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Arrival date and territorial behavior are associated with corticosterone metabolite levels in a migratory bird

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Abstract

Glucocorticoids promote the mobilization of energy stores and they may facilitate the expression of energetically expensive functions. Early arrival on the breeding grounds in migratory species and territorial competition are energetically demanding activities that may be supported by elevated baseline glucocorticoid levels. Here, we evaluated the associations between the baseline levels of excreted corticosterone (CORT) metabolites of male Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) just after arriving on their breeding area and timing of arrival, considering ornamental traits indicative of social status, like forehead patch size and black plumage coloration, as well as heat shock protein levels (HSP60). We observed a positive association of CORT metabolites with HSP60 levels, which are synthesized under several environmental challenges affecting cell homeostasis. Our data showed a negative association between arrival date and CORT metabolite levels, possibly as a result of the higher energetic demands imposed by the hard environmental conditions experienced at the time of an early arrival after migration. We observed a negative relationship of forehead patch dimensions and CORT metabolite levels, suggesting that dominance is associated with low baseline CORT metabolites. Also, males that expressed a higher degree of territorial behaviour when exposed to a playback song of a conspecific at their nest-box showed higher CORT metabolites upon arrival than males that expressed a lower degree of territorial behavior. This may indicate that elevated baseline CORT metabolite levels may facilitate an intense territorial competition in males. Thus, male–male competition may be a factor affecting observed baseline glucocorticoid levels in migratory birds.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is dedicated to the memory of José Luis Osorno who planned this study during a sabbatical leave in Madrid in 2002–2003. The study has received financial support from projects CGL2004-00787/BOS and CGL2007-61251 to J. Moreno and BOS2003-05724 and CGL2006-14129-C02-01/BOS to S.M. (DGI-Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). All procedures conform to the requirements of animal welfare and conservation of Spanish laws. J. Morales and G.T. were supported by grants from MEC and Comunidad de Madrid respectively. E.L. was supported by a FPU grant from MEC. R.A.V. acknowledges support from a grant CSIC-Universidad de Chile 2003-04-09, ICM,-P05-002, and PFB-23-CONICYT-Chile. Consuelo Corral and Tonantzin Calvo helped in the field. We thank Chris Guglielmo and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments on a previous version of this manuscript. We were authorized by Javier Donés, Director of the Montes de Valsaín reserve, to work in the study area. Dirección General del Medio Natural-Junta de Castilla y León authorized the capture, ringing, and blood sampling of birds. This paper is a contribution from the El Ventorrillo field station.

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Author notes

  1. Gustavo Tomás

    Present address: Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70-275, 04510, Mexico, D.F., México

  2. Elisa Lobato

    Present address: Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionelle et Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5175, 34293, Montpellier, France

  3. Judith Morales

    Present address: Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, J. Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Elisa Lobato, Juan Moreno, Santiago Merino, Judith Morales & Gustavo Tomás

  2. Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871, Madrid, Spain

    Javier Martínez

  3. Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

    Rodrigo A. Vásquez

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Alexandra Kuchar & Erich Möstl

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  1. Elisa Lobato
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Correspondence to Elisa Lobato.

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Communicated by C. G. Guglielmo.

J. L. Osorno: Deceased.

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Lobato, E., Moreno, J., Merino, S. et al. Arrival date and territorial behavior are associated with corticosterone metabolite levels in a migratory bird. J Ornithol 151, 587–597 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-009-0488-x

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