Oxidativer Stress und Klimawandel: Effekte erhöhter Temperaturen auf oxidativen Status, Fertilität und Alterung bei einer tropischen Art mit Naturschutzrelevanz.
Biochemie und Physiologie der Tiere
Biologie des Verhaltens und der Sinne
Tierzucht, Tierernährung, Tierhaltung
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
In this study, we examined the effects of a single heat wave on the behaviour, the physiology and the reproduction of Gouldian finches. In the wild, these tropical birds show two main colour morphs: redand black-headed birds. We first found that the behaviour of red- and black-headed birds exposed to the heat wave did not differ from that of control birds only exposed to a mild temperature increase. Moreover, some physiological markers reflecting the condition of black-headed females were altered following exposure to the heatwave. The heat wave also affected the reproduction of birds for instance by decreasing spermatozoa length in red-headed males, by accelerating breeding onset in blackheaded birds or by increasing the frequency with which parents provisioned their chicks. Despite all these effects, the total number of fledglings was similar between colour morphs irrespective of the thermal conditions they previously experienced. However, the quality of fledglings depended on the thermal treatment that their parents experienced. Indeed, fledglings raised by parents having experienced the heat wave, and especially those raised by black-headed parents, showed altered markers of physiological condition. Overall, our study shows that black-headed Gouldian finches appear physiologically more vulnerable than red-headed birds in the face of climate warming. However, future long-term studies covering several generations would be needed to investigate how this might affect their overall performance. The biggest surprise we had during this project was related to the behaviour of red- and black-headed Gouldian finches before the heat wave. Indeed, while red-headed birds were already described in the existing literature as being less exploratory and more aggressive than black-headed birds, we found the exact opposite in our study. This was initially very confusing for us, but it showed very clearly that behavioural differences between morphs are context dependent (as previous studies were conducted under other experimental conditions, especially under cooler conditions).
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
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The red and the black: a comparison of distinct colour morphs in Gouldian finches. 109th Meeting of the German Zoological Society. Sept. 2016, Kiel, Germany
Fragueira R & Beaulieu M
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Good vibrations: Are they involved in the courtship display of colourful birds? 110th Meeting of the German Zoological Society. Sept. 2017, Bielefeld, Germany
Treschnak D, Fragueira R, Eberhard MJB, Beaulieu M
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2019. Morph- and sex-specific effects of challenging conditions on maintenance parameters in Gouldian finches. Journal of Experimental Biology 222, jeb196030
Fragueira R, Verhulst S, Beaulieu M
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2019. Red does not always outperform black. Morph-specific behavioral variation in response to environmental changes. Animal Behaviour 148: 81-91
Fragueira R, Beaulieu M
