Neuroendocrine control of phenotypic plasticity in birds

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Phenotypic plasticity allows a given genotype to give rise to a variety of phenotypes (morphological, physiological and/or behavioural). Birds exhibit several types of phenotypic plasticity including developmental and seasonal changes. During development, environmental factors influence physiological and neural processes with long-term consequences on behaviour of the organism. However, during adulthood many bird species also exhibit extreme seasonal plasticity and transition between multiple life history stages (reproduction, moult, migration, wintering) that involve drastically different physiological states. My research program will address how birds transduce environmental cues to regulate developmental changes in physiology, neurobiology and behaviour. Songbirds provide a remarkable study system to address these long-term research objectives. Ovipary and altriciality provide excellent opportunities for experimentally manipulating the developmental environment. In addition, adult songbirds exhibit multiple life history stages over the annual cycle (e.g., spring migration, breeding, parenting, molting, fall migration, over-wintering). The main objectives of this research program will be to: A. Determine the mechanisms by which developmental stress imposes developmental correlations among traits in songbirds. B. Determine how gonadal steroids and glucocorticoids interact in the regulation of seasonal neural plasticity. C. Examine how environmental cues are transduced through neuroendocrine signals to adjust the timing of seasonal life-history stages (spring migration, breeding, fall migration). This research will provide fundamental insight into the mechanisms and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Such knowledge is particularly critical in predicting how birds may respond to global environmental change.