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- Title
Tracking the Ovarian Cycle in Black-and-Gold Howlers ( Alouatta caraya) by Measuring Fecal Steroids and Observing Vaginal Bleeding.
- Authors
Kugelmeier, Tatiana; del Rio do Valle, Rodrigo; Barros Vaz Guimarães, Marcelo; Pereira Carneiro Muniz, José; Barros Monteiro, Frederico; Oliveira, Cláudio
- Abstract
better understanding of a species' reproductive physiology can help conservation programs to manage primates in the wild and develop assisted reproductive technologies in captivity. We investigated whether measurements of fecal progestin and estrogen metabolites obtained by a radioimmunoassay could be used to monitor the ovarian cycle of Alouatta caraya. We also compared the occurrence of vaginal bleeding with the hormone profiles. We collected fecal samples from 3 adult and 1 subadult captive female over 5 mo and performed vaginal cytology for the adults. The interval between fecal progestin surges in the adult females was 19.11 ± 2.14 d ( n = 18 cycles). Fecal progestin concentrations remained at basal values for 9.83 ± 2.21 d ( n = 18) and rose to elevated values for 9.47 ± 0.72 d ( n = 19). The subadult female showed basal levels of fecal estrogen and progestin concentrations throughout the study, suggesting that our hormone measurements are valid to monitor the ovarian cycle. Bleeding periods coincided with basal levels of fecal estrogens and progestin at intervals of 19.8 ± 0.9 d and lasted for 4.1 ± 1.0 d. Although we obtained these data from only 3 individuals, the results indicate that this species likely has a menstrual-type ovarian cycle. These data provide the first endocrine profile for the Alouatta caraya ovarian cycle and are similar to results obtained for other howler species. This similarity is important for comparative studies of howlers, allowing for a better understanding of their reproductive physiology and contributing to a critical information base for managing Alouatta species.
- Subjects
HOWLER monkeys; PROGESTATIONAL hormones; ESTROGEN; RADIOIMMUNOASSAY; WILDLIFE conservation; REPRODUCTION
- Publication
International Journal of Primatology, 2011, Vol 32, Issue 3, p605
- ISSN
0164-0291
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10764-010-9490-7