Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance

dc.contributor.authorScheun, Juan
dc.contributor.authorMiller, Rebecca J.
dc.contributor.authorGanswindt, Andre
dc.contributor.authorWaller, Lauren J.
dc.contributor.authorPichegru, Lorien
dc.contributor.authorSherley, Richard B.
dc.contributor.authorManeveldt, Gavin W.
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-18T07:52:45Z
dc.date.available2022-07-18T07:52:45Z
dc.date.issued2021-09
dc.description.abstractDespite the importance of ecotourism in species conservation, little is known about the industry’s effects on wildlife. In South Africa, some African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) colonies have become tourist attractions. The species is globally endangered, with population sizes decreasing over the past 40 years. As African penguin chicks are altricial and unable to move away from anthropogenic stressors, it is important to evaluate the effect of tourist activities on baseline glucocorticoid levels as a measure of potential disturbance. Chicks at three study sites within two breeding colonies (Robben Island, Stony Point), with varying levels of exposure to tourism (low/moderate/high) were monitored. Urofaecal samples were collected to determine urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite (ufGCM) concentrations as an indication of baseline stress physiology. Morphometric measurements were taken to compare body condition between sites. Penguin chicks experiencing low, infrequent human presence had significantly higher mean (± standard deviation) ufGCM levels [1.34 ± 1.70 μg/g dry weight (DW)] compared to chicks experiencing both medium (0.50 ± 0.40 μg/g DW, P = 0.001) and high levels of human presence (0.57 ± 0.47 μg/g DW, P = 0.003). There was no difference in chick body condition across sites. These results suggest that exposure to frequent human activity may induce habituation/desensitization in African penguin chicks. Acute, infrequent human presence was likely an important driver for comparatively higher ufGCM levels in chicks, though several other environmental stressors may also play an important role in driving adrenocortical activity. Nevertheless, as unhabituated chicks experiencing infrequent anthropogenic presence showed significantly higher ufGCM levels, managers and legislation should attempt to minimize all forms of activity around important breeding colonies that are not already exposed to regular tourism. Although the results of this study are crucial for developing enhanced conservation and management protocols, additional research on the long-term effect of anthropogenic activities on African penguin physiology is required.en_US
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_US
dc.description.departmentZoology and Entomologyen_US
dc.description.librariandm2022en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipDepartment of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, African National Research Foundation and Earthwatch Institute.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://conphys.oxfordjournals.orgen_US
dc.identifier.citationScheun, J., Miller, R.J., Ganswindt, A., Waller, L.J., Pichegru, L., Sherley, R.B. & Maneveldt, G.W. (2021) Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coab078; doi:10.1093/conphys/coab078.en_US
dc.identifier.issn2051-1434 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1093/conphys/coab078
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86278
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherOxford University Pressen_US
dc.rights© The 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.subjectStress physiologyen_US
dc.subjectGlucocorticoidsen_US
dc.subjectEcotourismen_US
dc.subjectChicksen_US
dc.subjectBody conditionen_US
dc.subjectAfrican penguin (Spheniscus demersus)en_US
dc.titleUrofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbanceen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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