Density-dependent mating tactic expression is linked to stress hormone in Woodhouse's toad

Leary, Christopher J.; Garcia, Apryl M.; Knapp, Rosemary

doi:10.1093/beheco/arn102

Cited by 28 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The latter is in contrast to the fact that intragroup agonism was negatively related to fGC levels at Anja, suggesting that between-group territory defense may be a more important predictor of social stress than competition among members of the same group in these lemurs. A similar positive relationship between GC levels and population density has been reported for other free-living mammalian species (Novikov & Moshkin, 1998;de Waal, Aureli & Judge, 2000;Harper & Austad, 2004), as well as for birds (Silverin, 1998;Love et al, 2008), amphibians (Leary, Garcia & Knapp, 2008), reptiles (Jessop, Limpus & Whittier, 1999), and fish (Barton & Iwama, 1991). For groupliving animals, the intensity or unpredictability of social pressures that would be expected under unnaturally crowded conditions may elevate a physiological mediator to the range of Reactive Homeostasis (Goymann & Wingfield, 2004;Wingfield, 2005;Romero et al, 2009;Rubenstein & Shen, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Crowding as a primary source of stress in an endangered fragment‐dwelling strepsirrhine primate

Gabriel

Gould

Cook

2017

Animal Conservation

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Nutritional and social challenges arising from habitat fragmentation can be significant sources of stress for animals. If prolonged, such stressors can pose a threat to the longevity of a species within a fragmented landscape. While each may elicit a physiological response, the coupled and often additive nature of these stressors can make it difficult to determine their relative impact on an individual or population. We measured fecal glucocorticoids (fGC) in two populations of Lemur catta, an endangered strepsirrhine primate, inhabiting forest fragments that vary markedly in resource structure and population density. We also examined the relative importance of behavioral variables indicative of feeding environment, intergroup territoriality, and intragroup social interactions in predicting fGC levels in these populations. Lemur catta living with ample food resources but at high population density exhibited higher fGC concentrations throughout the study period, independent of sex or reproductive state. At both sites, fGC levels reflected consistent seasonal variation, with lowest levels occurring during the resource-rich pre-mating period. Foraging effort was positively associated with fGC levels at each site, yet the population exhibiting the highest foraging effort had consistently lower levels of fGC. Intergroup territoriality was a positive predictor and intragroup agonism a negative predictor of fGC levels; however, trends in these variables were inconsistent when examining the two sites separately. Within-site group differences highlighted the additive nature of nutritional and social stressors in predicting fGC levels. Our results suggest that the intense or unpredictable impact of crowding and, correspondingly, heightened intergroup resource defense may be an important consideration when addressing long-term conservation initiatives for fragmentdwelling L. catta.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Crowding as a primary source of stress in an endangered fragment‐dwelling strepsirrhine primate

Gabriel

Gould

Cook

2017

Animal Conservation

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“…Some studies in amphibians and reptiles also support the positive relationship between population or breeding density and stress axis activity. For example, increased population density during mating in anurans (Leary, Garcia & Knapp 2008) or nesting density in turtles (Jessop, Limpus & Whittier 1999) is associated with increased plasma glucocorticoids. High population density either were associated with increased or decreased plasma glucocorticoids in female side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) depending upon the female reproductive tactic (Comendant et al 2003).…”

Section: F a C T O R S A F F E C T I N G A C T I V I T Y O F T H E H mentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology of stress: effects of the social environment

et al. 2012

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Summary Many aspects of the social environment affect hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis function and increase circulating glucocorticoid concentrations. In this review, we examine the relationships between the social environment and the function of the HPA axis in vertebrates. First, we explore the effects of the social environment on glucocorticoid secretion in territorial (primarily non‐social) species, with an emphasis on the effects of variation in population density, as modified by environmental factors such as predation risk and food availability. In general, high population density or frequent territorial intrusions are associated with increased glucocorticoid secretion in a wide range of taxa, including mammals, birds, fish and reptiles, although there is considerable variability across species. Second, we consider the effects of social interactions and dominance rank on glucocorticoid secretion in social species, mostly in birds and mammals. We review studies that have detected an association between social status and glucocorticoid levels – sometimes with higher glucocorticoid levels in low‐ranking individuals, and sometimes with higher glucocorticoid levels in dominant individuals. The relationship between dominance and glucocorticoid levels varies among species, populations and years, in a manner that depends on the stability of the social hierarchy, environmental conditions, the type of breeding system, and the manner in which high rank is obtained and maintained. Finally, we discuss the concept of allostasis and consider interactions between social effects and other environmental factors, noting that there is relatively little research on these interactions to date. For both non‐social and social species, we identify priorities of future research. These priorities include more complete descriptions of HPA function that move beyond measurements of basal glucocorticoid concentrations (which will generally require field experiments), to studies that examine organizational effects of social stressors, that directly test the relationship between HPA function and fitness, and that examine how glucocorticoid responses affect population dynamics. Although several lines of evidence suggest that glucocorticoid responses can affect the fitness of individuals and therefore can alter the dynamics of populations, the effect of glucocorticoid responses on population dynamics remains essentially unstudied.

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“…In Peltophryne florentinoi the dominant frequency was the most stereotyped acoustic feature examined (static), and we therefore suggest that this feature of the call may be relevant in terms of the female preference and also could mediate male-male interactions. On the other hand, temporal properties such as call duration in P. florentinoi (>10 s) could be influenced strongly by social context, such as the density of calling males, and probably is under strong energetic constraints, as has been reported for other species of anurans (Ryan, 1988;Wells, 1988;Wells and Taigen, 1992;Giacoma and Castellano, 2001;Leary, Garcia and Knapp, 2008). Generally, low within-male variability is subject to stabilizing or weakly directional selection, and that the high variability of dynamic properties is subject to highly directional selection (See fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Advertisement call of Peltophryne florentinoi (Anura: Bufonidae), an endemic toad from Zapata Swamp, Cuba

2010

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The advertisement call of Peltophryne florentinoi, an endemic toad from Zapata Swamp, Matanzas, Cuba, is described in terms of temporal properties and dominant frequency. A comparison with the advertisement calls produced by the other three species of large toads in Cuba (P. peltocephala, P. fustiger and P. taladai) is also provided. Like other large toads from Cuba, P. florentinoi produces advertisement calls with long duration (>10 s), low dominant frequency (<1 kHz), and a series of complex pulses that are composed of two to five sub-pulses. All temporal features of the P. florentinoi call are significantly different from P. fustiger calls: number of pulses, pulse duration, and pulse rate separates it from P. peltocephala. P. florentinoi differs from P. taladai in call duration, number of pulses, and pulse rate. The occurrence of different types of complex pulses differed in all species studied. Typically, P. florentinoi pulses contain three sub-pulses, P. taladai four, and P. fustiger and P. peltocephala contain two sub-pulses. The dominant frequency of the advertisement call of P. florentinoi did not differ from the other species' calls. Call duration and pulse rate are the most useful acoustic properties to distinguish P. florentinoi advertisement calls from those of the other three large Cuban toads.

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Density-dependent mating tactic expression is linked to stress hormone in Woodhouse's toad

Cited by 28 publications

References 45 publications

Crowding as a primary source of stress in an endangered fragment‐dwelling strepsirrhine primate

Crowding as a primary source of stress in an endangered fragment‐dwelling strepsirrhine primate

The ecology of stress: effects of the social environment

Advertisement call of Peltophryne florentinoi (Anura: Bufonidae), an endemic toad from Zapata Swamp, Cuba

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