... assessed in free-living great tits ( Parus major ) the association between SNP290 in the SERT promoter and three standard fear-related behaviors: the response of the birds to a black-and-white flag fixed to the top of the nest box, distress calling rate of the birds in the hand once captured...

... on mitochondrial function. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally increased glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones in wild great tit eggs ( Parus major ) to investigate their impact on offspring mitochondrial aerobic metabolism (measured in blood cells), and subsequent growth and survival. We show that prenatal...

... deposited into eggs of birds. In this study, using Eurasian blue and great tit offspring ( Cyanistes caeruleus and Parus major ) as model species, we experimentally tested whether human recreation induces changes in the amount of circulating antibodies in young nestlings and whether this effect is modulated...

...: Variation in candidate gene expression in the ovary and liver explains variation in egg-laying dates in a songbird, indicative of downstream regulation of the timing of breeding. Reproductive timing Individual variation Gene expression qPCR Parus major Variation in avian seasonal timing...

... and other animals is largely lacking. By exposing adult great tits ( Parus major ) to two contrasting diets (saturated or unsaturated fatty acids; SFAs and UFAs, respectively) and ambient temperatures (3°C versus 20°C) that the birds encounter in nature, we investigated the effects of these two factors...

... carotenoids from oxidation, known as the ‘protection hypothesis’. To evaluate the importance of vitamins versus carotenoids as antioxidants during growth and to test the protection hypothesis, we supplemented nestling great tits, Parus major , 3, 5 and 7 days after hatching with a single dose of carotenoids...

.... However, it is possible that for species such as the great tit ( Parus major L.), phenological cues from sprouting vegetation and the consequent abundance of invertebrate prey, although dependent on temperature, may provide supplementary environmental cues per se. This hypothesis was investigated...