Hatched Chicks (hatched + chick)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Physiological and Behavioral Differences in Magellanic Penguin Chicks in Undisturbed and Tourist-Visited Locations of a Colony

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
BRIAN G. WALKER
corticoesterona; ecoturismo; perturbación humana; Spheniscus magellanicus Abstract:,Studies examining anthropogenic effects on wildlife typically focus on adults and on behavioral responses rather than the physiological consequences of human disturbances. Here we examined how Magellanic Penguin ( Spheniscus magellanicus) chicks living in either tourist-visited or undisturbed areas of a breeding colony were affected by human visitation by comparing the baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone during three periods of the breeding season. Newly hatched chicks in visited areas had higher corticosterone stress responses than newly hatched chicks in undisturbed areas (p =0.007), but baseline levels were similar (p =0.61). By 40,50 days of age and around fledging time, both visited and undisturbed chicks showed a robust corticosterone stress response to capture. Tourist-visited chicks did not flee when approached by humans, however, whereas undisturbed chicks fled significantly sooner (i.e., when approached no closer than 9 m; p < 0.0001). Although it is unknown whether Magellanic Penguin chicks raised in visited areas suffer negative consequences from the elevation of the corticosterone stress response at hatching, they do exhibit behavioral habituation to human contact by the time they are ready to fledge. Unlike adults living in tourist areas, however, fledging chicks in visited areas do not have a decreased stress response to capture and restraint. Our results show that the coupling of behavioral and physiological habituation in Magellanic Penguins is complex and life-history context may greatly affect the ability of wildlife to adapt to anthropogenic disturbances. Resumen:,Los estudios de los efectos antropogénicos sobre la vida silvestre se centran típicamente en adultos y en las respuestas conductuales en lugar de las consecuencias fisiológicas de las perturbaciones humanas. Aquí examinamos el efecto de la visita de humanos sobre pollos de pingüino (Spheniscus magellanicus) en áreas visitadas por turistas o no perturbadas mediante la comparación de los niveles, base e inducidos por estrés, de corticoesterona durante tres períodos de la temporada reproductiva. Los pollos recién eclosionados en áreas visitadas tuvieron mayor respuesta de la corticoesterona al estrés que los pollos recién eclosionados en áreas no perturbadas (p =0.007), pero los niveles básicos fueron similares (p =0.61). A los 40,50 días y en la etapa de volantón, los pollos visitados y no perturbados mostraron una marcada respuesta de la corticoesterona al estrés al ser capturados. Sin embargo, los pollos visitados por turistas no huyeron cuando se les acercaron humanos, mientras que los pollos no perturbados huyeron significativamente antes (i.e., acercamiento a más de 9 m; p < 0.0001). Aunque se desconoce si los pollos de pingüino criados en áreas visitadas sufren consecuencias negativas por la elevación de la corticosterona en respuesta al estrés al eclosionar, si presentan acostumbramiento conductual al contacto con humanos al momento que están listos para dejar el nido. Sin embargo, a diferencia de adultos que viven en áreas turísticas, los pollos volantones en las áreas visitadas no tienen una disminución en la respuesta al estrés cuando son capturados y sujetados. Nuestros resultados muestran la complejidad de la combinación del acostumbramiento conductual y fisiológico en Spheniscus magellanicus y que el contexto de la historia de vida puede afectar a la habilidad de la vida silvestre para adaptarse a las perturbaciones antropogénicas. [source]


Within- and between-year variation in the juvenile survival of Common Guillemots Uria aalge

