scholarly journals Experimental corticosterone manipulation increases mature feather corticosterone content: implications for inferring avian stress history from feather analyses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaara Aharon-Rotman ◽  
William Ashley Buttemer ◽  
Lee Koren ◽  
Katherine Wynne-Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Experimental Manipulation ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Stress History ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Moult Period ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Feather Corticosterone ◽  
Effective Procedures

Feathers incorporate circulating steroids during development. It is therefore assumed that the corticosterone (CORT) content of feathers (CORTf) represents an integrated measure of plasma CORT over the moult period. We tested this assumption by quantifying CORTf in feathers of house sparrows (Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)) that were plucked before and after experimental manipulation of circulating CORT. Two of the seven flight feathers collected from each bird were fully grown throughout the CORT-manipulation period. We found that CORTf of all seven feathers corresponded with plasma CORT levels of non-moulting reference sparrows given the same implants. Surprisingly, the CORTf of the two mature feathers was 4 to 10-fold higher than values measured in the new replacement feathers. Our results show that CORTf of mature feathers may be affected by circulating CORT outside the moulting period. The most plausible explanation for our results is that CORT was transferred onto feather surfaces externally, but the mechanisms involved remain to be identified. Researchers are encouraged to establish effective procedures, both in terms of solvent and duration, for removing surface residues without extracting CORT from within the feather. This will increase confidence when inferring moult-related stress status from feather analyses in future ecological studies.

White blood cell counts in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) before and after moult and after testosterone treatment

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Paz Nava ◽  
José Pablo Veiga ◽  
Marisa Puerta
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cell ◽  
White Blood Cell ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Before And After ◽  
White Blood Cell Counts ◽  
Differential White Blood Cell

In this study two experiments were run in parallel. To evaluate the possible influence of moult and age on differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, we captured juvenile and adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and housed them in outdoor aviaries. Blood was collected twice, before and after moult. Numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes were higher in juveniles than in adults, whereas numbers of eosinophilic cells were similar in the two age groups. Moult induced an increase in basophils and monocytes in both juveniles and adults. This indicates that moult and age impose different immunological challenges on house sparrows. To evaluate the effect of testosterone on differential WBC counts, some house sparrows in aviaries received testosterone during the moult period. Testosterone administration reduced, though not significantly, the number of all WBC types in juveniles, and therefore appeared to have an nonspecific effect. However, the number of lymphocytes increased only in adults, which suggests a specific effect on this cell type in this age group.

scholarly journals Experimental corticosterone manipulation increases mature feather corticosterone content: implications for inferring avian stress history from feather analyses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaara Aharon-Rotman ◽  
William A. Buttemer ◽  
Lee Koren ◽  
Katherine Wynne-Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Treatment Type ◽  
Before And After ◽  
External Sources

AbstractFeathers incorporate plasma corticosterone (CORT) during their development and, because feathers lack blood supply at maturity, the CORT content of feathers (CORTf) is presumed to represent an integrated average of plasma CORT levels during feather growth. We tested this assumption by quantifying CORTf in feathers of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) that were plucked before and after being implanted with either a corticosterone-filled, metyrapone-filled, or empty (sham) silastic capsule. Two of the seven flight feathers collected from each bird were fully grown when birds received implants. We found that CORTf of all seven feathers corresponded with treatment type, and with plasma CORT levels of non-moulting reference sparrows also given these implants. We also found that CORTf of the two mature feathers of each bird were 4 to 10-fold higher than values measured in new feathers. Given the avascular nature of mature feathers, and the fact that we did not wash the feathers prior to analysis, the most plausible explanation for our results is that CORT was externally deposited on feathers after implant. This outcome emphasises the need for follow-up studies to identify the external sources of CORT that may affect the CORTf of feathers. We hope this study will stimulate discussions and further much needed studies on the mechanism of CORT deposition in feathers and open exciting opportunities for application of such methods in ecological research, such as measuring multiple time scales in such a non-invasive manner.

scholarly journals Does urbanization cause stress in wild birds during development? Insights from feather corticosterone levels in juvenile house sparrows (Passer domesticus )

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 640-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Beaugeard ◽  
François Brischoux ◽  
Pierre-Yves Henry ◽  
Charline Parenteau ◽  
Colette Trouvé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Feather Corticosterone

scholarly journals Surveillance for microbes and range expansion in house sparrows

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1774) ◽  
pp. 20132690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn B. Martin ◽  
Courtney A. C. Coon ◽  
Andrea L. Liebl ◽  
Aaron W. Schrey
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Inflammatory Gene Expression ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Model Selection Approach ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Lps Treatment ◽  
Coccidian Infection

Interactions between hosts and parasites influence the success of host introductions and range expansions post-introduction. However, the physiological mechanisms mediating these outcomes are little known. In some vertebrates, variation in the regulation of inflammation has been implicated, perhaps because inflammation imparts excessive costs, including high resource demands and collateral damage upon encounter with novel parasites. Here, we tested the hypothesis that variation in the regulation of inflammation contributed to the spread of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) across Kenya, one of the world's most recent invasions of this species. Specifically, we asked whether inflammatory gene expression declines with population age (i.e. distance from Mombasa (dfM), the site of introduction around 1950). We compared expression of two microbe surveillance molecules (Toll-like receptors, TLRs-2 and 4) and a proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin-6, IL-6) before and after an injection of an immunogenic component of Gram-negative bacteria (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) among six sparrow populations. We then used a best-subset model selection approach to determine whether population age (dfM) or other factors (e.g. malaria or coccidian infection, sparrow density or genetic group membership) best-explained gene expression. For baseline expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 , population age tended to be the best predictor with expression decreasing with population age, although other factors were also important. Induced expression of TLRs was affected by LPS treatment alone. For induced IL-6 , only LPS treatment reliably predicted expression; baseline expression was not explained by any factor. These data suggest that changes in microbe surveillance, more so than downstream control of inflammation via cytokines, might have been important to the house sparrow invasion of Kenya.

scholarly journals Non-breeding feather concentrations of testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol are associated with subsequent survival in wild house sparrows

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1560-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Koren ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Terry Burke ◽  
Kiran K. Soma ◽  
Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Darwinian Fitness ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Subject ◽  
As Stress

Potential mechanistic mediators of Darwinian fitness, such as stress hormones or sex hormones, have been the focus of many studies. An inverse relationship between fitness and stress or sex hormone concentrations has been widely assumed, although empirical evidence is scarce. Feathers gradually accumulate hormones during their growth and provide a novel way to measure hormone concentrations integrated over time. Using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, we measured testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol in the feathers of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) in a wild population which is the subject of a long-term study. Although corticosterone is considered the dominant avian glucocorticoid, we unambiguously identified cortisol in feathers. In addition, we found that feathers grown during the post-nuptial moult in autumn contained testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol levels that were significantly higher in birds that subsequently died over the following winter than in birds that survived. Thus, feather steroids are candidate prospective biomarkers to predict the future survival of individuals in the wild.

Breeding House Sparrows, Passer domesticus in Captivity

1973 ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Mitchell ◽  
Richard O. Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
In Captivity
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