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dc.contributor.authorNarayan, Edward
dc.contributor.authorHero, Jean-Marc
dc.contributor.authorEvans, Nicole
dc.contributor.authorNicolson, Vere
dc.contributor.authorMucci, Al
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-15T23:39:26Z
dc.date.available2017-10-15T23:39:26Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.date.modified2013-03-26T23:11:32Z
dc.identifier.issn1863-5407
dc.identifier.doi10.3354/esr00454
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/49953
dc.description.abstractCaptive breeding programs are increasingly being used as a management option for threatened mammals. The greater bilby Macrotis lagotis, for example, is a vulnerable species which is maintained in captivity at several facilities in Australia. Non-invasive evaluation of stress hormones (cortisol in mammals) via excretory metabolites can be used to monitor physiological stress responses of captive individuals. In this study, we validated an enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) to measure cortisol metabolites in fresh faecal samples of adult male and female bilbies (n = 7) held in captivity at the Dreamworld Theme Park, Queensland, Australia. The faecal cortisol EIA was validated via parallelism and the recovery of exogenous cortisol added to pooled faecal extracts (>99% recovery). Female bilbies had higher average faecal cortisol metabolite concentrations and higher day-to-day variation than male bilbies; however, there was no relationship with bilby age. Cortisol metabolites for most individuals varied widely through time, with numerous peaks and troughs in response to long-term stressors (illnesses, injury and reproductive issues) and short-term stressors, such as use in shows at Dreamworld or public displays in local schools, manual restraint and short-term veterinary procedures (e.g. general anaesthesia). Overall, the higher mean cortisol metabolite concentrations of individuals suffering long-term stress was related to a greater response to short-term stressors. This suggests an interaction between responses to short-term and long-term stressors which is perhaps due to habituation and/or facilitation of long-term stressors. Non-invasive faecal monitoring of stress hormones could provide further information on the implications of captive breeding programs and the release of animals reared in captivity.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherInter-Research
dc.publisher.placeGermany
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom279
dc.relation.ispartofpageto289
dc.relation.ispartofissue3
dc.relation.ispartofjournalEndangered Species Research
dc.relation.ispartofvolume18
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEnvironmental Monitoring
dc.subject.fieldofresearchConservation and Biodiversity
dc.subject.fieldofresearchWildlife and Habitat Management
dc.subject.fieldofresearchEnvironmental Sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchBiological Sciences
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode050206
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode050202
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode050211
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode05
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode06
dc.titleNon-invasive evaluation of physiological stress hormone responses in a captive population of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis)
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
dc.description.versionVersion of Record (VoR)
gro.facultyGriffith Sciences, Griffith School of Environment
gro.rights.copyright© 2012 Inter Research. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
gro.date.issued2012
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorHero, Jean-Marc
gro.griffith.authorEvans, Nicole
gro.griffith.authorNarayan, Edward J.


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