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Author  |
Arlettaz, R.; Patthey, P.; Baltic, M.; Leu, T.; Schaub, M.; Palme, R.; Jenni-Eiermann, S. |
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Title |
Spreading free-riding snow sports represent a novel serious threat for wildlife |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Proceedings. Biological Sciences / The Royal Society |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc Biol Sci |
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Volume |
274 |
Issue |
1614 |
Pages |
1219-1224 |
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Abstract |
Stress generated by humans on wildlife by continuous development of outdoor recreational activities is of increasing concern for biodiversity conservation. Human disturbance often adds to other negative impact factors affecting the dynamics of vulnerable populations. It is not known to which extent the rapidly spreading free-riding snow sports actually elicit detrimental stress (allostatic overload) upon wildlife, nor what the potential associated fitness and survival costs are. Using a non-invasive technique, we evaluated the physiological stress response induced by free-riding snow sports on a declining bird species of Alpine ecosystems. The results of a field experiment in which radiomonitored black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) were actively flushed from their snow burrows once a day during four consecutive days showed an increase in the concentration of faecal stress hormone (corticosterone) metabolites after disturbance. A large-scale comparative analysis across the southwestern Swiss Alps indicated that birds had higher levels of these metabolites in human-disturbed versus undisturbed habitats. Disturbance by snow sport free-riders appears to elevate stress, which potentially represents a new serious threat for wildlife. The fitness and survival costs of allostatic adjustments have yet to be estimated. |
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Address |
Zoological Institute, Division of Conservation Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. raphael.arlettaz@nat.unibe.ch |
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English |
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ISSN |
0962-8452 |
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Notes |
PMID:17341459 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4075 |
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Author |
Baltic, M.; Jenni-Eiermann, S.; Arlettaz, R.; Palme, R. |
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Title |
A noninvasive technique to evaluate human-generated stress in the black grouse |
Type |
Journal Article |
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Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ann N Y Acad Sci |
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Volume |
1046 |
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Pages |
81-95 |
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Keywords |
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/metabolism; Animals; Bird Diseases/*metabolism; Conservation of Natural Resources; Corticosterone/*metabolism; Ecosystem; Feces/*chemistry; Female; Galliformes/*metabolism; Immunoenzyme Techniques/methods/veterinary; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Stress/metabolism/*veterinary; Tritium/diagnostic use |
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Abstract |
The continuous development of tourism and related leisure activities is exerting an increasingly intense pressure on wildlife. In this study, a novel noninvasive method for measuring stress in the black grouse, an endangered, emblematic species of European ecosystems that is currently declining in several parts of its European range, is tested and physiologically validated. A radiometabolism study and an ACTH challenge test were performed on four captive black grouse (two of each sex) in order to get basic information about the metabolism and excretion of corticosterone and to find an appropriate enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) to measure its metabolites in the feces. Peak radioactivity in the droppings was detected within 1 to 2 hours. Injected (3)H-corticosterone was excreted as polar metabolites and by itself was almost absent. A cortisone-EIA was chosen from among seven tested EIAs for different groups of glucocorticoid metabolites, because it cross-reacted with some of the formed metabolites and best reflected the increase of excreted corticosterone metabolites, after the ACTH challenge test. Concentrations of the metabolites from fecal samples collected from snow burrows of free-ranging black grouse were within the same range as in captive birds. The noninvasive method described may be appropriate for evaluating the stress faced by free-living black grouse populations in the wild, particularly in mountain ecosystems where human disturbance, especially by winter sports, is of increasing conservation concern. |
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Address |
Zoological Institute, Division of Conservation Biology, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland |
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English |
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0077-8923 |
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Notes |
PMID:16055845 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4080 |
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