Two seconds is all it takes: European starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) increase levels of circulating glucocorticoids after witnessing a brief raptor attack

Jones, Blake Carlton; Smith, Adam D.; Bebus, Sara E.; Schoech, Stephan J.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.017

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…In birds, for example, ostensibly stressful events, such as interactions with potential predators, often result in dramatic increases in glucocorticoids that promote self-maintenance at a cost to reproduction (Wingfield 2003; Romero et al 2009; Lothery et al 2014; Vitousek et al 2014; Jones et al 2016). However, in the absence of imminent threats, increased glucocorticoids can positively affect foraging, allocation to eggs, and parental care (Sinervo and DeNardo 1996; Crossin et al 2012; Love et al 2014; Bowers et al 2015b), and enhance survival in free-living populations (Sinervo and DeNardo 1996; Rivers et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated corticosterone during egg production elicits increased maternal investment and promotes nestling growth in a wild songbird

Bowers

Bowden

Thompson

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

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Glucocorticoids circulating in breeding birds during egg production accumulate within eggs, and may provide a potent form of maternal effect on offspring phenotype. However, whether these steroids affect offspring development remains unclear. Here, we employed a non-invasive technique that experimentally elevated the maternal transfer of corticosterone to eggs in a wild population of house wrens. Feeding corticosterone-injected mealworms to free-living females prior to and during egg production increased the number of eggs that females produced and increased corticosterone concentrations in egg yolks. This treatment also resulted in an increase in the amount of yolk allocated to eggs. Offspring hatching from these eggs begged for food at a higher rate than control offspring and eventually attained increased prefledging body condition, a trait predictive of their probability of recruitment as breeding adults in the study population. Our results indicate that an increase in maternal glucocorticoids within the physiological range can enhance maternal investment and offspring development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated corticosterone during egg production elicits increased maternal investment and promotes nestling growth in a wild songbird

Bowers

Bowden

Thompson

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

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“…It is still unclear, however, whether the increased enzymatic activities observed are due to the "fear" directly caused by the presence of the predator itself (as suggested by the predation stress hypothesis; Boonstra et al 1998;Clinchy et al 2004). The risk perceived by the prey can, for example, lead to increased glucocorticoid levels (e.g., Cockrem and Silverin 2002;Sheriff et al 2009) even when predator encounters are very short (up to a few seconds; Jones et al 2016b), and it can have long-term consequences on prey response to threat (Jones et al 2016a). On the other hand, variation in the cellular antioxidant metabolism could also be a consequence of behavioral antipredator responses, which could, for example, reduce foraging efficiency (the predatorsensitive food hypothesis; e.g., Sinclair and Arcese 1995;Zanette et al 2011;Zanette et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Predation risk is known to induce a physiological stress response in prey in response to both acute and chronic stress events (e.g., Cockrem and Silverin 2002;Butler et al 2009;Sheriff et al 2009Sheriff et al , 2011Clinchy et al 2011;Zanette et al 2014;Jones et al 2016b) that can affect animals' physiology and fitness even long after the pred-ator encounter (Sheriff et al 2009(Sheriff et al , 2011Jones et al 2016a). Our results suggest that predation risk could also modify animal antioxidant enzyme activities, although the effect may be enhanced by cold temperatures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antioxidant Enzyme Activities Vary with Predation Risk and Environmental Conditions in Free-Living Passerine Birds

