Measures of physiological stress: a transparent or opaque window into the status, management and conservation of species?

ABSTRACT: Conservation physiology proposes that measures of physiological stress (glucocorticoid levels) can be used to assess the status and future fate of natural populations. Increases in glucocorticoids may reflect a more challenging environment, suggesting that the influence of human activities on free-living animals could be quantified by measuring glucocorticoids. Biomedical studies suggest that chronic increases in glucocorticoids can have detrimental effects on survival and reproduction, which could influence the viability of populations. Here, we discuss the use of measurements of glucocorticoids in conservation physiology. We first provide an overview of the different methods to quantify glucocorticoids and their utility in conservation physiology. We then discuss five questions we think

SUBMITTER: Dantzer B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4732472 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature