Mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolites are associated with vigilance, whereas immediate cortisol levels better reflect acute anti-predator responses in meerkats
| Autor: | Marta B. Manser, Marie-France Barrette, Steven L. Monfort, Irene K. Voellmy, Ines Braga Goncalves |
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| Přispěvatelé: | University of Zurich |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Male Hydrocortisone 01 natural sciences Behavioral Neuroscience Feces Endocrinology Escape Reaction vigilance Adaptation Psychological 2802 Behavioral Neuroscience Predator Cortisol level media_common Suricata suricatta 0303 health sciences Behavior Animal communication 1310 Endocrinology 2807 Endocrine and Autonomic Systems predator behavior 590 Animals (Zoology) Female Psychology Glucocorticoid Vigilance (psychology) medicine.drug medicine.medical_specialty Herpestidae media_common.quotation_subject Foraging cortisol Alarm signal 010603 evolutionary biology adrenal activity alarm calls 03 medical and health sciences ALARM 10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies anti Internal medicine medicine Animals meerkats Glucocorticoids 030304 developmental biology Endocrine and Autonomic Systems fecal glucocorticoids Predatory Behavior Exploratory Behavior 570 Life sciences biology Vocalization Animal |
| Zdroj: | Hormones & Behavior |
| DOI: | 10.5167/uzh-105953 |
| Popis: | Adrenal hormones likely affect anti-predator behavior in animals. With experimental field studies, we first investigated associations between mean fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGC) excretion and vigilance and with behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks in free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We then tested how vigilance and behavioral responses to alarm call playbacks were affected in individuals administered exogenous cortisol. We found a positive association between mean fGC concentrations and vigilance behavior, but no relationship with the intensity of behavioral responses to alarm calls. However, in response to alarm call playbacks, individuals administered cortisol took slightly longer to resume foraging than control individuals treated with saline solution. Vigilance behavior, which occurs in the presence and absence of dangerous stimuli, serves to detect and avoid potential dangers, whereas responses to alarm calls serve to avoid immediate predation. Our data show that mean fGC excretion in meerkats was associated with vigilance, as a re-occurring anti-predator behavior over long time periods, and experimentally induced elevations of plasma cortisol affected the response to immediate threats. Together, our results indicate an association between the two types of anti-predator behavior and glucocorticoids, but that the underlying mechanisms may differ. Our study emphasizes the need to consider appropriate measures of adrenal activity specific to different contexts when assessing links between stress physiology and different anti-predator behaviors. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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