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Why Do Animals Do What They Do, When They Do It? Characterizing The Role Of The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis In Seasonal Life-History Transitions, Catherine Anne Dayger Forbes
Why Do Animals Do What They Do, When They Do It? Characterizing The Role Of The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis In Seasonal Life-History Transitions, Catherine Anne Dayger Forbes
Dissertations and Theses
Resource availability follows seasonal cycles in environmental conditions. To align physiology and behavior with prevailing environmental conditions, seasonal animals integrate cues from the environment with their internal state. One of the systems animals use to integrate those cues is the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its primary effector, glucocorticoid hormones. The HPA axis has wide-ranging effects on physiology and behavior and, in the context of a glucocorticoid stress response, is known to mediate tradeoffs between immediate survival and future fitness. The HPA axis also plays an important role in facilitating predictable life-history events. Variation in HPA axis activity has been reported …