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Experimentally increased nest temperature affects body temperature, growth and apparent survival in blue tit nestlings

Andreasson, Fredrik LU ; Nord, Andreas LU and Nilsson, Jan-Åke LU (2018) In Journal of Avian Biology 49(2).
Abstract
The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consequences of development in a thermally challenging environment arise as a direct, or indirect, effect of heat stress. We, therefore, studied how experimentally increased T n affected T b in 8–12 d old blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings, to investigate if increased thermoregulatory demands to maintain normothermic T b influenced nestling growth... (More)
The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consequences of development in a thermally challenging environment arise as a direct, or indirect, effect of heat stress. We, therefore, studied how experimentally increased T n affected T b in 8–12 d old blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings, to investigate if increased thermoregulatory demands to maintain normothermic T b influenced nestling growth and apparent long-term survival. Nestlings in heated nest-boxes had significantly higher T b compared to unheated nestlings during most of the experimental period. Yet, despite facing T n  50°C (as measured in the bottom of the nest cup below the nestlings), the highest nestling T b recorded was 43.8°C with nestlings showing evidence of controlled facultative hyperthermia without any increased nestling mortality in heated nests. However, body mass gain was lower in these nestlings compared to nestlings from control nest-boxes. Contrary to our prediction, a larger proportion of nestlings from heated nest-boxes were recaptured during their first winter, or subsequently recruited into the breeding population as first- or second-year breeders. This result should, however, be treated with caution because of low recapture rates. This study highlights the importance of the thermal environment during nestling development, and its role in shaping both growth patterns and possibly also apparent survival.
(Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consequences of development in a thermally challenging environment arise as a direct, or indirect, effect of heat stress. We, therefore, studied how experimentally increased T n affected T b in 8–12 d old blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings, to investigate if increased thermoregulatory demands to maintain normothermic T b influenced nestling growth... (More)
The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consequences of development in a thermally challenging environment arise as a direct, or indirect, effect of heat stress. We, therefore, studied how experimentally increased T n affected T b in 8–12 d old blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings, to investigate if increased thermoregulatory demands to maintain normothermic T b influenced nestling growth and apparent long-term survival. Nestlings in heated nest-boxes had significantly higher T b compared to unheated nestlings during most of the experimental period. Yet, despite facing T n  50°C (as measured in the bottom of the nest cup below the nestlings), the highest nestling T b recorded was 43.8°C with nestlings showing evidence of controlled facultative hyperthermia without any increased nestling mortality in heated nests. However, body mass gain was lower in these nestlings compared to nestlings from control nest-boxes. Contrary to our prediction, a larger proportion of nestlings from heated nest-boxes were recaptured during their first winter, or subsequently recruited into the breeding population as first- or second-year breeders. This result should, however, be treated with caution because of low recapture rates. This study highlights the importance of the thermal environment during nestling development, and its role in shaping both growth patterns and possibly also apparent survival. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
heat stress, Cyanistes caeruleus, thermoregulation, nestling development, hyperthermia, heterothermy, Cyanistes caeruleus, heat stress, thermoregulatory capacity, nestling development, thermoregulation
in
Journal of Avian Biology
volume
49
issue
2
article number
e01620
pages
14 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85042564913
ISSN
0908-8857
DOI
10.1111/jav.01620
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b8422abd-fbbd-413f-89e6-3e394e8bc66c
date added to LUP
2018-02-20 13:51:10
date last changed
2024-04-15 02:24:19
@article{b8422abd-fbbd-413f-89e6-3e394e8bc66c,
  abstract     = {{The thermal environment experienced by birds during early postembryonic development may be an important factor shaping growth and survival. However, few studies have directly manipulated nest temperature (T n) during the nestling phase, and none have measured the consequences of experimental heat stress on nestlings’ body temperature (T b). It is therefore not known to what extent any fitness consequences of development in a thermally challenging environment arise as a direct, or indirect, effect of heat stress. We, therefore, studied how experimentally increased T n affected T b in 8–12 d old blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings, to investigate if increased thermoregulatory demands to maintain normothermic T b influenced nestling growth and apparent long-term survival. Nestlings in heated nest-boxes had significantly higher T b compared to unheated nestlings during most of the experimental period. Yet, despite facing T n  50°C (as measured in the bottom of the nest cup below the nestlings), the highest nestling T b recorded was 43.8°C with nestlings showing evidence of controlled facultative hyperthermia without any increased nestling mortality in heated nests. However, body mass gain was lower in these nestlings compared to nestlings from control nest-boxes. Contrary to our prediction, a larger proportion of nestlings from heated nest-boxes were recaptured during their first winter, or subsequently recruited into the breeding population as first- or second-year breeders. This result should, however, be treated with caution because of low recapture rates. This study highlights the importance of the thermal environment during nestling development, and its role in shaping both growth patterns and possibly also apparent survival.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Andreasson, Fredrik and Nord, Andreas and Nilsson, Jan-Åke}},
  issn         = {{0908-8857}},
  keywords     = {{heat stress; Cyanistes caeruleus; thermoregulation; nestling development; hyperthermia; heterothermy; Cyanistes caeruleus; heat stress; thermoregulatory capacity; nestling development; thermoregulation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Avian Biology}},
  title        = {{Experimentally increased nest temperature affects body temperature, growth and apparent survival in blue tit nestlings}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jav.01620}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/jav.01620}},
  volume       = {{49}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}