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title: "Taking after your parents: blood chemistry correlations in Black-browed Albatrosses"
---

# Taking after your parents: blood chemistry correlations in Black-browed Albatrosses

[Miguel Ferrer](http://www.tandfonline.com/author/Ferrer%2C+Miguel) ([Applied Ecology Group,](http://appliedecologygroup.com/)[*Estación*](http://appliedecologygroup.com/)[Biológica de](http://appliedecologygroup.com/)*[Doñana](http://appliedecologygroup.com/),*Seville, Spain) and colleagues have published in the journal [*Bird Study*](http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/current) on the blood chemistry of breeding Black-browed Albatrosses *Thalassarche melanophris* and their chicks.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 **Capsule:** In Black-browed Albatrosses *Thalassarche melanophris* nutritional condition is correlated between parents and their offspring.

 **Aims:** To test resource allocation hypotheses analysing the relationship between parental and offspring nutritional condition.

 **Methods:** We measured blood chemistry parameters related with nutritional condition in 24 parents and their nestlings in a colony of Black-browed Albatrosses.

 **Results:** There were no significant differences in blood parameters between sexes or location of the nest within the colony, neither among adults nor among nestlings. We found a significant positive correlation between parents and the nutritional condition of their offspring, measured as urea, uric acid and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in blood.

 **Discussion:** These relationships demonstrate that condition of the young seems to be merely a reflection of parental condition. An interesting relationship between alkaline phosphatase concentration in adults and nutritional condition of their nestlings was found, suggesting that age of the parents would be a key factor explaining quality of the nestling.”

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/B/Black_browed/Black-browed Alabatrosses New Island Ian Strange s.jpg)

 Black-browed Albatross stands over its chick, photograph by Ian Strange

 **Reference:**

 Miguel Ferrer, M., Morandini,  V.,Perry , L.& Bechard, M. 2017.  Physiological conditions of parent and offspring Black-browed Albatrosses *Thalassarche melanophris**. **B[ird Study  ](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00063657.2017.1314447?journalCode=tbis20)*[doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2017.1314447](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00063657.2017.1314447?journalCode=tbis20).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 27 April 2017*