Evaluating capture stress and its effects on reproductive success in Svalbard reindeer

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Omsjoe ◽  
A. Stien ◽  
J. Irvine ◽  
S. D. Albon ◽  
E. Dahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Blood Chemistry ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Svalbard Reindeer ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Capture Stress

Although many ecological studies of wild animal populations rely on capturing individuals at least once, few have investigated either the immediate stress responses of capture, restraint, and handling, or the longer term consequences on reproductive success. In this paper, we assume that the degree of stress increase with the time taken to capture and process an animal prior to release. The influence of time since onset of capture on body temperature and blood chemistry indicators of stress was investigated in 137 adult female Svalbard reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Vrolik, 1829) and 63 calves of both sexes captured by net in late-winter 2004 and 2005. In addition, we looked for evidence of negative effects of capture stress on reproductive success in marked animals over the period from 1995 to 2006. Body temperature increased with both chase time and the time the animals were restrained. In the latter case, body temperature increased twice as fast in nonpregnant animals (0.13 °C/min) compared with pregnant animals. Cortisol, glutamate dehydrogenase, and γ-glutamyltransferase all increased with time from onset of capture. However, the relationship for glucose with time since onset of capture increased initially before declining again. We found no evidence of a lower calving success in animals captured the previous winter when compared with animals that had not been captured the previous winter. Likewise, there was no relationship between the strength of the acute stress response (measured as cortisol concentrations) and the probability of pregnant females having a calf at foot the subsequent summer.

scholarly journals Seasonal variations and responses to normal activity of the deep body temperature in the Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)

Rangifer ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Christine Cuyler ◽  
Nils A. Øritsland
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Normal Activity ◽  
Telemetry System ◽  
Deep Body Temperature ◽  
Svalbard Reindeer ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Deep Body ◽  
Lying Down

Deep body temperature was recorded in two female Svalbard reindeer during summer and winter. The reindeer were subjected to naturally occurring weather, photoperiod and stimuli in outdoor pens on Svalbard. A telemetry system was employed using transmitters ingested into the rumen. Mean deep body temperature was 0.3°C higher in winter and while the animals were lying down. This suggests a different strategy for thermoregulation than that employed by other reindeer subspecies.

scholarly journals Estimating the daily dry matter intake of Svalbard reindeer in late winter

Rangifer ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Svalbard Reindeer ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Alternative Suggestion

Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) store large reserves of subcutaneous fat during summer and autumn which, it has been suggested, might be sufficient to meet a substantial part of their energy requirements during winter. An alternative suggestion, however, is that fat is not their main source of energy after all and, moreover, that the principal role of their fat reserves is for enhancing reproductive success rather than for substituting for forage (Tyler, in press). Is it realistic to suggest that these high arctic herbivores could meet the greater part of their energy requirements in winter by feeding, given that the aerial biomass of available forage in Svalbard in late winter is very low? This question was investigated by using a simple model to predict what rate of food intake Svalbard reindeer would have to achieve to maintain energy balance in late winter. The results were surprisingly low: pregnant and nonpregnant females could mett their daily energy demands by consuming 3.1 and 1.7 g dry matter per grazing minute, respectively. This supports the suggestion that Svalbard reindeer could live principally off forage in winter.

Life-history strategies and population dynamics of abomasal nematodes in Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)

Parasitology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. IRVINE ◽  
A. STIEN ◽  
O. HALVORSEN ◽  
R. LANGVATN ◽  
S. D. ALBON
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Host Population ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Svalbard Reindeer ◽  
Marshallagia Marshalli

The observation that the total abundance of adult nematodes in the abomasum of Svalbard reindeer increases between October and April suggests adaptation to cope with the Arctic winter. Here we investigate the extent to which selection has led to similar life-history strategies in the 3 most numerous trichostrongyle species. The life-histories are found to differ markedly. We use flexible statistical models for the abundance and dispersion of parasites in the host population. One of the taxa, Marshallagia marshalli, was most abundant and had its highest egg output in the winter. In contrast, the abundance of the most common taxa, Ostertagia gruehneri, m. gruehneri was stable or declined from autumn to late winter, and the closely related taxa, O. gruehneri, m. arcticus, showed a similar over winter drop. The faecal egg output of these 2 taxa was highest in summer, as found in temperate trichostrongyle species. Despite the apparent contamination of summer pastures with O. gruehneri, calves showed negligible burdens until their second summer and the abundance of infection reached an asymptote within their third year. In contrast, the abundance of M. marshalli in calves showed a rapid increase over the first summer and by late winter was similar to peak levels found in adults (8000 worms). This increase could not be accounted for by the developing abomasum larvae population and is therefore evidence for transmission over the winter for this taxa. While M. marshalli showed little between-year variation, O. gruehneri showed 2-fold fluctuation in the abundance of infection. O. gruehneri may therefore play a role in the fluctuating population dynamics of the host. Since there was no apparent decline in abundance with host age in any of the 3 taxa there was no evidence of reindeer mounting an immune response.

