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Biology

Boise State University

2011

Corticosterone

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Effects Of Developmental Conditions On Nestling American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Corticosterone Concentrations, Erin H. Strasser, Julie A. Heath Aug 2011

Effects Of Developmental Conditions On Nestling American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Corticosterone Concentrations, Erin H. Strasser, Julie A. Heath

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

How nestling birds respond to stressful situations may constitute an important survival component that has lasting developmental effects on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. As birds are exposed to increasing amounts of potential anthropogenic stressors through land use change, understanding how these factors contribute to HPA development is important. We examined whether conditions experienced during the nestling stage affected free-living American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) HPA activity prior to fledging. Kestrels experienced varying levels of human disturbance around their nest and we classified this environmental exposure as high or low environmental human disturbance based on traffic patterns and …


The Effects Of Neonatal Handling On Adrenocortical Responsiveness, Morphological Development And Corticosterone Binding Globulin In Nestling American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Buddy A. Whitman, Creagh W. Breuner, Alfred M. Dufty Jun 2011

The Effects Of Neonatal Handling On Adrenocortical Responsiveness, Morphological Development And Corticosterone Binding Globulin In Nestling American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Buddy A. Whitman, Creagh W. Breuner, Alfred M. Dufty

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Early developmental experiences play an important role in development of the adult phenotype. We investigated the effects of neonatal handling on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in a free-living avian species, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). In the handled group (H), kestrel chicks were handled for 15 min/day from hatching until 26 days of age, after which time blood samples were collected for analysis of adrenal responsiveness and corticosterone binding globulin (CBG) levels. The non-handled control group (NH) was left undisturbed until 26 days of age when blood samples were collected and analyzed as above. Handled and NH kestrels did not differ …