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Currier SA, Whitt JG, Reyna KS. Biological validation of faecal corticosterone metabolites as a non-invasive stress assessment in translocated California valley quail ( Callipepla californica). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 12:coae012. [PMID: 38616893 PMCID: PMC11015821 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
US quail species are vulnerable to population declines as a result of climate change, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, all of which can result in physiological stress. Additionally, population restoration techniques (PRTs), like translocations, also induce stress. Traditional assessments of avian stress hormone levels include capturing and handling birds to extract blood, methods that are inherently stressful and can compound stress analyses. However, the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) is metabolized from the blood and excreted in faeces as faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs). FCMs have been used as a non-invasive measurement of stress hormone levels in a variety of species, but must be validated for each species. The objective of this study was to biologically validate the use of FCMs as a non-invasive measurement of CORT levels in California valley quail (Callipepla californica). Reference and treatment quail were acclimated for 3 weeks in an outdoor aviary. Subsequently, treatment quail were subjected to a simulated 48-h translocation, a common and stress hormone-inducing PRT. Faecal samples were collected every 4 h and processed using an enzyme immunoassay. Mean FCM concentrations of treatment quail (41.50 ± 16.13 ng/g) were higher than reference FCM concentrations (24.07 ± 10.4 ng/g). These results biologically validate the use of FCMs as a non-invasive method to assess CORT levels in California valley quail, demonstrate diurnal variation in quail CORT levels, and confirm that quail translocations are a stress-inducing PRT. Ultimately, this research validates a new non-invasive tool for stress response measurement to advance quail research, management and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Currier
- The Quail Research Laboratory, Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX, 75429, USA
| | - Jeffrey G Whitt
- The Quail Research Laboratory, Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX, 75429, USA
| | - Kelly S Reyna
- The Quail Research Laboratory, Ted and Donna Lyon Center for Gamebird Research, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX, 75429, USA
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Penny SG, White RL, MacTavish L, Scott DM, Pernetta AP. Negligible hormonal response following dehorning in free-ranging white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 8:coaa117. [PMID: 33408864 PMCID: PMC7771576 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is experiencing unsustainable poaching losses fuelled by a demand for horn. Increasingly, private and state reserves are dehorning their rhinoceros populations in an attempt to reduce poaching pressure. Rhinoceroses use their horns in social interactions as well as during resource access and so its partial removal as part of reserve management practices may adversely influence these behaviours. Physiological stress can correlate with animal welfare, reproductive state and health and thus acts as a useful indicator of these parameters. To establish whether dehorning causes a physiological stress response, glucocorticoid and gonadal steroid profiles of free-ranging white rhinoceroses were determined through the collection and analysis of faecal steroid metabolites before and after dehorning. Faecal corticoid profiles were not influenced by the number of occasions a rhinoceros had been dehorned or by the number of days that had elapsed since dehorning. Furthermore, there was no apparent suppression in the concentrations of testosterone or progesterone metabolites in males and females, respectively, after exposure to multiple dehorning procedures. These findings should increase wildlife managers' confidence that dehorning does not negatively impact white rhinoceros physiology as measured hormonally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel G Penny
- Ecology, Conservation and Zoonosis Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK
| | - Rachel L White
- Ecology, Conservation and Zoonosis Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK
| | - Lynne MacTavish
- Ecology, Conservation and Zoonosis Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK
- Stand 3300, Thabazimbi Road, Rustenberg, Northwest Province, South Africa
| | - Dawn M Scott
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Angelo P Pernetta
- Ecology, Conservation and Zoonosis Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK
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Gormally BMG, Estrada R, Yin H, Romero LM. Recovery from repeated stressors: Physiology and behavior are affected on different timescales in house sparrows. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019; 282:113225. [PMID: 31330125 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
