Non-invasive measurement of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in Upland Geese Chloephaga picta

Koch, Martina; Möstl, Erich; Steinmetz, Hanspeter W.; Clauß, Marcus; Masello, Juan F.; Quillfeldt, Petra

doi:10.1007/s00300-008-0529-6

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…Although in birds, renal and faecal matter are jointly excreted via the cloaca [ 50 ], the turn-over time of corticosterone in uric acid is faster than from faecal matter, suggesting that the first peak (11:00–11:15) reflects corticosterone metabolites from uric acid, and the second peak (12:30–12:45) might be a sign of corticosterone metabolites from faecal excretion. This is consistent with data found in other goose and sheldgoose species [ 56 , 65 , 66 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Diel pattern of corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) under continuous natural light

et al. 2017

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Here we describe the excretion pattern of corticosterone metabolites collected from droppings in barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) raised under 24 hours of continuous natural light in the Arctic. In lower latitudes, circulating corticosterone peaks around waking and shows a nadir between midnight and 4:00, whereas the peak and nadir are time-delayed slightly when measuring corticosterone metabolites from droppings. Photoperiod, along with other environmental factors, helps to entrain an animal’s endogenous rhythm to that of the natural world. North of the Arctic Circle, photoperiod may not be a reliable cue as light is continuously absent during the winter and continuously present during the summer. Here, for the first time, we used droppings to describe a 24-hour excretion pattern of corticosterone metabolites (CORTm). By applying circular statistics for dependent data, we found a diel rhythmic pattern even under continuous natural light. We discuss potential alternative ‘Zeitgeber’ that may function even in the polar regions, focusing on melatonin. We propose a line of research to measure melatonin non-invasively from droppings. We also provide a validation of the adopted enzyme immunoassay (EIA) that was originally developed for greylag geese.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Diel pattern of corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) under continuous natural light

et al. 2017

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“…A subsample of 0.08 g of dried samples was mixed with 1 ml double-distilled water, to compensate for the water loss during drying (see Koch et al 2009 ), and 1.5 ml methanol before vortexing for 30 min. Ethanol samples were dried using a STERIS Lyovac GT-2E freeze dryer and then treated like dried samples (see above).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, as glucocorticoids are metabolised in a species-specific manner before excretion and assays need to be validated for each species, we wanted to test whether these findings from studies in primates may be transferred to an avian system. A previous study by Koch et al ( 2009 ) on captive Upland geese showed that the concentrations of corticosterone metabolites (CM) of frozen and dried samples were highly correlated, indicating that the collection of droppings followed by drying might be an easy way to prepare samples for transport during fieldwork. However, Koch et al ( 2009 ) used a freeze-dryer, equipment that is not necessarily available under fieldwork conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A previous study by Koch et al ( 2009 ) on captive Upland geese showed that the concentrations of corticosterone metabolites (CM) of frozen and dried samples were highly correlated, indicating that the collection of droppings followed by drying might be an easy way to prepare samples for transport during fieldwork. However, Koch et al ( 2009 ) used a freeze-dryer, equipment that is not necessarily available under fieldwork conditions. We thus tested this method under fieldwork condition by air-drying samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can faecal glucocorticoid metabolites be used to monitor body condition in wild Upland geese Chloephaga picta leucoptera?

Gladbach

Koch

et al. 2011

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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The measurement of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites is used as a non-invasive technique to study stress in animal populations. They have been used most widely in mammals, and mammalian studies have also treated issues such as sample stability and storage methods. In birds, faecal corticosterone metabolite (CM) assays have been validated for a small number of species, and adequate storage under field conditions has not been addressed explicitly in previous studies. Furthermore, while it is well-established that baseline plasma corticosterone levels in birds rise with declining body condition, no study so far investigated if this relationship is also reflected in faecal samples. We here present data of a field study in wild Upland geese Chloephaga picta leucoptera on the Falkland Islands, testing different storage methods and investigating the relationship of faecal CM concentrations to body condition and reproductive parameters. We found that faecal CM measures are significantly repeatable within individuals, higher in individuals with lower body condition in both male and female wild Upland geese and higher in later breeding females with smaller broods. These results suggest that measuring faecal CM values may be a valuable non-invasive tool to monitor the relative condition or health of individuals and populations, especially in areas where there still is intense hunting practice.

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“…To measure plasma indices, a blood sample is required but non-invasive techniques (e.g. samples from faeces) have also been used in geese (Koch et al, 2009). Caution is required in the interpretation of stress responses because large and consistent individual differences are seen in the way that individual animals deal with stressors and these have recently been demonstrated in geese (Pisa et al, 2006;Kralj-Fiser et al, 2010).…”

Section: Fear and Distress During Feather Collection In Geesementioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Opinion on the practice of harvesting (collecting) feathers from live geese for down production

2010

EFSA Journal

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The Scientific Opinion on the practice of collecting feathers from live geese for down production concluded that removing feathers from live geese can be carried without causing pain, suffering or injury to the birds, if feathers are gathered. Gathering feathers from live geese is defined as removing feathers that are ripe due to the phenomenon of moulting and would never result in tissue damage. Plucking is the forcible removal of feathers that results in bleeding follicles and possibly other skin damage such as tears and bruising. The possibility that feathers are plucked cannot be excluded and it seems that at least minor suffering from pain and injuries is unavoidable under current commercial conditions. The process of catching, carrying and restraining the bird is the same whether feathers are gathered or plucked. Incorrect handling can include carrying the bird by the neck, legs or by one wing, restraining by sitting on the neck of the bird and throwing or dropping the bird. Bloody feathers, skin injuries, posture changes (e.g. hanging wings), dead birds and broken or dislocated bones are welfare‐outcome indicators which could be used to assess the welfare of geese submitted to feather collection. It is recommended that only ripe feathers should be removed from live geese. A control system should be in place to ensure this is carried out in practice. The presence of skin tears and blood or tissue and the presence of non‐ripe feathers in the collected feather material should be used to distinguish between plucking and gathering. Operators should be aware of good animal handling methods and the differentiation between ripe and unripe feathers. Further studies should be encouraged to improve the validity and reliability of welfare‐outcome indicators. The method to evaluate the maturity of the feathers should be validated and further developed.

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Non-invasive measurement of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites in Upland Geese Chloephaga picta

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Diel pattern of corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) under continuous natural light

Diel pattern of corticosterone metabolites in Arctic barnacle goslings (Branta leucopsis) under continuous natural light

Can faecal glucocorticoid metabolites be used to monitor body condition in wild Upland geese Chloephaga picta leucoptera?

Scientific Opinion on the practice of harvesting (collecting) feathers from live geese for down production

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