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

Strong, Rebecca; Pereira, M. Glória; Shore, Richard F.; Henrys, Peter A.; Pottinger, T.G.

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.03.002

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Consistent FCC were observed between the two pools of feathers sampled at the same time from the same individuals. Close agreement in FCC was previously reported in different raptor species between two opposite primary flight feathers (P5) (Strong et al 2015) and between adjacent secondary flight feathers (S1 and S2) (Lattin et al 2011), although these types of feathers may have an asynchronous moult which can last over 2 years (Rohwer et al 2009). Instead, body feathers grow during a limited and more synchronized period of time, after the breeding season and preceding winter stressors and migration (Gill 2007;Hardy et al 2006); therefore, they appear to provide more time-specific and controlled information on the HPA axis activity (Monclús et al 2017).…”

Section: Within-individual Stability Of Fccsupporting

confidence: 89%

Feather corticosterone in Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita: a stable matrix over time able to predict reproductive success

et al. 2020

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Measuring corticosterone concentrations in feathers (FCC) has been increasingly used as an integrated index of bird's response to stressors, offering valuable insights into subsequent carry-over effects. However, it is still unclear to what extent corticosterone levels deposited in feathers during the moulting period relate to individual physiology in high-energetic demanding situations. In addition, the stability and repeatability of FCC over the same feather generation and across successive generations are still unresolved questions. In this study, we assessed FCC in 24 captive Northern Bald Ibis, Geronticus eremita. We sampled body feathers on three occasions during two consecutive years (2015-2016) to explore within-individual stability of FCC in feathers grown during the same generation and test whether FCC was repeatable or varied between two consecutive generations. Then, we explored whether FCC (a) was associated with individual health status, (b) correlated with previous reproductive success and (c) was related to future reproductive success. Results showed high stability of FCC among feathers of the same generation, while FCC differed between successive generations. We also observed that FCC, age and health status were negatively associated with subsequent reproductive success the following season, while no association was found with previous reproductive success. Overall, our study supports the use of feathers as a stable measure of corticosterone over the same feather replacement generation and emphasizes the usefulness of FCC as a biomarker of subsequent reproductive success. Keywords Birds • Chronic stress • Glucocorticoids • Non-invasive • Biomarker Zusammenfassung Feder-Corticosteron beim Waldrapp Geronticus eremita: Eine zeitlich stabile Matrix ermöglicht Voraussagen über den Reproduktionserfolg Das Messen der Corticosteronkonzentrationen in Federn (engl. feather corticosterone concentration, FCC) ist ein immer stärker genutzter, integrierter Index für die Stressreaktion eines Vogels. Dies ermöglicht wertvolle Einblicke in nachfolgende Carry-Over-Effekte. Jedoch ist immer noch unklar, in welchem Ausmaß der Corticosteronspiegel, der während der Mauserzeit in den Federn erreicht wird, mit der individuellen Physiologie in energetisch höchst anspruchsvollen Situationen zusammenhängt. Weiterhin ist die Stabilität und Messwiederholbarkeit der FCC innerhalb einer und zwischen aufeinanderfolgenden Federgenerationen noch ungeklärt. In dieser Studie haben wir die FCC von 24 in Gefangenschaft gehaltenen Waldrappen Geronticus eremita untersucht. Wir sammelten Körperfedern zu drei verschiedenen Zeitpunkten in zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Jahren (2015-2016), um die individuenspezifische FCC-Stabilität in Federn der gleichen Generation zu untersuchen und um zu testen, ob die FCC-Messungen zwischen zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Jahren Communicated by L. Fusani.

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Section: Within-individual Stability Of Fccsupporting

confidence: 89%

Feather corticosterone in Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita: a stable matrix over time able to predict reproductive success

et al. 2020

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“…Basal plasma Cort may not vary with age in short-lived species (Lendvai, Giraudeau, Bókony, Angelier, & Chastel, 2015). As in stress plasma (see above), Cort f decreased with age in both long-and short-lived species in some studies (Boves et al, 2016;López-Jiménez et al, 2016), while other studies found Cort f to be independent of age (Grunst, Grunst, Parker, Romero, & Rotenberry, 2014;Strong, Pereira, Shore, Henrys, & Pottinger, 2015). Similarly, there is inconsistency in the direction of the correlation between age and T concentrations (for positive, see e.g., Bautista et al, 2013; for negative, see e.g., Wilcoxen et al, 2013), although most studies found the plasma T concentration to be a trait independent of age, especially in males (reviewed in Kempenaers et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…For example, some studies of comparatively long-lived species, such as wandering albatrosses, common terns, and snow petrels, report an increase in plasma basal Cort with age (Angelier, Shaffer, Weimerskirch, & Chastel, 2006), a decrease with age (Heidinger et al, 2006), or no effect with age (Goutte, Antoine, Weimerskirch, & Chastel, 2010). As in stress plasma (see above), Cort f decreased with age in both long-and short-lived species in some studies (Boves et al, 2016;López-Jiménez et al, 2016), while other studies found Cort f to be independent of age (Grunst, Grunst, Parker, Romero, & Rotenberry, 2014;Strong, Pereira, Shore, Henrys, & Pottinger, 2015). Basal plasma Cort may not vary with age in short-lived species (Lendvai, Giraudeau, Bókony, Angelier, & Chastel, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Feather steroid hormone concentrations in relation to age, sex, and molting time in a long‐distance migratory passerine

