Seasonal drivers of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in an African strepsirrhine primate, the thick-tailed greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)

dc.contributor.authorLong, Channen
dc.contributor.authorTordiffe, Adrian Stephen Wolferstan
dc.contributor.authorSauther, Michelle
dc.contributor.authorCuozzo, Frank P.
dc.contributor.authorMillette, James
dc.contributor.authorGanswindt, Andre
dc.contributor.authorScheun, Juan
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-18T05:40:28Z
dc.date.available2022-07-18T05:40:28Z
dc.date.issued2021-10
dc.description.abstractAs global non-human primate populations show dramatic declines due to climate change, land transformation and other anthropogenic stressors, it has become imperative to study physiological responses to environmental change in order to understand primate adaptability and enhance species conservation strategies. We examined the effects of seasonality on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations of free-ranging male and female thick-tailed greater galagos (Otolemur crassicaudatus) in an Afromontane habitat. To do so, we established an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for monitoring fGCM concentrations in the species using a biological validation. Following this, faecal samples were collected each month over the course of a year from free-ranging males and females situated in the Soutpansberg Mountains, Limpopo, South Africa. Multivariate analyses revealed lactation period was a driver of fGCM levels, whereas sex and food availability mostly influenced seasonal fGCM concentrations in the total population. Thus far, the results of this study show that drivers of fGCM levels, an indication of increased adrenocortical activity, inO. crassicaudatus are numerous and complex within the natural environment. The species may be adapted to such conditions and an extreme change to any one component may result in elevated fGCM levels. This increases our understanding of strepsirrhine primate physiology and offers initial insights into species adaptability to a challenging environment.en_US
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_US
dc.description.departmentParaclinical Sciencesen_US
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_US
dc.description.librariandm2022en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe National Science Foundation, USA, the University of Colorado, Boulder (USA) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute National Zoological Garden.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://conphys.oxfordjournals.orgen_US
dc.identifier.citationLong C, Tordiffe A, Sauther M, Cuozzo F, Millette J, Ganswindt A, Scheun J (2021) Seasonal drivers of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in an African strepsirrhine primate, the thick-tailed greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus) . Conserv Physiol 9(1): coab081; doi:10.1093/conphys/coab081.en_US
dc.identifier.issn2051-1434 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1093/conphys/coab081
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86264
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherOxford University Pressen_US
dc.rightsThe Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press and the Society for Experimental Biology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_US
dc.subjectSeasonalityen_US
dc.subjectFaecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM)en_US
dc.subjectThick-tailed galagos (Otolemur crassicaudatus)en_US
dc.subjectAfromontane habitaten_US
dc.titleSeasonal drivers of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in an African strepsirrhine primate, the thick-tailed greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)en_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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