Trade-offs between molt and immune activity in two populations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 780-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn B Martin II
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Immune Defense ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Immune Activity ◽  
Feather Growth ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
Two Populations

Molt and immune defense are critical activities in which all birds must invest. Because each is costly, wild passerines may have to decrease their investment in one activity if they are to increase investments to others. Here, I studied such molt–immune trade-offs in one neotropical and one north-temperate population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus (L., 1758)). I included two populations in my study to investigate if molt–immune trade-offs in this species are phenotypically plastic or fixed. I expected that if they were fixed, then immune activity, molt, and immune–molt trade-offs would be distinct between populations after they were kept in captivity for 1 year under similar conditions. I found evidence for molt–immune trade-offs in house sparrows. Feather growth was inversely related to cutaneous immune activity to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Furthermore, feather growth 3 weeks post immune challenge was lower in immune-challenged birds relative to saline-injected controls. However, there was no effect of population of origin on these patterns, or the rate of molt or PHA response at this time of year in each population. Thus, while house sparrows probably do face trade-offs between molt and immune activity in the wild, any variation in these trade-offs between populations are likely plastic responses to different environments.

scholarly journals Ageing in house sparrows is insensitive to environmental effects

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirre J. P. Simons ◽  
Isabel Winney ◽  
Antje Girndt ◽  
Mark Rees ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Specific Rate ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Rate Of Ageing ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractVariation in individual life histories, and physiology, determines the rates at which new life is generated (reproduction) and lost (death) in a population. Studying the demography of deaths thus reveals fundamental aspects of the biology of individuals within a population. We studied mortality senescence – the increase in mortality rate with age – in wild and captive house sparrows (Passer domesticus), and demonstrate highly similar mortality senescence in both, but markedly lower vulnerability to death (frailty) in captivity. This suggests that house sparrows have a species-specific rate of ageing that is insensitive to environmental effects. Unexpectedly, juvenile and adult mortality co-varied positively across years in the wild, indicating that mortality is not strongly density-dependent. Mortality also varied widely among years, suggesting a strong environmental effect, and we explain the observed patterns using temperature data and predation by birds of prey. We discuss how stochastic environmental effects can affect the evolution of ageing.

scholarly journals Non-breeding feather concentrations of testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol are associated with subsequent survival in wild house sparrows

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1560-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Koren ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Terry Burke ◽  
Kiran K. Soma ◽  
Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Darwinian Fitness ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Subject ◽  
As Stress

Potential mechanistic mediators of Darwinian fitness, such as stress hormones or sex hormones, have been the focus of many studies. An inverse relationship between fitness and stress or sex hormone concentrations has been widely assumed, although empirical evidence is scarce. Feathers gradually accumulate hormones during their growth and provide a novel way to measure hormone concentrations integrated over time. Using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, we measured testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol in the feathers of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) in a wild population which is the subject of a long-term study. Although corticosterone is considered the dominant avian glucocorticoid, we unambiguously identified cortisol in feathers. In addition, we found that feathers grown during the post-nuptial moult in autumn contained testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol levels that were significantly higher in birds that subsequently died over the following winter than in birds that survived. Thus, feather steroids are candidate prospective biomarkers to predict the future survival of individuals in the wild.

Breeding House Sparrows, Passer domesticus in Captivity

1973 ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Mitchell ◽  
Richard O. Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
In Captivity

Individual vigilance profiles in flocks of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 1016-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakima Boujja-Miljour ◽  
Patrick A. Leighton ◽  
Guy Beauchamp
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Food Density ◽  
Flock Size ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Multiple Observations ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Time Of Year

Individual vigilance against threats typically decreases with group size. However, group size often explains a small amount of variation in vigilance, suggesting that other factors such as individual differences might contribute. For instance, individuals could maintain different vigilance levels overall and also respond differently to variation in group size. We investigated individual variation in vigilance and its patterns of plasticity in flocks of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)). We carried out observations at one provisioned site and used multiple observations of the same individuals (n = 14) in flocks of different sizes over two consecutive months. The typical decline in vigilance with flock size occurred at the population level. Controlling for food density, flock size, time of year, and sex, we documented consistent individual differences in various measurements of vigilance. Plasticity of vigilance adjustments to variation in flock size occurred for the frequency of high vigilance postures. Male House Sparrows with larger bibs, which signal higher dominance status, tended to spend less time vigilant and obtained food at a higher rate, supporting a state-dependent explanation for the origin of individual vigilance profiles. Individual differences can contribute to explaining the large scatter in the relationship between vigilance and group size in many species.

