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Damm J, Aureli F, Rangel-Negrín A, Barradas-Moctezuma M, Dias PAD. Analytical and biological validation of a noninvasive measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites in feces of Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23598. [PMID: 38258612 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
We report on an analytical and biological validation of a commercial cortisol enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure glucocorticoids (GC) in feces of Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Validation of endocrinological methods for each sample matrix and study species is crucial to establish that the methods produce reliable results. For the analytical validation of the EIA, we assessed parallelism, accuracy, and precision. We carried out a biological validation based on three well-studied GC patterns with the following predictions: (1) increased fecal GC metabolite (fGCM) concentrations after veterinary intervention; (2) increased fGCM concentrations during early morning hours; and (3) higher fGCM concentrations during gestation than in other female reproductive states. For the first prediction, we sampled feces of two zoo-housed females 2 days before, the day of, and 2 days after a veterinary intervention. For the second prediction, we analyzed 284 fecal samples collected from 12 wild males using a linear mixed model (LMM). For the third prediction, we analyzed 269 fecal samples of eight wild females using an LMM. Analytical validation revealed that the EIA showed parallelism, was accurate, and precise within each assay. However, there was elevated variation in between-assay precision. The biological validation supported all predictions: (1) the two zoo-housed females showed a substantial increase in fGCM concentrations 2.5 and 11 h after veterinary intervention; (2) there was a negative effect of sample collection time on fGCM concentrations (i.e., higher concentrations during early morning); (3) gestating females had significantly higher fGCM concentrations than lactating females. Thus, we analytically validated the commercial EIA and, despite between-assay variation, we were able to find three biologically relevant GC signals in captive and wild settings, and in males and females. We are therefore confident that the method can be used to noninvasively address behavioral endocrinology questions in Geoffroy's spider monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Damm
- Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Filippo Aureli
- Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ariadna Rangel-Negrín
- Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | | | - Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
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2
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Pérez-Ortega B, Hendry AP. A meta-analysis of human disturbance effects on glucocorticoid hormones in free-ranging wild vertebrates. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1459-1471. [PMID: 37095625 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Free-ranging wild vertebrates need to cope with natural and anthropogenic stressors that cause short and/or long-term behavioural and physiological responses. In areas of high human disturbance, the use of glucocorticoid (GC) hormones as biomarkers to measure stress responses is an increasingly common tool for understanding how animals cope with human disturbance. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate how human disturbances such as habitat conversion, habitat degradation, and ecotourism influence baseline GC hormones of free-ranging wild vertebrates, and we further test the role of protected areas in reducing the impact of such disturbances on these hormones. A total of 58 studies met the inclusion criteria, providing 152 data points for comparing levels of GC hormones under disturbed and undisturbed conditions. The overall effect size suggests that human disturbance does not cause a consistent increase in levels of GC hormones (Hedges' g = 0.307, 95% CI = -0.062 to 0.677). However, when the data were analysed by disturbance type, living in unprotected areas or in areas with habitat conversion were found to increase GC hormone levels compared to living in protected or undisturbed areas. By contrast, we found no evidence that ecotourism or habitat degradation generates a consistent increase in baseline GC hormone levels. Among taxonomic groups, mammals appeared more sensitive to human disturbance than birds. We advocate the use of GC hormones for inferring major human-caused contributors to the stress levels of free-ranging wild vertebrates - although such information needs to be combined with other measures of stress and interpreted in the context of an organism's life history, behaviour, and history of interactions with human disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betzi Pérez-Ortega
- McGill University, Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0C4, Canada
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 0843-03092, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Andrew P Hendry
- McGill University, Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0C4, Canada
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3
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Ordóñez-Gómez JD, Schamberg I, Hammerschmidt K. The acoustic structure of spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) calls is related both to caller goal and arousal. Am J Primatol 2023:e23508. [PMID: 37191136 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Analyzing the factors related to the acoustic structure of primate calls is fundamental to identifying the potential information these signals convey, and therefore, their potential function. It is well-accepted that caller arousal is an important driver of acoustic variation in call structure. However, evidence suggests that arousal alone cannot explain the production of calls with different acoustic structures. The "caller goal" framework posits that a call type (e.g., bark and chitter) is a signal which evolved to elicit specific changes on receiver behavior, and a caller's goal, not its arousal state, determines the basic acoustic structure of animal calls. To get a better insight into the effects of caller goal and arousal on the acoustic structure of primate calls, we analyzed the acoustic variation of 382 calls produced by 27 free-ranging spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in six call contexts representing three caller goals (establishing contact, engage in aggression, and predator presence) across two arousal states (high and low). Discriminant function analyses and linear mixed models showed a strong effect of caller goal on calls' acoustic structure and supported the effect of arousal state on acoustic variation; misclassified calls mainly occurred between the same caller goal categories (e.g., alarm low arousal and alarm high arousal), and acoustic differences between arousal contexts showed the same pattern across the three caller goals (e.g., low center frequency [kHz] values in high arousal contexts). Our results supported the view that caller goal is the primary driver of acoustic difference and showed the effects of caller arousal on other structural differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- José D Ordóñez-Gómez
- División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-L, Estado de México, México
| | - Isaac Schamberg
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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4
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Kaisin O, Bufalo F, Amaral R, Palme R, Poncin P, Brotcorne F, Culot L. Linking glucocorticoid variations to monthly and daily behavior in a wild endangered neotropical primate. Am J Primatol 2023:e23503. [PMID: 37157182 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the factors swaying physiological stress levels in wild animals can help depict how they cope with environmental and social stressors, shedding light on their feeding ecology, behavioral plasticity, and adaptability. Here, we used noninvasive methods to explore the link between glucocorticoid levels and behavior in an endangered neotropical primate facing habitat fragmentation pressure, the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus). We investigated monthly and day-to-day glucocorticoid variations independently to attempt to disentangle the complex nature of the adrenocortical activity. Between May 2019 to March 2020, we followed two groups of black lion tamarins in two different areas, a continuous forest and a small fragment, and gathered behavioral data (over 95 days in total; 8.6 ± 3.9 days/month) and fecal samples (Nsamples = 468; 4.93 ± 3.5 samples/day) simultaneously. Preliminary analyses enabled us to identify circadian variations linked to the biological rhythm, which were taken into account in subsequent models. Monthly analyses revealed that black lion tamarin fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels vary according to changes in activity budget associated with the fruit consumption, movement, and resting time of the groups. At a day-to-day level, while intergroup encounters led to increases in fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations, we found that changes in food intake or activity level did not trigger physiological stress responses. These findings suggest that diet and ranging patterns, driven by food availability and distribution, influence physiological stress at a seasonal scale, while acute stressors such as interspecific competition trigger short-term stress responses. Exploring fecal glucocorticoid metabolite variations over different timescales can help uncover the predictive and reactive facets of physiological stress in wild species. Moreover, having a comprehensive understanding of the physiological state of species is a valuable conservation tool for evaluating how they cope in changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Kaisin
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Research Unit SPHERES, University of Liège, Arlon, Belgium
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Evolução e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe Bufalo
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Evolução e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Amaral
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pascal Poncin
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Research Unit FOCUS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Fany Brotcorne
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Research Unit SPHERES, University of Liège, Arlon, Belgium
| | - Laurence Culot
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
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Rangel-Negrín A, Gómez-Espinosa EE, Chavira-Ramírez DR, Dias PAD. Dog barks influence the physiological stress and behavior of a wild primate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 882:163585. [PMID: 37088396 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Non-lethal impacts of dogs on primates have seldom been assessed. We used an experimental approach to determine if mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) perceive dog barks as an aversive stimulus and thus display physiological and behavioral responses toward simulated barks. For one year (1754 h of observations) we studied 16 adult males belonging to five groups in Los Tuxtlas (Mexico), and recorded the occurrence of naturally occurring dog barks, their sound pressure level (SPL), and the behavioral responses of howler monkeys to barks. We then exposed males to bark playbacks at two SPL treatments, 40 and 80 dB in a total of 50 experiments. We assayed glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in fecal samples (fGCM) as a marker of the physiological stress response of males. We also recorded the duration of vigilance, vocalizations, and flight in relation to playbacks. Naturally occurring barks were frequent and usually elicited behavioral responses by males. fGCM concentrations increased after bark playbacks and with stimuli intensity. Time spent vigilant increased following playbacks independently of stimuli intensity but both vocalizations and flight were linked to stimuli intensity: vocalizations were the longest after barks played-back at 80 dB, but males spent more time fleeing in response to 40 dB bark playbacks. These results provide evidence that dog barks are pervasive in the habitat of mantled howler monkeys living at Los Tuxtlas and disturb males, both physiologically and behaviorally. Although the potential costs of physiological and behavioral responses could not be determined, there is sufficient evidence to assume that they do have negative impacts on individuals. Therefore, our study provides avenues for future research on dog-wildlife interactions and valuable information for the design of conservation actions aimed at mitigating the impact of dogs on mantled howler monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariadna Rangel-Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.
| | | | - David Roberto Chavira-Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.
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6
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Chen-Kraus C, Raharinoro NA, Randrianirinarisoa MA, Anderson DJ, Lawler RR, Watts DP, Richard AF. Human-Lemur Coexistence in a Multiple-Use Landscape. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.779861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human impacts on the natural world are increasing and are generally considered a threat to wildlife conservation and the persistence of species. However, not all human activities are antithetical to conservation and not all taxa are impacted in the same ways. Understanding how wildlife respond to human activities at the population and individual level will help inform management of landscapes where humans and wildlife can coexist. We examined the effects of anthropogenic activities on a critically endangered primate, Verreaux’s sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), at a multiple-use reserve in southwest Madagascar. Specifically, we sought to determine which activities the sifakas perceived as disturbances, using the framework of the risk disturbance hypothesis (RDH). The RDH holds that animals will respond to perceived disturbances as they do to predation threats. We therefore predicted that sifakas would be more vigilant, spend more time in high forest strata, reduce their daily feeding time, and occur at lower densities in response to high levels of perceived disturbance. Using data on sifaka behavior and spatial distribution, and the frequencies of anthropogenic activities, we found that sifakas increased vigilance and their height above the ground in response to certain human-related activities, notably those of domestic dogs. Contrary to our predictions, however, we did not find a negative effect of anthropogenic activities on daily activity budgets or population density. The relationship between the occurrence of sifakas and the intensity of tree cutting was actually positive. Our results indicate that sifakas perceive certain anthropogenic activities as threats and respond with immediate behavioral shifts, but that these activities do not have a discernible negative impact on the reserve’s population at this time. These results suggest that lemur conservation can be successful even in areas that are subject to moderate human use.
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7
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Boyle SA, de la Sancha NU, Pérez P, Kabelik D. Small mammal glucocorticoid concentrations vary with forest fragment size, trap type, and mammal taxa in the Interior Atlantic Forest. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2111. [PMID: 33542277 PMCID: PMC7862606 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81073-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Species that live in degraded habitats often show signs of physiological stress. Glucocorticoid hormones (e.g., corticosterone and cortisol) are often assessed as a proxy of the extent of physiological stress an animal has experienced. Our goal was to quantify glucocorticoids in free-ranging small mammals in fragments of Interior Atlantic Forest. We extracted glucocorticoids from fur samples of 106 small mammals (rodent genera Akodon and Oligoryzomys, and marsupial genera Gracilinanus and Marmosa) from six forest fragments (2–1200 ha) in the Reserva Natural Tapytá, Caazapá Department, Paraguay. To our knowledge, this is the first publication of corticosterone and cortisol levels for three of the four sampled genera (Akodon, Oligoryzomys, and Marmosa) in this forest system. We discovered three notable results. First, as predicted, glucocorticoid levels were higher in individuals living withing small forest fragments. Second, animals captured live using restraint trapping methods (Sherman traps) had higher glucocorticoid levels than those animals captured using kill traps (Victor traps), suggesting that hair glucocorticoid measures can reflect acute stress levels in addition to long-term glucocorticoid incorporation. These acute levels are likely due to urinary steroids diffusing into the hair shaft. This finding raises a concern about the use of certain trapping techniques in association with fur hormone analysis. Finally, as expected, we also detected genus-specific differences in glucocorticoid levels, as well as cortisol/corticosterone ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Boyle
- Department of Biology and Program in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA.
| | - Noé U de la Sancha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chicago State University, Chicago, IL, USA.,The Field Museum, Integrative Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pastor Pérez
- Facultad Politécnica, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
| | - David Kabelik
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA
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Kaisin O, Fuzessy L, Poncin P, Brotcorne F, Culot L. A meta-analysis of anthropogenic impacts on physiological stress in wild primates. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2021; 35:101-114. [PMID: 33037677 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
As humanity continues to alter the environment extensively, comprehending the effect of anthropogenic disturbances on the health, survival, and fitness of wildlife is a crucial question for conservation science. Many primate populations occupy suboptimal habitats prone to diverse anthropogenic disturbances that may be sources of acute and chronic stress. Quantification of glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations has repeatedly been used to explore the impact of disturbances on physiological stress. Although it is still debated, prolonged elevation of GC levels may impair reproduction, growth, and immune system activity of individuals. We quantified the effect of anthropogenic disturbances on physiological stress in primates with a global meta-analysis based on data from 26 articles, covering 24 distinct species in 13 different countries. Anthropogenic disturbances were classified into 6 distinct categories: habitat loss, habitat degradation, ongoing logging, hunting, tourism, and other human activities. We calculated effect sizes (Hedges' g) with the standardized mean difference in GC concentrations between primates affected by human activity and their undisturbed conspecifics. We ran random-effects models and subgroup analyses to estimate the overall effect as well as a cumulative effect size for each disturbance category. Overall, primates inhabiting sites subject to anthropogenic disturbances exhibited significantly higher GC levels (g = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.28-0.93). Habitat loss and hunting were overall associated with increased GC concentrations, whereas the cumulative effects of the other disturbances were not statistically significant. Biologically, high GC levels may increase fitness by enabling individuals to overcome the challenges linked to anthropogenic disturbances. However, primates in disturbed environments may have sustained elevated GC levels. To strengthen future research, it is necessary to control confounding factors systematically (e.g., diet, reproductive status, predatory pressure, and resource availability) and improve understanding of the link between GC levels and the health, fitness, and survival of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Kaisin
- Research Unit SPHERES, University of Liège, Avenue de Longwy 185, Arlon, 6700, Belgium
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Lisieux Fuzessy
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Pascal Poncin
- Research Unit FOCUS, University of Liège, Allée du six Août 11, Liège, 4000, Belgium
| | - Fany Brotcorne
- Research Unit SPHERES, University of Liège, Avenue de Longwy 185, Arlon, 6700, Belgium
| | - Laurence Culot
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil
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9
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Hernández-Arciga U, Herrera M LG, Königsberg M, Valdez RA, Flores-Martínez JJ, Romano MC. Synergetic effects of immune challenge and stress depress cortisol, inflammatory response and antioxidant activity in fish-eating Myotis. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb234914. [PMID: 33161382 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.234914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the most common tools in conservation physiology is the assessment of environmental stress via glucocorticoid measurement. However, little is known of its relationship with other stress-related biomarkers, and how the incidence of an immune challenge during long-term stress could affect an individual's overall stress response. We investigated here the relationship between basal and post-acute stress fecal cortisol metabolite (FC) with different antioxidant enzymes, oxidative damage and immune parameters in the fish-eating bat, Myotis vivesi We found that in both basal and post-stress conditions, FC was highly related with a number of antioxidant enzymes and immune parameters, but not to oxidative damage. We also assessed changes of FC through the seasons. Basal FC samples and stress reactivity after short-duration stress displayed similar levels during summer, autumn and early winter, but lower concentrations in late winter. Stress reactivity after long-duration stress was greater in summer and early winter. Finally, we tested the effect of a simultaneous exposure to a long, strong stress stimulus with an immune response stimulation by administrating adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) after 42 h. Results showed that when both stimuli were administrated, FC concentrations, inflammation and some antioxidant activity were lowered in comparison with the control and individual administration of the challenges. Our findings support the idea that animals maintain constant basal glucocorticoid levels when living in challenging environments, but response to acute stress differs seasonally and immune defense mechanisms and stress responses might be compromised when confronted with multiple challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulalume Hernández-Arciga
