Stress in paradise: effects of elevated corticosterone on immunity and avian malaria resilience in a Hawaiian passerine.

ABSTRACT: Vertebrates confronted with challenging environments often experience an increase in circulating glucocorticoids, which result in morphological, physiological and behavioral changes that promote survival. However, chronically elevated glucocorticoids can suppress immunity, which may increase susceptibility to disease. Since the introduction of avian malaria to Hawaii a century ago, low-elevation populations of Hawaii Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) have undergone strong selection by avian malaria and evolved increased resilience (the ability to recover from infection), while populations at high elevation with few vectors have not undergone selection and remain susceptible. We investigated how experimentally elevated corticosterone affects the ability of high- and low-elevation male Amakihi

SUBMITTER: Names GR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8546672 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature