title: Size of ornament is negatively correlated with baseline corticosterone in males of a socially monogamous colonial seabird.
abstract: The Goymann-Wingfield model predicts that glucocorticoid levels in social animals reflect the costs of acquiring and maintaining social status. The crested auklet is one of the few avian colonial species where a mutual ornament in males and females is used in both sexual and aggressive displays. Previous studies of the crested auklet support the notion that the crest ornament is a badge of status in this species. Here, we examined the relationship between the crest ornament size and the adrenocortical function in breeding crested auklets. Crest length was negatively correlated with corticosterone at baseline in males, but not in females. Baseline corticosterone in females (but not in males) was negatively correlated with body condition index. Although male and female crested auklets are monomorphic in their ornamental traits, our results suggest that the socially mediated physiological costs associated with status signaling may differ between the sexes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. hddouglas@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hector D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Alexander S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kitaysky
authors.forename: Evgenia V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Kitaiskaia
authors.forename: Aidan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maccormick
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000097:blood*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D005241:Feathers / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D003345:Corticosterone