Morosinotto

Rainio

Ruuskanen

et al. 2018

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Prolonged physiological stress response may lead to an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ultimately to oxidative stress and severe fitness costs. We investigated whether natural variation in predation risk, induced by pygmy owls (Glaucidium passerinum), modifies the oxidative status of two free-living food-supplemented passerine bird species-the great tit (Parus major) and the willow tit (Poecile montanus)-in March 2012 and 2013. Predation risk significantly affected antioxidant enzyme activities of willow tits. Antioxidant enzyme activities (principal component factor 2 [PC2] representing glutathione-S-transferase and superoxide dismutase activities) were higher in high predation risk areas in 2013 than in low predation risk areas in the same year. Higher enzyme activities may suggest higher ROS production in birds living under high predation risk. In addition, antioxidant enzyme activities (PC2) were also higher in high predation risk areas in 2013 than in high predation risk areas in the previous year, 2012. This may represent variation in the risk represented by pygmy owls, which is probably inversely related to the natural fluctuations in the densities of their main prey, voles. In willow tits, PC1 (representing catalase, total glutathione, the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione, and protein carbonylation) was not affected by perceived predation risk, nor were antioxidant levels or enzyme activities in great tits. Higher enzyme activities observed in willow tits suggest that predator presence can modify the antioxidant status of avian prey, but the response also seem to be influenced by other environmental characteristics, like harsh winter conditions.

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“…Within minutes of the perception of a stressor, circulating CORT concentrations rise dramatically [98] and facilitate behaviours that promote self-maintenance and survival [21, 42]. Evidence suggests that stress-induced CORT concentrations are modulated with respect to risk to self, as well as with respect to the value of a brood [47, 99].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone in male and female Afrotropical and European temperate stonechats during breeding

et al. 2017

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BackgroundLatitudinal variation in avian life histories falls along a slow-fast pace of life continuum: tropical species produce small clutches, but have a high survival probability, while in temperate species the opposite pattern is found. This study investigated whether differential investment into reproduction and survival of tropical and temperate species is paralleled by differences in the secretion of the vertebrate hormone corticosterone (CORT). Depending on circulating concentrations, CORT can both act as a metabolic (low to medium levels) and a stress hormone (high levels) and, thereby, influence reproductive decisions. Baseline and stress-induced CORT was measured across sequential stages of the breeding season in males and females of closely related taxa of stonechats (Saxicola spp) from a wide distribution area. We compared stonechats from 13 sites, representing Canary Islands, European temperate and East African tropical areas. Stonechats are highly seasonal breeders at all these sites, but vary between tropical and temperate regions with regard to reproductive investment and presumably also survival.ResultsIn accordance with life-history theory, during parental stages, post-capture (baseline) CORT was overall lower in tropical than in temperate stonechats. However, during mating stages, tropical males had elevated post-capture (baseline) CORT concentrations, which did not differ from those of temperate males. Female and male mates of a pair showed correlated levels of post-capture CORT when sampled after simulated territorial intrusions. In contrast to the hypothesis that species with low reproduction and high annual survival should be more risk-sensitive, tropical stonechats had lower stress-induced CORT concentrations than temperate stonechats. We also found relatively high post-capture (baseline) and stress-induced CORT concentrations, in slow-paced Canary Islands stonechats.ConclusionsOur data support and refine the view that baseline CORT facilitates energetically demanding activities in males and females and reflects investment into reproduction. Low parental workload was associated with lower post-capture (baseline) CORT as expected for a slow pace of life in tropical species. On a finer resolution, however, this tropical-temperate contrast did not generally hold. Post-capture (baseline) CORT was higher during mating stages in particular in tropical males, possibly to support the energetic needs of mate-guarding. Counter to predictions based on life history theory, our data do not confirm the hypothesis that long-lived tropical populations have higher stress-induced CORT concentrations than short-lived temperate populations. Instead, in the predator-rich tropical environments of African stonechats, a dampened stress response during parental stages may increase survival probabilities of young. Overall our data further support an association between life history and baseline CORT, but challenge the role of stress-induced CORT as a mediator of tropical-temperate variation in life history.Electro...

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Two seconds is all it takes: European starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) increase levels of circulating glucocorticoids after witnessing a brief raptor attack

Cited by 25 publications

References 66 publications

Elevated corticosterone during egg production elicits increased maternal investment and promotes nestling growth in a wild songbird

Elevated corticosterone during egg production elicits increased maternal investment and promotes nestling growth in a wild songbird

Antioxidant Enzyme Activities Vary with Predation Risk and Environmental Conditions in Free-Living Passerine Birds

Baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone in male and female Afrotropical and European temperate stonechats during breeding

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