Individualities in a flock of free-roaming greylag geese: Behavioral and physiological consistency over time and across situations

Kralj‐Fišer, Simona; Scheiber, Isabella B. R.; Blejec, Andrej; Moestl, E.; Kotrschal, Kurt

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.10.006

Cited by 124 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Literature on animal personalities has shown how behavioral coping styles can affect activity patterns and GC production Koolhaas et al, 2010). For example, in great tits and in geese, reactive animals excrete higher fGC concentrations than proactive individuals, (Carere et al, 2003;Kralj-Fišer et al, 2007). Accordingly, high individual vigilance rates may arise as by-product of general higher activity levels or may result from higher GC production in response to previously experienced stressors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats

Voellmy

Gonçalves

Barrette

et al. 2014

Hormones and Behavior

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Adrenal hormones likely affect anti-predator behavior in animals. With experimental field studies, we first investigated associations between mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) excretion and vigilance and with behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We then tested how vigilance and behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks were affected in individuals administered exogenous cortisol. We found a positive association between mean fGC concentrations and vigilance behavior, but no relationship with 2 the intensity of behavioral responses to alarm calls. However, in response to alarm call playbacks, individuals administered cortisol took slightly longer to resume foraging than control individuals treated with saline solution. Vigilance behavior, which occurs in the presence and absence of dangerous stimuli, serves to detect and avoid potential dangers, whereas responses to alarm calls serve to avoid immediate predation. Our data show that mean fGC excretion in meerkats was associated with vigilance, as a re-occurring anti-predator behavior over long time periods, and experimentally induced elevations of plasma cortisol affected the response to immediate threats. Together, our results indicate an association between the two types of anti-predator behavior and glucocorticoids, but that the underlying mechanisms may differ. Our study emphasizes the need to consider appropriate measures of adrenal activity specific to different contexts when assessing links between stress physiology and different anti-predator behaviors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats

Voellmy

Gonçalves

Barrette

et al. 2014

Hormones and Behavior

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“…More recently, however, the measurement of corticosterone (and its metabolites), as well as other steroid hormones, from faecal samples has become increasingly popular (Adkins-Regan, 2005); for example, the method has been used extensively in recent studies measuring steroid hormones in birds (e.g. Washburn et al, 2003;Sorato and Kotrschal, 2006;Arlettaz et al, 2007;Kralj-Fišer et al, 2007;Cyr and Romero, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this, there seems to be an assumption that the two measures should produce similar results, as each measure has been used in different studies to examine baseline hormone concentrations in birds (e.g. Groscolas et al, 1986;Arlettaz et al, 2007;Kralj-Fišer et al, 2007;Angelier et al, 2008), with emphasis being placed on the non-invasiveness of faecal sampling as the primary difference between the two methods. However, given the differences between the measures it might be expected that results may differ depending on the method used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sex hormones are often quantified in conjunction with corticosterone (e.g. Wingfield et al, 1982;Klukowski et al, 1997;Knapp and Moore, 1997;McQueen et al, 1999;Wada et al, 1999;Sorato and Kotrschal, 2006;Kralj-Fišer et al, 2007;Roberts et al, 2007) to investigate interactions between corticosterone and sex hormones across a breeding season. Differences across the sexes within each measure were also investigated; however, this was done in the context of comparing the consistency of the results generated by the different sample types, 6 rather than attempting to elucidate the specific hormonal profiles of each sex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing plasma and faecal measures of steroid hormones in Adelie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae

et al. 2009

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Abstract. Physiological measurements of both stress and sex hormones are often used to estimate the consequences of natural or human-induced change in ecological studies of various animals. Different methods of hormone measurement exist, potentially explaining variation in results across studies; methods should be cross-validated to ensure they correlate.We directly compared faecal and plasma hormone measurements for the first time in a wild free-living species, the Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae). Blood and faecal samples were simultaneously collected from individual penguins for comparison, and assayed for testosterone and corticosterone (or their metabolites). Sex differences and variability within each measure, and correlation of values across measures were compared. For both hormones, plasma samples showed greater variation than faecal samples. Males had higher mean corticosterone concentrations than females, but the difference was only statistically significant in faecal samples. Plasma testosterone, but not faecal testosterone, was significantly higher in males than females. Correlation between sample types was poor overall, and weaker in females than in males, perhaps because measures from plasma represent hormones that are both free and bound to globulins, whereas measures from faeces represent only the free portion. Faecal samples also represent a cumulative measure of hormones over time, as opposed to a plasma 'snapshot' concentration. Our data indicate that faecal sampling appears more suitable for assessing baseline hormone concentrations, while plasma sampling may best define immediate responses to environmental events. Consequently, future studies should ensure they select the most appropriate matrix and method of hormone measurement to answer their research questions.

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“…The species studied were far from representative of the species in existence-84 percent of the studies in the review focused on mammals (29% primates, 55% non-primates), 8% focused on fish, 4% focused on birds, and the remaining 4% were divided among reptiles, amphibians, arthropods, and mollusks. Since then however, many more species have been studied including Orangutans (Weiss, King, & Perkins, 2006), greylag geese (Kralj-Fiser, Scheiber, Blejec, Moestl, & Kotrschal, 2007), perch (Magnhagen, 2007), lizards (Cote & Clobert, 2007), squid (Sinn, Gosling, & Moltschaniwskyj, 2008), and field crickets (Kortet & Hendrick, 2007). It should be noted that researchers in other fields often do not explicitly conceptualize the consistent individual differences in behavior in terms of personality so it is easy to miss relevant studies done outside the field of psychology.…”

Section: Personality Traits Have Been Identified Across a Wide Range mentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Personality

Gosling

Olson

2008

The Japanese Journal of Personality

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Individualities in a flock of free-roaming greylag geese: Behavioral and physiological consistency over time and across situations

Cited by 124 publications

References 79 publications

Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats

Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats

Comparing plasma and faecal measures of steroid hormones in Adelie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae

Animal Personality

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