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Beehner JC, Alfaro J, Allen C, Benítez ME, Bergman TJ, Buehler MS, Carrera SC, Chester EM, Deschner T, Fuentes A, Gault CM, Godoy I, Jack KM, Kim JD, Kolinski L, Kulick NK, Losch T, Ordoñez JC, Perry SE, Pinto F, Reilly OT, Johnson ET, Wasserman MD. Using an on-site laboratory for fecal steroid analysis in wild white-faced capuchins. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 329:114109. [PMID: 36007549 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Hormone laboratories located "on-site" where field studies are being conducted have a number of advantages. On-site laboratories allow hormone analyses to proceed in near-real-time, minimize logistics of sample permits/shipping, contribute to in-country capacity-building, and (our focus here) facilitate cross-site collaboration through shared methods and a shared laboratory. Here we provide proof-of-concept that an on-site hormone laboratory (the Taboga Field Laboratory, located in the Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica) can successfully run endocrine analyses in a remote location. Using fecal samples from wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) from three Costa Rican forests, we validate the extraction and analysis of four steroid hormones (glucocorticoids, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone) across six assays (DetectX® and ISWE, all from Arbor Assays). Additionally, as the first collaboration across three long-term, wild capuchin field sites (Lomas Barbudal, Santa Rosa, Taboga) involving local Costa Rican collaborators, this laboratory can serve as a future hub for collaborative exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - José Alfaro
- School for the Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Cloe Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Marcela E Benítez
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Margaret S Buehler
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica; Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Sofia C Carrera
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Emily M Chester
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, University of Osnabrück, Artilleriestrasse 34, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Alexander Fuentes
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Colleen M Gault
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Irene Godoy
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
| | - Justin D Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Lev Kolinski
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Nelle K Kulick
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
| | - Teera Losch
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | | | - Susan E Perry
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Fernando Pinto
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Olivia T Reilly
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA; Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Elizabeth Tinsley Johnson
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Michael D Wasserman
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Martin-Regalado CN, Pedersen SC, Lavariega MC. Alopecia in Bats. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2022. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2022.24.1.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cintia N. Martin-Regalado
- Instituto Tecnológico del Valle de Oaxaca, Tecnológico Nacional de México, 71230 Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, México
| | - Scott C. Pedersen
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, 1175 Medary Avenue, Brookings, SD 57006, USA
| | - Mario C. Lavariega
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Hornos 1003, 71230 Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, México
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Edwards MJ, Stanley CR, Hosie CA, Richdon S, Price E, Wormell D, Smith TE. Social roles influence cortisol levels in captive Livingstone's fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii). Horm Behav 2022; 144:105228. [PMID: 35772196 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A critical component of conserving and housing species ex situ is an explicit scientific understanding of the physiological underpinnings of their welfare. Cortisol has been repeatedly linked to stress, and therefore used as an indicator of welfare for many species. In order to measure cortisol in the Livingstone's fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii; a critically endangered keystone species) without disturbing the captive population, we have developed and validated a non-invasive, novel hormone extraction procedure and faecal glucocorticoid assay. A total of 92 faecal samples, 73 from the P. livingstonii breeding colony at Jersey Zoo, Channel Islands and 19 samples from P. livingstonii housed at Bristol Zoological Gardens, UK, have been collected and analyzed. Mixed-effect modelling of the influence of physiological state variables on cortisol concentration revealed that lactating females had higher cortisol levels than non-lactating females, indicating that our assay is measuring biologically relevant hormone concentrations. Males and older bats also had higher cortisol than non-lactating females and younger individuals. Further analysis applied social network methodology to compare the cortisol levels of bats with different social roles. We found that individuals that linked social groups possessed higher than average cortisol levels and conversely, individuals with high-quality, positive relationships had lower cortisol levels. These results demonstrate, for the first time in a bat species, social mediation of stress hormones. Lastly, the frequency of vocalisation was found to positively correlate with cortisol concentration in males, suggesting that this behaviour may be used by animal management as a visual indicator of a bat's hormonal status. Hence, this research has provided unique insights and empirical scientific knowledge regarding the relationship between the physiology and social behaviour of P. livingstonii, therefore allowing for recommendations to be made to optimise bat welfare at the individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J Edwards
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK.
| | - Christina R Stanley
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK.
| | - Charlotte A Hosie
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK.
| | - Sarah Richdon
- Institute of Conservation Science & Learning, Bristol Zoological Society, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HA, UK.
| | - Eluned Price
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey JE3 6AP, UK.
| | - Dominic Wormell
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey JE3 6AP, UK.
| | - Tessa E Smith
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK.
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