dc.contributor.author | Narayan, Edward | |
dc.contributor.author | Hero, Jean-Marc | |
dc.contributor.author | Evans, Nicole | |
dc.contributor.author | Nicolson, Vere | |
dc.contributor.author | Mucci, Al | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2017-10-15T23:39:26Z | |
dc.date.available | 2017-10-15T23:39:26Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2012 | |
dc.date.modified | 2013-03-26T23:11:32Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1863-5407 | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.3354/esr00454 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10072/49953 | |
dc.description.abstract | Captive 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.peerreviewed | Yes | |
dc.description.publicationstatus | Yes | |
dc.language | English | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.publisher | Inter-Research | |
dc.publisher.place | Germany | |
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublication | N | |
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom | 279 | |
dc.relation.ispartofpageto | 289 | |
dc.relation.ispartofissue | 3 | |
dc.relation.ispartofjournal | Endangered Species Research | |
dc.relation.ispartofvolume | 18 | |
dc.rights.retention | Y | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearch | Environmental Monitoring | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearch | Conservation and Biodiversity | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearch | Wildlife and Habitat Management | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearch | Environmental Sciences | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearch | Biological Sciences | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode | 050206 | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode | 050202 | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode | 050211 | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode | 05 | |
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode | 06 | |
dc.title | Non-invasive evaluation of physiological stress hormone responses in a captive population of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
dc.type.description | C1 - Articles | |
dc.type.code | C - Journal Articles | |
dc.description.version | Version of Record (VoR) | |
gro.faculty | Griffith 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.issued | 2012 | |
gro.hasfulltext | Full Text | |
gro.griffith.author | Hero, Jean-Marc | |
gro.griffith.author | Evans, Nicole | |
gro.griffith.author | Narayan, Edward J. | |