Are urbanization and brood parasitism associated with differences in
telomere lengths in song sparrows?
Abstract
Urbanization reflects a major form of environmental change impacting
wild birds globally. Whereas urban habitats may provide increased
availability of water, some food items, and reduced predation levels
compared to rural, they can also present novel stressors including
increased light at night, ambient noise, and reduced nutrient
availability. Urbanization can also alter levels of brood parasitism,
with some host species experiencing elevated levels of brood parasitism
in urban areas compared to rural areas. Though the demographic and
behavioral consequences of urbanization and brood parasitism have
received considerable attention, their consequences for cellular-level
processes are less understood. Telomeres provide an opportunity to
understand the cellular consequences of different environments as they
are a well-established metric of biological state that can be associated
with residual lifespan, disease risk, and behaviour, and are known to be
sensitive to environmental conditions. Here we examine the relationships
between urbanization, brood parasitism, and blood telomere lengths in
adult and nestling song sparrows (Melospiza melodia). Song sparrows are
a North American songbird found in both urban and rural habitats that
experience high rates of brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds
(Molothrus ater) in the urban, but not the rural, sites in our study
system. Among adults and nestlings from non-parasitized nests, we found
no differences in relative telomere lengths between urban and rural
habitats. However, among urban nestlings, the presence of a brood
parasite in the nest was associated with significantly shorter relative
telomere lengths compared to when a brood parasite was absent. Our
results suggest a novel, indirect, impact of urbanization on nestling
songbirds through the physiological impacts of brood parasitism.