Feather corticosterone is lower in translocated and historical populations of the endangered Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis)

Identifying reliable bioindicators of population status is a central goal of conservation physiology. Physiological stress measures are often used as metrics of individual health and can assist in managing endangered species if linked to fitness traits. We analysed feather corticosterone, a cumulative physiological stress metric, of individuals from historical, translocated, and source populations of an endangered endemic Hawaiian bird, the Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis). We hypothesised that feather corticosterone would reflect the improved reproduction and survival rates observed in populations translocated to Midway and Kure Atolls from Laysan Island. We also predicted less physiological stress in historical Laysan birds collected before ecological conditions deteriorated and the population bottleneck. All hypotheses were supported: we found lower feather corticosterone in the translocated populations and historical samples than in those from recent Laysan samples.  This suggests tha..., , , # Feather corticosterone is lower in translocated and historical populations of the endangered Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4tmpg4fjg](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4tmpg4fjg)

## Description of the data and file structure

Table S1 - A .csv file containing all of the available information for each feather sample used in the analysis. This is the file from which the statistical analysis is run.

Table S2 - A .csv file containing definitions and descriptions of all the variables included in the dataset.

LADU_Feather_Cort_Analysis (Zenodo)- R Code used to analyze the feather corticosterone concentrations and create the results figure used in the paper.

## Sharing/Access information

Also included as supplemental information with the manuscript

## Code/Software

To run the analysis, you will need to have R version 4.3.1 or higher installed. R Studio version 20203.6.1.438 or higher is also helpful. Once you open the file, set the working directory to whe...