IBIS, Issue 3 2007
MICHAEL P. HARRIS
We studied juvenile survival of 20 cohorts of Common Guillemot Uria aalge chicks colour-ringed on the Isle of May, Scotland, using both live observations at the colony and dead recoveries, allowing estimation of fidelity to the colony as well as survival. In this seabird, chicks leave the colony when only partly grown and are cared for by the male parent for several weeks afterwards. First-year survival varied strongly between cohorts, with a mean of 56% (range 30,91%). We did not identify any covariates which could explain this variation, whether relating to climate, population size or prey density. Survival was low during two regime shift episodes in the North Sea (1987,90 and 2000 onwards). Early hatched chicks were substantially more likely to survive than those hatching later in most years, whereas body condition at ringing had no detectable effect. Ringing recoveries indicated that mortality was highest in mid-winter, i.e. well after the cessation of paternal care. These results do not support the hypothesis that variation in prey quantity or energy content before fledging is a primary driver of variation in juvenile survival. Rather, it seems that chicks of high-quality parents are more likely to survive, as high-quality females tend to lay earlier in the season, and high-quality males presumably are better able to prepare their chicks to survive their first winter at sea. Very few (4%) Guillemots emigrated permanently before age 3 years, but from age 5 onwards 25,30% of birds annually left the colony or otherwise became unobservable. [source]


Sex of the first hatched chick influences survival of the brood in the herring gull (Larus argentatus)

JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
S.-Y. Kim
Abstract Differences in the growth rate of male and female offspring can result in different parental rearing costs for sons and daughters. Such differences may also influence the survival chances of male and female offspring when conditions are unfavourable. In birds, hatching asynchrony leads to hierarchical competition for food between siblings. Therefore, the sex of the chick in the first hatched position in the brood may influence breeding success by affecting the extent to which the later hatched chicks can compete for resources. The interaction between brood sex composition and chick performance in the herring gull Larus argentatus was examined under different environmental conditions. When environmental conditions were relatively good, chick survival within broods was better when a female was first to hatch, an effect that was most obvious later in the season. When conditions were poorer however, sex of the first hatched chicks was not related to brood survival. In neither situation did the overall primary sex ratio differ from equality. However in the year of relatively good food availability, the first chick in the brood was more likely to be male early in the season, which was when the disadvantageous effects on brood survival of males being in this position are weakest. [source]


B cell differentiation in the bursa of Fabricius and spleen of embryos and chicks immediately after hatching

ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 6 2009
Kiyoaki NARABARA
ABSTRACT Flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemical observation were used to qualitatively and quantitatively clarify the nature of B cell differentiation in the bursa of Fabricius of chick embryos and to determine the timing of antibody class switching in chicken spleens based on positivity of IgM and IgG on and in the cells. In the bursa, the sIgM-positive cell population formed from the 12th to 15th day of embryogenesis. The proportion of sIgM-high expressing (sIgMhigh) cells was lower among bursacytes than splenocytes of hatched chicks, suggesting that the sIgMhigh bursacytes are to be released to peripheral sites. The proportion of sIgMhigh cells was higher at 0 days old than at any other examined stage of development. Colonization of the spleen by B cells occurred between the 18th day of embryogenesis and 0 days old. Antibody class switching was thought to start in the spleen between 1 and 2 weeks of age, because IgG-positive cells were present in the spleen of 2-week-old chicks, but not 0-day-old or 1-week-old chicks. [source]


Effects of prenatal exposure to a 50-Hz magnetic field on one-trial passive avoidance learning in 1-day-old chicks

BIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 2 2010
Huaying Sun
Abstract We investigated memory impairment in newly hatched chicks following in ovo exposure to a 50-Hz magnetic field (MF) of 2,mT (60,min/day) on embryonic days 12,18. Isolated and paired chicks were used to test the effect of stress during training, and memory retention was tested at 10, 30, and 120,min, following exposure to a bitter-tasting bead (100% methylanthranilate). Results showed that memory was intact at 10,min in both isolated and paired chicks with or without MF exposure. However, while isolated chicks had good memory retention levels at 30 and 120,min, those exposed to MF did not. The results suggest a potential disruption of memory formation following in ovo exposure to MF, with this effect only evident in the more stressed, isolated chicks. Bioelectromagnetics 31:150,155, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]