M. Abolins-Abols

Glucocorticoids mediate egg rejection in a brood parasite host

This study shows that reducing corticosterone levels in American robins decreases their likelihood of rejecting foreign eggs, indicating a causal role for glucocorticoids in this host defense behavior.

Proximate Predictors of Variation in Egg Rejection Behavior by Hosts of Avian Brood Parasites

This study identifies factors influencing egg rejection behavior in American Robins by analyzing clutch size, body mass, corticosterone levels, and incubation progress.

A role for differential gene regulation in the rapid diversification of melanic plumage coloration in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)

The paper investigates the genetic basis of plumage color differences between two junco subspecies, finding that differential gene regulation, not sequence variation, drives color variation.

The effect of chronic and acute stressors, and their interaction, on gonadal function: an experimental test during gonadal recrudescence

This study examines how chronic and acute stressors affect gonadal function in Dark-eyed Juncos, finding that acute stress suppresses testosterone in controls but not in chronically stressed birds, with minimal transcriptomic impact from chronic stress.