Increased lead and glucocorticoid concentrations reduce reproductive success in house sparrows along an urban gradient.

Abstract

Urbanization is increasing at a rapid pace globally. Understanding the links among environmental characteristics, phenotypes, and fitness enables researchers to predict the impact of changing landscapes on individuals and populations. Although avian reproductive output is typically lower in urban compared with natural areas, the underlying reasons for this discrepancy may lie at the intersection of abiotic and biotic environmental and individual differences. Recent advances in urban ecology highlight the effect of heavy metal contamination on stress physiology. As high levels of glucocorticoid hormones decrease parental investment, these hormones might be the link to decreased reproductive success in areas of high environmental pollution. In this study, we aimed to identify which abiotic stressors are linked to avian reproductive output in urban areas and whether this link is mediated by individual hormone levels. We used fine-scaled estimates (2 m2 spatial resolution) of nighttime light, noise, and urban density to assess their impacts on the physiological condition of adult house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We measured circulating levels of lead and glucocorticoid concentrations in 40 breeding pairs of free-living house sparrows and related these physiological traits to reproductive success. Using structural equation modeling, we found that increased urban density levels linked directly to increased plasma corticosterone and lead concentrations that subsequently led to decreased fledgling mass. Sparrows with increased lead concentrations in plasma also had higher corticosterone levels. Although urban areas may be attractive due to decreased natural predators and available nesting sites, they may act as ecological traps that increase physiological damage and decrease fitness. To illustrate, avian development is strongly explained by parental corticosterone levels, which vary significantly in response to urban density and lead pollution. With fine-scale ecological mapping for a species with small home ranges, we demonstrated the presence and impacts of urban stressors in a small city with high human densities.