Experimental manipulation of testosterone and condition during molt affects activity and vocalizations of male blue tits

Hormones and Behavior

Volumn 54, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 263-269

  Kurvers, Ralf H J M ^a   Roberts, Mark L ^a   McWilliams, Scott R ^b   Peters, Anne ^a  

^a MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR ORNITHOLOGY   (Germany)

^b UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND   (United States)

Author keywords

Behavior; Blue tit; Condition dependence; Cyanistes caeruleus; Experimentally elevated testosterone; Locomotor activity; Molt progress; Sex differences; Song

Indexed keywords

TESTOSTERONE;

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR; ANIMAL EXPERIMENT; ARTICLE; BREEDING; CONTROLLED STUDY; DIET; EXPERIMENTATION; HORMONE ACTION; LOCOMOTION; MALE; NONHUMAN; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SINGING; SONGBIRD; STANDARD; VOCALIZATION;

ANIMALS; BEHAVIOR, ANIMAL; DRUG IMPLANTS; FEMALE; MALE; MODELS, ANIMAL; MOLTING; MOTOR ACTIVITY; SEASONS; SEX CHARACTERISTICS; SONGBIRDS; TESTOSTERONE; VOCALIZATION, ANIMAL;

EID: 45449091527     PISSN: 0018506X     EISSN: 10956867     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.03.011     Document Type: Article

References (82)

