Effects of fecal age and seasonality on steroid hormone concentration as a reproductive parameter in field studies

We studied how fecal age (6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 168 h) and seasonality affect variation in the fecal steroid hormone metabolite concentration in three endangered mammalian species, Mhorr gazelle, Saharan Barbary sheep, and the Iberian lynx. Except for estrogens, concentrations remained stable for a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of wildlife research 2010, Vol.56 (5), p.781-787
Main Authors: Abáigar, Teresa, Domené, Miguel A, Palomares, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Ammotragus lervia
Animal reproduction
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Dry season
Ecology
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered species
Estrogens
Fecal steroids
Feces
Field study
Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management
Gazella dama mhorr
Hormone degradation
Life Sciences
Lynx
Lynx pardinus
Mammals
Metabolites
Original Paper
Rainy season
Seasonal variations
Seasons
Steroid hormones
Steroids
Wildlife conservation
Zoology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We studied how fecal age (6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 168 h) and seasonality affect variation in the fecal steroid hormone metabolite concentration in three endangered mammalian species, Mhorr gazelle, Saharan Barbary sheep, and the Iberian lynx. Except for estrogens, concentrations remained stable for at least 48 h in the Mhorr gazelle and the Saharan Barbary sheep. Steroid hormone metabolite concentration remained stable in the Iberian lynx throughout the experiment (1 week). Seasonality was the main factor affecting variation in hormone metabolite concentrations, and although the response was species- and hormone-specific, the dry season resulted in increased hormone metabolite concentrations, while the wet season reduced the concentration.
ISSN:1612-4642
1439-0574
DOI:10.1007/s10344-010-0375-z