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Variation in baseline corticosterone levels of Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) populations along an urban gradient in Beijing, China

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Abstract

Rapid urbanization is a major anthropogenic pressure on bird species that rely on vegetation for food and shelter. Since the baseline corticosterone concentration (BCC) in some bird species has been found to increase slightly in response to environmental challenges, we hypothesized that urbanization could also induce an increase in BCC. To test this hypothesis, we compared the BCC of Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) populations in five urban and two rural habitats and analyzed the relationship between BCC and the degree of urbanization. Here, we show that the BCCs of Tree Sparrow populations were strongly and positively correlated with the degree of urbanization of the habitat. Average BCC of Tree Sparrows from high-rise residential areas and a university campus were significantly higher than those from rural areas, suggesting that Tree Sparrows living in highly urbanized areas have greater environmental challenges than those in rural areas. However, the average BCC of birds from an urban park was not significantly different to that of birds at rural sites and also differed significantly from that of birds at two of the other urban sites. These results suggest that urbanization could pose environmental challenges for Tree Sparrows, a species that appears relatively well-adapted to human-modified environments. The marked variation in BCC between different urban sites indicates that conclusions drawn from data collected at single sites must be interpreted with caution.

Zusammenfassung

Eine rasante Urbanisierung kann einen massiven anthropogenen Druck auf Vogelarten ausüben, die auf Vegetation für Nahrung und Schutz angewiesen sind. Da in einigen Arten ein erhöhter Corticosteronspiegel als Reaktion auf selbst geringe Umweltveränderungen gefunden wurde, stellen wir die Hypothese auf, dass Urbanisation zu einer Erhöhung des Hormonspiegels führen kann. Um dies zu testen, haben wir Feldsperlingspopulationen (Passer montanus) fünf urbaner und zwei ländlicher Lebensräume verglichen und das Verhältnis zwischen dem basalen Corticosteronespiegel (BCC) und dem Grad der Verstädterung analysiert. Wir zeigen hier, dass der BCC in Feldsperlingen positiv mit dem Grad der Verstädterung des jeweiligen Lebensraumes assoziiert war. Durchschnittliche BCC von Feldsperlingen aus Hochhauswohngebieten und von einem Universitätscampus waren signifikant höher als die von Feldsperlingen aus ländlichen Gebieten. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass Feldsperlinge in stark urbanisierten Gebieten stärkeren Umwelteinflüssen ausgesetzt sind als solche aus ländlicheren Gegenden. Der BCC von Vögeln aus einem städtischen Park war signifikant höher als der BBC von Vögeln vom Lande; er war jedoch signifikant geringer als der von Vögeln von zwei anderen städtischen Umgebungen. Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass Urbanisierung ökologische Herausforderungen darstellt, und das selbst in einer Art, die anscheinend relativ gut an anthropogen veränderte Umgebungen angepasst ist. Die auffällige Variation in BCC zwischen verschiedenen städtischen Lebensräumen zeigt, dass Schlussfolgerungen aus Daten einzelner Standorte nur mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden sollten.

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Acknowledgment

We are supported by National Nature Foundation of China (30900181), 111 project (2008-B0844) and NMOE (200812001).

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Correspondence to Shuping Zhang.

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Communicated by C. G. Guglielmo.

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Zhang, S., Lei, F., Liu, S. et al. Variation in baseline corticosterone levels of Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) populations along an urban gradient in Beijing, China. J Ornithol 152, 801–806 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0663-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0663-8

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