开发用于测量血液中营养生理参数的廉价便携式护理点设备(例如,葡萄糖,酮)加速了我们对人类健康实时变化的理解和评估,但是这些很少在野生动物中进行测试或实施,特别是与其他关键生物学或健康相关的特征有关。在这里,我们使用即时护理设备来测量血液中的葡萄糖水平,酮,尿酸,和甘油三酸酯在自由放养的家雀(Haemorhousmexicanus)-一种常见的鸣鸟在北美,已经在城市化的背景下得到了充分的研究,营养,健康,和性选择-在冬季,并检查(1)这些方法用于评估这些野生雀形目的血液水平的可重复性,(2)个体内部这些测量之间的相互关系,(3)血液营养生理指标如何与鸟类的身体状况相关,原产地(城市与郊区),痘病毒感染,和性别;(4)如果男性性选择的羽毛颜色的表达与任何营养生理指标有关。所有血液营养参数均可重复。此外,循环甘油三酯和葡萄糖以及甘油三酯和尿酸的浓度之间存在显著的正协变.城市雀类的血糖浓度高于郊区雀类,感染痘病毒的个体的血甘油三酯浓度低于未感染的个体。最后,更红的男性有更高的血糖,但尿酸水平较低。这些结果表明,即时护理设备可能是有用的,测量野生鸟类营养生理实时变化的廉价方法。
The development of inexpensive and portable point-of-care devices for measuring nutritional physiological parameters from blood (e.g., glucose, ketones) has accelerated our understanding and assessment of real-time variation in human health, but these have infrequently been tested or implemented in wild animals, especially in relation to other key biological or fitness-related traits. Here we used point-of-care devices to measure blood levels of glucose, ketones, uric acid, and triglycerides in free-ranging house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus)-a common songbird in North America that has been well-studied in the context of urbanization, nutrition, health, and sexual selection-during winter and examined (1) repeatability of these methods for evaluating blood levels in these wild passerines, (2) intercorrelations among these measurements within individuals, (3) how blood nutritional-physiology metrics related to a bird\'s body condition, habitat of origin (urban vs. suburban), poxvirus infection, and sex; and (4) if the expression of male sexually selected plumage coloration was linked to any of the nutritional-physiological metrics. All blood-nutritional parameters were repeatable. Also, there was significant positive covariation between concentrations of circulating triglycerides and glucose and triglycerides and uric acid. Urban finches had higher blood glucose concentrations than suburban finches, and pox-infected individuals had lower blood triglyceride concentrations than uninfected ones. Last, redder males had higher blood glucose, but lower uric acid levels. These results demonstrate that point-of-care devices can be useful, inexpensive ways of measuring real-time variation in the nutritional physiology of wild birds.