scholarly journals Human protection drives the emergence of a new coping style in animals

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. e3001186
Author(s):  
Bastien Sadoul ◽  
Daniel T. Blumstein ◽  
Sébastien Alfonso ◽  
Benjamin Geffroy
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Environmental Threats

Wild animals face novel environmental threats from human activities that may occur along a gradient of interactions with humans. Recent work has shown that merely living close to humans has major implications for a variety of antipredator traits and physiological responses. Here, we hypothesize that when human presence protects prey from their genuine predators (as sometimes seen in urban areas and at some tourist sites), this predator shield, followed by a process of habituation to humans, decouples commonly associated traits related to coping styles, which results in a new range of phenotypes. Such individuals are characterized by low aggressiveness and physiological stress responses, but have enhanced behavioral plasticity, boldness, and cognitive abilities. We refer to these individuals as “preactive,” because their physiological and behavioral coping style falls outside the classical proactive/reactive coping styles. While there is some support for this new coping style, formal multivariate studies are required to investigate behavioral and physiological responses to anthropogenic activities.

scholarly journals Covariation between behaviour and physiology indicators of coping style in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

2013 ◽  
Vol 219 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Tudorache ◽  
Marcel J M Schaaf ◽  
Hans Slabbekoorn
Keyword(s):  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Repeated Stress ◽  
Basal Cortisol ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
First Time ◽  
Over Time

All vertebrates exhibit physiological responses to a wide variety of stressors. The amplitude and profile of the response depend on the intensity, duration, controllability and predictability of the stressor, but there is also individual variation in the response, termed coping style. A better understanding of the expression of coping styles is of great value for medical applications, animal welfare issues and conservation. Here, we investigated the effect of repeated netting stress on proactive and reactive zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an upcoming model system for stress research. Fish were separated by coping styles according to the order of entering a novel environment. Subsequently, repeated netting stress was applied as stressor, over a period of 21 days. Full-body cortisol levels were determined at 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 min after the last repeated stress event. Our results show that reactive fish display i) increased basal cortisol concentrations after being repeatedly stressed, ii) higher cortisol secretion over time and iii) slow recovery of cortisol concentration towards basal levels after the last repeated stress event. This study shows for the first time in zebrafish that different coping styles are associated with different cortisol responses during the recovery from stress over time and that coping styles can explain otherwise unaccounted variation in physiological stress responses.

Social isolation of goats: significance of visual contact with conspecifics on behavioral and physiological responses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Govind Kannan ◽  
Zaira M Estrada-Reyes ◽  
Phaneendra Batchu ◽  
Brou Kouakou ◽  
Thomas H Terrill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Median Frequency ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Rank Score

Abstract Social isolation can increase distress in goats, particularly when they cannot maintain visual contact with conspecifics. This experiment was conducted to determine the behavioral and physiological responses in goats during isolation with or without visual contact with conspecifics. Male Spanish goats (uncastrated, 8-mo old, average weight 29.4 ± 0.59 kg) were randomly assigned to a control (CO) group with no isolation or to one of four isolation treatment (TRT) pens (1.5 × 1.5 m) with: (1) open grill panels but with no visual contact with conspecifics (IO), (2) covered grill to prevent visual contact (IC), (3) open grill with visual contact (IV), or (3) covered grill with a 30 × 30 cm window to allow visual contact (IW) for 90 min of social isolation (n = 12 goats/TRT). Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 min (Time) from isolated and control goats. The experiment was repeated one week later using the same animals, with each goat being subjected to the same isolation treatment the second time to study the effect of prior exposure to isolation. Friedman’s Two-Way ANOVA by Ranks Test in SAS showed that the median frequency of vocalization (rank score) in goats was high in IO group, low in IV and IW groups, and intermediate in IC group (P < 0.01). Vocalization rank score was also higher (P < 0.01) during the first 30 min of isolation in goats. Median frequency of visual contact was higher in the IW group than in the IV group (P < 0.01). Frequency of climbing behavior was high in IC and IO groups, low in IV group, and intermediate in IW group (P < 0.01). Repeated Measures Analysis using GLM procedures in SAS revealed that plasma cortisol and glucose concentrations tended (P < 0.1) to be the highest in IO group than in CO, IC, IV, and IW groups. Cortisol levels were also higher (Time; P < 0.05) at 0 and 90 min compared to 30 and 60 min. Norepinephrine concentrations decreased (P < 0.05) with Time, and plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were affected by TRT × Time interaction (P < 0.01). Overall, epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucose, and NEFA concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) and cortisol concentrations and lymphocyte counts higher (P < 0.01) when goats were exposed to isolation the second time. The results showed that goats with no visual contact with conspecifics during social isolation had greater physiological stress responses and spent more time vocalizing or trying to escape the pen, which may indicate distress.

