Early-life social environment predicts social network position in wild zebra finches.

ABSTRACT: Early-life experience can fundamentally shape individual life-history trajectories. Previous research has suggested that exposure to stress during development causes differences in social behaviour later in life. In captivity, juvenile zebra finches exposed to elevated corticosterone levels were less socially choosy and more central in their social networks when compared to untreated siblings. These differences extended to other aspects of social life, with 'stress-exposed' juveniles switching social learning strategies and juvenile males less faithfully learning their father's song. However, while this body of research suggests that the impacts of early-life stress could be profound, it remains unknown whether such effects are strong enough to be expressed under natural conditions. Here,

SUBMITTER: Brandl HB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6408881 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature