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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.22.750903

Individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity to temperature is not associated with reproductive success in a wild songbird population

Udino, E.·Deimel, C.·Hau, M.·Moiron, M.
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Abstract

Vertebrates cope with rapid temperature fluctuations by plastically adjusting their behaviour and physiology. This phenotypic plasticity is partly mediated by plastic changes in glucocorticoid levels; however, whether individual differences in endocrine plasticity are associated with fitness remains unknown. Here, we examined the relationship between individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity in response to air temperature changes and reproductive success in a wild great tit population (Parus major). Over nine years, we collected repeated measurements of baseline and stress-induced corticosterone during nestling rearing. We found consistent reaction norm patterns in hormone response to temperature variation -- as shown in a previous study conducted over a shorter period. This provides robust evidence of individual differences in average hormone levels (intercepts) and the strength of the plastic response (slopes), indicating potential for evolution. However, neither intercepts nor slopes were associated with reproductive success (fledgling number or brood mass), suggesting that individual variation in endocrine plasticity was not under natural selection, at least within the environmental conditions experienced. This study provides a first empirical test of the evolutionary implications of endocrine plasticity in the wild and highlights the need to assess its fitness relevance under more extreme conditions, such as those expected under future climate scenarios.

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Udino, E., Deimel, C., Hau, M., Moiron, M.. 2026-09-24. Individual variation in glucocorticoid plasticity to temperature is not associated with reproductive success in a wild songbird population. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.22.750903

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