Abstract
In many avian species, it has been well demonstrated that individuals attempting to breed in harsh or unpredictable environments always express reduced adrenocortical responses to acute stress, whereas those breeding in more benign or predictable environments may show more robust responses. However, fewer studies have focused on comparing closely related species that express similar behavioral traits (e.g., territorial behavior, mating system, nestling behavior) and ecological traits (e.g., habitats, food resources) among different breeding environments. In closely related taxa, we hypothesized that those species breeding in benign environments would show greater adrenocortical responses to acute stress compared with their congeners breeding in harsh environments. In this study, we examined seasonal and sex differences in baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels in four cardueline finch species from Arctic Alaska (reanalysis of previously published data from the Common Redpoll, Carduelis flammea, at high latitude habitats), the Tibetan Plateau (Twite, C. flavirostris, from high altitude, mid-latitude habitats), and western North America (American Goldfinch, C. tristis, and Pine Siskin, C. pinus, from mid-latitude and low altitude habitats). Our results showed that (1) Twites had lowered adrenocortical responses during the pre-basic molt stage than the early breeding stage, both sexes of American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin showed similar patterns of adrenocortical responses between the early breeding and the late breeding stages, whereas Common Redpolls expressed significantly lowered adrenocortical responses during the late breeding stage; and (2) unexpectedly, there were no significant differences in baseline or stress-induced CORT (maximal CORT, total integrated and corrected integrated CORT levels) levels among Twites, American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls during the early breeding stage or among American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls during the late breeding stage. This similar pattern in adrenocortical responses may reflect the stability of physiological functions of CORT during long-term evolutionary adaptation. It also provides us with an opportunity to understand the potential effects of phylogenetic relationships on the modulation of adrenocortical responses to acute stress in free-living birds. Whether phylogenetic effects are a common or casual phenomenon remains to be determined in other closely related taxa.
Zusammenfassung
Vergleich der adrenokortikalen Reaktion auf akuten Stress bei Cardueliden der Tibetischen Hochebene, des arktischen Alaskas und des westlichen Tieflands Nordamerikas
Von vielen Vogelarten ist bekannt, dass Individuen, die in rauen oder unvorhersagbaren Lebensräumen brüten, auf akuten Stress immer mit einer geringeren adrenokortikalen Reaktion antworten als Individuen, die in einer günstigeren oder vorhersehbareren Umwelt brüten und welche stärkere Reaktionen zeigen können. Allerdings gibt es nur wenige zwischen verschiedenen Bruthabitaten vergleichende Untersuchungen zu nahe verwandten Arten mit ähnlichem Verhalten (z. B. Territorialverhalten, Paarungssysteme, Nestlingsverhalten) und ökologischen Bedürfnissen (z. B. Lebensräume, Nahrungsressourcen). Unsere Hypothese für nah verwandte Taxa war, dass Arten, die in einer günstigeren Umwelt brüten, eine stärkere adrenokortikale Reaktion auf akuten Stress zeigen, als deren Gattungsgenossen, die in rauen Lebensräumen brüten. In dieser Studie wurden saisonale und geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in den Corticosteron-Plasmawerten (CORT) in Ruhe und unter Stress bei vier Carduelidenarten des arktischen Alaskas (erneute Auswertung bereits veröffentlichter Daten vom Birkenzeisig Carduelis flammea aus Habitaten höherer Breiten), der Tibetischen Hochebene (Berghänfling C. flavirostris aus Hochgebirgshabitaten mittlerer Breiten) und des westlichen Nordamerikas (Goldzeisig C. tristis und Fichtenzeisig C. pinus aus Tieflandhabitaten mittlerer Breiten) untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass (1) Berghänflinge während der Postnuptialmauser eine gegenüber der frühen Brutphase verminderte adrenokortikale Reaktion aufwiesen. Bei Goldzeisigen und Fichtenzeisigen zeigten beide Geschlechter zu Beginn und gegen Ende der Brutzeit ähnliche Muster in der adrenokortikalen Reaktion, während Birkenzeisige in der späten Brutphase eine signifikant verminderte adrenokortikale Reaktion aufwiesen. (2) Anders als erwartet gab es keine signifikanten Unterschiede in den CORT-Werten (CORT-Höchstwert, Gesamtwert und korrigierter Wert) in Ruhe und unter Stress zwischen Berghänfling, Goldzeisig, Fichtenzeisig und Birkenzeisig zu Beginn der Brutzeit bzw. zwischen Goldzeisig, Fichtenzeisig und Birkenzeisig gegen Ende der Brutzeit. Dieses ähnliche Muster in der adrenokortikalen Reaktion spiegelt möglicherweise die Stabilität der physiologischen Funktionen von CORT in der langfristigen evolutiven Anpassung wieder. Außerdem stellt es eine Gelegenheit dar, die möglichen Auswirkungen phylogenetischer Verwandtschaft auf die Modulation adrenokortikaler Reaktionen wildlebender Vögel auf akuten Stress zu verstehen. Ob phylogenetische Effekte ein häufiges oder gelegentliches Phänomen darstellen, muss noch bei anderen nahe verwandten Taxa geklärt werden.
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Acknowledgments
We are very grateful to Lynn Erckmann for expert assistance with the corticosterone radioimmunoassay, to Yin Zuohua and Zhang Zhi for the field samplings, and to Haiqing He for excellent driving assistance in the field. This research was supported by National Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists (No. 30925008) to F.M.L., OPP-9911333 and IBN-0317141 from the National Science Foundation to J.C.W., and NSFC Program-J0930004, NSFC-31000191 and HNU-L2008B11 to D.M.L.
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Li, D., Wang, G., Wingfield, J.C. et al. A comparison of the adrenocortical responses to acute stress in cardueline finches from the Tibetan Plateau, Arctic Alaska and lowland Western North America. J Ornithol 153, 761–770 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0792-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0792-0