6533b854fe1ef96bd12adf67
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Condition-dependent effects of corticosterone on a carotenoid-based begging signal in house sparrows
Olivier ChastelSimon FellousClaire LoiseauGabriele SorciClaudy Haussysubject
0106 biological sciences01 natural sciencesNesting BehaviorFight-or-flight responseBehavioral Neurosciencechemistry.chemical_compoundEndocrinologyCorticosteroneAdaptation PsychologicalBeggingpolycyclic compoundsHouse sparrowCarotenoidchemistry.chemical_classificationCarotenoid0303 health sciencesFlange colorationPigmentationPoor body conditionhumanities[ SDE.MCG ] Environmental Sciences/Global ChangesSparrowshormones hormone substitutes and hormone antagonistsmedicine.medical_specialtyendocrine system[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global ChangesParent–offspring conflictBiologyAffect (psychology)010603 evolutionary biology03 medical and health sciencesInternal medicinemedicinePasser domesticusAnimalsImmune responseCondition dependent030304 developmental biologyMouth[ SDE.BE ] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and EcologyEndocrine and Autonomic SystemsFeeding BehaviorCarotenoids[SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and SocietyAnimal CommunicationEndocrinologychemistryImmune SystemBody ConstitutionParent–offspring conflict[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and EcologyFood DeprivationCorticosteronePhotic Stimulation[ SDE.ES ] Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Societydescription
International audience; Begging is a complex display involving a variety of different visual and auditory signals. Parents are thought to use these signals to adjust their investment in food provisioning. The mechanisms that ensure the honesty of begging displays as indicators of need have been recently investigated. It has been shown that levels of corticosterone (Cort), the hormone released during the stress response, increase during food shortage and are associated with an increased begging rate. In a recent study in house sparrows, although exogenous Cort increased begging rate, parents did not accordingly adjust their provisioning rate. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Cort might affect the expression of other components of begging displays, such as flange color (a carotenoid-based trait). We experimentally increased levels of circulating Cort and investigated the effects of the treatment on (1) the flange coloration of the nestlings, (2) the behavioral response and (3) the parental allocation of food and (4) nestling condition and cell-mediated immune response. We found that Cort affected flange coloration in a condition-dependent way. Cort-injected nestlings had less yellow flanges than controls only when in poor body condition. Parental feeding rate was also affected by the Cort treatment in interaction with flange color. Feeding rate of Cort-injected nestlings was negatively and significantly correlated with flange color (nestlings with yellower flanges receiving more food), whereas feeding rate and flange color were not correlated in control chicks. We also found that nestlings injected with Cort showed a weaker immune response than controls. These results suggest that, indeed, Cort has the potential to affect multiple components of the begging display. As Cort levels naturally raise during fasting, parents have to take into account these multiple components to take a decision as to optimally share their investment among competing nestlings.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-07 |