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. 2022 Jul 28:9:940707.
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.940707. eCollection 2022.

Anogenital scent-marking signals fertility in a captive female Alaotran gentle lemur

Sara Fontani  1 , Stefano S K Kaburu  2 , Giovanna Marliani  1   3 , Pier Attilio Accorsi  3 , Stefano Vaglio  1   4
Affiliations

Anogenital scent-marking signals fertility in a captive female Alaotran gentle lemur

Sara Fontani et al. Front Vet Sci. .

Abstract

The Lake Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis) is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world and shows low success rate in captive breeding programmes. It is therefore vital to further understand its reproductive biology. We studied a captive troop consisting of five individuals hosted at Jersey Zoo during breeding and non-breeding periods over 1 year. We collected behavioural data (n = 318 h) using all occurrence of some behaviours and ad libitum sampling methods, as well as faecal (n = 54) and anogenital scent (n = 35) samples of the breeding female. We measured sex hormone levels using enzyme immunoassay technique and investigated the volatile component of odour signals using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We observed sexual and aggressive behaviours occasionally during the breeding period. Our regression analysis showed that only period significantly predicted rates of female anogenital scent-marking, whereby the female performed anogenital scent-marking more frequently during the breeding rather than the non-breeding period. In contrast, female hormone levels did not significantly explain variation in rates of neither male nor female olfactory, sexual and affiliative behaviours, suggesting that individuals' behaviour alone is not an effective indicator of the ovulation window. The volatile chemical profile of anogenital odour secretions changed over the study, with four compounds distinguishing the fertile window during the breeding period. In conclusion, our findings suggest that anogenital scent-marking may signal the reproductive status of captive female gentle lemurs.

Keywords: Hapalemur alaotrensis; captive breeding; chemical signalling; faecal endocrinology; reproductive biology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Oestradiol and progesterone concentrations during the non-breeding period.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Oestradiol and progesterone concentrations during the breeding period. Vertical bars denote the ovulation window.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Oestradiol and progesterone concentrations during the breeding period. Vertical bars denote the estimated ovulation window.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Example chromatogram from female gentle lemur, anogenital odour sample during the non-fertile period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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