Behavioural and hormonal effects of social isolation and neophobia in a gregarious bird species, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Behavioural and hormonal effects of social isolation and neophobia in a gregarious bird species, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
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DOI：
10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.04.003
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发表时间：
2008-08-01
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Raess, Michael
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Apfelbeck, Beate;Raess, Michael
将群居个体与群体成员分开通常会导致行为和生理上的变化，比如皮质酮水平升高。尤其是睾酮和皮质酮与哺乳动物对新奇事物的反应有关。然而，鸟类的数据很少。群体成员的存在与否也可能影响个体对新刺激的反应。我们评估了欧洲椋鸟（Sturnus vulgaris）在两种不同情况和季节对新物体的行为和激素反应：在5月/ 6月（繁殖期）和9月/ 10月（非繁殖期）分别对每只椋鸟进行分离和与群体成员接触时的测试。欧椋鸟全年都是群居的，但由于繁殖季节觅食的鸟群较少，而非繁殖季节觅食的鸟群较多，我们认为非繁殖的欧椋鸟更容易受到社会隔离的影响。总的来说，椋鸟的皮质酮水平更高，体重减少更多，当它们与群体分开时，它们更活跃。然而，孤立的个体在任何季节都没有表现出比有群体成员在场的个体更大的新恐惧症反应。无论性别还是季节，用新物体进行测试后的循环睾酮和皮质酮水平都高于只用熟悉的喂食盘进行测试的循环睾酮和皮质酮水平。然而，处理效果的对照测试只证实了睾丸激素的增加。我们的研究表明，社会隔离对野生鸟群中不相关和不配对的成员来说是有压力的，并表明新鲜感会导致鸟类睾酮水平上升。(C) 2008爱思唯尔公司版权所有。
Separating gregarious individuals from their group members often results in behavioural and physiological changes, like increased levels of corticosterone. Testosterone and corticosterone, in particular, have been implicated in the response of mammals to novelty. Data in birds are, however, rare. The presence or absence of group members may also influence an individual's response to novel Stimuli. We assessed the behaviour and hormonal response of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to a novel object in two different situations and seasons: each starting was tested when separated and when in contact with its group members in May/June (breeding season) and again in September/October (non-breeding season). Starlings are gregarious throughout the year, but as foraging flocks are small during the breeding season and large during the non-breeding season, we assumed that non-breeding starlings would be more affected by social isolation. Overall, starlings had higher levels of corticosterone, lost more body mass, and were more active when they were separated from their group. Isolated individuals, however, did not show a greater neophobic response than individuals in the presence of their group members in either season. Circulating levels of testosterone and corticosterone were higher after a test with novel object than after a test with only the familiar feeding dish in both sexes and seasons. However, control tests for handling effects confirmed only the increase in testosterone. Our study shows that social isolation is stressful for unrelated and unpaired members of a wild flocking bird species and demonstrates that novelty can lead to a rise in testosterone in birds. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.