Influence of growing up in the city or near an airport on the physiological stress of tree sparrow nestlings (Passer montanus)

AbstractUrbanization constitutes one of the major transformations of natural habitats, creating new areas characterized by multiple potential wildlife stressors. Birds that live in highly anthropized zones are confronted with physiological and behavioural challenges caused by these stressors. Here, we investigated if several health parameters differed between three subpopulations of tree sparrow nestlings subjected to different levels of anthropogenic pollution, and particularly noise pollution: a quiet rural area, a noisy rural area adjacent to an airport and a heavily urbanized area. We compared body condition, oxidative stress markers and baseline corticosterone levels, expecting urban nestlings to be in overall worse condition as compared to rural (rural and rural airport) birds. In addition, we expected nestlings exposed to aircraft noise to show intermediate stress levels. We found that rural-airport nestlings had the highest levels of antioxidant capacity of plasma and did not differ from rural counterparts in the rest of the parameters. By contrast, urban nestlings were in slightly worse body condition and had lower antioxidant capacity than rural and rural-airport individuals. Our results suggest that aircraft noise does not constitute a significant stressor for nestlings. In contrast, urban conditions constitute a more challenging situation, negatively impacting different physiological systems. Although nestlings seem able to buffer these challenges in the short-term, further research should explore the long-term potential consequences of early exposure to these conditions.

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Non-Invasive Assessment of Physiological Stress in Captive Asian Elephants

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9080553 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 553 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Vinod Kumar ◽

Muthulingam Pradheeps ◽

Adiseshu Kokkiligadda ◽

Rajashekhar Niyogi ◽

Govindhaswamy Umapathy

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Management Practices ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Body Condition Score ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Term Survival ◽

Asian Elephants ◽

Physiological Stress Response ◽

Condition Score ◽

In The Wild

Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) populations, both in the wild and in captivity, have been continually declining over the decades. The present study examined the physiological stress response of captive Asian elephants in relation to body condition score and different working conditions. A total of 870 dung samples of 37 captive elephants (24 males and 13 females) from four facilities were collected to examine fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (fGCM). The elephants in forest camps with exposure to natural habitats had a higher body condition score than those in more confined spaces. Wild born elephants and females (except in one case) had higher concentrations of fGCM than captive born elephants and males, respectively. Elephants engaged in the Dussehra festival had elevated fGCM concentrations than their counterparts at Mysore zoo. We recommend a few management practices for the long-term survival of rapidly declining captive elephant populations.

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Sex-specific signalling of individual personality by a mutual plumage ornament in a passerine

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology ◽

10.1007/s00265-021-02971-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Attila Fülöp ◽

Dóra Lukács ◽

Péter Imre Fábián ◽

Bianka Kocsis ◽

Gabriella Csöppü ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Innate Immunity ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Body Condition ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Passer Montanus ◽

Individual Personality ◽

Eurasian Tree Sparrow ◽

Interesting Possibility ◽

Males And Females ◽

Colour Signals

Abstract The significance of colour signals in species with strong sexual dimorphism and/or elaborated visual ornaments is rather well-understood. Less attention has, however, been devoted to study colour signals in species with weak or no apparent sexual dimorphism. In such species, an interesting possibility arises as both sexes can bear the same colour ornament(s) (i.e. sexes are mutually ornamented), but their signalling value might differ in males and females. We aimed to explore this possibility by investigating the phenotypic correlates of the black bib, a melanin-based plumage ornament, in the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). More specifically, we studied the sex-dependent relationships between bib size and three aspects of individuals’ phenotype: body condition (i.e. size-corrected body mass), physiology (i.e. cellular innate immunity/inflammation status, expressed through total leucocyte counts, and chronic physiological stress, expressed through the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes) and individual personality (i.e. activity in a novel environment). We found that bib size was not associated with body condition and cellular innate immunity/inflammation status, but was positively related to physiological stress levels independent of sex. Furthermore, bib size was negatively associated with activity in males but positively in females. Our findings bring important correlative evidence that mutual ornamental traits may have sex-specific signalling value. Significance statement The signalling role of elaborated colourful ornaments, that are usually possessed only by males in sexually dimorphic species, is well-established. The function of various colour traits which are borne by both sexes (i.e. mutual ornaments), however, is less obvious. Do they have a signalling value in both sexes? If yes, do they signal the same information in males and females? Or, most intriguingly, can they convey different information in the two sexes? To test these alternatives, we studied the signalling value of the black bib, a melanin-based mutual plumage ornament, in Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus). Apart from being correlated with chronic stress in both sexes, bib size was positively related to activity in females but negatively in males. Our results suggest that the information content of the same colour trait in males and females can be different in mutually ornamented species.

