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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Relationships Between Behavior, Energy Metabolites, And Corticosterone In Black-Legged Kittiwake (Rissa Tridactyla) Nestlings, Sierra Pete
Master’s Theses
Birds can cope with energy-shifting challenges by redirecting energy and behavior to maintain energetic homeostasis. Nestlings allocate energy to support their rapid growth and developmental period; thus, their challenges and the subsequent energetic demands can be much different than an adult. At a baseline level, energy is constantly shifting in response to regularly occurring challenges; however, more substantial challenges can initiate the production of glucocorticoid hormones. In birds, the main glucocorticoid is corticosterone. Corticosterone is believed to aid in energy homeostasis by redirecting energy metabolite mobilization. Energy metabolites are intermediaries or end products of cellular metabolism, thus, metabolites like glucose …
Variation In Mass And Wing Loading Of Nestling American Kestrels: Possible Effects Of Nestling Behavior And Adult Provisioning Behavior, Doug Mitchell
Variation In Mass And Wing Loading Of Nestling American Kestrels: Possible Effects Of Nestling Behavior And Adult Provisioning Behavior, Doug Mitchell
Online Theses and Dissertations
Among birds, the rapid growth rates of altricial young help reduce mortality by reducing the amount of time spent in the nest. However, in species where a high degree of maneuverability and speed is required (i.e. aerial insectivores), it is important that nestlings not gain excess weight. Nestlings in some species must attain an efficient wing loading just prior to fledging to facilitate mobility for hunting and evading predators. My objective was to examine the mass of nestling American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) during the mid- to late nestling period and specifically to determine the possible effects of attaching small lead …
Factors Influencing Pre-Fledging Mass Recession Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina Deann Reeda Moeller
Factors Influencing Pre-Fledging Mass Recession Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina Deann Reeda Moeller
Online Theses and Dissertations
Fledglings of some aerial insectivores experience pre-fledgling mass recession, possibly to achieve an optimum wing loading by the time of fledging. However, studies of aerial insectivores to date have been limited to two species of swifts (Apodidae), and additional studies of species of aerial insectivores are needed to determine if factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession vary among species. Thus, my objective was to examine factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession by nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). My study was conducted during the 2015 breeding season at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Nestling Tree Swallows (n …