scholarly journals He who dares only wins sometimes: physiological stress and contest behaviour in Xiphophorus helleri

Behaviour ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 149 (9) ◽  
pp. 977-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Boulton ◽  
B. Sinderman ◽  
M.R. Pearce ◽  
R.L. Earley ◽  
A.J. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Stress Coping ◽  
Contest Outcome ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Contest Behaviour

While many factors influence contest outcome and social dominance in animals, there is increasing interest in behavioural-physiological stress-coping styles. Causality, however, is often ambiguous; is physiological state determined by contest outcome or vice versa? Furthermore, experimental protocols may themselves induce stress responses that impact individual behaviour and, thus, potentially contest outcome. Here we test whether latency to recover from acute stress, measured both physiologically and behaviourally, predicts who initiates and who wins dyadic contests between pairs of male green swordtails (Xiphophorous helleri). In line with our predictions, animals that recovered faster (behaviourally) from disturbance created by the experimental protocol prior to meeting an opponent were more likely to initiate contests; however, they were not more likely to win and, contrary to expectations, had higher pre-contest cortisol levels than their opponents. They also showed greater physiological stress responses to the experiment as determined from the difference between pre- and post-contest cortisol levels. Moreover, stress response was independent of whether a contest escalated. In contradiction to evidence found in other taxa and fish systems, the suite of traits that we measured were not correlated in a manner that allowed classification of the animals into the usual reactive and proactive stress-coping styles. Our results suggest that coping style may play a key role in determining which individual initiates a contest, but that other factors govern contest outcome.

The influencing factors and coping styles of mental health stress responses of stroke caregivers

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Zhe Liu ◽  
Malizia King
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Positive Coping ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: For family caregivers, sudden stroke events and heavy caring works are stressful events. At present, controversies about the factors affecting caregivers’ stress response and their correlation with coping styles still exist. OBJECTIVE: To explore the influencing factors and coping styles of mental health stress responses of stroke caregivers and promote caregivers to adopt positive coping styles for diseases and caring works. METHODS: The convenience sampling method is used to select stroke caregivers as the research objects. The general information questionnaires, Relative Stress Scale (RSS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Social Support Rate Scale (SSRS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) are utilized for investigation. RESULTS: 205 valid questionnaires are returned. Analysis suggests that the influential factors of mental health stress responses of stroke caregivers include the course of the disease, the impact of the disease on economic conditions, obligation to take care of other family members, understanding of stroke-associated diseases, and whether the patient is at risk. Social support and self-efficacy are negatively correlated with stress responses, while negative coping style is significantly positively correlated with stress responses. CONCLUSIONS: By increasing social support and self-efficacy, medical workers can guide stroke caregivers to take positive coping styles, thereby reducing their mental health stress responses.

scholarly journals Affective and Physiological Responses During Acute Pain in Virtual Reality: The Effect of First-Person Versus Third-Person Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collin Turbyne ◽  
Pelle de Koning ◽  
Dirk Smit ◽  
Damiaan Denys
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
First Person ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Third Person Perspective

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has been previously shown as a means to mitigate acute pain. The critical parameters involved in the clinical efficacy of mitigating acute pain from different perspectives remains unknown. This study attempted to further deconstruct the critical parameters involved in mitigating acute pain by investigating whether affective and physiological responses to painful stimuli differed between a first and a third person perspective in virtual reality.Methods: Two conditions were compared in a repeated-measures within subject study design for 17 healthy participants: First person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical and egocentric perspective) and third person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical perspective from across the room). The participants received noxious electrical stimulation at pseudorandom intervals and anatomical locations during both conditions. Physiological stress responses were measured by means of electrocardiography (ECG) and impedance cardiography (ICG). Subjective scores measuring tension, pain, anger, and fear were reported after every block sequence.Results: There were no significant differences in physiological stress responses between conditions. However, the participants reported significantly higher tension during the third person condition.Conclusion: Relative to a third person perspective, there are no distinct physiological benefits to inducing a first person perspective to mitigate physiological stress responses to acute pain in healthy individuals. However, there may be additional clinical benefits for doing so in specific clinical populations that have shown to benefit from relaxation techniques. Further research is needed in order to refine the clinical utility of different perspectives during virtual reality immersions that serve to act as a non-pharmacological analgesic during acute pain.

