A single exposure to an acute stressor has lasting consequences for the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal response to stress in free-living birds

In vertebrates, activation of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in response to unpredictable events results in elevated glucocorticoid secretion. Repeated exposure to stressors alters subsequent glucocorticoid secretion, either by inducing chronic stress or as a result of habituation. However, most studies of repeated stress focus on the impacts of multiple and frequent exposures to acute stressors, […]