Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks
In the Black‐headed Gull Larus ridibundus, sibling chicks defend small territories against conspecifics with testosterone‐dependent aggressive behaviour. The energetic requirements for the performance of this behaviour may trade off against the energetic requirements for growth. There are indication...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x |
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x 2024-06-02T08:15:59+00:00 Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks ROS, ALBERT F.H. 1999 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ibis volume 141, issue 3, page 451-459 ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X journal-article 1999 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x 2024-05-03T11:18:19Z In the Black‐headed Gull Larus ridibundus, sibling chicks defend small territories against conspecifics with testosterone‐dependent aggressive behaviour. The energetic requirements for the performance of this behaviour may trade off against the energetic requirements for growth. There are indications that testosterone suppresses growth in birds and, therefore, regulate this trade‐off. In this study, the effect of testosterone on growth and plumage pigmentation of Black‐headed Gull chicks was analysed. Young chicks in small groups were treated for ten days with testosterone or sham treated. Testosterone‐treated birds showed decreased growth rate (daily increase in body mass, head‐bill length and tarsus‐length) and a marked decrease in juvenile pigmentation of the plumage (tail‐bar, back, and secondary coverts). Field measurements revealed a negative correlation between nest density, which correlates positively with aggressive behaviour of adults, and plumage coloration. Furthermore, these measurements showed an increase in mortality of chicks that had low levels of pigmentation early in life. The data suggest that chicks face a testosterone‐regulated trade‐off between growth and territory defence. Article in Journal/Newspaper Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Wiley Online Library Ibis 141 3 451 459 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
In the Black‐headed Gull Larus ridibundus, sibling chicks defend small territories against conspecifics with testosterone‐dependent aggressive behaviour. The energetic requirements for the performance of this behaviour may trade off against the energetic requirements for growth. There are indications that testosterone suppresses growth in birds and, therefore, regulate this trade‐off. In this study, the effect of testosterone on growth and plumage pigmentation of Black‐headed Gull chicks was analysed. Young chicks in small groups were treated for ten days with testosterone or sham treated. Testosterone‐treated birds showed decreased growth rate (daily increase in body mass, head‐bill length and tarsus‐length) and a marked decrease in juvenile pigmentation of the plumage (tail‐bar, back, and secondary coverts). Field measurements revealed a negative correlation between nest density, which correlates positively with aggressive behaviour of adults, and plumage coloration. Furthermore, these measurements showed an increase in mortality of chicks that had low levels of pigmentation early in life. The data suggest that chicks face a testosterone‐regulated trade‐off between growth and territory defence. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
ROS, ALBERT F.H. |
spellingShingle |
ROS, ALBERT F.H. Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
author_facet |
ROS, ALBERT F.H. |
author_sort |
ROS, ALBERT F.H. |
title |
Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
title_short |
Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
title_full |
Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
title_fullStr |
Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in Black‐headed Gull chicks |
title_sort |
effects of testosterone on growth, plumage pigmentation, and mortality in black‐headed gull chicks |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
1999 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1999.tb04414.x |
genre |
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus |
genre_facet |
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus |
op_source |
Ibis volume 141, issue 3, page 451-459 ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.1999.tb04414.x |
container_title |
Ibis |
container_volume |
141 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
451 |
op_container_end_page |
459 |
_version_ |
1800740305573511168 |