“Home alone!” influence of nest parental attendance on offspring behavioral and hormonal stress responses in an Antarctic seabird, the snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea)

• Published in: Hormones and behavior Vol. 131; p. 104962
• Main Authors: Dupont, Sophie M., Barbraud, Christophe, Chastel, Olivier, Delord, Karine, Parenteau, Charline, Trouvé, Colette, Angelier, Frédéric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-05-2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Corticosterone stress response; Defensive behavior; Environmental Sciences; Offspring stress sensitivity; Pagodroma nivea; Parental presence; Offspring stress sensitivity; Parental presence; Corticosterone stress response; Pagodroma nivea; Defensive behavior
• ISSN: 0018-506X; 1095-6867
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104962

In altricial species, parents brood their chicks constantly before leaving them unattended sometimes for extended periods when they become thermally independent. During this second phase, there is sometimes important inter-individual differences in parental attendance and the fitness costs and benefits of parental strategies have previously been extensively investigated. However, the impact of parental presence on offspring behaviors and stress physiology has been overlooked. Here, we examined the influence of parental presence on offspring hormonal and behavioral stress sensitivities in snow petrel chicks. We demonstrated for the first time in a wild bird species that attended chicks had lower stress-induced corticosterone levels and a lower probability to show defensive behavior compared to the alone chicks. This reduced stress sensitivity is certainly explained by the well-known link between corticosterone and nutritional status, and by the recent delivery of meals to the attended chicks and the improvement of their nutritional status. It may also be explained by the parental protection against predators or inclement weather, or/and by the psychosocial comfort of parental presence for the offspring. Overall, these results suggest that the presence of a parent in the nest reduces offspring stress sensitivity in wild birds. Further studies would now be required to disentangle the impact of nutritional status and parental presence on stress sensitivity and to better understand the potential impact of parental presence and circulating corticosterone levels on growth and cognitive development in wild birds.
•The impact of parental presence on stress sensitivity is examined in petrel chicks.•Attended chicks had lower stress-induced corticosterone levels than alone ones.•Attended chicks had a lower probability to show defensive behavior than alone ones.•Parental presence in the nest can reduce the stress of the chick.•This reduced stress response could be explained by a better nutritional status.