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Hediger JA, Spencer BD, Rice MF, Hopper ML, DeYoung RW, Ortega-Santos JA, Fulbright TE, Hewitt DG, Foley AM, Schofield LR, Campbell TA, Sheriff MJ, Cherry MJ. Physiological carry-over effects of variable precipitation are mediated by reproductive status in a long-lived ungulate. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 12:coae045. [PMID: 38974502 PMCID: PMC11224986 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
In the age of global climate change, extreme climatic events are expected to increase in frequency and severity. Animals will be forced to cope with these novel stressors in their environment. Glucocorticoids (i.e. 'stress' hormones) facilitate an animal's ability to cope with their environment. To date, most studies involving glucocorticoids focus on the immediate physiological effects of an environmental stressor on an individual, few studies have investigated the long-term physiological impacts of such stressors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that previous exposure to an environmental stressor will impart lasting consequences to an individual's glucocorticoid levels. In semi-arid environments, variable rainfall drives forage availability for herbivores. Reduced seasonal precipitation can present an extreme environmental stressor potentially imparting long-term impacts on an individual's glucocorticoid levels. We examined the effects of rainfall and environmental characteristics (i.e. soil and vegetation attributes) during fawn-rearing (i.e. summer) on subsequent glucocorticoid levels of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in autumn. We captured 124 adult (≥2.5-year-old) female deer via aerial net-gunning during autumn of 2015, 2016 and 2021 across four populations spanning a gradient of environmental characteristics and rainfall in the semi-arid environment of South Texas, USA. We found for every 1 cm decrease in summer rainfall, faecal glucocorticoid levels in autumn increased 6.9%, but only in lactating females. Glucocorticoid levels in non-lactating, female deer were relatively insensitive to environmental conditions. Our study demonstrates the long-lasting effects of environmental stressors on an individual's glucocorticoid levels. A better understanding of the long-term effects stressors impart on an individual's glucocorticoid levels will help to evaluate the totality of the cost of a stressor to an individual's welfare and predict the consequences of future climate scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Hediger
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Bryan D Spencer
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Michaela F Rice
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road North, Saint Paul, MN 55155, USA
| | - Miranda L Hopper
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Randy W DeYoung
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - J Alfonso Ortega-Santos
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Timothy E Fulbright
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - David G Hewitt
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Aaron M Foley
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
| | - Landon R Schofield
- East Foundation, 200 Concord Plaza Drive, Suite 410, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA
| | - Tyler A Campbell
- East Foundation, 200 Concord Plaza Drive, Suite 410, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA
| | - Michael J Sheriff
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
| | - Michael J Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University –Kingsville, 700 University Boulevard, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
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Anderwald P, Buchmann S, Rempfler T, Filli F. Weather-dependent changes in habitat use by Alpine chamois. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:3. [PMID: 38229138 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00449-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alterations in weather patterns due to climate change are accelerated in alpine environments, but mountains also provide a wide range of niches and potential refuge areas. In order to identify future critical habitat for mountain ungulates for effective protection, it is important to understand their spatial responses to changing weather conditions without movement constraints by human disturbance. METHODS Using integrated step selection functions, we investigated fine-scale changes in seasonal habitat use in response to weather and time of day for 55 GPS-collared adult Alpine chamois in summer and 42 individuals in winter in a strictly protected area. RESULTS Chamois reacted to increasing precipitation and wind speeds primarily by moving to lower elevations in summer and winter. However, reactions to high summer temperatures predominantly involved preferences for increasing tree cover density and northerly slopes. Snow depth had little effect on habitat choice, and southerly slopes were preferred in winter regardless of temperature. At night, chamois moved to steeper slopes and lower elevations than during daytime in both seasons, and to more open areas in summer. Steeper slopes were also preferred with increasing tree cover density. CONCLUSIONS Chamois employ adaptive fine-scale adjustments in their habitat choice consistent with respect to efficient thermoregulation and protection from both weather extremes and predation risk in summer and winter. Movement responses to climate change are therefore expected to be far more complex than simple altitudinal changes in distribution. Particularly the role of forest cover must not be underestimated, as it appears to provide important thermal refuge habitat from high summer temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Anderwald
- Swiss National Park, Chastè Planta-Wildenberg, Runatsch 124, 7530, Zernez, Switzerland.