scholarly journals Hurricane Irma induces divergent behavioral and hormonal impacts on an urban and forest population of invasive Anolis lizards: evidence for an urban resilience hypothesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Bobby Fokidis ◽  
Taylor Brock
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Corticosterone Secretion ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Capture Stress ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Hurricane Irma

Abstract Hurricanes can have both profound short-term effects on animal populations and serve as long-term drivers of evolutionary change. Animals inhabiting varying habitats may differ in their response to hurricane impacts. Increasing evidence suggests that animals from urban areas exhibit different behavioral and physiological traits compared to rural counterparts, including attenuated hormonal stress responses and a lowered propensity for flight behavior. A unique opportunity was presented when Hurricane Irma hit Florida on 10 September 2017 and interrupted a study of invasive brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) at an urban and a forest. Using data collected before and after Hurricane Irma, we documented that forest anoles exhibited a greater avoidance of people and more male territorial behavior for a longer period of time following the hurricane. Post-hurricane both populations increased corticosterone concentrations post-capture stress, but urban anoles recovered 2 weeks faster than forest conspecifics. A dexamethasone suppression experiment suggested that these population differences were the result of forest anoles having a less effective negative feedback regulating corticosterone secretion. In the brain, forest anoles had higher corticosterone concentrations within the amygdala and parts of the cortex associated with stress than urban lizards. One explanation may be Hurricane Irma brought flooding and debris that altered the landscape leading to behavioral instability, and urban lizards already exhibited ecological adjustments that permitted a more rapid recovery (i.e. the ‘urban resilience’ hypothesis). Testing if urban animals are more resilient to natural disasters can inform conservationists interested in understanding their role in facilitating invasive species expansion and what their increasing presence may indicate for animal populations.

scholarly journals Effects of Open-Label Placebos on State Anxiety and Glucocorticoid Stress Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Michael Schaefer ◽  
Julian Hellmann-Regen ◽  
Sören Enge
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
Negative Feelings

Stress belongs to the most frequent negative feelings people are confronted with in daily life. Strategies against acute stress include, e.g., relaxation techniques or medications, but it is also known that placebos can successfully reduce negative emotional stress. While it is widely held that placebos require deception to provoke a response, recent studies demonstrate intriguing evidence that placebos may work even without concealment (e.g., against anxiety or pain). Most of these studies are based on self-report questionnaires and do not include physiological measures. Here we report results of a study examining whether placebos without deception reduce acute stress. A total of 53 healthy individuals received either placebos without deception or no pills before participating in a laboratory stress test (Maastricht Acute Stress Test, MAST). We recorded self-report stress measures and cortisol responses before and after the MAST. Results showed no significant differences between the placebo and the control group, but when comparing participants with high relative to low beliefs in the power of placebos we found significant lower anxiety and cortisol responses for the placebo believers. These results show that non-deceptive placebos may successfully reduce acute anxiety and stress, but only in participants who had a strong belief in placebos. We discuss the results by suggesting that open-label placebos might be a possible treatment to reduce stress at least for some individuals.

Hibernating black bears have blood chemistry and plasma amino acid profiles that are indicative of long-term adaptive fasting

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 1257-1263 ◽  
Author(s):  
T D Lohuis ◽  
T D.I Beck ◽  
H J Harlow
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Blood Chemistry ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Amino Acid Profiles ◽  
Protein Conservation ◽  
Branched Chain

Blood samples were drawn from six black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) active in the summer and six others in early and late hibernation. Plasma urea:creatinine ratios and concentrations of amino acids, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase dropped during the winter denning season, suggesting a decreased protein breakdown. Fifteen amino acids (3 branched chain and 12 glucogenic) were lower in the early winter than in the summer, but 6 of these amino acids rose back to summer levels by the late denning season. Hydroxyproline and glycine were also elevated during late winter, suggesting an increase in collagen breakdown. This profile suggests a dynamic process of adaptive fasting and protein conservation during the winter with a mobilization of non-myofibrilar collagen and perhaps smooth muscle protein reserves to augment a potential but slight increased breakdown of skeletal muscle during the late winter.

