scholarly journals Seasonal Variations of Faecal Cortisol Metabolites in Koalas in South East Queensland

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1622
Author(s):  
Flavia Santamaria ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
Rolf Schlagloth ◽  
Edith Klobetz-Rassam ◽  
Joerg Henning

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an endemic marsupial inhabiting four states of Australia. Urbanisation, declining habitat, drought and fires are threatening the survival of this flagship species. These threats may cause acute and chronic stress in koalas, which might also be associated with occurrence of infectious diseases in koala populations. Stress may induce an increase in cortisol reflected in increased faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) values. To be able to use faecal cortisol metabolites to measure stress levels in this species, our aim was to determine baseline values for males and females during breeding and non-breeding season. A total of 351 defecations were collected fortnightly, twice a day, for 12 months from koalas at a wildlife facility in South East Queensland. Samples were analysed with three different enzyme immunoassays (EIAs): a cortisol, 5α-pregnane-3β,11β,21-triol-20-one (37e) and tetrahydrocorticosterone (50c) EIA. The latter, which also reacts with tetrahydrocortisol, the main metabolite in koala faeces, was found to have the highest biological sensitivity and, therefore, is the most suitable EIA to measure stress levels in koalas. Utilising this EIA, we found significant differences (p < 0.05) in FCM values between males and females, breeding and non-breeding season, and between morning and evening samples. Values of faecal cortisol metabolites established in stress-free koalas in this study can serve as a reference for future studies in koalas.

Author(s):  
Dr. Minti Kumari ◽  
Dr. Madhuri Kumari ◽  
Dr Anurag Rai ◽  
Dr. Navin Kumar

It is evident that hyperdontia is more common in the permanent dentition than in the primary. There is a considerable difference between males and females in the prevalence of these teeth in permanent dentition; hyperdontia is twice as common in males as in females. However, this approximation varies in terms of location, other associating syndromes that may be present, and the ethnicity of the individual. In terms of ethnicity, it can be seen that hyperdontia is in fact less common in Caucasian than in Asian populations. There is evidence to show that an individual is more likely to have hyperdontia if other members of their family also have the condition. Hence the present study was planned for evaluation of occurrence of hyperdontia in non-syndromic  population from Bihar Region. The present study was planned in Public Health Dentistry, Patna Dental College and Hospital, Patna, Bihar. Total 195 patients referred to Department of Dentistry were evaluated in the present study. Panoramic radiographs and clinical records of patients above the age of 18 years and without any syndromic features were selected for the study.  All the radiographs were examined for the presence of supernumerary teeth, their location, morphology, and number. Morphologically, teeth were classified as conical, tuberculate, supplemental, and odontoma. Early diagnosis of dental anomalies can prevent some esthetic, orthodontic, and periodontal problems, and knowledge of the prevalence and distribution of the anomalies may help clinicians to the detection of these anomalies at early stages. Our study evaluated the prevalence of selected dental anomalies; future studies should investigate the prevalence of dental anomalies of all types. Keywords: Hyperdontia, non-syndromic, panoramic radiograph, supernumerary teeth, etc.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
Jacinta Lalchhanhimi ◽  
Lalremsanga H.T.

The breeding biology of tree frog, Polypedates teraiensis was studied during the breeding season at Mizoram University Campus. It was found that sound production by male during the breeding season was primarily a reproductive function and advertisement calls attract females to the breeding areas and announce other males that a given territory is occupied. The aim of this study was to provide the detailed information on the breeding behaviour and the advertisement calls of Polypedates teraiensis. The morphometric measurements of the amplecting pairs (males and females) for sexual dimorphism along with clutch sizes were also studied.


Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm S. Ramsay ◽  
Andriamahery Razafindrakoto ◽  
Shawn M. Lehman

AbstractAlthough roads are often assumed to be barriers to the dispersal of arboreal species, there has been little empirical testing of this assumption. If arboreal animals are unable to cross roads, population subdivision may occur, or resources may become inaccessible. We tested the hypothesis that Route Nationale 4 (RN4), a paved highway, was a barrier to movement and dispersal of the Endangered golden-brown mouse lemur Microcebus ravelobensis in Ankarafantsika National Park, in north-west Madagascar. During June–August 2015 we conducted a capture–mark–recapture study at three sites: two adjacent to RN4 and one within intact forest without a potential barrier. During 2,294 trap nights we captured 120 golden-brown mouse lemurs 1,032 times. In roadside habitats we captured significantly more males than females, whereas the opposite was the case in interior forest habitat. We detected eighteen crossings of highway transects by nine individuals; however, all potential dispersal events involved males. In roadside habitat, movement was significantly inhibited in both males and females. We present some of the first data on the effects of roads on movement patterns in arboreal Malagasy mammals, showing species- and sex-biased effects of roads as dispersal barriers. Our findings indicate that roads may not be complete barriers to dispersal in lemurs. We recommend that conservation managers and scientists examine explicitly the effects of roads and natural arboreal bridges in Madagascar in future studies.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Christopher McManus

