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The spider monkey (SM) (Ateles geoffroyi) a New World primate species native to Mexican forests, has become endangered in the wild due to environmental perturbations. Little is known about adrenal function and its relationship to reproduction in this species. Our objectives were to assess serum glucocorticoid (GC), mineralocorticoid (MC) and testosterone concentrations in captive SM and evaluate adrenal and testicular responses to potentially stressful animal handling procedures. Seven adult males, housed in a single mixed gender group in an off-exhibit enclosure at the University Park were captured for anesthesia every 2 months over a 1-year period. Blood samples were collected from each male at three time points: (1) ∼5-10 min after ketamine injection in the outdoor enclosure; (2) ∼2 hr later following animal transport to the laboratory and immediately after tiletamine-zolazepam injection; and (3) ∼20-30 min following the second anesthetic injection. Serum samples were frozen and later analyzed for cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone and testosterone via radioimmunoassay. Cortisol was the primary GC detected in SM serum with much higher mean concentrations than for corticosterone. Capture, restraint and anesthesia resulted in significant increases in both cortisol and corticosterone concentrations. Whereas aldosterone concentrations were unchanged by animal handling procedures, testosterone concentrations significantly declined under anesthesia over time. In summary, these results provide data for the main adrenocortical hormones in male SM and characterize their acute adrenal responses to potentially stressful handling and anesthesia procedures. Our findings also suggest an interaction between acute increases in corticosteroids and decreased concentrations of serum testosterone., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Abstract: Urbanization generates human-made habitats with novel resources. Such change is not homegeneous, and includes different urban land uses characterized by specific habitat traits. In this study we explored the ecophysiologial response of an urban-exploiter species in three different urban land uses (urban, suburban, industrial). Our results show that corticosterone (obtained through fecal samples) and immunoglobulin (obtained through blood samples) concentrations did not differ significantly among the studied urban land uses. Corticosterone and immunoglobulin concentration showed both high and low values in urban and suburban areas, while industrial areas had low and high levels of corticosterone, and medium-to-low immunoglobulin concentration values. Also, we found a negative relationship between corticosterone and immunoglobulin concentrations in industrial areas. Based on corticosterone and immunoglobulin concentration thresholds established from previous studies, our results suggest that: (1) birds in the three studied urban conditions are both stressed and non-stressed; and (2) the immune system of industrial House Sparrows could not be responding successfully to pathogens. Not finding physiological relationships in urban and suburban areas underline that this species has a large capacity to respond to the different stress and immune challenges found in urban areas. However, our results suggest that the physiological condition of industrial House Sparrows could be compromised by differences in the frequency and intensity of the stressor agents faced by the birds in this land use category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]