Canary Pox in Sparrows and Canaries (Fringillidae) and in Weavers (Ploceidae); Pathology and Host Specificity of the Virus

1971 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Giddens ◽  
L. J. Swango ◽  
J. D. Henderson ◽  
R. A. Lewis ◽  
D. S. Farner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Zonotrichia Leucophrys ◽  
Cytoplasmic Inclusions ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cutaneous Reactions ◽  
Mycotic Infections

An epornitie of canary pox occurred in white-crowned sparrows ( Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelli), golden-crowned sparrows ( Zonotrichia atricapilla), and house sparrows ( Passer domesticus), which had been caught in the wild and were being studied in laboratories. Of 900 exposed birds, 100 died naturally with the disease and 200 with clinical signs, and their 600 cage mates were killed. The earliest lesion was proliferative dermatitis around the eyes and beak. Next, severe ulcerative dermatitis, often with secondary bacterial and mycotic infections, developed under the wing; rhinitis, pneumonia, pleuritis, and peritonitis occurred in advanced cases. Histologically, there were eosinophilic, sudanophilic, cytoplasmic inclusions in epithelial cells and in subepidermal lymphoreticular cells. The isolated virus produced 100% mortality when inoculated into white-crowned sparrows, house sparrows, and canaries but only local cutaneous reactions in pigeons, turkeys, and chickens.

scholarly journals High costs of infection: Alphavirus infection reduces digestive function and bone and feather growth in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. e0195467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Fassbinder-Orth ◽  
Tess L. Killpack ◽  
Dylan S. Goto ◽  
Ellecia L. Rainwater ◽  
Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Digestive Function ◽  
Feather Growth ◽  
Alphavirus Infection

scholarly journals What Colour Is That Sparrow? A Case Study: Colour Aberrations In The House Sparrow Passer Domesticus

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hein van Grouw
Keyword(s):  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Common Mutation ◽  
Museum Specimens ◽  
Museum Collections ◽  
The Past ◽  
Real Nature ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

Abstract In this paper 16 distinct, heritable colour aberrations (mutations) in the House Sparrow are described, based on specimens found in museum collections, records of individuals seen in the wild and from bird breeders keeping aberrant coloured sparrows in captivity. Based on the frequency found in the museum specimens Brown is the most common mutation in the House Sparrow, followed by Ino and Albino. Besides the mutations there is also a, presumably, non-heritable aberration called Progressive Greying described. Progressive Greying is in fact by far the most common colour aberration found in the species but was, in the past, always assigned as ‘Partial Albino’ without its real nature being understood. This paper will give some insight in the nature of Progressive Greying.

scholarly journals Wild jackdaws respond to their partner's distress, but not with consolation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 210253
Author(s):  
Rebecca Hooper ◽  
Ella Meekins ◽  
Guillam E. McIvor ◽  
Alex Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Stress States ◽  
Corvus Monedula

Individuals are expected to manage their social relationships to maximize fitness returns. For example, reports of some mammals and birds offering unsolicited affiliation to distressed social partners (commonly termed ‘consolation’) are argued to illustrate convergent evolution of prosocial traits across divergent taxa. However, most studies cannot discriminate between consolation and alternative explanations such as self-soothing. Crucially, no study that controls for key confounds has examined consolation in the wild, where individuals face more complex and dangerous environments than in captivity. Controlling for common confounds, we find that male jackdaws ( Corvus monedula ) respond to their mate's stress-states, but not with consolation. Instead, they tended to decrease affiliation and partner visit rate in both experimental and natural contexts. This is striking because jackdaws have long-term monogamous relationships with highly interdependent fitness outcomes, which is precisely where theory predicts consolation should occur. Our findings challenge common conceptions about where consolation should evolve, and chime with concerns that current theory may be influenced by anthropomorphic expectations of how social relationships should be managed. To further our understanding of the evolution of such traits, we highlight the need for our current predictive frameworks to incorporate the behavioural trade-offs inherent to life in the wild.

scholarly journals Social Environment Affects Beak Color in Captive Male House Sparrows Passer Domesticus

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Michael P. Lombardo ◽  
Patrick A. Thorpe ◽  
Sheila Colpetzer
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Testosterone Levels ◽  
Secondary Sexual Characteristic ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Sexual Characteristic ◽  
Male House

AbstractBlack beak color in male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) is a secondary sexual characteristic whose expression is directly correlated with testosterone levels. To experimentally determine if social environment affects black beak color and by implication testosterone levels, we housed wild-caught male sparrows either individually (n = 10), “Solo” males, or in the company of two other males (n = 4 “Group”s of 3 males), “Group” males, from 26 May – 7 July 2006. We predicted that “Solo” males would lose beak color faster than would “Group” males. We used digital images to monitor beak color once a week starting on 26 May. Beak blackness decreased more quickly and to a greater degree in “Solo” than in “Group” males. These results show that social environment in captivity affected beak color and suggest that male House Sparrows may require physical interactions to maintain breeding season levels of testosterone.

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