Female reproductive activity and its endocrine correlates in the African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholi

dc.contributor.authorScheun, Juan
dc.contributor.authorNowack, Julia
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Nigel Charles
dc.contributor.authorGanswindt, Andre
dc.contributor.emailjscheun@zoology.up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-14T10:38:25Z
dc.date.issued2016-02
dc.description.abstractSteroid hormones play an important role in female reproductive physiology and behaviour and are often used to monitor important female reproductive events. However, such studies are often attempted on captive populations alone, delivering limited data. One such example is the African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholi, for which contradicting observational data exist between captive and free-ranging populations, while hormonal analyses have only been obtained from a single captive population. To extend and rectify the limited information, we monitored faecal progestagen and oestrogen metabolite levels across various important life history stages of both captive and free-ranging G. moholi. We additionally recorded changes in vaginal state as well as the occurrence of reproductive and aggressive behaviour throughout the study. Data from our captive population revealed an ovarian cycle length of 33.44 ± 0.59 days (mean ± SD), with follicular and luteal phases of 14.2 ± 1.0 and 19.1 ± 1.5 days, respectively, and an average pregnancy length of 128 ± 3.3 days. The initiation of female reproductive activity was closely linked to an oestrus-related increase in faecal oestrogen metabolite levels. Four of the seven captive females monitored in our study conceived during the May mating period, with one additional female fertilised in September, supporting the idea that the September mating period functions as a back-up for female G. moholi. Identified benchmark faecal progestagen metabolite levels (non-pregnant: >1 μg/g dry weight (DW), pregnant: >9 μg/g DW) should help researchers to determine pregnancy status of randomly wild-caught females in even a cross-sectional study setup.en_ZA
dc.description.embargo2017-02-28
dc.description.librarianhb2015en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; DA 1031/3-1/2) and the DST-NRF SarchI Chair of Mammal Behavioural Ecology and Physiology.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://link.springer.com/journal/360en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationScheun, J, Nowack, J, Bennett, NC & Ganswindt, A 2016, 'Female reproductive activity and its endocrine correlates in the African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholi', Journal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology, vol. 186, no. 2, pp. 255-264.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0174-1578 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1432-136X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1007/s00360-015-0947-z
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/51814
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherSpringeren_ZA
dc.rights© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015. The original publication is available at : http://link.springer.comjournal/360.en_ZA
dc.subjectProgestagensen_ZA
dc.subjectOestrogenen_ZA
dc.subjectFaecal steroid metabolitesen_ZA
dc.subjectOestrusen_ZA
dc.subjectPregnancyen_ZA
dc.subjectAfrican lesser bushbabyen_ZA
dc.subjectGalago moholi
dc.subject.lcshEstrogenen_ZA
dc.titleFemale reproductive activity and its endocrine correlates in the African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholien_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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