1. Andersson M. Sexual Selection (1994), Princeton University Press, Princeton.
2. Andersson S., Örnborg J., and Andersson M. Ultraviolet sexual dimorphism and assortative mating in blue tits. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265 (1998) 445-450
3. Bairlein F. European-African Songbird Migration Network. Manual of Field Methods (1995), Insitut für Vogelforschung, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
4. Bairlein F. The effect of diet composition on migratory fuelling in Garden warblers Sylvia borin. J. Avian Biol. 29 (1998) 546-551
5. Buchanan K.L., Evans M.R., Goldsmith A.R., Bryant D.M., and Rowe L.V. Testosterone influences basal metabolic rate in male house sparrows: a new cost of dominance signalling? Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 268 (2001) 1337-1344
6. Carrascal L.M., and Alonso C.L. Habitat use under latent predation risk.A case study with wintering forest birds. Oikos 112 (2006) 51-62
7. Chandler C.R., Ketterson E.D., Nolan V., and Ziegenfus C. Effects of testosterone on spatial activity in free-ranging male dark-eyed juncos, Junco hyemalis. Anim. Behav. 47 (1994) 1445-1455
8. Clotfelter E.D., O'Neal D.M., Gaudioso J.M., Casto J.M., Parker-Renga I.M., Snajdr E.A., Duffy D.L., Nolan V., and Ketterson E.D. Consequences of elevating plasma testosterone in females of a socially monogamous songbird: evidence of constraints on male evolution?. Horm. Behav. 46 (2004) 171-178
9. Collis K., and Borgia G. Age-related effects of testosterone, plumage, and experience on aggression and social-dominance in juvenile male satin bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus). Auk 109 (1992) 422-434
10. Cramp S., and Perrins C.M. Blue tit. In: Cramp S., and Perrins C.M. (Eds). The Birds of the Western Palearctic vol. 7 (1993), Oxford University Press, Oxford 225-248
11. Dawson A. Plasma gonadal-steroid levels in wild starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) during the annual cycle and in relation to the stages of breeding. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 49 (1983) 286-294
12. Dawson A. The effects of daylength and testosterone on the initiation and progress of molt in starlings Sturnus vulgaris. Ibis 136 (1994) 335-340
13. De Ridder E., Pinxten R., and Eens M. Experimental evidence of a testosterone-induced shift from paternal to mating behaviour in a facultatively polygynous songbird. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 49 (2000) 24-30
14. Delhey K., Johnsen A., Peters A., Andersson S., and Kempenaers B. Paternity analysis reveals opposing selection pressures on crown coloration in the blue tit (Parus caeruleus). Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 270 (2003) 2057-2063
15. Delhey K., Peters A., Johnsen A., and Kempenaers B. Seasonal changes in blue tit crown color: do they signal individual quality?. Behav. Ecol. 17 (2006) 790-798
16. Delhey K., Peters A., Johnsen A., and Kempenaers B. Brood sex ratio and male UV ornamentation in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus): correlational evidence and an experimental test. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 61 (2007) 853-862
17. Delhey K., Peters A., Johnsen A., and Kempenaers B. Fertilization success and UV ornamentation in blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus: correlational and experimental evidence. Behav. Ecol. 18 (2007) 399-409
18. Dowling D.K., Richardson D.S., and Komdeur J. No effects of a feather mite on body condition, survivorship, or grooming behavior in the Seychelles warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 50 (2001) 257-262
19. Ekman J.B., and Lilliendahl K. Using priority to food access-fattening strategies in dominance-structured willow tit (Parus montanus) flocks. Behav. Ecol. 4 (1993) 232-238
20. Enstrom D.A., Ketterson E.D., and Nolan V. Testosterone and mate choice in the dark-eyed junco. Anim. Behav. 54 (1997) 1135-1146
21. Evans M.R., Goldsmith A.R., and Norris S.R.A. The effects of testosterone on antibody production and plumage coloration in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 47 (2000) 156-163
22. Foerster K., and Kempenaers B. Experimentally elevated plasma levels of testosterone do not increase male reproductive success in blue tits. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 56 (2004) 482-490
23. Foerster K., and Kempenaers B. Effects of testosterone on male-male competition and male-female interactions in blue tits. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 57 (2005) 215-223
24. Folstad I., and Karter A.J. Parasites, bright males, and the immunocompetence handicap. Am. Nat. 139 (1992) 603-622
25. GenStat. GenStat 8.1. VSN International Ltd. (2005), Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK
26. Goymann W., Trappschuh M., Jensen W., and Schwabl I. Low ambient temperature increases food intake and dropping production, leading to incorrect estimates of hormone metabolite concentrations in European stonechats. Horm. Behav. 49 (2006) 644-653
