Baseline and stress-induced prolactin and corticosterone concentrations in a species with female offspring desertion – The case of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida

• Published in: General and comparative endocrinology Vol. 317; p. 113943
• Main Authors: Ledwoń, Mateusz, Flis, Adam, Banach, Agata, Neubauer, Grzegorz, Angelier, Frédéric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Avian physiology; Brood desertion; Capture and restraint; Charadriiformes - physiology; Chicks rearing; Corticosterone - blood; Environmental Sciences; Female; Male; Maternal Behavior; Nesting Behavior; Parental care; Prolactin - blood; Stress, Physiological; Parental care; Brood desertion; Chicks rearing; Capture and restraint; Avian physiology; avian physiology brood desertion capture and restraint chicks rearing parental care
• ISSN: 0016-6480; 1095-6840
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113943

•We studied potential links between hormone and parental investment in Whiskered Terns.•Corticosterone and prolactin levels were measured during the chick rearing period.•Females responded to stressors more strongly than males.•Stress-induced prolactin levels were lower in females than in males.•Males were more committed to maintaining parental care under stress. To understand the proximate mechanisms regulating brood desertion, we studied hormonal and behavioural stress responses during the chick-rearing period in adult Whiskered Terns (Chlidonias hybrida), a socially monogamous, semi-precocial species with prolonged post-fledging parental care. In contrast to males, almost all females of this species desert during the chick-rearing and post-fledging periods. Because of the expected link between corticosterone, prolactin and parental investment, we hypothesized that males and females should differ in circulating prolactin and corticosterone concentrations. Baseline hormone concentrations did not differ between males and females. In both sexes, prolactin and corticosterone concentrations decreased and increased in response to acute stress (30 min after capture), respectively. Baseline and stress-induced prolactin concentrations decreased significantly in both sexes with advancing brood age. As expected, males had significantly higher stress-induced prolactin concentrations than females. None of the nine males released after being held in captivity for 24 h deserted, whereas four (29%) of the 14 females kept in captivity for 24 h did so. Altogether, these results suggest that higher prolactin concentrations may be involved in the maintenance of parental care under stress. However, there was no statistically significant difference in stress-induced hormone levels between males, females that deserted and those that returned to the nest after prolonged stress (24 h). Our data indicate that males are probably more resistant to stress as regards the continuation of parental care. The pattern of male and female behavioural and hormonal responses to stress partially predicts their behaviour in terms of natural desertion.