Experimental enhancement of corticosterone levels positively affects subsequent male survival.

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_8A0810418BAC
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Experimental enhancement of corticosterone levels positively affects subsequent male survival.
Journal
Hormones and Behavior
Author(s)
Cote J., Clobert J., Meylan S., Fitze P.S.
ISSN
0018-506X (Print)
ISSN-L
0018-506X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2006
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
49
Number
3
Pages
320-327
Language
english
Abstract
Corticosterone is an important hormone of the stress response that regulates physiological processes and modifies animal behavior. While it positively acts on locomotor activity, it may negatively affect reproduction and social activity. This suggests that corticosterone may promote behaviors that increase survival at the cost of reproduction. In this study, we experimentally investigate the link between corticosterone levels and survival in adult common lizards (Lacerta vivipara) by comparing corticosterone-treated with placebo-treated lizards. We experimentally show that corticosterone enhances energy expenditure, daily activity, food intake, and it modifies the behavioral time budget. Enhanced appetite of corticosterone-treated individuals compensated for increased energy expenditure and corticosterone-treated males showed increased survival. This suggests that corticosterone may promote behaviors that reduce stress and it shows that corticosterone per se does not reduce but directly or indirectly increases longer-term survival. This suggests that the production of corticosterone as a response to a stressor may be an adaptive mechanism that even controls survival.
Keywords
Adaptation, Physiological/drug effects, Administration, Cutaneous, Animals, Corticosterone/administration & dosage, Corticosterone/blood, Energy Metabolism/physiology, Feeding Behavior/physiology, Female, Lizards/blood, Male, Motor Activity/physiology, Random Allocation, Sex Factors, Statistics, Nonparametric, Survival Analysis, Survival Rate
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
24/11/2010 14:14
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:48
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