For decades, researchers across disciplines have been captivated by classifying, diagnosing, and avoiding the consequences of chronic stress. Despite the vast body of literature this has generated, we still lack the ability to predict which individuals or populations may be susceptible to stress-related pathologies. One critical unanswered question is whether the impacts of repeated stressors are reversible, or if instead they permanently alter an individual. In this study, we exposed house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to 6 days of random, repeated stressors, permitted them 0, 1, 3, or 6 days to recover, and then assessed changes in their body mass, hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis (baseline, stress-induced corticosterone, negative feedback strength), immune function, uric acid concentrations, DNA damage levels, and perch hopping activity. Body mass did not vary between groups after recovery. We found that the HPA axis and perch hopping were not significantly impacted by the 6 days of stressors, but that uric acid and DNA damage increased. Short recovery periods tended to negatively affect the HPA axis and reduced uric acid levels, but these were reversed with longer recovery periods. Following the recovery periods, the birds experienced an additional 6 days of random stressors and their responses were assessed again. All recovery times reduced perch hopping and immune function, but paradoxically, DNA damage was highest in the birds that had the longest amount of time to recover. These results show that recovery time affects responses to subsequent chronic stress in complex ways, and highlight the importance of multimodal, interdisciplinary approaches to studying stress physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rodolfo Estrada
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Hannah Yin
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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Gormally BMG, Wright-Lichter J, Reed JM, Romero LM. Physiological and behavioral responses of house sparrows to repeated stressors. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4961. [PMID: 29892510 PMCID: PMC5994160 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, we still lack a complete understanding of what factors influence the transition of the necessary and adaptive acute stress response to what has become known as chronic stress. This gap in knowledge has illuminated the necessity for studies that examine the thresholds between these two sides of the stress response. Here, we determine how repeated exposure to acute stressors influences physiological and behavioral responses. In this repeated measures study, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were exposed to a chronic stress protocol. We took physiological and behavioral measurements before, during, and after the protocol. Blood samples were used to assess four aspects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function: baseline corticosterone, stress-induced corticosterone, negative feedback, and the maximal capacity to secrete corticosterone. We also assessed bacterial killing capacity and changes in uric acid concentration. Neophobia trials were used to assess behavioral changes throughout the protocol. We found no significant changes in HPA axis regulation in any of the four aspects we tested. However, we found that uric acid concentrations and neophobia significantly decreased after only four days of the chronic stress protocol, while bacterial killing capacity did not decrease until after eight days of exposure. These results indicate that different components of the stress response can be impacted by chronic stress on different timescales. Our results further indicate the importance of assessing multiple aspects of both physiology and behavior in order to understand how exposure to chronic stress may influence ability to cope with future challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna M G Gormally
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States of America
| | | | - J Michael Reed
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States of America
| | - L Michael Romero
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States of America
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Vakil M, Park S, Broder A. The complex associations between obstructive sleep apnea and auto-immune disorders: A review. Med Hypotheses 2018; 110:138-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Bauer CM, Glassman LW, Cyr NE, Romero LM. Effects of predictable and unpredictable food restriction on the stress response in molting and non-molting European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2011; 160:390-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Dickens M, Romero L. Wild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) Adjust to Captivity with Sustained Sympathetic Nervous System Drive and a Reduced Fight‐or‐Flight Response. Physiol Biochem Zool 2009; 82:603-10. [DOI: 10.1086/603633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Cyr N, Dickens M, Romero L. Heart Rate and Heart‐Rate Variability Responses to Acute and Chronic Stress in a Wild‐Caught Passerine Bird. Physiol Biochem Zool 2009; 82:332-44. [DOI: 10.1086/589839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Cyr NE, Romero LM. Identifying hormonal habituation in field studies of stress. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2009; 161:295-303. [PMID: 19523375 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2008] [Revised: 11/09/2008] [Accepted: 02/03/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Habituation is a term commonly used to explain a decrement in response intensity to a repeated stimulus or set of stimuli. In the stress literature, hormonal habituation is often used to describe a situation where an individual has learned to perceive a repeated stressor as innocuous, and thus the intensity of the release of hormonal stress mediators reduces over time. Consequently, a habituated individual is not considered stressed. There are, however, situations where an individual may be chronically stressed despite a reduction in the response intensity of hormonal stress mediators to a repeated stimulus. These alternative explanations are rarely considered in field studies even though a false conclusion that an individual has habituated (i.e., is not stressed) may lead to false conclusions regarding the animal's overall physiology and health. The present paper provides four alternative explanations for an observed attenuation in the response of hormonal stress mediators to a repeated stimulus or set of stimuli which lead to six criteria that define habituation in a field context. Furthermore, we propose four diagnostic tests to help distinguish hormonal habituation from these alternative explanations in field studies. These tests will help identify hormonal habituation in free-living animals and prevent potential problems of falsely describing an individual or population of individuals as habituated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Cyr
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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Wu X, Iguchi T, Hirano J, Fujita I, Ueda H, Itoh N, Tanaka K, Nakanishi T. Upregulation of sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter 2 expression in adrenals increases norepinephrine production and aggravates hyperlipidemia in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Biochem Pharmacol 2007; 74:1020-8. [PMID: 17689499 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2007.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2007] [Revised: 05/27/2007] [Accepted: 05/29/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The hyperglycemia and hyperoxidation that characterize diabetes lead to reduced vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid, AA) levels in diabetic humans and animals. We examined the possibility that diabetes-induced low plasma AA levels impair AA distribution to various tissues and that these changes are closely related to the development of diabetic complications. AA levels were markedly decreased in the plasma and increased in the adrenals of mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Consistently with these results, in [1-(14)C]AA accumulation assays, the efficiency of [1-(14)C]AA accumulation was significantly higher in the adrenals (which had the greatest ability to accumulate [1-(14)C]AA) of diabetic mice than in those of controls. Expression of sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter (SVCT)-2, a transporter of AA, was upregulated in diabetic adrenals. Furthermore, increased AA incorporation into the diabetic adrenals by SVCT-2 led to increased plasma norepinephrine, triglyceride and free fatty acid levels in mice with STZ-induced diabetes. Therefore, oversupplementation with AA could be deleterious in diabetic patients, because overexpression of adrenal SVCT-2 in diabetes could lead to excessive AA uptake, thus enhancing norepinephrine production and exacerbating some diabetic complications. Interestingly, however, treatment with AA dose-dependently abolished the increased expression of adrenal SVCT-2 and normalized the abovementioned plasma parameters in diabetic mice. These results suggest SVCT-2-mediated increases in AA uptake by the adrenals followed by excessive production of plasma norepinephrine may play a pivotal role in the development of diabetic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximei Wu
- Department of Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Pyo MK, Yun-Choi HS, Hong YJ. Apparent heterogeneous responsiveness of human platelet rich plasma to catecholamines. Platelets 2003; 14:171-8. [PMID: 12850841 DOI: 10.1080/0953710031000092785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from 35 healthy Korean volunteers were challenged by four catecholamines and clonidine, which were known as alpha-adrenergic agonists. Wide individual variations were observed with the respect to the pattern and the degree of aggregation in response to each agent. They fall into five distinct groups; Group A (2.9%) was responsive to all five agonists; Group B (28.6%) aggregated in response to (-)-epinephrine, (-)- norepinephrine and epinine; Group C (37.1%) aggregated in response to (-)-epinephrine and (-)-norepinephrine;Group D (11.4%) aggregated only by (-)-epinephrine; Group E (20%) showed impaired responsiveness to all the alpha-agonists tested. All of the non-responding PRP were capable of induction of aggregation in response to (-)-epinephrine, (-)-norepinephrine and epinine in the presence of near-threshold concentration of collagen. Variations were also observed between groups with dopamine and clonidine. Dopamine and clonidine failed to induce secondary aggregation, even in the presence of low concentration of collagen, in most of the PRP preparations belonging to Groups D and E and only slight improvements were observed in the preparations belonging to groups Band C. The observation on heterogeneous responsiveness to catecholamines with PRP of Korean volunteers is quite different from the previous report with PRP of presumably mostly Caucasians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Kyung Pyo
- Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 110-460, South Korea
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