Wetland salinity induces sex-dependent carry-over effects on the individual performance of a long-distance migrant.

Salinization is having a major impact on wetlands and its biota worldwide. Specifically, many migratory animals that rely on wetlands are increasingly exposed to elevated salinity on their nonbreeding grounds. Experimental evidence suggests that physiological challenges associated with increasing salinity may disrupt self-maintenance processes in these species. Nonetheless, the potential role of salinity as a driver of ecological carry-over effects remains unstudied. Here, we investigated the extent to which the use of saline wetlands during winter - inferred from feather stable isotope values - induces residual effects that carry over and influence physiological traits relevant to fitness in black-tailed godwits Limosa limosa limosa on their northward migration. Overwintering males and females were segregated by wetland salinity in West Africa, with females mostly occupying freshwater wetlands. The use of these wetlands along a gradient of salinities was associated with differences in immune responsiveness to phytohaemagglutinin and sized-corrected body mass in godwits staging in southern Europe during northward migration - 3,000 km from the nonbreeding grounds - but in males only. These findings provide a window onto the processes by which wetland salinity can induce carry-over effects and can help predict how migratory species should respond to future climate-induced increases in salinity.

Immunoreactive cortisone in droppings reflect stress levels, diet and growth rate of gull-billed tern chicks.

Blood levels of corticosterone have been traditionally analyzed to assess stress levels in birds; however, measuring steroid hormone metabolites in feces and droppings has gained much interest as a noninvasive technique successfully used for such purposed in vertebrates. Diet may affect these fecal metabolite levels (e.g., due to nutritional stress), however, this variable has not been taken into account in studies with chicks despite the great dietary flexibility of many avian species. In this study, we addressed for the first time this key issue and validated the technique in wild gull-billed tern chicks (Gelochelidon nilotica). Several enzyme immunoassays were used to determine the most appropriate test to measure the stress response. Subsequently, we performed an experiment in captivity to assess adrenocortical activity in gull-billed tern chicks fed with two diets: piscivorous vs. insectivorous. Finally, the relation between the chicks' growth rate and excreted immunoreactive glucocorticoid metabolites (EGMs) was also evaluated. We found the immunoreactive cortisone metabolites to be a good index of stress (as being an index of adrenocortical reactivity) in chicks of this species. Fish-fed chicks had higher levels of cortisone metabolites when comparing both concentration and total daily excreted metabolites. Within each treatment diet, cortisone metabolite levels and growth rates were negatively correlated. These findings suggest that the diet should be considered when using this technique for comparative purposes and highlight the trade-off between stress levels and chicks growth rates.

Sex differences in digestive traits in sexually size-dimorphic birds: Insights from an assimilation efficiency experiment on black-tailed godwit.

Digestive assimilation efficiency is considered a trait with important implications for animal ecology. However, practically all studies have ignored the importance of sex differences in food assimilation efficiency (AE). Here, we investigated sex differences in dietary and physiological parameters in the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa limosa feeding on rice seeds, a species with sexual dimorphism in body size and body mass. Gross daily food intake, gross energy intake, gross energy output and metabolizable energy intake did not vary significantly between sexes, but godwit females showed lower faeces energy density and higher AE than males. Mass-specific AE was similar in males and females, and the difference in AE could be attributed to the females' greater body mass. We suggest that a differential AE could play a role in explaining sex differences in habitat or micro-habitat selection during the non-breeding season in bird species with sexual dimorphism in size. Finally, we addressed the question about assimilation efficiency accuracy in models that estimate prey acquisitions by declining shorebirds as the Black-tailed Godwit.