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- Title
Livetrapping is not biased by the endocrine stress response: a preliminary study in the degu (Octodon degus).
- Authors
LAPOINTE, MICHELLE A.; BAUER, CAROLYN M.; EBENSPERGER, LUIS A.; REED, J. MICHAEL; ROMERO, L. MICHAEL
- Abstract
While livetrapping is a vital ield research tool, it is not a completely unbiased method of sampling. Biased trapping arises during ield endocrinological studies whenever hormone levels or response inluence the probability of capture of a subject. We repeatedly captured wild, free-living adult degus (Octodon degus) from the same location over 12 days to determine whether individuals with a certain endocrine stress proile were more likely to be captured repeatedly than others. We measured baseline cortisol (CORT), stress-induced CORT, and negative feedback eficacy via a dexamethasone suppression test in adult male and lactating and nonlactating female degus upon initial capture. We successfully recaptured approximately half of the degus. None of the 3 indices of the stress response at initial capture predicted whether a degu would be recaptured. However, baseline CORT levels at 1st capture had a weak, negative relationship with the number of days between 1st and 2nd capture. Because most animals interpret capture and restraint as an acute stressor, we also analyzed the effect of recapture on the endocrine stress response. Baseline and stress-induced CORT concentrations were measured upon each subsequent recapture for up to 5 total captures. Upon subsequent recaptures, neither stress-induced CORT nor baseline CORT changed signiicantly. Additionally, individual stress-induced and baseline CORT titers were repeatable within our sample population. These indings suggest that livetrapping does not select for animals with certain endocrine stress proiles, and that degus fail to habituate to repeated capture and restraint stress.
- Subjects
ANIMAL behavior endocrinology; SAMPLING (Process); HYDROCORTISONE; PITUITARY-adrenal function tests; DEGUS; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Journal of Mammalogy, 2015, Vol 96, Issue 4, p762
- ISSN
0022-2372
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/jmammal/gyv081