IDEA   23902
INSTITUTO DE DIVERSIDAD Y ECOLOGIA ANIMAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Adrenocortical and behavioral responses to environmental challenges in the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana)
Autor/es:
NAVARRO JL; VERA CORTEZ M.; LÉCHE, A; MARIN RH; DELLA COSTA, N.S.; MARTELLA MB,
Lugar:
Vancouver
Reunión:
Congreso; 27th International Ornithological Congress; 2018
Institución organizadora:
IOCongress 2018 Organizing Society, Bird Studies Canada and Society of Canadian Ornithologists
Resumen:
Anthropogenic perturbations in wild and captive environments can generate stress responses in Greater Rheas, thus, the monitoring of adrenocortical and behavioral activity are considered assessment tools for conservation and welfare implications. In this work, we discuss the analysis and integration of the different measurements of glucocorticoids (in plasma, feces and yolk) carried out in different captive (intensive and semi-extensive system) and wild (agroecosystem and grassland) populations, taking into account the diverse predictable and unpredictable conditions to which the Greater Rhea responds in each of those environments. In addition, we present the translocation of this bird as an application of stress physiology for conservation purposes, in which we evaluate how this species responds when it is released into a novel environment. Our results indicate that this ratite has a striking high sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis compared to that of other bird species and shows a wide variety of adrenocortical responses depending on the environment in which it lives. This suggests that its HPA axis has a phenotypic plasticity that enables rheas to cope with the environmental challenges. The studies initiated on this topic indicate that probably one of the epigenetic mechanisms that could be acting in this direction would be the maternal transfer of steroid hormones to the egg. Finally, we discuss the importance of integrating the monitoring of the adrenocortical response along with the environmental variables that define the life history of the species, in management and conservation programs.