Meeting Abstract

53.5  Sunday, Jan. 5 14:30   Does individual variation in corticosterone levels predict the behavioral response to ecologically relevant stressors? VITOUSEK, MN*; WINKLER, DW; Cornell University; Cornell University mnv6@cornell.edu

Within populations and sexes individuals can vary substantially in circulating glucocorticoid (GC) levels during exposure to acute stressors, and this variation has been found to predict survival in some populations. Individual variation in GC levels could influence fitness in part through the differential performance of high and low responders during stressful events, but there is surprisingly little data on whether naturally strong GC responders also exhibit a stronger behavioral response to ecologically relevant stressors in the wild. We tested the relationship between natural variation in acute stress-induced GCs and the behavioral response to the presence of a predator in nesting songbirds, and found evidence of context-dependent links. Characterizing and testing the links between natural variation in GCs and specific adaptive behaviors is necessary to elucidate when and how individual variation in circulating GCs may be a functionally significant driver of fitness.