Non-invasive hormone monitoring as a robust method for determining adrenocortical activity in injured, emaciated and oil-contaminated African penguins undergoing rehabilitation

Scheun, Juan; Ludynia, Katrin; Snyman, Albert; Ganswindt, André

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113703

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…In birds, both urine and faeces are excreted in unison through the cloaca and termed as urofaeces ( Klasing, 2005 ; Scheun et al, 2021 ). Since it appears quite difficult to reliably separate the two matrices without cross-contamination ( Scheun et al 2020 ), the entire sample was collected for analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance

Scheun

Miller

Ganswindt

et al. 2021

Conservation Physiology

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Despite the importance of ecotourism in species conservation, little is known about the industry’s effects on wildlife. In South Africa, some African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) colonies have become tourist attractions. The species is globally endangered, with population sizes decreasing over the past 40 years. As African penguin chicks are altricial and unable to move away from anthropogenic stressors, it is important to evaluate the effect of tourist activities on baseline glucocorticoid levels as a measure of potential disturbance. Chicks at three study sites within two breeding colonies (Robben Island, Stony Point), with varying levels of exposure to tourism (low/moderate/high) were monitored. Urofaecal samples were collected to determine urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite (ufGCM) concentrations as an indication of baseline stress physiology. Morphometric measurements were taken to compare body condition between sites. Penguin chicks experiencing low, infrequent human presence had significantly higher mean (± standard deviation) ufGCM levels [1.34 ± 1.70 μg/g dry weight (DW)] compared to chicks experiencing both medium (0.50 ± 0.40 μg/g DW, P = 0.001) and high levels of human presence (0.57 ± 0.47 μg/g DW, P = 0.003). There was no difference in chick body condition across sites. These results suggest that exposure to frequent human activity may induce habituation/desensitization in African penguin chicks. Acute, infrequent human presence was likely an important driver for comparatively higher ufGCM levels in chicks, though several other environmental stressors may also play an important role in driving adrenocortical activity. Nevertheless, as unhabituated chicks experiencing infrequent anthropogenic presence showed significantly higher ufGCM levels, managers and legislation should attempt to minimize all forms of activity around important breeding colonies that are not already exposed to regular tourism. Although the results of this study are crucial for developing enhanced conservation and management protocols, additional research on the long-term effect of anthropogenic activities on African penguin physiology is required.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance

Scheun

Miller

Ganswindt

et al. 2021

Conservation Physiology

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“…Conversely, there are ample examples showing that the effect of pain caused by illness and injuries in animals can increase stress hormone and, as a consequence, faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentration [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Disease and Injury on Faecal Cortisol Metabolites, as an Indicator of Stress in Wild Hospitalised Koalas, Endangered Australian Marsupials

Santamaria

Schlagloth

Valenza

et al. 2023

Veterinary Sciences

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Loss of habitat, urbanisation, climate change and its consequences are anthropogenic pressures that may cause stress in koalas. Non-invasive monitoring of faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) can be utilised to evaluate the impact of stressors. The aim was to determine if the tetrahydrocorticosterone (50c) and cortisol enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) could be effective in measuring FCM values in wild, stressed koalas. This research included 146 koalas from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital (AZWH) and 88 from a study conducted by Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE), Queensland, Australia. Faecal samples of diseased, injured and control koalas were analysed. The effect of hospitalisation on FCM values was also investigated. Diseased and injured koalas had significantly higher FCM values than clinically healthy control animals as measured by the 50c EIA. FCM values with the cortisol EIA differed significantly between control and diseased koalas, but not between control and injured ones. Moreover, only the 50c EIA detected higher absolute values in males compared to females, and also found that females showed a more elevated response to stress manifested by injury and disease compared to males. The 50c EIA detected stress during hospitalisation better than the cortisol EIA. The cortisol EIA was also found unreliable in detecting stress in rehabilitated koalas treated with synthetic glucocorticoids as it cross-reacts with these steroids providing artificially high values.

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“…Physical stressors such as injury, particularly when associated with pain, are associated with increased glucocorticoid levels in free ranging mammals (Ganswindt et al, 2010; Rolland et al, 2017; Tripp et al, 2011; Wolf et al, 2018) and birds (Scheun et al, 2021). In some species, physical injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untapped potential of physiology, behaviour and immune markers to predict range dynamics and marginality

Shultz

Britnell

Harvey

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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One in five vertebrate species is classified by the IUCN as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered (Hoffmann et al., 2010). These declines and losses are largely attributed to anthropocentric changes in the environment such as land conversion, climate change, and unsustainable natural resource harvesting and extraction (Brook et al., 2008).Ultimately, range contraction and biodiversity loss are the end product of extrinsic or intrinsic challenges leading to population decline, emigration, and local extirpation. Across a species' range, populations occur

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Non-invasive hormone monitoring as a robust method for determining adrenocortical activity in injured, emaciated and oil-contaminated African penguins undergoing rehabilitation

Cited by 5 publications

References 76 publications

Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance

Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance

The Effect of Disease and Injury on Faecal Cortisol Metabolites, as an Indicator of Stress in Wild Hospitalised Koalas, Endangered Australian Marsupials

Untapped potential of physiology, behaviour and immune markers to predict range dynamics and marginality

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