Effects of a short period of elevated circulating corticosterone on postnatal growth in free-living Eurasian kestrelsFalco tinnunculus

• DOI: 10.1242/jeb.024455
• Publication Date: 2009-04-17T17:29:53Z
• Authors: Claudia Müller; Susanne Jenni-Eie...; Lukas Jenni
• Keywords: Kestrel; Corticosterone; Altricial

SUMMARY Environmental conditions affect growth and development and, through developmental plasticity, create phenotypic variation. In suboptimal current survival is traded-off against development. Corticosterone,the main glucocorticoid in birds, may be involved the reallocation of energy from to maintenance, but its effect on has rarely been investigated altricial birds under natural wild. free-living Eurasian kestrel Falco tinnunculus nestlings, we artificially elevated corticosterone stress-induced levels over 2–3 days middle nestling stage by implanting biodegradable implants,controlling treatment with a placebo group. We measured length primary feather 8, hand length, tarsus body mass subcutaneous fat stores day 10 25. During elevation, cort-nestlings was significantly reduced 71% placebo-nestlings, were 14% 26% placebo-nestlings,respectively, increase stopped, while fat-store not affected. Over following 5 days, still suppressed 84% hand, back normal. subsequent 4 days,cort-nestlings partly compensated for lag accelerating compared placebo-nestlings. Before fledging, 10% shorter, 5% 4% shorter 8.5% lower than score did differ between two groups. Thus, have shown that free-living, nestlings few plasma alone, without food restriction, this could only afterwards. Feather, bone different degrees, indicating had differential structures. This demonstrates probably control plasticity.