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Boldness behavior and stress physiology in a novel urban environment suggest rapid correlated evolutionary adaptation

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  • Jonathan W. Atwell
  • Gonçalo C. Cardoso
  • Danielle J. Whittaker
  • Samuel Campbell-Nelson
  • Kyle W. Robertson
  • Ellen D. Ketterson

Abstract

Novel or changing environments expose animals to diverse stressors that likely require coordinated hormonal and behavioral adaptations. Predicted adaptations to urban environments include attenuated physiological responses to stressors and bolder exploratory behaviors, but few studies to date have evaluated the impact of urban life on codivergence of these hormonal and behavioral traits in natural systems. Here, we demonstrate rapid adaptive shifts in both stress physiology and correlated boldness behaviors in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco, following its colonization of a novel urban environment. We compared elevation in corticosterone (CORT) in response to handling and flight initiation distances in birds from a recently established urban population in San Diego, California to birds from a nearby wildland population in the species' ancestral montane breeding range. We also measured CORT and exploratory behavior in birds raised from early life in a captive common garden study. We found persistent population differences for both reduced CORT responses and bolder exploratory behavior in birds from the colonist population, as well as significant negative covariation between maximum CORT and exploratory behavior. Although early developmental effects cannot be ruled out, these results suggest contemporary adaptive evolution of correlated hormonal and behavioral traits associated with colonization of an urban habitat.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan W. Atwell & Gonçalo C. Cardoso & Danielle J. Whittaker & Samuel Campbell-Nelson & Kyle W. Robertson & Ellen D. Ketterson, 2012. "Boldness behavior and stress physiology in a novel urban environment suggest rapid correlated evolutionary adaptation," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 23(5), pages 960-969.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:23:y:2012:i:5:p:960-969.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/ars059
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lynn B. Martin & Lisa Fitzgerald, 2005. "A taste for novelty in invading house sparrows, Passer domesticus," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 16(4), pages 702-707, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carlos F. Carvalho & Ana V. Leitão & Caterina Funghi & Helena R. Batalha & Sandra Reis & Paulo Gama Mota & Ricardo J. Lopes & Gonçalo C. Cardoso, 2013. "Personality traits are related to ecology across a biological invasion," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 24(5), pages 1081-1091.
    2. Sarah L. Foltz & Allen E. Ross & Brenton T. Laing & Ryan P. Rock & Kathryn E. Battle & Ignacio T. Moore, 2015. "Get off my lawn: increased aggression in urban song sparrows is related to resource availability," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(6), pages 1548-1557.

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