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Title:Assessment of cortisol and DHEA concentrations in Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) feathers to evaluate its allostatic load
Authors:ID Frongia, Gian Nicola, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari 07100, Italy (Author)
ID Peric, Tanja, Dipartimento di Scienze Agroalimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine 33100, Italy (Author), et al.
Files:.pdf [23008733_-_Annals_of_Animal_Science]_Ahead_of_print.pdf (664,32 KB)
MD5: E8C7B4F9DEFD85B8BF6A3F336FB42350
 
Language:English
Work type:Not categorized
Typology:1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:UNG - University of Nova Gorica
Abstract:The use of a non-invasive approach to collect biological samples from natural populations represents a great means of gathering information while avoiding handling animals. Even if corticosterone is the main glucocorticoid investigated in birds, it has been observed a proportional direct link between corticosterone and cortisol concentrations. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can be produced by the adrenal cortex and should have prominent antiglucocorticoid properties also in birds. The aim of this study was to verify if there is any difference in the cortisol and DHEA feather concentrations between clinically normal and physiologically compromised Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) through the non-invasive approach of collecting moulted feathers without having to pluck them from the bird. The study was carried out using 8 physiologically compromised (PC) Griffons and 9 clinically normal Griffons considered as the control (CTRL) group that were necropsied or from the wildlife rehabilitation centre. Primary and secondary covert feathers were either collected directly from the birds’ cage floors, or, in the case of dead Griffons, they were plucked off the animals. The results, obtained by RIA, revealed that both cortisol (P<0.01) and DHEA (P<0.05) feather concentrations were higher in the PC than in the CTRL group. No difference was observed by comparing the cortisol/DHEA ratio between the two evaluated groups (P=0.15). Pearson’s correlation coefficients showed no correlation between feather hormone concentrations in the PC group (r=0.01, P=0.96) while a positive correlation in the CTRL group (r=0.65, P=0.006) was observed. In conclusion, our study reveals that moulted feathers can be a non-invasive and an interesting tool to evaluate the allostatic load of wild birds and they allowed to better understand the relationship between hormones of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the physiological status of the birds.
Keywords:wild birds, raptors, HPA axis, steroids, coverts
Publication version:Version of Record
Year of publishing:2019
Number of pages:23
Numbering:2019
PID:20.500.12556/RUNG-4738-ec28f255-fbec-d33c-ba4d-5f5c3856cd71 New window
COBISS.SI-ID:5451259 New window
DOI:10.2478/aoas-2019-0051 New window
NUK URN:URN:SI:UNG:REP:RWD77G5L
Publication date in RUNG:16.09.2019
Views:4228
Downloads:133
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FRONGIA, Gian Nicola and PERIC, Tanja, 2019, Assessment of cortisol and DHEA concentrations in Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) feathers to evaluate its allostatic load. ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE [online]. 2019. Vol. 2019. [Accessed 13 April 2025]. DOI 10.2478/aoas-2019-0051. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.ung.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=4738
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Record is a part of a journal

Title:ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
Year of publishing:2019
ISSN:2300-8733

Licences

License:CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Link:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Description:The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.
Licensing start date:16.09.2019

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