Effects of weather and social factors on hormone levels in the European badger (Meles meles). 2023

N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK. Electronic address: N.A.Sugianto@bham.ac.uk.

Animals in the wild continually experience changes in environmental and social conditions, which they respond to with behavioural, physiological and morphological adaptations related to individual phenotypic quality. During unfavourable environmental conditions, reproduction can be traded-off against self-maintenance, mediated through changes in reproductive hormone levels. Using the European badger (Meles meles) as a model species, we examine how testosterone in males and oestrogens in females respond to marked deviations in weather from the long-term mean (rainfall and temperature, where badger earthworm food supply is weather dependent), and to social factors (number of adult males and females per social group and total adults in the population), in relation to age, weight and head-body length. Across seasons, testosterone levels correlated postively with body weight and rainfall variability, whereas oestrone correlated positively with population density, but negatively with temperature variability. Restricting analyses to the mating season (spring), heavier males had higher testosterone levels and longer females had higher oestradiol levels. Spring oestrone levels were lower when temperatures were above normal. That we see these effects for this generally adaptive species with a broad bioclimatic niche serves to highlight that climatic effects (especially with the threat of anthropogenic climate change) on reproductive physiology warrant careful attention in a conservation context.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D004970 Estrone An aromatized C18 steroid with a 3-hydroxyl group and a 17-ketone, a major mammalian estrogen. It is converted from ANDROSTENEDIONE directly, or from TESTOSTERONE via ESTRADIOL. In humans, it is produced primarily by the cyclic ovaries, PLACENTA, and the ADIPOSE TISSUE of men and postmenopausal women. Folliculin (Hormone),Estrone, (+-)-Isomer,Estrone, (8 alpha)-Isomer,Estrone, (9 beta)-Isomer,Estrovarin,Kestrone,Unigen,Wehgen
D005260 Female Females
D000083663 Social Factors Social and cultural phenomena and influences that affect behavior. Factors, Social,Social Factor
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012621 Seasons Divisions of the year according to some regularly recurrent phenomena usually astronomical or climatic. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Seasonal Variation,Season,Seasonal Variations,Variation, Seasonal,Variations, Seasonal
D013739 Testosterone A potent androgenic steroid and major product secreted by the LEYDIG CELLS of the TESTIS. Its production is stimulated by LUTEINIZING HORMONE from the PITUITARY GLAND. In turn, testosterone exerts feedback control of the pituitary LH and FSH secretion. Depending on the tissues, testosterone can be further converted to DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE or ESTRADIOL. 17-beta-Hydroxy-4-Androsten-3-one,17-beta-Hydroxy-8 alpha-4-Androsten-3-one,8-Isotestosterone,AndroGel,Androderm,Andropatch,Androtop,Histerone,Sterotate,Sustanon,Testim,Testoderm,Testolin,Testopel,Testosterone Sulfate,17 beta Hydroxy 4 Androsten 3 one,17 beta Hydroxy 8 alpha 4 Androsten 3 one,8 Isotestosterone
D014887 Weather The state of the ATMOSPHERE over minutes to months. Fog,Fogs
D045969 Mustelidae A family of terrestrial carnivores with long, slender bodies, long tails, and anal scent glands. They include badgers, weasels, martens, FERRETS; MINKS; wolverines, polecats, and OTTERS. Badgers,Gulo,Martens,Martes,Martes zibellina,Sables,Weasels,Wolverines,Badger,Gulos,Marten,Sable,Weasel,Wolverine

Related Publications

N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
March 1985, General and comparative endocrinology,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
October 2014, Oecologia,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
January 1978, Journal of reproduction and fertility,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
January 2018, Physiological and biochemical zoology : PBZ,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
January 2012, PloS one,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
November 2017, Ecology and evolution,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
June 1980, General and comparative endocrinology,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
August 1974, The Veterinary record,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
January 1962, Comptes rendus des seances de la Societe de biologie et de ses filiales,
N A Sugianto, and C Newman, and D W Macdonald, and C D Buesching
June 1982, Biology of reproduction,
Copied contents to your clipboard!