Non-invasive monitoring of endocrine status in laboratory primates: methods, guidelines and applications
During the past three decades, non-invasive methods for assessing physiological, in particular endocrine, status have revolutionized almost all areas of primatology, including behavioural ecology, reproductive biology, stress research, conservation and last but not least management of primates in ca...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2010-11-01
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| Series: | Advances in Science and Research |
| Online Access: | http://www.adv-sci-res.net/5/1/2010/asr-5-1-2010.pdf |
| Summary: | During the past three decades, non-invasive methods for assessing
physiological, in particular endocrine, status have revolutionized almost
all areas of primatology, including behavioural ecology, reproductive
biology, stress research, conservation and last but not least management of
primates in captivity where the technology plays an integral role in
assisting the husbandry, breeding and welfare of many species. Non-invasive
endocrine methods make use of the fact that hormones circulating in blood
are secreted into saliva or deposited in hair and are eliminated from the
body via urinary and faecal excretion. The choice of which matrix to use for
hormonal assessment depends on a range of factors, including the type of
information required, the measurement techniques involved, species
differences in hormone metabolism and route of excretion and the
practicality of sample collection. However, although sample collection is
usually relatively easy, analysing hormones from these non-invasively
collected samples is not as easy as many people think, particularly not when
dealing with a new species. In this respect, the importance of a careful
validation of each technique is essential in order to generate meaningful
and accurate results. This paper aims to provide an overview of the
available non-invasive endocrine-based methodologies, their relative merits
and their potential areas of application for assessing endocrine status in
primates, with special reference to captive environments. In addition,
general information is given about the most important aspects and caveats
researchers have to be aware of when using these methodologies. |
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| ISSN: | 1992-0628 1992-0636 |