Stressful living in lower‐quality habitats? Body mass, feeding behavior and physiological stress levels in wild wood mouse populations

Abstract

Wild populations are continuously subjected to changes in environmental factors that pose different challenges. Body condition and hormones have been commonly used as health indicators due to their potential correlation with fitness. In the present study, we analyzed whether habitats of different quality, influenced body mass, food intake and physiological stress levels in wild wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Field work was seasonally carried out in Holm oak woods and pine forests in central Spain. 93 wood mice from 4 different populations (2 per habitat type) were live-trapped. From each captured individual we noted body mass and food intake, measured as the amount of bait remaining in each trap. The physiological stress levels were measured non-invasively in collected fresh faeces by quantifying faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) with a 5α-pregnane-3ß,11ß, 21-triol-20-one enzyme immunoassay. Wood mice abundances decreased from spring to summer, were higher in Holm oak woods than in pine forests and also resulted in different age-class distribution between both habitats. Individuals inhabiting pine forests showed a lower body mass and increased food intake probably because the comparatively lower food quality and availability in this habitat. Further, these individuals showed increased physiological stress levels, likely due to the lower quality habitat regarding both food and vegetation cover availability. Overall, besides affecting local wood mouse abundance, our study underscores the effect of habitat quality on body mass, food intake and the endocrine stress response. Considering wood mouse pivotal position in ecosystems, these results could help in the understanding of environmental traits hampering viability of wild populations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Natural and anthropogenic sources of habitat variation influence exploration behaviour, stress response, and brain morphology in a coastal fish

“…Elevated chronic stress in more open habitats may explain why fish tended to show weaker stress responses in sites with lower frequency of rock habitat, a trend contrary to our original prediction. While this pattern was not especially clear (FDR‐adjusted p ≈ 0.06), it is consistent with some prior work in other prey taxa showing lower chronic stress levels in habitats with greater availability of cover/refuge (Bauer et al., 2013; Mateo, 2007; Navarro‐Castilla & Barja, 2019). This leads to a testable hypothesis for future work, as higher structural habitat complexity may offer stress‐alleviating effects in Bahamas mosquitofish.…”

Exploratory and agile behaviors with central dopaminergic activities in open field tests in Formosan wood mice (Apodemus semotus)

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