(Table 1) Breeding parameters for 60 male Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at station Dumont d'Urville (Antarctica) depending on treatment (control vs. CORT) ...

• Main Authors: Thierry, Anne-Mathilde, Massemin, Sylvie, Handrich, Yves, Raclot, Thierry
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2013
• Subjects: Time coverage; Method comment; Treatment; Pygoscelis adeliae; Standard deviation; Pygoscelis adeliae, mass; Pygoscelis adeliae, standard deviation; Pygoscelis adeliae, egg laying date; Eggs per clutch; Eggs per clutch, standard error; Pygoscelis adeliae, hatching date; Comment; Research station; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Antarc*; Antarctica; International Polar Year; IPY
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.839226; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.839226

Corticosterone, the main stress hormone in birds, mediates resource allocation, allowing animals to adjust their physiology and behaviour to changes in the environment. Incubation is a time and energy-consuming phase of the avian reproductive cycle. It may be terminated prematurely, when the parents' energy stores are depleted or when environmental conditions are severe. In this study, the effects of experimentally elevated baseline corticosterone levels on the parental investment of incubating male Adelie penguins were investigated. Incubation duration and reproductive success of 60 penguins were recorded. The clutches of some birds were replaced by dummy eggs, which recorded egg temperatures and rotation rates, enabling a detailed investigation of incubation behaviour. Corticosterone levels of treated birds were 2.4-fold higher than those of controls 18 days post treatment. Exogenous corticosterone triggered nest desertion in 61% of the treated birds; consequently reducing reproductive success, indicating ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...