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-153, Ciudad de México, 04510 Mexico
- Laboratorio de Bioenergética y Envejecimiento Celular, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, 09340 Mexico
| | - L Gerardo Herrera M
- Estación de Biología Chamela, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 21, San Patricio, JAL, 48980 Mexico
| | - Mina Königsberg
- Laboratorio de Bioenergética y Envejecimiento Celular, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, 09340 Mexico
| | - Ricardo A Valdez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados, Ciudad de México, 07360 Mexico
| | - José Juan Flores-Martínez
- Laboratorio de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510 Mexico
| | - Marta C Romano
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados, Ciudad de México, 07360 Mexico
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10
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Chaves ÓM, Fernandes FA, Oliveira GT, Bicca-Marques JC. Assessing the influence of biotic, abiotic, and social factors on the physiological stress of a large Neotropical primate in Atlantic forest fragments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 690:705-716. [PMID: 31301510 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife physiological responses to environmental and human-related stressors provide useful clues on animal welfare. Non-invasive biomarkers, such as fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM), allow researchers to assess whether variations in habitat quality, behavior, and climate influence the animals' physiological stress. We examined the role of fragment size, ambient temperature, ripe fruit availability and consumption, percentage of records moving, sex, female reproductive state, and group composition as predictors of the level of fGCM in adult brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) inhabiting three small (<10 ha) and three large (>90 ha) Atlantic Forest fragments in southern Brazil. We collected bimonthly behavioral data and fecal samples from adult individuals over three years, and used a multimodel inference framework to identify the main predictors of fGCM. We found that the mean (±SD) fGCM in the study groups ranged from 57 ± 49 ng/g to 93 ± 58 ng/g, which were within the known range for howler monkeys. We found 10 best models including five of the 17 tested variables. Sex and reproductive state were the only variables included in all these models. We found that fGCM was higher in nursing females (mean ± SD = 104 ± 73 ng/g) than in non-nursing females (64 ± 55 ng/g) and males (53 ± 40 ng/g, P < 0.05) and that it decreased with increasing ripe fruit consumption and minimum temperature. However, fragment size did not predict fGCM concentration (groups in small fragments = 71 ± 58 ng/g vs. groups in large fragments = 63 ± 54 ng/g, P > 0.05). We conclude that factors related to the energetic balance of individuals play major roles in modulating the physiological stress of brown howler monkeys. Future studies should investigate the consequences of higher levels of stress hormones on howler monkey health and demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Óscar M Chaves
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Felipe Amorim Fernandes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia da Conservação, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Laboratório de Piscicultura, Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Campus São Vicente do Sul, São Vicente do Sul, Brazil
| | - Guendalina Turcato Oliveira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia da Conservação, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
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11
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Cañadas Santiago S, Dias PAD, Garau S, Coyohua Fuentes A, Chavira Ramírez DR, Canales Espinosa D, Rangel Negrín A. Behavioral and physiological stress responses to local spatial disturbance and human activities by howler monkeys at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Anim Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Cañadas Santiago
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
- Posgrado en Neuroetología Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
| | - P. A. D. Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
| | - S. Garau
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
- Posgrado en Neuroetología Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
| | - A. Coyohua Fuentes
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
| | - D. R. Chavira Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán Ciudad de México México
| | - D. Canales Espinosa
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
| | - A. Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa México
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12
