Effects of fecal age and seasonality on steroid hormone concentration as a reproductive parameter in field studies

We studied how fecal age (6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 168 h) and seasonality affect variation in the fecal steroid hormone metabolite concentration in three endangered mammalian species, Mhorr gazelle, Saharan Barbary sheep, and the Iberian lynx. Except for estrogens, concentrations remained stable for a...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Abáigar, Teresa, Doménech, Miguel A., Palomares, Francisco
Format: article
Publication Date:2010
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/51583
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/51583
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ammotragus lervia
Fecal steroids
Gazella dama mhorr
Hormone degradation
Lynx pardinus
Description
Summary:We studied how fecal age (6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 168 h) and seasonality affect variation in the fecal steroid hormone metabolite concentration in three endangered mammalian species, Mhorr gazelle, Saharan Barbary sheep, and the Iberian lynx. Except for estrogens, concentrations remained stable for at least 48 h in the Mhorr gazelle and the Saharan Barbary sheep. Steroid hormone metabolite concentration remained stable in the Iberian lynx through- out the experiment (1 week). Seasonality was the main factor affecting variation in hormone metabolite concen- trations, and although the response was species- and hormone-specific, the dry season resulted in increased hormone metabolite concentrations, while the wet season reduced the concentration.