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Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

10.2173/bna.eutspa.02.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jon C. Barlow ◽

Sheridan N. Leckie ◽

Peter Pyle ◽

Michael A. Patten

Keyword(s):

Tree Sparrow ◽

Passer Montanus ◽

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

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Are roads and traffic sources of physiological stress for the Florida scrub-jay?

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr11029 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 301 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gina M. Morgan ◽

Travis E. Wilcoxen ◽

Michelle A. Rensel ◽

Stephan J. Schoech

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Body Condition ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Condition Index ◽

Physiological Effects ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Florida Scrub ◽

The Road ◽

Threatened And Endangered Species ◽

Chronic Stressor

Context Anthropogenic disturbances induce physiological and behavioural responses in numerous species. The negative effects of human disturbance are of special concern to threatened and endangered species. Aims The present study aims to compare physiological stress measures and reproductive success of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) living near roads with jays that live away from roads. Specifically, it aims to test whether roads are stressful. Methods We assessed physiological measures that can serve as indicators of ‘stress’ to determine whether a highway that bisects our study site had physiological effects on adult male Florida scrub-jays. We captured male breeders from three territory types, including scrub habitat that (1) bordered a highway with a grassy shoulder that created an ‘edge’ habitat (roadside), (2) bordered human-maintained habitat (a plowed firebreak of sand with adjacent pasture) that served as a control for the edge-effect of the road (pasture) and (3) contained only natural scrub habitat (interior). We measured baseline concentrations of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), body mass, and a suite of longitudinal body measures to generate a body condition index in males from each territory type over three breeding seasons. Key results Roadside jays had greater body mass than did interior and pasture jays, although there were no differences in overall baseline CORT concentrations or body condition among territory classes. There was no difference in clutch initiation date or size and nestling and independent-young survival. Conclusions Our results suggest that the road through our study site has physiological effects on Florida scrub-jays; however, there is mixed evidence as to whether it acts as a chronic stressor. Implications Our findings provide evidence that roads and road-associated disturbance has neutral or potentially beneficial physiological effects of roads on Florida scrub-jays. Knowledge of these effects of roads and disturbance on jays will hopefully provide additional opportunities to improve conservation of this species.

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Daily expression of clock genes in central and peripheral tissues of tree sparrow (Passer montanus)

Chronobiology International ◽

10.1080/07420528.2018.1523185 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 110-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Zothanmawii Renthlei ◽

Tennison Gurumayum ◽

Bijoy Krishna Borah ◽

Amit Kumar Trivedi

Keyword(s):

Clock Genes ◽

Tree Sparrow ◽

Peripheral Tissues ◽

Passer Montanus

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Report on the Observation of a Dark morph Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) in Daejeon Metropolitan City

Journal of Korean Nature ◽

10.7229/jkn.2011.4.1.045 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 45-46

Author(s):

Seon Deok Jin ◽

In Hwan Paik ◽

Jae Pyoung Yu ◽

Chi Young Park ◽

Woon Kee Paek

Keyword(s):

Tree Sparrow ◽

Passer Montanus ◽

Metropolitan City

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Pre-imaginal stages of the blowfly Protocalliphora falcozi in nests of the tree sparrow (Passer montanus)

Entomologica Fennica ◽

10.33338/ef.84518 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 107-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Viera Jánošková ◽

Ivan Országh ◽

Ján Jamriška ◽

Martin Kopáni

Keyword(s):

Nature Reserve ◽

Instar Larva ◽

Tree Sparrow ◽

Passer Montanus ◽

National Nature Reserve ◽

First Instar ◽

Initial Description ◽

Third Instar Larvae

This paper offers the initial description ofthe first instar larva of Protocalliphora falcozi Séguy, 1928 (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and redescription of the second and third instar larvae and puparium, as well as distinction between P. falcozi and its relative P. azurea Fallén (Diptera: Calliphoridae). The material was sampled in the National Nature Reserve Šúr (SW Slovakia) from nests of the tree sparrow (Passer montanus), which has not previously been classified as a host of P. falcozi. Knowledge of diagnostically relevant characterics to determine bird blowfly larvae and puparia will undoubtedly contribute to the current accepted phylogeny and classification of the genus Protocalliphora.

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Season dependent effects of urban environment on circadian clock of tree sparrow (Passer montanus)

Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences ◽

10.1039/d0pp00257g ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (12) ◽

pp. 1741-1749 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zothanmawii Renthlei ◽

Bijoy Krishna Borah ◽

Tennison Gurumayum ◽

Amit Kumar Trivedi

Keyword(s):

Circadian Clock ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Wild Animals ◽

Tree Sparrow ◽

Passer Montanus

Great efforts have been made recently to understand the effect(s) of urban environments on the circadian and seasonal physiology of wild animals, but the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.

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