Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Sex Ratios And The City: Is Parental Corticosterone A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Urbanization And Offspring Sex Allocation?, Denyelle Kilgour
Sex Ratios And The City: Is Parental Corticosterone A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Urbanization And Offspring Sex Allocation?, Denyelle Kilgour
Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses
The Trivers-Willard hypothesis states that mothers can adjust their offspring sex ratios according to their own condition and the environmental conditions they face during breeding. Past tests of this hypothesis in avian species have focused on how natural variation shapes sex allocation trade-offs. However, urbanization also influences individual condition and presents animals with novel challenges in optimizing their brood sex ratio. One likely mediator of the relationship between environmental conditions, parental condition, and sex ratios is corticosterone (CORT), the primary glucocorticoid in birds. However, no research has examined the links between urbanization, individual condition, CORT, and adaptive sex allocation within …