Long term study on blood glucose levels in wintering great tits Parus major in sites differing in artificial food availability.

ABSTRACT: Blood glucose concentration is one of the fundamental biochemical indices in the physiology of birds and other vertebrates. Since glucose serves as the main fuel for metabolic energy, its proper level in the blood serum is crucial to the individual in terms of physiological health, which leads to applying it as an ecophysiological indicator. Such an indicator may be especially useful during energetically demanding periods, such as winter at northern latitudes. Therefore, the main objective of this paper was to examine the variation in blood glucose in wintering the great tits (Parus major) in nine consecutive winters at two sites that differed with respect to the amount of human-provided food. We assumed that trophic conditions resulting from the use of artificial feeders that vary between

SUBMITTER: Kalinski A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11747514 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature