Comparative patterns of adrenal activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Fanson, Kerry V.; Wielebnowski, Nadja; Shenk, Tanya M.; Lucas, Jeffrey R.

doi:10.1007/s00360-011-0597-8

Cited by 43 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Among the factors that are thought to cause chronic stress in captive mammals, the evidence is strong for noise (Owen et al, 2004), social instability (Peel et al, 2005), on-exhibit display (Terio et al, 2004;Wielebnowski et al, 2002) and the reproductive status of females (Fanson et al, 2011). Pregnancy is energetically costly to females (Creel and Creel, 1991) so it is not surprising that FCM concentrations were higher in pregnant and, interestingly, pseudo-pregnant females, than in acyclic females, and our observations thus agree with those reported previously in other species (Kenagy and Place, 2000;Weingrill et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The faecal cortisol radioimmunoassay used in this study was able to detect variation in FCM concentrations between populations and among the various social, biological and environmental The FCM values provide strong evidence that captive female wild dogs have higher levels of stress than free-ranging wild dogs, as seen in studies of other carnivores (Fanson et al, 2011;Terio et al, 2004). Among the factors that are thought to cause chronic stress in captive mammals, the evidence is strong for noise (Owen et al, 2004), social instability (Peel et al, 2005), on-exhibit display (Terio et al, 2004;Wielebnowski et al, 2002) and the reproductive status of females (Fanson et al, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…), GC concentrations were higher in captive than in free-ranging individuals (Fanson et al, 2011;Marra et al, 1995;Rangel-Negrin et al, 2009;Terio et al, 2004). If the level of stress is indeed higher in captive animals than in free-ranging animals, then it might help explain poor reproductive success in captivity in some species (Carlstead and Shepherdson, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Weyde

Martin

Paris

2016

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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An understanding of stress physiology is important for species management because high levels of stress can hamper reproduction and affect an individual's ability to cope with threats to their survival, such as disease and human-wildlife conflict. A commonly used indicator of stress, faecal concentrations of cortisol metabolites (FCM), can be used to assess the impact of social, biological and environmental factors. Measurements of FCM are particularly valuable for endangered species that are logistically challenging to study and where non-invasive techniques are preferred. As the second most endangered canid in Africa, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) has been the focus of considerable conservation research, yet there is still little understanding of factors associated with stress, in either captive or free-ranging populations. The present study therefore aimed to determine whether stress levels differ between captive and free-ranging populations, and to detect social, biological and environmental factors that are stressful in these populations. Faecal samples were collected from 20 captive and 62 free-ranging animals. Within free-ranging populations, the sexes differed significantly, but there was no effect of social status, age or breeding period for either sex.Captive females had higher FCM concentrations than free-ranging females. In captive populations, FCM concentrations differed among zoos and with reproductive status in females, but were not related to age class or group-housing structure. In conclusion, FCM is a useful indicator of stress and should be considered an integrative aspect of management, for both in-situ and ex-situ African wild dog populations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Weyde

Martin

Paris

2016

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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“…In bowhead whales, single samples of fresh baleen from four pregnant females had higher mean immunoreactive cortisol compared to six nonpregnant females; this difference was not statistically significant, but sample size was very low in that pilot study (Hunt et al, 2014b). Elevated GC concentrations in pregnancy have also been reported across a wide variety of other mammals, with varied sample types including plasma, saliva, feces and hair (Bentley, 1998;Carnegie et al, 2011;D'Anna-Hernandez et al, 2011;Dettmer et al, 2015;Fanson et al, 2012;Grant et al, 2014;Meyer and Novak, 2012;Pukazhenthi and Wildt, 2004;Scarlata et al, 2012;Van Meter et al, 2009). Given that the patterns reported here for baleen GCs parallel findings from whale fecal samples as well as from many other taxa, and especially given the excellent temporal alignment of elevations in baleen…”

Section: Baleen Gcs Are Elevated During Pregnanciesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Multi-year longitudinal profiles of cortisol and corticosterone recovered from baleen of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis)

