Body temperature responses to handling stress in wintering Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus L.)

Physiology & Behavior
Agnès LewdenFrançois Vézina

Abstract

Body temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body temperature changes in a non-model species, the Black-capped Chickadee, in two environmental conditions: outdoors in low ambient temperature (mean: -6.6°C), and indoors, in milder ambient temperature close to thermoneutrality (mean: 18.7°C). Our results show that the change in body temperature in response to the same handling stressor differs in these conditions. In cold environments, we noted a significant decrease in core body temperature (-2.9°C), whereas the response in mild indoor conditions was weak and non-significant (-0.6°C). Heat loss in outdoor birds was exacerbated when birds were handled for longer time. This may highlight the role of behavioral thermoregulation and heat substitution from activity to body temperature maintenance in harsh condition. Importantly, our work also indicates that changes in the physical properties of ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 12, 2019·Biology Open·Andreas Nord, Lars P Folkow
Sep 25, 2020·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Joshua K RobertsonGary Burness
Feb 26, 2021·Journal of Thermal Biology·Svana RogallaLiliana D'Alba

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