scholarly journals Relationships between personality traits and the physiological stress response in a wild mammal

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Santicchia ◽  
Lucas A Wauters ◽  
Ben Dantzer ◽  
Sarah E Westrick ◽  
Nicola Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Sciurus Carolinensis ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs) are involved in the regulation of an animal’s energetic state. Under stressful situations, they are part of the neuroendocrine response to cope with environmental challenges. Animals react to aversive stimuli also through behavioral responses, defined as coping styles. Both in captive and wild populations, individuals differ in their behavior along a proactive–reactive continuum. Proactive animals exhibit a bold, active-explorative and social personality, whereas reactive ones are shy, less active-explorative and less social. Here, we test the hypothesis that personality traits and physiological responses to stressors covary, with more proactive individuals having a less pronounced GC stress response. In wild populations of invasive gray squirrels Sciurus carolinensis, we measured fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), an integrated measure of circulating GCs, and 3 personality traits (activity, sociability, and exploration) derived from open field test (OFT) and mirror image stimulation (MIS) test. Gray squirrels had higher FGMs in Autumn than in Winter and males with scrotal testes had higher FGMs than nonbreeding males. Personality varied with body mass and population density. Squirrels expressed more activity-exploration at higher than at lower density and heavier squirrels had higher scores for activity-exploration than animals that weighed less. Variation in FGM concentrations was not correlated with the expression of the 3 personality traits. Hence, our results do not support a strong association between the behavioral and physiological stress responses but show that in wild populations, where animals experience varying environmental conditions, the GC endocrine response and the expression of personality are uncorrelated traits among individuals.

scholarly journals Physiological stress responses of tigers due to anthropogenic disturbance especially tourism in two central Indian tiger reserves

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhinav Tyagi ◽  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Sagar Kittur ◽  
Mahender Reddy ◽  
Sergey Naidenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Anthropogenic Disturbances ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Tiger Reserve ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Tigers continue to face unprecedented threats to their existence due to poaching, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances. The present study examines the physiological stress response of tigers due to anthropogenic activities including wildlife tourism in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Kanha Tiger Reserve using faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) measurement. We collected a total of 341 faecal samples from both reserves during tourism and non-tourism periods. Data on various anthropogenic disturbances including tourism activities like number of vehicles and visitors were also collected. We ascertained the species identity and sex of all the samples collected using genetic markers. fGCMs were extracted using a previously reported procedure, and fGCM concentrations were subsequently determined using an established enzyme immunoassay. There was no significant difference in overall mean fGCM concentrations between the two tiger reserves, but within each reserve, concentrations were significantly higher in tigers during the tourism period as compared to the non-tourism period. We also found that the number of tourist vehicles and disturbance level significantly correlated with fGCM concentrations. This study further supports the assumption that unbridled tourism associated with high anthropogenic disturbance can be related to perceived stress and consequently may have an impact on the reproductive fitness of tigers and long-term survival of isolated populations.

scholarly journals Stress activity is not predictive of coping style in North American red squirrels

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Westrick ◽  
Freya van Kesteren ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
Rudy Boonstra ◽  
Jeffery E. Lane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
North American ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
North American Red Squirrels ◽  
Hpa Axis Activity