Acute cold stress in rheumatoid arthritis inadequately activates stress responses and induces an increase of interleukin 6

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 572-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
R H Straub ◽  
G Pongratz ◽  
H Hirvonen ◽  
T Pohjolainen ◽  
M Mikkelsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Cold Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Cold Therapy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sympathetic Stress

Objective:Acute stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should stimulate a strong stress response. After cryotherapy, we expected to observe an increase of hormones of the adrenal gland and the sympathetic nervous system.Methods:A total of 55 patients with RA were recruited for whole-body cryotherapy at −110°C and −60°C, and local cold therapy between −20°C and −30°C for 7 days. We measured plasma levels of steroid hormones, neuropeptide Y (sympathetic marker), and interleukin (IL)6 daily before and after cryotherapy.Results:In both therapy groups with/without glucocorticoids (GC), hormone and IL6 levels at baseline and 5 h after cold stress did not change over 7 days of cryotherapy. In patients without GC, plasma levels of cortisol and androstenedione were highest after −110°C cold stress followed by −60°C or local cold stress. The opposite was found in patients under GC therapy, in whom, unexpectedly, −110°C cold stress elicited the smallest responses. In patients without GC, adrenal cortisol production increased relative to other adrenal steroids, and again the opposite was seen under GC therapy with a loss of cortisol and an increase of dehydroepiandrosterone. Importantly, there was no sympathetic stress response in both groups. Patients without GC and −110°C cold stress demonstrated higher plasma IL6 compared to the other treatment groups (not observed under GC), but they showed the best clinical response.Conclusions:We detected an inadequate stress response in patients with GC. It is further shown that the sympathetic stress response was inadequate in patients with/without GC. Paradoxically, plasma levels of IL6 increased under strong cold stress in patients without GC. These findings confirm dysfunctional stress axes in RA.

scholarly journals The Effect of Extensive Human Presence at an Early Age on Stress Responses and Reactivity of Juvenile Ostriches towards Humans

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pfunzo Muvhali ◽  
Maud Bonato ◽  
Anel Engelbrecht ◽  
Irek Malecki ◽  
Denise Hough ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Human Voice ◽  
Sexual Display

The effect of extensive human presence and regular gentle handling performed at an early age (0–3 months old) on stress responses and reactivity of juvenile ostriches towards humans was investigated. A total of 416 ostrich chicks over two years were exposed to one of three treatments for three months after hatching; namely, Human Presence 1 (HP1, N = 144): extensive/prolonged human presence with physical contact (touch, stroking), gentle human voice, and visual stimuli; Human Presence 2 (HP2, N = 136): extensive/prolonged human presence without physical contact, but with gentle human voice and visual stimuli; and the Standard treatment (S, N = 136): human presence limited to routine feed and water supply as a control. At 7.5 months of age, the plasma heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio was measured before and 72 h after feather harvesting and feather clipping to determine acute stress responses, while chronic stress was measured by quantification of corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in the floss feathers of the birds. Birds’ behavioural response towards a familiar or an unfamiliar handler was evaluated at 12 months using docility and fear tests, and through behavioural observations conducted on random days between the ages of 8–13 months. Willingness to approach, and to allow touch interactions, aggressiveness, and exhibition of sexual display towards the handler, was recorded. No difference in the H/L ratios before and after feather harvesting and clipping was observed in HP1 birds, whereas H/L ratios showed a significant increase 72 h post feather harvesting and clipping in HP2 and S birds (p < 0.05). Birds from the S treatment exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) higher feather CORT concentration compared with HP1 birds, while HP2 birds had intermediate responses. Birds’ reactivity towards humans and temperament as evaluated using behavioural observations, docility, and fear tests was not affected by treatment (p > 0.05). However, HP1 and HP2 birds were more inclined (p < 0.05) to approach a familiar rather than an unfamiliar handler during the behavioural observations, indicating an ability to distinguish between a familiar and an unfamiliar handler. Overall, the results indicate that early gentle human interactions with ostrich chicks can be beneficial in reducing physiological stress sensitivity later in life and facilitate the ability of ostriches to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar handlers.

Acute stress responses: A review and synthesis of ASD, ASR, and CSR.

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanna Isserlin ◽  
Gadi Zerach ◽  
Zahava Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document