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The effect of pre-release captivity on the stress physiology of a reintroduced population of wild eastern bettongs

journal contribution
posted on 2021-09-23, 04:58 authored by William G Batson, Iain GordonIain Gordon, DB Fletcher, TJ Portas, AD Manning
Stress is important in reintroduction biology because it can influence mortality, dispersal and recruitment and determine establishment success. As stress is unavoidable during reintroduction, it requires deliberate management. Release tactics (e.g. ‘delayed- and immediate-release’) are often selected specifically based on their presumed effect on physiological stress, yet, the actual physiological effects are seldom tested. Delayed-release involves pre-release confinement (in situ), or captivity (ex situ), which can improve post-release performance in some cases, or induce a detrimental effect in others, especially in wild animals. Quarantine is another common pre-release practice that requires captivity/confinement carrying similar post-release physiological implications. We use faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (FGM) to evaluate how a delayed-release involving 95–345 days in captivity influences the stress physiology of wild eastern bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi), compared to an immediate-release (within 24 h of capture), across the initial 18 months post-release. The results suggest that FGM concentrations were relatively higher in the delayed-release group at release, but significantly lower after ca. 2 months of release. We assessed seasonal fluctuations in FGM concentrations, the effect of release tactics on in-trap behaviour, and the relationship between those behaviours and FGM concentrations. We found that FGM concentrations fluctuated seasonally, but release tactics did not influence behaviour, and that behavioural variations had no relationship with FGM concentrations. Overall our results, coupled with previous research, suggest that an immediate-release is preferable when quarantine is not required.

Funding

Category 1 - Australian Competitive Grants (this includes ARC, NHMRC)

History

Volume

303

Issue

4

Start Page

311

End Page

319

Number of Pages

9

eISSN

1469-7998

ISSN

0952-8369

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Language

en

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • Yes

Acceptance Date

2017-06-27

External Author Affiliations

The Australian National University; Environment and Planning Directorate, Veterinary and Research Centre, ACT

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Journal

Journal of Zoology