Neonatal handling alters the development of the adrenocortical response to stress in a wild songbird (eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis)

Lynn, Sharon E.; Kern, Michael D.; Phillips, Megan M.

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.03.004

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…It is possible that starling nestlings are not yet competent to respond to ectoparasites with an elevated adrenocortical response. Although we did not directly assess the ability of nestlings to produce an adrenocortical response to handling stress by administering an experimental stress procedure (sensu Lynn et al, ), we did assess the relationship between handling duration during blood collection and plasma corticosterone concentration and between the time elapsed from first nest disturbance to blood collection for each nestling in a nest and its plasma corticosterone concentration. We found no evidence of a detectable adrenocortical response to these putative stressors for 5 or 10 day‐old nestlings, but did detect an elevated response in 15 day‐old nestlings related to the time elapsed from first nest disturbance (see Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research in other species does indicate that nestlings are capable of mounting adrenocortical responses during earlier phases of nestling development, including in response to ectoparasites (Quillfeldt et al, ; Raouf et al, ; Lynn et al, ). The fact that we did not find an effect of ectoparasite load on plasma corticosterone levels in the present study may indicate that starling nestlings engage in an alternative response to what may be considered a chronic developmental stressor, that is, rather than activating the HPA axis, they dampen this response, protecting limited energetic resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Blood‐feeding ectoparasites as developmental stressors: Does corticosterone mediate effects of mite infestation on nestling growth, immunity and energy availability?

Pryor

Casto

2015

J. Exp. Zool.

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How resources are distributed to growth and self-maintenance early in life is likely to impact survival and reproduction. Early resource allocation decisions may be particularly critical in altricial birds, as they have rapid developmental trajectories, and may be highly susceptible to environmental factors that can perturb development. The aim of this study was to determine if blood-feeding ectoparasites act as developmental stressors in European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) nestlings, driving a trade-off between growth and immunity. We hypothesized that because ectoparasites compete for resources they would induce growth-immunity trade-offs in parasitized nestlings. We also tested the hypothesis that changes in plasma corticosterone mediate the effects of ectoparasites on growth and immunity. Throughout development we assessed between-nest variation in ectoparasite density, measured growth, and a variety of blood parameters, including plasma corticosterone. We also assessed immune function across development. We found that nestlings from nests with high levels of ectoparasites were smaller, had elevated blood glucose, lower hematocrit levels, and appeared to engage in compensatory growth prior to fledging. They also had elevated innate immune responses early, but reduced responses later relative to nestlings from nests with low levels of ectoparasites. Plasma corticosterone was not affected by ectoparasite load, but did increase with nestling age. Overall, we find evidence that ectoparasites are developmental stressors that affect growth-immunity trade-offs, but their effects do not appear to be mediated by changes in circulating levels of corticosterone.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood‐feeding ectoparasites as developmental stressors: Does corticosterone mediate effects of mite infestation on nestling growth, immunity and energy availability?

Pryor

Casto

2015

J. Exp. Zool.

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“…, Lynn et al . ), we anticipate that our study design was adequate to detect effects if they occurred. Within the limits of a typical scientific field study, investigator handling should therefore not bias physiological or morphological measurements in the focal species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A further aim was to assess the potential for effects of handling to be threshold‐dependent, which (as far as we are aware) has only been considered in a single study of altricial nestlings (Lynn et al . ). Therefore, rather than simply comparing handled vs. unhandled, our experimental design included a range in the cumulative number of handling episodes to which young were exposed, facilitating identification of a possible threshold above which physiological responses could be induced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Assessing the effects of repeated handling on the physiology and condition of semi‐precocial nestlings

Watson

Bolton

Heidinger

et al. 2016

Ibis

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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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Environmentally relevant bouts of cooling stimulate corticosterone secretion in free-living eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) nestlings: Potential links between maternal behavior and corticosterone exposure in offspring

Lynn

Kern

2014

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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Neonatal handling alters the development of the adrenocortical response to stress in a wild songbird (eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis)

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

Blood‐feeding ectoparasites as developmental stressors: Does corticosterone mediate effects of mite infestation on nestling growth, immunity and energy availability?

Blood‐feeding ectoparasites as developmental stressors: Does corticosterone mediate effects of mite infestation on nestling growth, immunity and energy availability?

Assessing the effects of repeated handling on the physiology and condition of semi‐precocial nestlings

Environmentally relevant bouts of cooling stimulate corticosterone secretion in free-living eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) nestlings: Potential links between maternal behavior and corticosterone exposure in offspring

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