Corticosterone levels in relation to change of mate in black-legged kittiwakes

Frédéric Angelier (1) , Borge Moe (2) , Céline Clement-Chastel (1) , Claus Besh (2) , Olivier Chastel (1)

1 CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé
2 Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics

In birds, changing mates generally results in decreased breeding success. Although costs and benefits of pair break-up have been well studied, endocrine mechanics associated with mate change are poorly know. We measured baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels were higher in kittiwakes breeding with a new mate than in kittiwakes that did not change mate. Stress-induced corticosterone levels were not influences by change of mate. Elavated baseline corticosterone levels in birds breeding with a new mate could result from the social stress associated with pair break-up or mirror a higher energetic demand resulting from the lack of coordination between new pair members. Our results emphasize the usefulness of corticosterone levels in elucidating the effects of mate change on the energetic demands of reproduction in free-living birds.

Mots clés: black-legged Kittiwakes; corticosterone; mate change; Rissa tridactyla; seabird

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie; Environnement et Société

Frédéric Angelier, Borge Moe, Céline Clement-Chastel, Claus Besh, Olivier Chastel. Corticosterone levels in relation to change of mate in black-legged kittiwakes. The Condor, 2007, 109, pp.668-674. ⟨hal-00181600⟩