27. Griggio M., and Hoi H. Is preening behaviour sexually selected? An experimental approach. Ethology 112 (2006) 1145-1151
28. Hau M. Regulation of male traits by testosterone: implications for the evolution of vertebrate life histories. BioEssays 29 (2007) 133-144
29. Hunt K.E., Hahn T.P., and Wingfield J.C. Testosterone implants increase song but not aggression in male Lapland longspurs. Anim. Behav. 54 (1997) 1177-1192
30. Hunt S., Bennett A.T.D., Cuthill I.C., and Griffiths R. Blue tits are ultraviolet tits. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 265 (1998) 451-455
31. Hunt K.E., Hahn T.P., and Wingfield J.C. Endocrine influences on parental care during a short breeding season: testosterone and male parental care in Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 45 (1999) 360-369
32. Johnsen A., Delhey K., Schlicht E., Peters A., and Kempenaers B. Male sexual attractiveness and parental effort in blue tits: a test of the differential allocation hypothesis. Anim. Behav. 70 (2005) 877-888
33. Kaiser A. A new multi-category classification of subcutaneous fat deposits of songbirds. J. Field Ornithol. 64 (1993) 246-255
34. Kempenaers B., Peters A., and Foerster K. Sources of individual variation in plasma testosterone levels. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 363 (2008) 1711-1723
35. Ketterson E.D., and Nolan V. Hormones and life histories-an integrative approach. Am. Nat. 140 (1992) S33-S62
36. Ketterson E.D., Nolan V., Wolf L., and Ziegenfus C. Testosterone and avian life histories-effects of experimentally elevated testosterone on behavior and correlates of fitness in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). Am. Nat. 140 (1992) 980-999
37. Klaassen M. Molt and basal metabolic costs in males of 2 subspecies of stonechats - the European Saxicola torquata rubicula and the East-African Saxicola torquata axillaris. Oecologia 104 (1995) 424-432
38. Krams I. Long-range call use in dominance-structured crested tit Parus cristatus winter groups. J. Avian Biol. 31 (2000) 15-19
39. Krams I. Perch selection by singing chaffinches: a better view of surroundings and the risk of predation. Behav. Ecol. 12 (2001) 295-300
40. Lahti K., Koivula K., Rytkonen S., Mustonen T., Welling P., Pravosudov V.V., and Orell M. Social influences on food caching in willow tits: a field experiment. Behav. Ecol. 9 (1998) 122-129
41. Lindström A., Visser G.H., and Daan S. The energetic cost of feather synthesis is proportional to basal metabolic-rate. Physiol. Zool. 66 (1993) 490-510
42. Lynn S.E., Houtman A.M., Weathers W.W., Ketterson E.D., and Nolan V. Testosterone increases activity but not daily energy expenditure in captive male dark-eyed juncos, Junco hyemalis. Anim. Behav. 60 (2000) 581-587
43. Lynn S.E., Hayward L.S., Benowitz-Fredericks Z.M., and Wingfield J.C. Behavioural insensitivity to supplementary testosterone during the parental phase in the chestnut-collared longspur, Calcarius ornatus. Anim. Behav. 63 (2002) 795-803
44. 2 and its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems (2005), Springer-Verlag
45. Møller A.P. The preening activity of swallows, Hirundo rustica, in relation to experimentally manipulated loads of hematophagous mites. Anim. Behav. 42 (1991) 251-260
46. Møller A.P., Magnhagen C., Ulfstrand A., and Ulfstrand S. Phenotypic quality and molt in the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica. Behav. Ecol. 6 (1995) 242-249
47. Murphy M.E., and King J.R. Semi-synthetic diets as a tool for nutritional ecology. Auk 99 (1982) 165-167
48. Murphy M.E., and King J.R. Protein-intake and the dynamics of the postnuptial molt in white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii. Can. J. Zool. 69 (1991) 2225-2229
49. Murphy M.E., and Taruscio T.G. Sparrows increase their rates of tissue and whole-body protein-synthesis during the annual molt. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A. Physiol. 111 (1995) 385-396
50. Murphy M.E., King J.R., and Lu J. Malnutrition during the postnuptial molt of white-crowned sparrows-feather growth and quality. Can. J. Zool. 66 (1988) 1403-1413
51. Newton I. The moult of the Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula. Ibis 108 (1966) 41-87
52. Nolan V., Ketterson E.D., Ziegenfus C., Cullen D.P., and Chandler C.R. Testosterone and avian life histories-effects of experimentally elevated testosterone on prebasic molt and survival in male dark-eyed juncos. Condor 94 (1992) 364-370
53. Parker T.H., Barr I.R., and Griffith S.C. The blue tit's song is an inconsistent signal of male condition. Behav. Ecol. 17 (2006) 1029-1040
54. Payne R.B. Mechanisms and control of molt. In: Farner D.S., and King J.R. (Eds). Avian Biology vol. 2 (1972), Academic Press, New York 103-155
55. Pérez-Rodríguez L., Blas J., Vinuela J., Marchant T.A., and Bortolotti G.R. Condition and androgen levels: are condition-dependent and testosterone-mediated traits two sides of the same coin?. Anim. Behav. 72 (2006) 97-103
