Seasonal changes of faecal cortisol metabolite levels in Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) and its association to life histories variables and parasite loads
| Autor: | N O Leiner, A L S Strona, M C Romano, S E Hernandez, G Suzán |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Wet season Physiology Didelphidae media_common.quotation_subject parasitism Zoology Parasitism Management Monitoring Policy and Law 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Eimeria reproduction 03 medical and health sciences Dry season Semelparity and iteroparity Nature and Landscape Conservation media_common Gracilinanus agilis glucocorticoids biology Reproductive success seasonality Ecological Modeling biology.organism_classification 030104 developmental biology semelparity Reproduction Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Conservation Physiology |
| ISSN: | 2051-1434 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/conphys/coy021 |
| Popis: | FCMs are a reliable indicator of adrenal activity in G. agilis. There is an association among stress response, reproductive status and weather. Environmental stress rises in the probability of Eimeria spp infection in G. agilis The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of environmental (dry versus wet season) and individual (sex, body mass and reproductive status) factors in the levels of faecal cortisol metabolites (FGCs) in Gracilinanus agilis faecal samples as an index of stress levels in this species; as well as its association with abundance of Eimeria spp, as an indicator of immunocompetence against parasites. Our study found that FGCFGCs are a reliable indicator of adrenal activity in G. agilis. We found that FGCFGCs increase considerably by environmental stressors like the dry season. Moreover, the observed positive association between FGCs and body mass is the result of the effect of season and reproduction in both variables. We also demonstrated that an increase in FGC levels among G. agilis during the dry season is associated with a rise in the probability of being infected by Eimeria spp. Hence, our finding supports the corticosteroid-fitness hypothesis, which predicts that increased glucocorticoids as a response to stressors usually results in decreased fitness of individuals, translated into low future survival and reproductive success, and higher parasite infection. To our knowledge, this is the first study that integrates environmental changes, hormone responses and parasite loads in a US marsupial in both empirical and experimental approaches. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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