Food supplementation and possible mechanisms underlying early breeding in the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Schoech, Stephan J.; Bowman, Reed; Reynolds, Stuart F.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.06.005

Cited by 124 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Obviously, this tells little about the environmental factors driving such phenological shifts. Follow up experiments on the Florida scrub jays have suggested availability of anthropogenic food source (Schoech et al 2004 ) as well as reduced stress (corticosterone levels in the plasma) (Schoech et al 2009 ) in suburban jays as two potential mechanisms underlying early breeding in this population compared to wildland ones. In European blackbirds, I used the same aforementioned experimental set up in the laboratory to test not only whether light pollution advances daily cycles of activity, but also its effects on the reproductive physiology.…”

Section: Light Pollution and Annual Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

Dominoni

2015

J Ornithol

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Light pollution is considered a threat for biodiversity given the extent to which it can affect a vast number of behavioral and physiological processes in several species. This comes as no surprise as light is a fundamental, environmental cue through which organisms time their daily and seasonal activities, and alterations in the light environment have been found to affect profoundly the synchronization of the circadian clock, the endogenous mechanism that tracks and predicts variation in the external light/dark cycles. In this context, birds have been one of the most studied animal taxa, but our understanding of the effects of light pollution on the biological rhythms of avian species is mostly limited to behavioral responses. In order to understand which proximate mechanisms may be affected by artificial lights, we need an integrated perspective that focuses on light as a physiological signal, and especially on how photic information is perceived, decoded, and transmitted through the whole body. The aim of this review is to summarize the effects of light pollution on physiological and biochemical mechanisms that underlie changes in birds' behavior, highlighting the current gaps in our knowledge and proposing future research avenues.

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Section: Light Pollution and Annual Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

Dominoni

2015

J Ornithol

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“…These include food [53,54], social interactions [55], weather conditions [8] and especially ambient temperature [56]. In hibernating mammals, changes in temperature can advance phases within circannual rhythms.…”

Section: (D) Temperature and Other Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual rhythms that underlie phenology: biological time-keeping meets environmental change

et al. 2013

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Seasonal recurrence of biological processes (phenology) and its relationship to environmental change is recognized as being of key scientific and public concern, but its current study largely overlooks the extent to which phenology is based on biological time-keeping mechanisms. We highlight the relevance of physiological and neurobiological regulation for organisms' responsiveness to environmental conditions. Focusing on avian and mammalian examples, we describe circannual rhythmicity of reproduction, migration and hibernation, and address responses of animals to photic and thermal conditions. Climate change and urbanization are used as urgent examples of anthropogenic influences that put biological timing systems under pressure. We furthermore propose that consideration of Homo sapiens as principally a 'seasonal animal' can inspire new perspectives for understanding medical and psychological problems.

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“…For example, while species in their natural environments have evolved unique feeding niches, interspecific dietary differences tend to converge in urban areas due to superabundance of human-provided food items (e.g., sunflower seeds, peanuts, bread, tallow, coconut fat, and leftovers; Jones and Reynolds, 2008). Such food items have a different, potentially poorer, nutrient composition compared to natural food sources (Schoech and Bowman, 2003;Schoech et al, 2004;Jones and Reynolds, 2008;Andersson et al, 2015). Reliance on (exploiters), or high intake of (adapters), human-provided food may therefore further reduce individual health and reproductive success in urban birds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species-Dependent Effects of the Urban Environment on Fatty Acid Composition and Oxidative Stress in Birds

et al. 2017

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Ecological impacts of urbanization include the loss of biodiversity and changes in species composition and population densities. However, how the urban environment affects fundamental physiological parameters is largely unknown. Here, we investigated physiological components related to health and nutrition, namely, plasma fatty acids (FA) and lipid peroxidation at inter-habitat and interspecific levels. Specifically, we compared four passerine bird species-the great tit (Parus major), the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), and the tree sparrow (P. montanus)-from urban and rural environments. Significant interactions between species and habitat were revealed for the majority of the FAs. Interestingly, the observed inter-habitat variation in FAs was frequently in opposite directions when comparing species from the two families (tits, Paridae; sparrows, Passeridae). These patterns suggest that sparrows and tits feed on different food sources, or modulate their FA metabolism differently, across the urban-rural gradient. By using canonical discriminant analyses (CDA), we further demonstrated species-specific signals in FA composition, with misclassification of species being <1% within habitats and <7% between habitats. Finally, the urban-rural FA differences between species and families were manifested in two indices of health. Firstly, urban blue tits had a higher total ω-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated FA ratio than rural conspecifics, which is believed to increase inflammatory responses. Secondly, urban sparrows of both species showed higher lipid peroxidation indices (indicating a higher susceptibility to lipid peroxidation if exposed to pro-oxidants), and consequently, a higher level of lipid peroxidation compared to their rural conspecifics. Collectively, the speciesand habitat-specific differences in plasma FA composition, which are linked to nutrition and metabolism, suggest that the urban environment affect tits and sparrows primarily via two different pathways-inflammation and oxidative stress, respectively,-with potential consequences for the health of urban populations.

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Food supplementation and possible mechanisms underlying early breeding in the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Cited by 124 publications

References 49 publications

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

The effects of light pollution on biological rhythms of birds: an integrated, mechanistic perspective

Annual rhythms that underlie phenology: biological time-keeping meets environmental change

Species-Dependent Effects of the Urban Environment on Fatty Acid Composition and Oxidative Stress in Birds

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