Linked Life Data

16574801

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16574801

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
Pt 8
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-3-31
pubmed:abstractText
The function and causes of kidnapping juveniles are little understood because individuals sustain some breeding costs to rear an unrelated offspring. Here we focus on the proximal causes of this behaviour in emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), whose failed breeders often kidnap chicks. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that kidnapping behaviour was the result of high residual levels of prolactin (PRL), a hormone involved in parental behaviour. Penguins with artificially decreased PRL levels by bromocriptine administration kidnapped chicks less often than control penguins. Within the bromocriptine treated group, kidnapping behaviour was not totally suppressed and the probability of kidnapping a chick was positively correlated to PRL levels measured before treatment. During breeding, emperor penguins have to forage in remote ice-free areas. In these birds, PRL secretion is poorly influenced by chick stimuli and has probably evolved to maintain a willingness to return to the colony after a long absence at sea. Therefore, penguins that have lost their chick during a foraging trip still maintain high residual PRL levels and this, combined with colonial breeding, probably facilitates kidnapping. We suggest that kidnapping in non-cooperative systems may result from a hormonal byproduct of a reproductive adaptation to extreme conditions.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0022-0949
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
209
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1413-20
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2006
pubmed:articleTitle
Kidnapping of chicks in emperor penguins: a hormonal by-product?
pubmed:affiliation
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villiers en Bois, France. angelier@cebc.cnrs.fr
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't