Factors Affecting the Level of Triglycerides in Black-legged Kittiwake Seabird Chicks (Rissa tridactyla)
Author:
Alex Le ’24Co-Authors:
Sierra Pete, Scott HatchFaculty Mentor(s):
Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks, Department of BiologyFunding Source:
Department of BiologyAbstract
Plasma metabolites such as glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, may act as health indicators in birds. Many factors can influence metabolite levels such as sex, age, diet, body mass, and glucocorticoid-induced energy mobilization. However, to date, there is a lack of consistency in the patterns of metabolites in early chick development stages. Our study will provide insight into how biological processes including nutritional status, chick rank, age, and sex affect triglyceride levels in black-legged kittiwake chicks. Our experiments were conducted in Middleton Island, Alaska, with known age and rank chicks. Chicks came from two types of nests for nutritional status: fed (experimental treatment) and unfed (control). Whereas the fed nests were supplied with unlimited fish, the unfed nests only had food from parental foraging at sea. The chicks were genetically sexed. We hypothesize that the level of triglycerides differs based on sex, chick ranking, and food intake.