| | - Sven Buchmann
- Swiss National Park, Chastè Planta-Wildenberg, Runatsch 124, 7530, Zernez, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Rempfler
- Swiss National Park, Chastè Planta-Wildenberg, Runatsch 124, 7530, Zernez, Switzerland
| | - Flurin Filli
- Swiss National Park, Chastè Planta-Wildenberg, Runatsch 124, 7530, Zernez, Switzerland
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Corlatti L, Palme R, Valencak TG, Gomez KM. Season-dependent impact of forage quality on stress in alpine chamois. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10045. [PMID: 37139402 PMCID: PMC10150231 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronically heightened stress levels in wildlife species may have detrimental effects on individual life history traits, for example, through the increased likelihood of disease, parasitic infections, and overall reduced fitness. Understanding the drivers of stress may thus have great potential for informing wildlife conservation. Although the role of climate and individual status is well studied in stress ecology, the impact of related stressors such as dietary quality is of increasing interest to wildlife research and conservation. In this study, fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) in Alpine chamois Rupicapra r. rupicapra used as bioindicators of stress, and their relationship with forage quality-measured as the percentage of fecal crude protein (CP)-were investigated. Data collection took place in 2011 and 2012 in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Western Italian Alps), on 22 individually marked adult males. The relationship between FCMs and CPs was analyzed through linear models and separated between winter and summer months, accounting for the effect of potentially confounding exogenous and endogenous variables. After AICc-based model selection, we found that forage quality was negatively related to FCM levels in Alpine chamois during the summer months, meaning that higher quality forage was associated with the decreased expression of stress hormones. However, during the winter months, we did not find a significant relationship, potentially as a result of forage quality being ubiquitously poor. Although the mechanisms through which dietary variations impact FCM concentrations in wildlife populations are largely unknown, the occurrence of significant relationships between forage quality and stress levels supports potentially important implications for the long-term effect of climatic changes on the fitness of wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Corlatti
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Stelvio National Park – ERSAF LombardiaBormioItaly
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of Veterinary MedicineViennaAustria
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Fattorini N, Lovari S, Franceschi S, Chiatante G, Brunetti C, Baruzzi C, Ferretti F. Animal conflicts escalate in a warmer world. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 871:161789. [PMID: 36716887 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The potential for climate change to affect animal behaviour is widely recognized, yet its possible consequences on aggressiveness are still unclear. If warming and drought limit the availability of food resources, climate change may elicit an increase of intraspecific conflicts stemming from resource competition. By measuring aggressivity indices in a group-living, herbivorous mammal (the Apennine chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) in two sites differing in habitat quality, and coupling them with estimates of plant productivity, we investigated whether harsh climatic conditions accumulated during the growing season influenced agonistic contests at feeding via vegetation-mediated effects, and their interaction with the site-specific habitat quality. We focused on females, which exhibit intra-group contest competition to access nutritious food patches. Accounting for confounding variables, we found that (1) the aggression rate between foraging individuals increased with the warming accumulated over previous weeks; (2) the probability to deliver more aggressive behaviour patterns toward contestants increased with decreasing rainfall recorded in previous weeks; (3) the effects of cumulative warming and drought on aggressivity indices occurred at time windows spanning 15-30 days, matching those found on vegetation productivity; (4) the effects of unfavourable climatic conditions via vegetation growth on aggressivity were independent of the site-specific habitat quality. Simulations conducted on our model species predict a ~50 % increase in aggression rate following the warming projected over the next 60 years. Where primary productivity will be impacted by warming and drought, our findings suggest that the anticipated climate change scenarios may trigger bottom-up consequences on intraspecific animal conflicts. This study opens the doors for a better understanding of the multifactorial origin of aggression in group-living foragers, emphasising how the escalation of agonistic contests could emerge as a novel response of animal societies to ongoing global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Fattorini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy.