Adámková

Bílková

Tomášek

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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In birds, concentrations of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (Cort) are closely connected with many morphological, behavioral, and other physiological traits, including reproduction, metabolism, immunity, and fitness. The direction of the effect of these hormones on above‐mentioned traits, and the potential feedback between hormones are in general unclear; in addition, knowledge on how age and sex can affect T and Cort concentrations is still inconsistent. Our study used a novel method to analyze testosterone and corticosterone in feathers (Tf, Cortf) based on the precolumn chemical derivatization of hormones before liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) analysis. Unlike previously used methods (RIA, EIA), our analytical procedure allows simultaneous analysis of both hormones from small amounts of feathers (4–25 mg) and, thus, overcomes the problem of insufficient detection limits. We applied this method to reveal associations between Tf and Cortf hormone concentrations and feather growth, age, and sex in feathers grown during the postbreeding (flanks) and prebreeding (tails) periods in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica). There was neither a correlation between prebreeding and postbreeding Tf, nor between prebreeding and postbreeding Cortf. Tail Cortf concentrations were negatively associated with tail feather growth rates. Feather hormone concentrations were correlated in the prebreeding period, negatively in males but positively in females. Both Cortf and Tf were higher in young birds compared to older ones, indicating either an age‐related decrease in hormone concentrations within individuals, or the selective disappearance of individuals with high steroid concentrations. Males and females did not differ in Cortf, but Tf concentrations were higher in males than females, particularly during the prebreeding period. In this study, we provide an effective method for analyzing hormones in feathers in an ecological context, especially in situations when the total amount of feathers available for the analysis is limited.

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“…That being said, such assumptions are unavoidable when the date and location of feather growth is unknown, which is often the case in field studies. Several studies have analyzed corticosterone from the same feathers on opposite sides of the same bird (Lattin et al 2011;Lendvai et al 2013;Strong et al 2015;Aharon-Rotman et al 2016) and adjacent feathers (Strong et al 2015) and found consistent corticosterone levels. This suggests that, at least over short time periods, slight between-feather asynchrony within an individual may not be problematic.…”

Section: Synchronization Of Molt Within Populations Is Generally Unknownmentioning

confidence: 94%

Measuring corticosterone in feathers: Strengths, limitations, and suggestions for the future

Romero¹,

Fairhurst²

2016

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular &

115

153

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The recently introduced technique of measuring corticosterone in feathers currently provides the longest-term measure of corticosterone in birds. This review examines the strengths, weaknesses, and unresolved technical issues of the feather corticosterone technique. Feather corticosterone's major strengths are that it provides: a retrospective assessment of corticosterone physiology, including information from absent (unseen) or dead (e.g. museum specimens) individuals; a long-term measure of corticosterone exposure over the period of feather growth (days-weeks), integrating both baseline and responses to stressors; and flexible, minimally-invasive, sampling. However, researchers considering this technique should be aware of its limitations. Feather corticosterone only reflects hormone exposure during feather growth and, when sampling during molt, corticosterone titers and ecological conditions may not be representative of the majority of the annual cycle. Synchronization of molt is often unknown for a population, requiring assumptions when making inter-individual comparisons. Additionally, unresolved technical issues include: assessing whether corticosterone is the only hormone measured by assays; determining deposition dynamics to fully understand connections between feather and plasma corticosterone titers; studying the longevity and stability of corticosterone in the feather; establishing the impact of feather size and color on corticosterone deposition; and understanding the causes and implications of corticosterone variation along the length of the feather. Notwithstanding the above limitations and technical challenges, determining corticosterone titers in feathers is proving to be a useful technique for exploring some ecological and physiological correlates in individual birds. Given the unique perspective that feather corticosterone offers, we suggest that this measure complement, not replace, plasma measurements.

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

Cited by 22 publications

References 72 publications

Feather corticosterone in Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita: a stable matrix over time able to predict reproductive success

Feather corticosterone in Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita: a stable matrix over time able to predict reproductive success

Feather steroid hormone concentrations in relation to age, sex, and molting time in a long‐distance migratory passerine

Measuring corticosterone in feathers: Strengths, limitations, and suggestions for the future

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