Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus
In seabirds, variations in stress hormone (corticosterone; henceforth CORT) levels have been shown to reflect changing marine conditions and, especially, changes in food availability. However, it remains unclear how CORT levels can be mechanistically affected by these changes at the individual level...
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fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:jexbio:212/17/2824 2023-05-15T17:03:54+02:00 Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus Angelier, Frédéric Giraudeau, Mathieu Bost, Charles-André Le Bouard, Fabrice Chastel, Olivier 2009-09-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/212/17/2824 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 en eng Company of Biologists http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/212/17/2824 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 Copyright (C) 2009, Company of Biologists Research Article TEXT 2009 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 2013-04-02T07:37:34Z In seabirds, variations in stress hormone (corticosterone; henceforth CORT) levels have been shown to reflect changing marine conditions and, especially, changes in food availability. However, it remains unclear how CORT levels can be mechanistically affected by these changes at the individual level. Specifically, the influence of food acquisition and foraging success on CORT secretion is poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether food acquisition can reduce baseline CORT levels (`the food intake hypothesis') by experimentally reducing foraging success of King Penguins ( Aptenodytes patagonicus ). Although CORT levels overall decreased during a foraging trip, CORT levels did not differ between experimental birds and controls. These results demonstrate that mass gain at sea is not involved in changes in baseline CORT levels in this species. The overall decrease in CORT levels during a foraging trip could result from CORT-mediated energy regulation (`the energy utilisation hypothesis'). Along with other evidence, we suggest that the influence of foraging success and food intake on CORT levels is complex and that the ecological meaning of baseline CORT levels can definitely vary between species and ecological contexts. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand (1) how baseline CORT levels are functionally regulated according to energetic status and energetic demands and (2) to what extent CORT can be used to aid in the conservation of seabird populations. Text King Penguins HighWire Press (Stanford University) Journal of Experimental Biology 212 17 2824 2829 |
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English |
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Research Article |
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Research Article Angelier, Frédéric Giraudeau, Mathieu Bost, Charles-André Le Bouard, Fabrice Chastel, Olivier Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
topic_facet |
Research Article |
description |
In seabirds, variations in stress hormone (corticosterone; henceforth CORT) levels have been shown to reflect changing marine conditions and, especially, changes in food availability. However, it remains unclear how CORT levels can be mechanistically affected by these changes at the individual level. Specifically, the influence of food acquisition and foraging success on CORT secretion is poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether food acquisition can reduce baseline CORT levels (`the food intake hypothesis') by experimentally reducing foraging success of King Penguins ( Aptenodytes patagonicus ). Although CORT levels overall decreased during a foraging trip, CORT levels did not differ between experimental birds and controls. These results demonstrate that mass gain at sea is not involved in changes in baseline CORT levels in this species. The overall decrease in CORT levels during a foraging trip could result from CORT-mediated energy regulation (`the energy utilisation hypothesis'). Along with other evidence, we suggest that the influence of foraging success and food intake on CORT levels is complex and that the ecological meaning of baseline CORT levels can definitely vary between species and ecological contexts. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand (1) how baseline CORT levels are functionally regulated according to energetic status and energetic demands and (2) to what extent CORT can be used to aid in the conservation of seabird populations. |
format |
Text |
author |
Angelier, Frédéric Giraudeau, Mathieu Bost, Charles-André Le Bouard, Fabrice Chastel, Olivier |
author_facet |
Angelier, Frédéric Giraudeau, Mathieu Bost, Charles-André Le Bouard, Fabrice Chastel, Olivier |
author_sort |
Angelier, Frédéric |
title |
Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
title_short |
Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
title_full |
Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
title_fullStr |
Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
title_full_unstemmed |
Are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? An experiment with King Penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus |
title_sort |
are stress hormone levels a good proxy of foraging success? an experiment with king penguins, aptenodytes patagonicus |
publisher |
Company of Biologists |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/212/17/2824 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 |
genre |
King Penguins |
genre_facet |
King Penguins |
op_relation |
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/short/212/17/2824 http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 2009, Company of Biologists |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.027722 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
container_volume |
212 |
container_issue |
17 |
container_start_page |
2824 |
op_container_end_page |
2829 |
_version_ |
1766057885648814080 |