Development of stress response in nestling pied flycatchers |
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Authors: | Vallo Tilgar Pauli Saag Kadri Moks |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia |
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Abstract: | Birds respond to unpredictable events by secreting corticosterone, which induces various responses to cope with stressful
situations. However, the evidence is still elusive whether altricial nestlings perceive and respond to external stressors.
We investigated the development of adrenocortical stress response to handling-related stressor in nestlings of a small passerine
bird, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Nestlings were held in isolation from their parents during the experiment to ensure that they indeed respond to handling,
not to parental alarm calls. We found that both 9- and 13-day-old nestlings were able to elicit hormonal stress response.
Although baseline as well as stress-induced corticosterone levels rose slightly with age, the magnitude of difference between
the control and stress-induced levels remained similar in both age groups. However, comparison with adults showed that the
stress response of nestlings prior to fledging was still incomplete and significantly lower than in adults. Overall, our results
indicate that altricial nestlings do respond to acute stressors, but on the contrary to previous predictions the development
of corticosterone stress response during growth period is not gradual and varies remarkably between different passerine species. |
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Keywords: | Corticosterone Ficedula hypoleuca Development Handling Stress |
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