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Feather corticosterone reveals developmental stress in seabirds
Alexis P Will1, Yuya Suzuki2, Kyle H Elliott3
1Institute of Arctic Biology, 311 Irving 1, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA awill4@alaska.edu.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|April 19, 2014
Summary
Food shortages increase corticosterone (CORT) in growing feathers of young birds. Feather CORT levels accurately reflect nutritional stress in rhinoceros auklet nestlings, offering a new tool for ecological studies.
Area of Science:
- Avian biology
- Endocrinology
- Ecological physiology
Background:
- Food shortages in nestlings trigger stress hormone release.
- Corticosterone (CORT) is deposited in growing feathers, potentially indicating developmental stress.
- Experimental data linking nutritional stress to feather CORT levels is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of food limitation on feather CORT content in rhinoceros auklets.
- To validate feather CORT as a measure of nutritional stress in wild bird populations.
Main Methods:
- Comparing feather CORT in captive chicks fed control versus restricted diets.
- Analyzing feather CORT in free-living rhinoceros auklets from colonies with varying reproductive success.
- Assessing feather growth rates under nutritional stress.
Main Results:
- Nutritional stress did not affect feather growth rates.
- Captive chicks on restricted diets exhibited higher feather CORT levels.
- Feather CORT levels were elevated in wild fledglings from a colony with poor reproductive performance.
- Feather CORT deposition proved to be a sensitive indicator of nutritional stress.
Conclusions:
- Feather CORT is a reliable integrated biomarker for assessing food limitations in developing birds.
- This method offers a powerful tool for ecological and evolutionary research on resource allocation in avian species.
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