Corticosterone and Foraging Behavior in Pelagic Seabird
Résumé
Because encodrine mechanisms are thought to mediate behavioral responses to changes in the environment, examining these mechanisms is essential for understanding how long-lived seabirds adjust their foraging decisions to constrating environmental conditions in order to maximize their fitness. In this context, the hormone corticosterone (CORT) deserves specific attention because of its major connections with locomotor activities. We examined for the first time the relationships between individual CORTlevels and measurements of foraging success and behavior using satellite tracking and blood sampling fromwandering albatrosses (diomedea exulans) before (pretrip CORT levels) and after (posttrip CORT levels) foraging trips during the incubation period.