Urbanization is associated with elevated corticosterone in Jollyville Plateau salamanders

Gabor, Caitlin R.; Davis, Drew R.; Kim, Diana S.; Zabierek, Kristina; Bendik, Nathan F.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.047

Cited by 31 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…We failed to find an increase in corticosterone due to physical agitation in either the plasma or water‐borne samples, perhaps because chasing the salamander with tweezers was not sufficient to elicit an HPI response. It has been shown that disturbing the containers of salamanders in water increased water‐borne corticosterone levels in Jollyville Plateau salamanders ( Eurycea tonkawae ; Gabor et al, ; Gabor et al, ), but not in San Marcos salamanders ( E. nana ), and there were conflicting results from different populations of Barton Springs salamanders ( E. sosorum ; Gabor et al, ). Our salamanders did display loss of righting reflex, indicating a biological response to our agitation treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also allows for sampling the same individual multiple times and over long periods of time, even of small animals that would otherwise have to be sacrificed (Scott & Ellis, 2007). Many studies have provided evidence that water-borne corticosterone provides physiologically relevant estimates that are biologically meaningful (Baugh et al, 2018;Charbonnier et al, 2018;Davis et al, 2019;Gabor et al, 2013Gabor et al, , 2015Gabor et al, , 2016Gabor et al, , 2018Holmes et al, 2016). Because water-borne hormone sampling is still a new method, additional research is necessary to determine the ideal containment time (1 hr, 2 hr, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Positive correlations between waterborne corticosterone and plasma corticosterone levels have been found in four amphibian species including adult Túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus;r = .46;Baugh et al, 2018), larval western tiger salamanders (r 2 = .60; Davis et al, 2019), adult San Marcos salamanders (Eurycea nana; r = .87), and adult common midwife toads (r = .86; Gabor et al, 2013). To demonstrate detection of physiologically relevant changes in corticosterone, studies often attempt to increase corticosterone in some individuals by injecting them with ACTH or by exposing them to physical agitation (Baugh et al, 2018;Gabor, Davis, Kim, Zabierek, & Bendik, 2018;Gabor et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Water‐borne and plasma corticosterone are not correlated in spotted salamanders

Millikin

Woodley

Davis

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Water‐borne hormone measurement is a noninvasive method suitable for amphibians of all sizes that are otherwise difficult to sample. For this method, containment‐water is assayed for hormones released by the animal. Originally developed in fish, the method has expanded to amphibians, but requires additional species‐specific validations. We wanted to determine physiological relevance of water‐borne corticosterone in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) by comparing concentrations to those taken using established corticosterone sampling methods, such as plasma. Using a mixture of field and laboratory studies, we compared water‐borne corticosterone levels to other traditional methods of sampling corticosterone for spotted salamander larvae, metamorphs, and adults. Despite multiple attempts, and detecting differences between age groups, we found no correlations between water‐borne and plasma corticosterone levels in any age group. Water‐borne sampling measures a rate of release; whereas plasma is the concentration circulating in the blood. The unique units of measurement may inherently prevent correlations between the two. These two methods may also require different interpretations of the data and the physiological meaning. We also note caveats with the method, including how to account for differences in body size and life history stages. Collectively, our results illustrate the importance of careful validation of water‐borne hormone levels in each species in order to understand its physiological significance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Water‐borne and plasma corticosterone are not correlated in spotted salamanders

Millikin

Woodley

Davis

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…endangered Jollyville Plateau salamander (Eurycea tonkawae) had elevated water-borne corticosterone release rates in urban streams compared to rural streams in 2 out of 3 years (Gabor et al, 2018a). These results indicate that it is possible to explore environmental and ecological stressors on populations over time using non-invasive measures of GCs, however, it is important that these methods are biologically validated for any new study species.…”

Section: Using Non-invasive Methods Vs Plasma or Whole-body Homogenamentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-invasive Methods for Measuring and Monitoring Stress Physiology in Imperiled Amphibians

et al. 2019

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Global climate change is negatively impacting global biodiversity and ectothermic vertebrates, with amphibians being the most imperiled vertebrate taxa. Increased mean global atmospheric temperatures, high rates of habitat degradation, and exposure to infectious diseases, such as chytridiomycosis, have contributed to population declines and extinctions of rare and endangered amphibian species. Field-based monitoring of physiological endocrine traits can help determine the sub-lethal effects of environmental stressors and provide early alerts when populations are chronically stressed. Recent advances in amphibian stress endocrinology include the development and use of non-invasive methods to quantify the glucocorticoid, or stress biomarker, corticosterone. Non-invasive methods, such as urinary, skin and buccal swabs, and water-borne hormone monitoring methods (suited for terrestrial and aquatic dwelling species), are available to quantify baseline and short-term physiological stress responses of amphibians under field settings. In this review, we illustrate, by using two case studies of aquatic and terrestrial amphibian species, the applications of non-invasive corticosterone monitoring methods to advance the ecological knowledge and conservation of imperiled amphibian species, discuss the limitations of these methods, and provide future directions for the use of non-invasive hormone monitoring methods. We highlight the use of non-invasive field endocrinology methods to monitor the impacts of environmental stressors on the physiology of amphibians, which can be applied to advance ecological research, conservation, and management of imperiled species.

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“…However, severe or prolonged exposure to stressors can negatively influence reproduction, immune function, and growth, and can impair subsequent responses to additional stressors because the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis (HPA/HPI) becomes non-responsive (Sapolsky et al, 2000;McEwen and Wingfield, 2003). As the magnitude of a perceived stressor increases, GC levels may be upregulated or downregulated (Gendron et al, 1997;Gabor et al, 2018a), indicating that GCs may correlate with physiological health, population declines, and loss of genetic variation (Dantzer et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%