Publication
Title
Does urban life change blood oxidative status in birds?
Author
Abstract
Cities may expose wild animals to new types of selection pressures, potentially leading to differentiation among urban and rural populations. One cellular mechanism likely important in determining the viability of vertebrate populations is resistance to oxidative stress, as tissue degradation resulting from oxidative stress may decrease reproductive performance and survival. We hypothesized that city-thriving Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula) would be more resistant to oxidative stress when exposed to stressful conditions than rural conspecifics. Hand-raised city and rural blackbirds kept under common garden conditions indeed differed in blood oxidative status when exposed to chronic stress: city birds had lower oxidative damage during stressful conditions compared with rural birds, but also tended to generally maintain lower levels of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants than rural birds. These findings show that individuals from urban and rural areas differ intrinsically in their blood oxidative status physiology, possibly as an adaptation to city life.
Language
English
Source (journal)
The journal of experimental biology. - London, 1930, currens
Publication
London : 2014
ISSN
0022-0949 [print]
1477-9145 [online]
DOI
10.1242/JEB.106450
Volume/pages
217 :17 (2014) , p. 2994-2997
ISI
000342505700009
Pubmed ID
24948638
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 06.11.2014
Last edited 09.10.2023
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