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. 2019 Aug 9;14(8):e0221124.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221124. eCollection 2019.

Age, sex and storage time influence hair cortisol levels in a wild mammal population

Alexandre Azevedo  1   2 , Liam Bailey  1 , Victor Bandeira  3 , Martin Dehnhard  1 , Carlos Fonseca  3 , Liliana de Sousa  2 , Katarina Jewgenow  1
Affiliations

Age, sex and storage time influence hair cortisol levels in a wild mammal population

Alexandre Azevedo et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

The measurement of hair cortisol is increasingly used to understand the effect of natural and anthropogenic stressors on wild animals, but it is potentially confounded by individual, seasonal and sex-dependant variations in baseline cortisol secretion. This study validated an enzyme-linked immunoassay for hair cortisol measurement and characterized its baseline variation in a wild population of Egyptian mongoose. The analysis encompassed individuals of both sexes and all ages, across a range of geographic, environmental and seasonal conditions that the species experiences in Portugal allowing us to account for spatial, temporal and biological factors that contribute to hair cortisol variation. Our results showed that age, sex and storage time had an effect on hair cortisol, but season did not. Hair cortisol was higher in early stage juveniles compared to other age cohorts, in males when compared to females, and decreased with longer storage time. By identifying the factors that influence baseline hair cortisol in this wild population, we establish the basis for its application as an indicator of the effect of natural and anthropogenic stressors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. High performance liquid chromatography (reversed phase) separations of immunoreactive cortisol metabolites in pooled hair samples from Egyptian mongoose.
The obtained fractions were analysed with a cortisol‐3‐CMO EIA. The elution positions of reference standards are indicated by arrows: 11: C (cortisone); 13/14: HC (cortisol); 23: CC (corticosterone); 26: 11‐OH (11‐hydroxyetiocholanolone); 36/37: T (testosterone); 41: epi‐A (epi‐androsterone); 42: DHT (dihydrotestosterone); 45: P4 (progesterone).
Fig 2
Fig 2. Variation in hair cortisol (pg/mg) in the Egyptian mongoose with a) age, b) sex, and c) storage time of hair samples (days).
Hair cortisol concentration was higher in first stage juveniles than other age groups. Hair samples from males had higher cortisol concentration than females. Cortisol concentration was lower in hair samples stored for more days.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Variation in hair cortisol (pg/mg) in Egyptian mongoose collected in different seasons.
Hair cortisol concentration was lower in samples taken in summer than other seasons, although this effect was not significant.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Variation in hair cortisol concentration in female Egyptian mongoose in different reproductive states.
Hair cortisol concentrations were similar between reproductive states.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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