Hunt

Lysiak

Moore

et al. 2017

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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Research into stress physiology of mysticete whales has been hampered by difficulty in obtaining repeated physiological samples from individuals over time. We investigated whether multi-year longitudinal records of glucocorticoids can be reconstructed from serial sampling along full-length baleen plates (representing ~10 years of baleen growth), using baleen recovered from two female North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) of known reproductive history. Cortisol and corticosterone were quantified with immunoassay of subsamples taken every 4 cm (representing ~60 d time intervals) along a full-length baleen plate from each female.In both whales, corticosterone was significantly elevated during known pregnancies (inferred from calf sightings and necropsy data) as compared to intercalving intervals; cortisol was significantly elevated during pregnancies in one female but not the other. Within intercalving intervals, corticosterone was significantly elevated during the first year (lactation year) and/or the second year (post-lactation year) as compared to later years of the intercalving interval, while cortisol showed more variable patterns. Cortisol occasionally showed brief high elevations ("spikes") not paralleled by corticosterone, suggesting that the two glucocorticoids might be differentially responsive to certain stressors. Generally, immunoreactive corticosterone was present in higher concentration in baleen than immunoreactive cortisol; corticosterone:cortisol ratio was usually >4 and was highly variable in both individuals. Further investigation of baleen cortisol and corticosterone profiles could prove fruitful for elucidating long-term, multi-year patterns in stress physiology of large whales, determined retrospectively from stranded or archived specimens. Hunt et al. -Baleen Hormones 3 HIGHLIGHTS• Immunoreactive cortisol and corticosterone are detectable in whale baleen• Single baleen plates contain multi-year longitudinal time series of glucocorticoids• Glucocorticoids tend to be elevated in baleen growth coincident with pregnancy• Corticosterone was present in baleen at much greater concentration than cortisol

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“…Where necessary, data were logarithmically transformed to satisfy the assumption of normal distribution and homogeneity of variances for the parametric tests. A twoway repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine the effects of collection time and treatments (ACTH and control) for both plasma (including the partitioning of cortisol into plasma compartments (free, CBG bound and albumin bound)) and faecal samples (Lèche et al 2011, Legagneux et al 2011, Fanson et al 2012. Treatment (ACTH and control) was the main factor and time was the repeated measure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of ACTH upon faecal glucocorticoid excretion in the koala

Davies¹,

Gillett²,

McAlpine³

et al. 2013

Journal of Endocrinology

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Environmental changes result in physiological responses of organisms, which can adversely affect population dynamics and reduce resistance to disease. These changes are expressed in chronic levels of stress. The measurement of glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations in faeces is a non-invasive method for monitoring stress in wildlife. The metabolism and excretion of steroids differ significantly between species and, as a consequence, non-invasive methods must be physiologically validated for each species. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are declining in numbers through much of their range. The role of chronic stress in koala populations has not been identified. Prior to the assessment of faecal GC concentrations in wild koala populations, the excretion timing and concentrations of GCs need to be determined. In this study, we assessed a method for identifying and measuring the concentrations of GC metabolites in faecal pellets of captive koalas following ACTH treatment. The results show that an elevation of plasma cortisol concentrations, using sustained release of ACTH, results in elevated concentrations of faecal cortisol/cortisol metabolites. Taking into account the excretion time lag, an increase in faecal cortisol metabolite concentrations corresponds to the release of GCs from the adrenal cortex as early as 36 h before faecal pellet collection. The calculations of steroid partitioning of plasma cortisol showed that the ACTH-stimulated values were significantly different from the control values for the concentrations of free, corticosteroid-binding globulin-bound and albumin-bound cortisol. This study validates the use of faecal cortisol analysis to assess the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in freshly collected koala faecal pellets and indicates that the method should be suitable to assess the adrenocortical status of koalas in wild populations.

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Comparative patterns of adrenal activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Cited by 43 publications

References 40 publications

Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Multi-year longitudinal profiles of cortisol and corticosterone recovered from baleen of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis)

The effect of ACTH upon faecal glucocorticoid excretion in the koala

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