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Ordóñez-Gómez JD, Santillan-Doherty AM, Hammerschmidt K. Acoustic variation of spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) contact calls is related to caller isolation and affects listeners' responses. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213914. [PMID: 30943237 PMCID: PMC6447145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Group living animals produce vocalizations denominated "contact calls" to maintain contact with out-of-sight group members. These calls have been shown to vary with caller identity and distance to potential listeners. However, it is not clear whether the acoustic variation of contact calls is related to caller social isolation (e.g., inside or outside a subgroup) and listeners' responses that can be helpful to maintain contact. Here, we addressed these questions in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), a Neotropical primate that exchanges contact calls denominated "whinnies", which show graded variation related to caller immediate behavior and distance between callers. Using 566 whinnies produced by 35 free-ranging adult spider monkeys recorded at ≤ 20 m from microphones, we first analyzed whether the acoustic variation of spontaneous whinnies (i.e., whinnies that are not responses to previous whinnies) is related to caller social isolation or whether acoustic variation is related to the likelihood of eliciting a response whinny from another individual. Secondly, we assessed whether listeners' responses (i.e., time to respond vocally, acoustic characteristics of response whinnies, orienting behaviors) were related to the acoustic variation of previous whinnies. Our study revealed that callers that were outside a subgroup produced whinnies with a lower fundamental frequency (F0), which travels longer distances, and increases the likelihood of producing a response whinny. Moreover, listeners (i.e., responders) responded faster to lower F0 whinnies. However, the acoustic variation (i.e., F0 variation) in response whinnies was better explained by the separation distance between callers, than by the acoustic variation of the previous whinny. Overall, our results suggest that whinny variation facilitates vocal contact to callers that are outside a subgroup, and that context and whinny variation affect listeners' responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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13
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Edwards KL, Edes AN, Brown JL. Stress, Well-Being and Reproductive Success. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1200:91-162. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-23633-5_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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14
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Gestich CC, Arroyo‐Rodríguez V, Ribeiro MC, da Cunha RGT, Setz EZF. Unraveling the scales of effect of landscape structure on primate species richness and density of titi monkeys (
Callicebus nigrifrons
). Ecol Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.1009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carla C. Gestich
- Departamento de Biologia Animal Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Víctor Arroyo‐Rodríguez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Morelia Michoacán Mexico
| | - Milton C. Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação (LEEC), Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
| | - Rogério G. T. da Cunha
- Instituto de Ciências da Natureza Universidade Federal de Alfenas Alfenas Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Eleonore Z. F. Setz
- Departamento de Biologia Animal Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas São Paulo Brazil
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15
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Ordóñez-Gómez JD, Santillán-Doherty AM, Fischer J, Hammerschmidt K. Acoustic variation of spider monkeys' contact calls (whinnies) is related to distance between vocalizing individuals and immediate caller behavior. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22747. [PMID: 29566275 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 12/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Due to several factors such as ecological conditions, group size, and social organization, primates frequently spend time out of visual contact with individuals of their own group. Through the use of long-distance vocalizations, often termed "contact calls," primates are able to maintain contact with out-of-sight individuals. Contact calls have been shown to be individually distinct, and reverberation and attenuation provide information about caller distance. It is less clear, however, whether callers actively change the structure of contact calls depending on the distance to the presumed listeners. We studied this question in spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), a species with complex spatial dynamics (fission-fusion society) that produces highly frequency modulated contact calls, denominated "whinnies." We determined the acoustic characteristics of 566 whinnies recorded from 35 free-ranging spider monkeys that belong to a community located in Mexico, and used cluster analyses, discriminant function analyses, and generalized linear mixed models to assess if they varied in relation to the presumed distance to the listener. Whinnies could be grouped into five subtypes. Since the lowest frequency subtype was mainly produced by spider monkeys that exchanged whinnies at longer distances, and lower frequency calls propagate across longer distances, our results suggest that whinnies vary in order to enhance vocal contact between individuals separated by different distances. Our results also revealed that whinnies convey potential information about caller immediate behaviors and corroborated that these calls are individually distinct. Overall, our results suggest that whinny acoustic variation facilitates the maintenance of vocal contact between individuals living in a society with complex spatial dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana M Santillán-Doherty
- Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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16
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Rangel-Negrín A, Coyohua-Fuentes A, Canales-Espinosa D, Dias PAD. The Influence of Leaf Consumption on Time Allocation in Black Howler Monkeys (Alouatta pigra). Folia Primatol (Basel) 2018. [PMID: 29514166 DOI: 10.1159/000486414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of factors that determine variation in time budgets is important to understand the interactions between environment, behaviour and fitness. We tested the hypothesis that changes in the dietary patterns of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) caused by a decrease in the availability of preferred foods are a main determinant of variation in time budgets. We predicted that individuals would trade off travel time for resting time (i.e., minimize energy expenditure) as the diet included more leaves. We conducted our study in the Mexican state of Campeche between 2005 and 2008, where we studied the behaviour of 28 adult males and 32 adult females belonging to 14 different groups for a total of 3,747.2 focal sampling hours. Study groups lived in forest fragments with variation in habitat quality. Individuals showed different rest:travel trade-offs in response to leaf consumption according to the quality of the forest fragments they lived in. Individuals that lived in high-quality fragments increased resting time under more folivorous regimes, whereas those living in low-quality fragments increased travel time. Our results suggest that howler monkeys living in low-quality fragments spend more time foraging to compensate for the low quality of the available resources.
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17
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Female Spider Monkeys ( Ateles geoffroyi) Cope with Anthropogenic Disturbance Through Fission-Fusion Dynamics. INT J PRIMATOL 2017; 38:838-855. [PMID: 29249843 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9981-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Most primates live in habitats with some level of anthropogenic disturbance, and such disturbances have a larger impact on frugivorous primates that are more sensitive to ecological disruptions than folivores. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites provide insight into how the external environment affects internal physiological state, and thus provide information on how anthropogenic pressures become embodied. Here, I examine how subgroup size and glucocorticoids vary with high and low fruit abundance, and how fruit abundance, subgroup size, and activity budget affect fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in female spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) living in an anthropogenically disturbed habitat. I measured these variables via behavioral, ecological, and fecal sampling for 15 months in 17 female spider monkeys at El Zota Biological Field Station. Subgroup size was significantly larger during periods of high fruit abundance, but glucocorticoids did not differ between periods of low and high fruit abundance. Monthly fruit abundance predicted subgroup sizes significantly, but did not predict fecal glucocorticoid concentrations. Increased resting time and reproductive state predicted fecal glucocorticoid concentrations significantly, but travel and foraging time had no significant effect on glucocorticoid concentrations. Individual resting time over the study period correlated negatively with glucocorticoid concentrations. These results suggest that spider monkeys cope with variation in fruit abundance by adjusting subgroup size, and that these adjustments may mitigate environmental stress in this mildly seasonal environment. The large, relatively productive forest size at this site, and the availability of anthropogenic food sources, enable this population of spider monkeys to cope with human-induced habitat disturbance.
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18
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Cantarelli VI, Perez-Rueda MA, Kowalewski MM, Mastromonaco GF, Ponzio MF. Validation of an enzyme immunoassay and comparison of fecal cortisol metabolite levels in black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) inhabiting fragmented and continuous areas of the humid Chaco region, Argentina. Am J Primatol 2017; 79:1-9. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Inés Cantarelli
- INICSA-CONICET and Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Córdoba Argentina
| | - Maria Amparo Perez-Rueda
- Estación Biológica Corrientes; Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales-CONICET; Corrientes Argentina
| | - Martin M. Kowalewski
- Estación Biológica Corrientes; Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales-CONICET; Corrientes Argentina
| | | | - Marina Flavia Ponzio
- INICSA-CONICET and Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Cátedra de Fisiología Humana; Córdoba Argentina
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