Strong association between corticosterone levels and temperature-dependent metabolic rate in individual zebra finches.

Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are often assumed to be indicators of stress. At the same time, one of their fundamental roles is to facilitate metabolic processes to accommodate changes in energetic demands. Although the metabolic function of GCs is thought to be ubiquitous across vertebrates, we are not aware of experiments which tested this directly, i.e. in which metabolic rate was manipulated and measured together with GCs. We therefore tested for a relationship between plasma corticosterone (CORT; ln transformed) and metabolic rate (MR; measured using indirect calorimetry) in a between- and within-individual design in captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) of both sexes. In each individual, CORT and MR were measured at two different temperature levels: 'warm' (22°C) and 'cold' (12°C). CORT and MR were both increased in colder compared with warmer conditions within individuals, but also across individuals. At the between-individual level, we found a positive relationship between CORT and MR, with an accelerating slope towards higher MR and CORT values. In contrast, the within-individual changes in CORT and MR in response to colder conditions were linearly correlated between individuals. The CORT-MR relationship did not differ between the sexes. Our results illustrate the importance of including variation at different levels to better understand physiological modulation. Furthermore, our findings support the interpretation of CORT variation as an indicator of metabolic needs.