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Comparative patterns of adrenal activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)

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Abstract

Stress and animal well-being are often assessed using concentrations of glucocorticoids (GCs), a product of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. However, GC concentrations can also be modulated by predictable events, such as changes in season or life history stage. Understanding normative patterns of adrenal activity is critical for making valid conclusions about changes in GC concentrations. In this study, we validated an assay for monitoring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) in Canada lynx. We then used this technique to assess patterns of adrenal activity in Canada lynx across several contexts. Our results show that captive lynx have higher FGM concentrations than wild lynx, which may be related to differences in stress levels, metabolic rate, diet, or body condition. We also found that FGM concentrations are correlated with reproductive status in females, but not in males. For males, seasonal increases in FGM expression coincide with the onset of the breeding season, whereas in females, FGM increase toward the end of the breeding season. This information provides a valuable foundation for making inferences about normative versus stress-induced changes in adrenal activity in Canada lynx.

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Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the hard work of everyone involved in collecting fecal samples and the assistance provided by participating institutions (Captive: Alaska Zoo, Assiniboine Park Zoo, Brec’s Baton Rouge Zoo, Buttonwood Park Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, Dirt Willy’s Game Bird Farm, Feline Conservation Center, Minnesota Zoological Gardens, N.O.A.H. Feline Refuge Center, Pueblo Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Salmonier Nature Park, Scovill Zoo, The Wildcat Sanctuary, Toronto Zoo, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Walk on the Wildside Feline Refuge, Wild Trax Feline Refuge, Wildlife Science Center, Zoo America, and Zoo Sauvage de St. Félicien; Wild: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station). Special thanks to Feline Conservation Center, Philadelphia Zoo, Scovill Zoo, and Wildlife Science Center for their participation in the ACTH challenge. Thanks to Astrid Bellem and Jocelyn Bryant for technical support. Funding for this project was provided by the Chicago Zoological Society/Chicago Board of Trade, Purdue University, and PEO International.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Brain, Behaviour, and Evolution, Macquarie University, 209 Culloden Road, Marsfield, NSW, 2122, Australia

    Kerry V. Fanson

  2. Department of Conservation Science, Chicago Zoological Society, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL, 60513, USA

    Kerry V. Fanson & Nadja C. Wielebnowski

  3. Biological Resources Management Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO, 80525, USA

    Tanya M. Shenk

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Kerry V. Fanson & Jeffrey R. Lucas

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  1. Kerry V. Fanson
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  2. Nadja C. Wielebnowski
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  4. Jeffrey R. Lucas
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Correspondence to Kerry V. Fanson.

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Communicated by I.D. Hume.

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Fanson, K.V., Wielebnowski, N.C., Shenk, T.M. et al. Comparative patterns of adrenal activity in captive and wild Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). J Comp Physiol B 182, 157–165 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-011-0597-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-011-0597-8

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