| | - Sandro Lovari
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; Maremma Natural History Museum, Strada Corsini 5, 58100 Grosseto, Italy
| | - Sara Franceschi
- Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Siena, Piazza San Francesco 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Gianpasquale Chiatante
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Claudia Brunetti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Carolina Baruzzi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 155 Research Rd., Quincy, FL 32351, USA
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
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Santamaria F, Schlagloth R, Valenza L, Palme R, de Villiers D, Henning J. The Effect of Disease and Injury on Faecal Cortisol Metabolites, as an Indicator of Stress in Wild Hospitalised Koalas, Endangered Australian Marsupials. Vet Sci 2023; 10:vetsci10010065. [PMID: 36669066 PMCID: PMC9864655 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10010065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Santamaria
- Koala Research-Central Queensland and Flora, Fauna and Freshwater Research Cluster, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, QLD 4702, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Rolf Schlagloth
- Koala Research-Central Queensland and Flora, Fauna and Freshwater Research Cluster, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, QLD 4702, Australia
| | | | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Joerg Henning
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
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Donini V, Iacona E, Pedrotti L, Macho-Maschler S, Palme R, Corlatti L. Temporal stability of fecal cortisol metabolites in mountain-dwelling ungulates. Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:20. [PMID: 35325316 PMCID: PMC8948117 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01792-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) are widely used to track stress responses in wildlife and captive species. Rules of thumb suggest that samples should be collected as soon as possible after defecation, to avoid decay of FCMs. To date, however, only a few studies investigated the stability of defecated FCMs over time, and most of them were conducted in controlled laboratory conditions. Here, we investigated the stability of FCMs over seven consecutive days, in two mountain-dwelling ungulates, under natural environmental conditions using a semi-experimental approach. Fecal samples from Northern chamois Rupicapra rupicapra (n = 24) and red deer Cervus elaphus (n = 22) were collected in summer of 2020 within the Stelvio National Park, Italy, and placed in an open area above 2000 m a.s.l. For the next 7 days, we collected a portion of each sample, and all sub-samples were analyzed with an 11-oxoetiocholanolone enzyme immunoassay. Exposure, temperature, and precipitation were fitted as covariates in non-linear generalized mixed models to assess FCM variation over time, and competing models were selected using AICc. For chamois, the best model included only time as a predictor, while for red deer, it included time, precipitation, and exposure. For both species, FCM values decreased rapidly from the first days after deposition until the fourth day. For red deer, in northern-exposed samples, FCM values decreased slower than in south-exposed ones; furthermore, FCM values increased with increasing precipitation. Our results offer a solid methodological basis to wildlife researchers and practitioners interested in the investigation of the ecological factors affecting stress variation in wildlife and support the recommendation to collect samples as fresh as possible, to avoid misleading inference. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the stability of FCMs when other enzyme immunoassays are used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Donini
- Stelvio National Park - ERSAF Lombardia, Via De Simoni 42, 23032, Bormio, Italy
| | - Elisa Iacona
- Stelvio National Park - ERSAF Lombardia, Via De Simoni 42, 23032, Bormio, Italy
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Stelvio National Park - ERSAF Lombardia, Via De Simoni 42, 23032, Bormio, Italy
- Stelvio National Park - Autonomous Province of Trento, Via Roma 65, 38024, Cogolo di Peio, Italy
| | - Sabine Macho-Maschler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luca Corlatti
- Stelvio National Park - ERSAF Lombardia, Via De Simoni 42, 23032, Bormio, Italy.
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Straße 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
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