Feather corticosterone reveals developmental stress in seabirds

Will, Alexis; Suzuki, Yuka; Elliott, Kyle H.; Hatch, Scott A.; Watanuki, Yutaka; Kitaysky, Alexander S.

doi:10.1242/jeb.098533

Cited by 50 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…; but see Müller, Jenni‐Eiermann & Jenni ), concurrent CORT‐F elevations (in pg mm −1 ) should only be expected if both feather growth rates and density remain unaffected by nutritional status (Will et al . ). Black kites make good study models in this sense, because nestlings respond to dietary restriction by investing resources preferentially in feather growth to maintain constant elongation rates in detriment of body mass gain and bone formation (Hiraldo, Veiga & Mañez ; Viñuela & Bustamante ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ambient temperature, body condition and sibling rivalry explain feather corticosterone levels in developing black kites

et al. 2015

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1. In birds, the steroid hormone corticosterone (CORT) is considered a major mediator in a number of physiological mechanisms and behaviours critical for the regulation of an organism's energy balance. However, the question of whether the way in which circulating plasma CORT is incorporated into feathers actually reflects this regulation, and consequently whether feather CORT (CORT-F) measures allow to make inferences on past levels of energetic demands (also known as the allostatic load), remains unclear. While previous studies have yielded promising results, the technique still wants further study and validation in a wider range of bird species, across life-history stages and under different ecological situations.2. Here, we tested whether CORT-F levels in a sample of 427 nestling black kites (Milvus migrans) reflected interindividual variation in a number of environmental, social and physiological variables known to elevate allostatic load during development. 3. We found that nestlings exposed to low ambient temperatures exhibited high CORT-F, suggesting that feathers registered the expected rise in circulating CORT levels inducing thermogenesis in response to cold stress. 4. CORT-F was also negatively related to body condition, supporting the notion that allostasis becomes less affordable as energy stores become depleted. 5. Finally, CORT-F also reflected brood hierarchy rank, with subordinate chicks exhibiting the highest levels, followed by first-hatched (dominant) chicks and lastly singleton nestlings. Moreover, CORT-F levels in nestlings from multiple-chick broods (but not in singletons) declined with age, mirroring the dynamics of establishment and stabilization of sibling hierarchies in black kites. 6. Altogether, our results underscore the potential of using CORT-F to infer allostatic load in wild avian populations and their potential power as indicator tools in conservation biology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ambient temperature, body condition and sibling rivalry explain feather corticosterone levels in developing black kites

et al. 2015

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“…) and nutritional deficits (Will et al . ). Although we cannot conclude that variation in diet alone caused CORT responses in our study, whatever factor(s) CORT responded to were apparently linked to the TP at which birds fed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Feather‐based measures of stable isotopes and corticosterone reveal a relationship between trophic position and physiology in a pelagic seabird over a 153‐year period

Fairhurst

Bond

Hobson

et al. 2014

Ibis

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Diet during the non‐breeding period influences condition and subsequent reproduction. Physiological mechanisms underlying such carry‐over effects are poorly understood but could be clarified by studying physiological responses to variation in diet during non‐breeding. The hormone corticosterone provides a functional link between diet and survival and reproduction, but methodological limitations have prevented previous studies from testing the hypothesis that, on an individual level, avian corticosterone levels during the non‐breeding period reflect broader patterns in feeding ecology during that time. Using museum specimens (1859–2002) and live birds (2012), we found that corticosterone from feathers (CORTf) is negatively related to trophic position (TP) inferred from feather stable‐nitrogen isotope values (δ15N) in Leach's Storm‐petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa. CORTf was not related to stable‐carbon isotope values (δ13C). We detected no temporal trends in CORTf or δ15N, and neither was related to a large‐scale index of winter climate, suggesting a general ecological phenomenon rather than a reflection of historical environmental changes. However, we detected a temporal trend in feather δ13C, and δ13C was related to δ15N. Our findings suggest a physiological benefit of feeding at higher TPs, either through increased nutritional value or reduced foraging costs associated with higher TP prey, and future research should aim to distinguish between these two explanations. Nevertheless, ours is the first evidence of a correlation between individual endocrine levels and foraging ecology, and demonstrates non‐lethal variation in a physiological mediator in turn related to variation in resource use.

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“…A recent study by Will and colleagues (Will et al ) examined the relationship between feather CORT and nutritional stress in rhinocerous auklet Cerorhinca monocerata chicks raised under similar experimental conditions (∼50% food restriction between treatment and control groups; Sears and Hatch 2008) to those of Lyons and Roby () for Caspian terns. Rhinocerous auklet chicks fed a restricted diet had elevated plasma CORT and elevated feather CORT (Will et al ), this is in contrast to our results for Caspian tern chicks. Unlike the response of Caspian terns, food limited rhinocerous auklet chicks preferentially allocated resources to feather growth at the expense of other tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional stress affects corticosterone deposition in feathers of Caspian tern chicks

Patterson

Kitaysky

Lyons

et al. 2014

Journal of Avian Biology

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Stressful environmental conditions affect the adrenocortical function of developing animals, which can have consequences for their fitness. Discovery of the avian stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in feathers has the potential to broaden the application of endocrine research in ecological and evolutionary studies of wild birds by providing a long‐term measure of CORT secretion. Mechanisms of CORT deposition in feathers are not well known and few studies have related feather CORT to circulating plasma CORT during feather growth. Our objective was to experimentally test the validity of using feather CORT as a measure of CORT secretion in developing birds experiencing nutritional stress. Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia chicks were fed ad libitum or restricted (35% less than ad libitum) diets for four weeks. We measured CORT in feathers from these chicks to examine the relationship between feather CORT concentrations and nutritional limitation, circulating plasma CORT, and feather development. We found that feather CORT was higher in controls fed ad libitum than in restricted individuals, despite higher levels of plasma CORT in restricted chicks compared to controls. Feather mass and growth rates were strongly and positively related to feather CORT concentrations in both treatments. This is the first experimental study to show that feather CORT concentrations can be lower in response to nutritional stress, even when plasma CORT concentrations are elevated. Our results indicate that CORT deposition in feathers may be confounded when feather mass and growth rates are compromised by nutritional stress. We conclude that feather CORT can be used for assessing nutritional stress in growing birds, but the direction of response depends on how strongly stress affects feather development.

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Feather corticosterone reveals developmental stress in seabirds

Cited by 50 publications

References 50 publications

Ambient temperature, body condition and sibling rivalry explain feather corticosterone levels in developing black kites

Ambient temperature, body condition and sibling rivalry explain feather corticosterone levels in developing black kites

Feather‐based measures of stable isotopes and corticosterone reveal a relationship between trophic position and physiology in a pelagic seabird over a 153‐year period

Nutritional stress affects corticosterone deposition in feathers of Caspian tern chicks

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