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Quantifying the influence of urban biotic and abiotic environmental factors on great tit nestling physiology

Kjellberg Jensen, Johan LU orcid ; Ziegler, Ann-Kathrin LU ; Isaxon, Christina LU ; Jiménez Gallardo, Lucia Gloria LU ; Garcia Dominguez, Susana LU orcid ; Nilsson, Jan-Åke LU ; Rissler, Jenny LU and Isaksson, Caroline LU orcid (2023) In Science of the Total Environment 859(Part 1).
Abstract
There is a long history of avian studies investigating the impacts of urbanization. While differences in several life-history traits have been documented, either between urban and rural populations or across generalized urbanization gradients, a detailed understanding of which specific environmental variables cause these phenotypic differences is still lacking. Here, we quantified several local environmental variables coupled to urbanization (air pollution, tree composition, ambient temperature, and artificial light at night [ALAN]) within territories of breeding great tits (Parus major). We linked the environmental variables to physiological measures of the nestlings (circulating fatty acid composition [FA], antioxidant capacity and an... (More)
There is a long history of avian studies investigating the impacts of urbanization. While differences in several life-history traits have been documented, either between urban and rural populations or across generalized urbanization gradients, a detailed understanding of which specific environmental variables cause these phenotypic differences is still lacking. Here, we quantified several local environmental variables coupled to urbanization (air pollution, tree composition, ambient temperature, and artificial light at night [ALAN]) within territories of breeding great tits (Parus major). We linked the environmental variables to physiological measures of the nestlings (circulating fatty acid composition [FA], antioxidant capacity and an oxidative damage marker [malondialdehyde; MDA]), to garner a mechanistic understanding of the impact of urbanization. We found that the antioxidant capacity of nestlings decreased with higher numbers of oak trees and levels of PM2.5 (airborne particulate matter with a diameter < 2.5 μm). Furthermore, the ratio of ω6:ω3 polyunsaturated FAs, important for immune function, was positively correlated with PM2.5 concentration, while being negatively associated with ambient temperature and number of non-native trees in the territory. Body mass and wing length both increased with the number of local oak trees. We also show, through a principal component analysis, that while the environmental variables fall into an urbanization gradient, this gradient is insufficient to explain the observed physiological responses. Therefore, accounting for individual environmental variables in parallel, and thus allowing for interactions between these, is crucial to fully understand of the urban ecosystem.
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science of the Total Environment
volume
859
issue
Part 1
article number
160225
pages
11 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85142132657
  • pmid:36400300
ISSN
1879-1026
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160225
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d0794223-3678-45eb-9284-957c36ebd373
date added to LUP
2022-11-23 14:17:03
date last changed
2024-05-14 10:30:13
@article{d0794223-3678-45eb-9284-957c36ebd373,
  abstract     = {{There is a long history of avian studies investigating the impacts of urbanization. While differences in several life-history traits have been documented, either between urban and rural populations or across generalized urbanization gradients, a detailed understanding of which specific environmental variables cause these phenotypic differences is still lacking. Here, we quantified several local environmental variables coupled to urbanization (air pollution, tree composition, ambient temperature, and artificial light at night [ALAN]) within territories of breeding great tits (Parus major). We linked the environmental variables to physiological measures of the nestlings (circulating fatty acid composition [FA], antioxidant capacity and an oxidative damage marker [malondialdehyde; MDA]), to garner a mechanistic understanding of the impact of urbanization. We found that the antioxidant capacity of nestlings decreased with higher numbers of oak trees and levels of PM2.5 (airborne particulate matter with a diameter &lt; 2.5 μm). Furthermore, the ratio of ω6:ω3 polyunsaturated FAs, important for immune function, was positively correlated with PM2.5 concentration, while being negatively associated with ambient temperature and number of non-native trees in the territory. Body mass and wing length both increased with the number of local oak trees. We also show, through a principal component analysis, that while the environmental variables fall into an urbanization gradient, this gradient is insufficient to explain the observed physiological responses. Therefore, accounting for individual environmental variables in parallel, and thus allowing for interactions between these, is crucial to fully understand of the urban ecosystem.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Kjellberg Jensen, Johan and Ziegler, Ann-Kathrin and Isaxon, Christina and Jiménez Gallardo, Lucia Gloria and Garcia Dominguez, Susana and Nilsson, Jan-Åke and Rissler, Jenny and Isaksson, Caroline}},
  issn         = {{1879-1026}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  number       = {{Part 1}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
  title        = {{Quantifying the influence of urban biotic and abiotic environmental factors on great tit nestling physiology}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160225}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160225}},
  volume       = {{859}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}