title: Forest management is associated with physiological stress in an old-growth forest passerine.
abstract: We investigated how physiological stress in an area-sensitive old-growth forest passerine, the Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris), is associated with forest fragmentation and forest structure. We found evidence that the concentrations of plasma corticosterone in chicks were higher under poor food supply in dense, young forests than in sparse, old forests. In addition, nestlings in large forest patches had lower corticosterone levels and a better body condition than in small forest patches. In general, corticosterone levels were negatively related to body condition and survival. We also found a decrease in corticosterone levels within the breeding season, which may have been a result of an increase in food supply from the first to the second broods. Our results suggest that forest fragmentation may decrease the fitness of free-living individual treecreepers.
authors.affiliation: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FIN-20014 Turku, Finland. petri.suorsa@utu.fi
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suorsa
authors.forename: Esa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huhta
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikula
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikinmaa
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jäntti
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helle
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hakkarainen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001824:Body Constitution; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D005523:Food Supply; D016468:Forestry / Q000379:methods; D020308:Songbirds / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D003345:Corticosterone