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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats

Published on: June 17, 2020

Physiological flexibility in an avian range expansion.

Lynn B Martin¹, Andrea L Liebl²

¹University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology, SCA 110, Tampa, FL 33620, United States.

General and Comparative Endocrinology

|August 16, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Stress hormone flexibility, specifically corticosterone regulation, aids animal colonization. Kenyan house sparrows show this adaptability, suggesting it facilitated their invasion success.

Keywords:

Homeostasis Invasion Plasticity Stress

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Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Ecology
Endocrinology

Background:

Animal colonization mechanisms are poorly understood, but stress hormone regulation is increasingly implicated.
Stress hormones help organisms adapt phenotypes to environmental contexts, influencing invasion success.
Previous studies often used limited samples, overlooking the importance of hormonal flexibility for homeostasis and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between corticosterone regulation flexibility and colonization success in the invasive house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in Kenya.
To determine if population differences in corticosterone response to stress are fixed or flexible in adult house sparrows.
To assess the role of individual identity in corticosterone regulation variation.

Main Methods:

Studied Kenyan house sparrows, a recent invasive species with documented expansion.
Compared corticosterone responses (baseline and stress-induced) between younger and older populations.
Assessed hormonal flexibility by measuring corticosterone levels after one week in captivity.
Analyzed the influence of individual identity on corticosterone regulation.

Main Results:

Younger Kenyan house sparrow populations exhibited larger corticosterone stress responses than older populations.
Both baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels were flexible, becoming similar across sites after one week in captivity.
Individual identity significantly influenced stress-induced corticosterone responses.

Conclusions:

The flexibility in corticosterone regulation observed in house sparrows likely facilitated their successful colonization and expansion in Kenya.
Hormonal plasticity plays a crucial role in the ability of species to invade and adapt to new environments.
Further research into stress hormone regulation can illuminate invasion dynamics in various species.