Abstract:
:A number of potential stressors are present in captive environments and it is critically important to identify them in order to improve health and welfare in ex situ animal populations. In this study, we investigated the adrenocortical activity of a colony of African penguins hosted in an immersive zoo in Italy, with respect to the presence of visitors and local microclimatic conditions, using the non-invasive method of assessing faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs). The penguins' exhibit is a large naturalistic outdoor enclosure, which closely reproduces the natural habitat of this species. Data collection took place from the beginning of June to the end of August 2014, during the period of maximum flow of visitors. We carried out 12 sampling periods, each involving 2 consecutive days; during the first day we counted the visitors and we registered the meteorological data, and on the second day, we collected the faecal samples, which amounted to a total of 285 faecal samples. Our results showed that the number of visitors did not influence the adrenocortical activity of the African penguins. Conversely, the local microclimatic conditions did influence the physiological stress on these birds. We found that an increase of the daily mean temperature induced a significant increase in FGM concentrations, although humidity and wind speed had a moderating effect on temperature and reduced the heat-induced stress. Moreover, we calculated two climatic indices, commonly used to assess the thermal discomfort in animals, namely the THI (Temperature-Humidity Index) and WCI (Wind Chill Index), and we detected a positive relationship between their values and the FGM levels, demonstrating that these indices could be useful indicators of weather discomfort in African penguins. Our study shows that the simulating naturalistic conditions could have significant benefits for zoo animals, such as reducing the negative effect of visitors. Nevertheless, it should be taken into account where the zoological facility is located and if the local microclimatic conditions are compatible with the hosted species, to ensure that they do not differ greatly from their natural habitat.
journal_name
Gen Comp Endocrinoljournal_title
General and comparative endocrinologyauthors
Ozella L,Anfossi L,Di Nardo F,Pessani Ddoi
10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.12.002subject
Has Abstractpub_date
2017-02-01 00:00:00pages
49-58eissn
0016-6480issn
1095-6840pii
S0016-6480(15)30037-Xjournal_volume
242pub_type
杂志文章abstract::A brief description is given of the discovery of PTHrP and the roles of the peptide in mammalian physiology. Next, the occurrence of PTHrP in the earliest vertebrates, sharks, skates and fishes, is reviewed and the calciotropic functions of PTHrP are addressed more specifically in fishes. Parathyroid hormone-related p...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2006.11.010
更新日期:2007-06-01 00:00:00
abstract::Melatonin is a skin lightening agonist of the toad Bufo ictericus. The hormone also exhibits an autodesensitizing action as well as an inhibitory activity on the darkening response to alpha-MSH. In an attempt to pharmacologically characterize the melatonin receptor of the toad pigment cells, serotonin and N-acetylsero...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.1996.0110
更新日期:1996-08-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113400
更新日期:2020-05-01 00:00:00
abstract::To clarify the physiological roles of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and arginine vasotocin (AVT) on body fluid regulation in amphibians, we measured plasma concentrations of aldosterone (ALDO), angiotensin II (ANG II), and AVT after various osmotic challenges in the marine toad, Bufo marinus (Bufonid...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2004.10.005
更新日期:2005-01-15 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.1993.1019
更新日期:1993-01-01 00:00:00
abstract::The importance of late winter pairing activity on the neuroendocrinology of wild waterfowl is unknown. In this study, we examined the sex-related differences in the roles of late winter pairing activity and seasonal influences on neuroendocrine and reproductive physiology in both male and female mallards. Our main goa...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.2000.7469
更新日期:2000-05-01 00:00:00
abstract::Since an extrapancreatic source of insulin has been postulated in the chick embryo, insulin was sought by immunohistochemistry in the embryo before and after development of the pancreas and other tissues. Using for the first time an antiserum specific for chicken insulin, localization of insulin was investigated in wh...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(89)90102-0
更新日期:1989-02-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.03.010
更新日期:2015-05-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.06.015
更新日期:2013-10-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.08.016
更新日期:2016-10-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(84)90056-x
更新日期:1984-10-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.1998.7172
更新日期:1998-11-01 00:00:00
abstract::The neurohypophyseal hormones of the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and collared peccary (Tayassu angulatus) were isolated by molecular sieving and preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Oxytocin and arginine vasopressin have been identified by their amino acid compositions and their retention ...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(88)90277-8
更新日期:1988-09-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.11.004
更新日期:2016-06-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(83)90143-0
更新日期:1983-02-01 00:00:00
abstract::Measurement of fish steroids in water provides a non-invasive alternative to measurement in blood samples, offering the following advantages: zero or minimal intervention (i.e. no anaesthetic, bleeding or handling stress); results not being biased by sampling stress; repeat measurements on the same fish; the possibili...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2006.11.006
更新日期:2007-08-01 00:00:00
abstract::GPR-30, now named as GPER (G protein-coupled estrogen receptor) was first identified as an orphan receptor and subsequently shown to be required for estrogen-mediated signaling in certain cancer cells. Later studies demonstrated that GPER has the characteristics of a high affinity estrogen membrane receptor on Atlanti...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.11.011
更新日期:2015-01-15 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(86)90101-2
更新日期:1986-04-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(88)90297-3
更新日期:1988-07-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.1995.1057
更新日期:1995-05-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(88)90037-8
更新日期:1988-03-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(87)90120-1
更新日期:1987-03-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.08.022
更新日期:2013-01-15 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1006/gcen.1999.7326
更新日期:1999-09-01 00:00:00
abstract::The presence of binding sites for nonecdysteroid steroids was investigated in the cytosol of several tissues of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria migratorioides. Binding of androgens was not observed. Most tissues, however, showed nonsaturable binding of estrogens and in some tissues saturable progestin binding...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(88)90162-1
更新日期:1988-12-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.04.026
更新日期:2010-02-01 00:00:00
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journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/0016-6480(92)90200-4
更新日期:1992-10-01 00:00:00
abstract::The aim of the study was to verify the effect of various hormonal agents [human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and salmon gonadoliberine analogue (sGnRHa)] applied at different stages of maturity of the females [out-of-season (maturation stage I) and in-season spawning (maturation stages II and IV)] on the proximate com...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 临床试验,杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.04.027
更新日期:2017-05-01 00:00:00
abstract::We examined the mechanism of amiloride-sensitive Na(+) channels (ENaC) activated by fANP in epithelial cells of frog urinary bladder by using a cell-attached patch-clamp technique. ENaC activities in the epithelial cells were significantly increased following administration of both 10(-9)M fANP and 10(-5)M 8-Br-cGMP. ...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2006.11.003
更新日期:2007-06-01 00:00:00
abstract::Thyroid hormones (THs) are crucial for brain development and maturation in all vertebrates. Especially during pre- and perinatal development, disruption of TH signaling leads to a multitude of neurological deficits. Many animal models provided insight in the role of THs in brain development, but specific data on how t...
journal_title:General and comparative endocrinology
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.04.001
更新日期:2017-06-01 00:00:00