Electronic versions

DOI

  • Nikole E Freeman
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • D. Ryan Norris
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • A.O. Sutton
    University of Guelph, Ontario
  • Dan Strickland
  • T. Kurt Kyser
    Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada
  • Amy Newman
    University of Guelph, Ontario
Individuals undergo profound changes throughout their early life as they grow and transition between life-history stages. As a result, the conditions that individuals experience during development can have both immediate and lasting effects on their physiology, behavior, and, ultimately, fitness. In a population of Canada jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, we characterized the diet composition and physiological profile of young jays at three key time points during development (nestling, pre-fledge, and pre-dispersal) by quantifying stable-carbon (δ13C) and -nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes and corticosterone concentrations in feathers. We then investigated the downstream effects of early-life diet composition, feather corticosterone, and environmental conditions on a juvenile’s social status, body condition, and probability of being observed in the fall following hatch. Across the three time points, the diet of Canada jay young was composed primarily of vertebrate tissue and human food with the proportion of these food items increasing as the jays neared dispersal. Feather corticosterone concentrations also shifted across the three time points, decreasing from nestling to pre-dispersal. Dominant juveniles had elevated corticosterone concentrations in their feathers grown pre-dispersal compared with subordinates. High body condition as nestlings was associated with high body condition as juveniles and an increased probability of being observed in the fall. Together, our results demonstrate that nestling physiology and body condition influence the social status and body condition once individuals are independent, with potential long-term consequences on survival and fitness.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9-19
JournalIntegrative and Comparative Biology
Volume61
Issue number1
Early online date4 Jun 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jul 2021
Externally publishedYes
View graph of relations