A meta-analysis is reported of 88 studies, examining 100 study populations, in which the handedness of 284665 individuals has been assessed. The overall incidence of left-handedness was 7.78%. The incidence of left-handedness was not related to the method of measurement, or the length or number of response items included in inventories. Study populations with lower response rates and smaller study populations showed some evidence of higher incidences of left-handedness, presumably due to response biasses. There was no evidence that the incidence of left-handedness was related to the year of publication of studies; however the incidence of left-handedness was lower in older subjects and in those from earlier birth cohorts, the two effects not being statistically distinguishable.Information was available from 64 study populations concerning the incidence of left-handedness in males and females; overall 8.52% of males were left-handed compared with 6.69% of females, the male incidence being 27.4% higher than that in females. Although there was some suggestion that the sex difference was greater in larger studies, and in studies whose main purpose was not the study of handedness, these differences were not significant. It is concluded that the size of the sex difference is unrelated to any of the moderator variables we have studied.It was not possible to carry out a meta-analysis of degree of handedness due to wide-spread differences in the method of reporting of degree of handedness.We recommend that future studies of handedness should, as a minimum, use one of three standard methods of assessment, so that comparison of studies is facilitated. Note: This manuscript was originally prepared in 1993 but due to problems at a major journal, described briefly, was never eventually published. It has however been cited on a number of occasions, and has been available at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-education/publications/unpublished-manuscripts/meta-analysis-of-handedness . A major meta-analysis of handedness in 2019 by another author has now been submitted which cites this manuscript, and therefore it needs to be available in a more archivable format.


Author(s):  
Leigh W. Simmons

‘Mating systems, or who goes with whom, and for how long’ examines the variation in how males and females associate during the breeding season, ranging from brief couplings with multiple partners to lifelong monogamy. It also shows how the discovery that females mate with many partners, even in supposedly monogamous species such as songbirds, was made possible by modern genetic techniques. Variation in mating systems holds considerable implications for the operation of sexual selection. The way that animal mating systems have been explained historically is outlined before considering how a more contemporary understanding of genetic and social relationships has reshaped our thinking and how understanding a species’ mating system can have practical applications.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 147470491201000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde ◽  
Mark A. Eys ◽  
Michael Emond ◽  
Michael Buzdon

Sport provides a context in which mate choice can be facilitated by the display of athletic prowess. Previous work has shown that, for females, team sport athletes are more desirable as mates than individual sport athletes and non-participants. In the present study, the perceptions of males and females were examined regarding potential mates based on sport participation. It was predicted that team sport athletes would be more positively perceived than individual sport athletes and non-participants by both males and females. A questionnaire, a photograph, and manipulated descriptions were used to gauge perceptual differences with respect to team sport athletes, individual sport athletes, and extracurricular club participants for 125 females and 119 males from a Canadian university. Both team and individual sport athletes were perceived as being less lazy, more competitive, and healthier than non-participants by both males and females. Interestingly, females perceived male athletes as more promiscuous than non-athletes, which upholds predictions based on previous research indicating (a) athletes have more sexual partners than non-athletes, and (b) females find athletes more desirable as partners than non-participants. Surprisingly, only males perceived female team sport athletes as more dependable than non-participants, and both team and individual sport athletes as more ambitious. This raises questions regarding the initial hypothesis that male team athletes would be perceived positively by females because of qualities such as the ability to cooperate, likeability, and the acceptance of responsibilities necessary for group functioning. Future studies should examine similar questions with a larger sample size that encompasses multiple contexts, taking into account the role of the social profile of sport in relation to mate choice and perception.


1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
PA Woolley

The ningbing antechinus is a species of small dasyurid marsupial found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Observations on reproduction have been made on newly captured and laboratory maintained specimens. The breeding season is short and mating occurs in June. The young are born after a long gestation, estimated to be between 45 and 52 days, in late July and early August. They are weaned in November when about 16 weeks old and they reach sexual maturity at 10-11 months, in the first breeding season after birth. Both males and females are potentially capable of breeding in a second season.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Meunier ◽  
Jean Bédard

The diet of savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) nestlings was monitored at Îsle Verte, Québec, during the 1980 breeding season. Adults carried exclusively arthropods to the nest. The main prey types found were Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera larvae, larval and adult Diptera and Homoptera. The proportion of different prey types in the diet varied during the season but there was no close relationship between temporal changes in the indices of prey abundance in the habitat and the type of prey chosen by the adult birds. Both the type and size of prey brought to the nest changed with the age and number of nestlings (aged 4–10 days). The proportion of Homoptera in the diet decreased sharply with age while that of Lepidoptera and Diptera increased. Adults feeding broods of four brought a larger proportion of large prey items (Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera larvae) than those feeding broods of a lesser size; to these they brought a larger proportion of smaller items such as Diptera and adult Lepidoptera. Males and females brought the same major prey types to the nest but not in the same proportions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Krysinska ◽  
Karl Andriessen

Although several studies have looked at the phenomenon of online memorialization, online involvement of those bereaved by suicide ( suicide survivors) remains an understudied area. The current study analyzed 250 memorials dedicated to those who died by suicide on two memorialization Web sites: Faces of Suicide and Gone too Soon. The majority of the memorials was posted by family members of the deceased and had a format of a letter or an obituary. Though the memorials were written for both males and females of all ages, 80% of the messages were written for young males. Fourteen themes were identified, ranging from sadness and expressions of love and other grief reactions of the bereaved, to acknowledgment of suicide and search for reasons for the death. Some of the bereaved wrote about their motives for posting an online memorial. Future studies should determine the impact of involvement in online memorialization on the grief process of suicide survivors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document