AbstractIndividuals vary in their behavioral and physiological responses to environmental changes. These behavioral responses are often described as ‘coping styles’ along a proactive-reactive continuum. Studies in laboratory populations often, but not always, find that behavioral responses and physiological responses to stressors covary, where more proactive (more aggressive and active) individuals have a lower physiological stress response, specifically as measured by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. These studies support the possibility of hormonal pleiotropy underlying the presentation of behaviors that make up the proactive-reactive phenotype. However, recent research in wild populations is equivocal, with some studies reporting the same pattern as found in many controlled laboratory studies, whereas others do not. We tested the hypothesis that physiological and behavioral stress responses are correlated in wild adult North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We used fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) as a non-invasive, integrated estimate of circulating glucocorticoids for our measurement of HPA axis activity. We found that FCM concentrations were not correlated with three measures of behavioral coping styles (activity, aggression, and docility) among individuals. This does not support the hypothesis that hormonal pleiotropy underlies a proactive-reactive continuum of coping styles. Instead, our results support the “two-tier” hypothesis that behavioral and physiological stress responses are independent and uncorrelated traits among individuals in wild populations that experience naturally varying environments rather than controlled environments. If also found in other studies, this may alter our predictions about the evolutionary consequences of behavioral and endocrine coping styles in free-living animals.Significance StatementIndividuals vary in how they respond to stressors through behavior and physiology, but we find the two responses are independent in wild animals. Many laboratory studies find links between the behavioral and physiological stress responses, however studies conducted with wild populations are less conclusive. In wild North American red squirrels, independence between the physiological response and behavioral response may allow adaptive responses to a changing environment without pleiotropic constraint.

scholarly journals Genetically Different Isolates of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Rhizophagus irregularis Induce Differential Responses to Stress in Cassava

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Peña ◽  
Chanz Robbins ◽  
Joaquim Cruz Corella ◽  
Moses Thuita ◽  
Cargele Masso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Drought Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Field Conditions

Water scarcity negatively impacts global crop yields and climate change is expected to greatly increase the severity of future droughts. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can potentially mitigate the effects of water stress in plants. Cassava is a crop that feeds approximately 800 million people daily. Genetically different isolates of the AMF R. irregularis as well as their clonal progeny have both been shown to greatly alter cassava growth in field conditions. Given that cassava experiences seasonal drought in many of the regions in which it is cultivated, we evaluated whether intraspecific variation in R. irregularis differentially alters physiological responses of cassava to water stress. In a first experiment, conducted in field conditions in Western Kenya, cassava was inoculated with two genetically different R. irregularis isolates and their clonal progeny. All cassava plants exhibited physiological signs of stress during the dry period, but the largest differences occurred among plants inoculated with clonal progeny of each of the two parental fungal isolates. Because drought had not been experimentally manipulated in the field, we conducted a second experiment in the greenhouse where cassava was inoculated with two genetically different R. irregularis isolates and subjected to drought, followed by re-watering, to allow recovery. Physiological stress responses of cassava to drought differed significantly between plants inoculated with the two different fungi. However, plants that experienced higher drought stress also recovered at a faster rate following re-watering. We conclude that intraspecific genetic variability in AMF significantly influences cassava physiological responses during water stress. This highlights the potential of using naturally existing variation in AMF to improve cassava tolerance undergoing water stress. However, the fact that clonal progeny of an AMF isolate can differentially affect how cassava copes with natural drought stress in field conditions, highlights the necessity to understand additional factors, beyond genetic variation, which can account for such large differences in cassava responses to drought.

Physiological responses of freeze-tolerant and -intolerant frogs: clues to evolution of anuran freeze tolerance

1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. R721-R725 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Costanzo ◽  
R. E. Lee ◽  
P. H. Lortz
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Rana Sylvatica ◽  
Freeze Tolerance ◽  
Leopard Frog ◽  
In Vitro Tests ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Freeze Tolerant

Freeze tolerance in the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, is promoted by multiple, integrated physiological responses to ice forming within body tissues. By analyzing the freezing responses of the sympatric, but freeze intolerant, leopard frog (R. pipiens), we sought clues to the evolution of anuran freeze tolerance. Physiological responses critical to R. sylvatica's freeze tolerance, such as the synthesis and distribution of the cryoprotectant glucose, protective dehydration of organs, and deferred cardiac failure, were present, but comparatively less pronounced, in R. pipiens. Both species were innately tolerant of hyperglycemia. Glucose supplements did not enhance the freezing viability of R. pipiens, although in vitro tests of cryoprotectant efficacy revealed that glucose and glycerol provided comparable protection to erythrocytes of both species. We conclude that the evolution of freeze tolerance in R. sylvatica is not only promoted by its desiccation tolerance and the fortuitous biophysical consequences of freezing (e.g., exothermic induction of cardioacceleration and moderation of cooling rate) but also involves a progressive enhancement of fundamental physiological stress responses.

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