning rates of males rearing reduced broods were not lower compared to controls.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Determinants of making success in female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor)

Berzins¹

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Females from a wide variety of taxa display elaborate ornaments and aggressive behaviours that are similar to those expressed by males. Although recent empirical investigation has demonstrated that ornamental traits and behaviours of females may function by attracting mates or signalling competitive ability when competing against conspecifics for access to mates and resources, less is known about how such traits influence the mating success of free-living female birds. For my research, I experimentally examined how variation in plumage brightness and behaviour of female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) influenced their mating success.Plumage brightness of females had no influence on investment in parental care or mating strategies of males, or the quality of social mate paired to the female. These results suggest that bright plumage is not a signal of attractiveness preferred by male tree swallows.In contrast, I report evidence that plumage brightness of female tree swallows is involved in agonistic interactions with conspecifics. Females whose plumage brightness was enhanced to signal high quality were less able to retain their nest site than females whose plumage brightness was reduced to signal low quality. This suggests that females displaying bright plumage may be challenged by conspecifics of high quality to test the quality signalled by bright plumage, and is supported by the finding that females displaying enhanced plumage brightness suffered social costs, such as delaying breeding and producing low-quality nestlings. Despite these costs, females in the enhanced plumage brightness treatment mated with extra-pair males that were higher quality than their social mate.Behaviour of females, manipulated by elevating testosterone (T), lowered the proportion of extra-pair offspring in the broods of T-treated females. Females manipulated so that the androgenic and estrogenic actions of T were blocked also produced fewer extra-pair iii offspring, and suggest that the androgenic and/or estrogenic actions of T influence extra-pair copulation behavior of female tree swallows. In conclusion, my results show that plumage brightness and behaviour of female tree swallows influence their mating success, and highlight the importance of studies experimentally manipulating ornamental and behavioural traits of free-living female birds prior to breeding.iv

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“…An effect of parasitism on CORTf has been documented in previous studies (Bortolotti et al 2009b, Harriman et al 2014, indicating that this measure is sensitive enough to detect the effects of parasites. In socially monogamous red grouse, both sexes display conspicuous red combs and comb size functions in intra-and inter-sexual selection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, to date, few studies have related measures of integrated stress responses, such as feather corticosterone levels (hereafter CORTf) to parasite abundance, levels of sexual ornamentation or mate quality (e.g. Bortolotti et al 2009a, b;Mougeot et al 2010;Lendvai et al 2013;Fairhurst et al 2014;Harriman et al 2014). Even fewer studies have considered corticosterone levels variation in female birds, and how it relates to parasites, ornamentation and mate quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parasites, mate attractiveness and female feather corticosterone levels in a socially monogamous bird

Mougeot

Lendvai

Martínez‐Padilla

et al. 2015

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Stress is ubiquitous in the life of animals and a key determinant of their well-being and fitness. By quantifying levels of feather corticosterone in growing feathers (CORTf), we measured integrated stress responses in a monogamous game bird, the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus. We investigated the effects of parasites and social mate choice on female CORTf levels during pairing, and tested the hypothesis that females with more parasites and paired with less attractive males have higher CORTf. We experimentally reduced nematode parasite abundance during pairing in females and investigated the effect of treatment on CORTf, while also considering the social mate's phenotype (male comb size, as a proxy of sexual attractiveness). The treatment was effective at contrasting parasite loads between control and dosed females, but had no apparent effect on CORTf. In experimental females, reinfection rate after a month positively correlated with CORTf. We found no evidence of assortative mating based on size, condition or ornament size, but females paired with more attractive males (displaying bigger combs) had lower CORTf during pairing. Females for which parasite load was reduced had lower CORTf than control females at all levels of male attractiveness. Social mate choice therefore appears to be an important determinant of female integrated stress responses, which may in turn modulate reinfection rate and parasitism risk. An influence of male attractiveness on female stress may be part of an adaptive response allowing females to adjust reproductive investment to their achieved social mate choice. Significance statementMate choice is often constrained by the availability of potential mates and not all females socially pair with their preferred partner. We show here that in females of a socially monogamous bird, corticosterone levels in feathers (indicative of integrated stress responses) increase with parasite infection levels but decrease with the attractiveness of the social mate. These results contribute to a better understanding of how females may adjust their reproductive investment according to their achieved mate choice.

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Effects of ectoparasites on seasonal variation in quality of nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

Cited by 31 publications

References 73 publications

Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration

Feather corticosterone content in predatory birds in relation to body condition and hepatic metal concentration

Determinants of making success in female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor)

Parasites, mate attractiveness and female feather corticosterone levels in a socially monogamous bird

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