Objectives: Food limitation may have several (biochemical) effects in birds, including decreased anti-oxidant status (Ruuskanen et al 2017).
In contrast, pollution can increase oxidative stress, which may ultimately affect avian immune (Isaksson, 2015). This ESR project will
investigate how food availability modifies oxidative stress and immune system status following chemical exposure in great tits (Parus major). Local breeding colonies will be established in urbans area with different air pollution levels and food availability will be altered by e.g. clutch exchange experiments to:
1) Elucidate potential impacts of food shortage (by increased clutch size) and urbanisation on the redox status of chicks and breeding adults of great tits (ex vivo, in vivo);
2) Elucidate impacts of environmentally affected redox status of chicks (TBARs, GSH and other anti-oxidant assessment) and breeding
adult great tits on chemical induced oxidative stress susceptibility in vivo;
3) Establish study populations at different levels of urban contamination to assess impacts on great tit sensitivity to chemically induced oxidative stress;
4) Assess the potential impacts of environmental factors on oxidative stress associated adverse effects (e.g. immune system).