56. Peters A. Testosterone treatment is immunosuppressive in superb fairy-wrens, yet free-living males with high testosterone are more immunocompetent. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 267 (2000) 883-889
57. Peters A. Testosterone and the trade-off between mating and paternal effort in extrapair-mating superb fairy-wrens. Anim. Behav. 64 (2002) 103-112
58. Peters A. Testosterone treatment of female superb fairy-wrens induces a male-like pre-nuptial moult, but no coloured plumage. Ibis 149 (2007) 121-127
59. Peters A., Astheimer L.B., Boland C.R.J., and Cockburn A. Testosterone is involved in acquisition and maintenance of sexually selected male plumage in superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 47 (2000) 438-445
60. Peters A., Cockburn A., and Cunningham R. Testosterone treatment suppresses paternal care in superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, despite their concurrent investment in courtship. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 51 (2002) 538-547
61. Peters A., Delhey K., Goymann W., and Kempenaers B. Age-dependent association between testosterone and crown UV coloration in male blue tits (Parus caeruleus). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 59 (2006) 666-673
62. Pierce B.J., McWilliams S.R., O'Connor T.P., Place A.R., and Guglielmo C.G. Effect of dietary fatty acid composition on depot fat and exercise performance in a migrating songbird, the red-eyed vireo. J. Exp. Biol. 208 (2005) 1277-1285
63. Post P., and Götmark F. Predation by sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus on male and female pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca in relation to their breeding behaviour and foraging. J. Avian Biol. 37 (2006) 158-168
64. Reed W.L., Clark M.E., Parker P.G., Raouf S.A., Arguedas N., Monk D.S., Snajdr E., Nolan V., and Ketterson E.D. Physiological effects on demography: a long-term experimental study of testosterone's effects on fitness. Am. Nat. 167 (2006) 667-683
65. Romero L.M. Seasonal changes in plasma glucocorticoid concentrations in free-living vertebrates. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 128 (2002) 1-24
66. Runfeldt S., and Wingfield J.C. Experimentally prolonged sexual-activity in female sparrows delays termination of reproductive activity in their untreated mates. Anim. Behav. 33 (1985) 403-410
67. Schleussner G., Dittami J.P., and Gwinner E. Testosterone implants affect molt in male European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Physiol. Zool. 58 (1985) 597-604
68. Silverin B. Effects of long-acting testosterone treatment on free-living pied flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, during the breeding period. Anim. Behav. 28 (1980) 906-912
69. Smith S.B., McPherson K.H., Backer J.M., Pierce B.J., Podlesak D.W., and McWilliams S.R. Fruit quality and consumption by songbirds during autumn migration. Wilson J. Ornithol. 119 (2007) 419-428
70. Smith S.B., McWilliams S.R., and Guglielmo C.G. Effect of diet composition on plasma metabolite profiles in a migratory songbird. Condor 109 (2007) 48-58
71. Stoehr A.M., and Hill G.E. The effects of elevated testosterone on plumage hue in male house finches. J. Avian Biol. 32 (2001) 153-158
72. Swaddle J.P., and Witter M.S. Food, feathers and fluctuating asymmetries. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 255 (1994) 147-152
73. Swaddle J.P., and Witter M.S. The effects of molt on the flight performance, body mass, and behavior of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris): an experimental approach. Can. J. Zool. 75 (1997) 1135-1146
74. Swaddle J.P., and Witter M.S. Food availability and primary feather molt in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Can. J. Zool. 75 (1997) 948-953
75. Van Duyse E., Pinxten R., and Eens M. Does testosterone affect the trade-off between investment in sexual/territorial behaviour and parental care in male great tits?. Behavior 137 (2000) 1503-1515
76. Wada M. Effects of sex steroids on calling, locomotor-activity, and sexual-behavior in castrated male Japanese quail. Horm. Behav. 16 (1982) 147-157
77. Watson A., and Parr R. Hormone implants affecting territory size and aggressive and sexual-behavior in red grouse. Ornis Scand. 12 (1981) 55-61
78. Wiley R.H., Piper W.H., Archawaranon M., and Thompson E.W. Singing in relation to social-dominance and testosterone in white-throated sparrows. Behaviour 127 (1993) 175-190
79. Wingfield J.C. Androgens and mating systems-testosterone-induced polygyny in normally monogamous birds. Auk 101 (1984) 665-671
80. Wingfield J.C., and Soma K.K. Spring and autumn territoriality in song sparrows: same behavior, different mechanisms?. Integr. Comp. Biol. 42 (2002) 11-20
81. Wingfield J.C., Lynn S.E., and Soma K.K. Avoiding the 'costs' of testosterone: ecological bases of hormone-behavior interactions. Brain Behav. Evol. 57 (2001) 239-251
82. Zampiga E., Hoi H., and Pilastro A. Preening, plumage reflectance and female choice in budgerigars. Ethol. Ecol. Evol. 16 (2004) 339-349