Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants

© The Author 2015. Establishing links between ecological variation, physiological markers of stress and demography is crucial for understanding how and why changes in environmental conditions affect population dynamics, and may also play a key role for conservation efforts of endangered species. How...

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Main Authors: Hannah S. Mumby, Khyne U. Mar, Chatchote Thitaram, Alexandre Courtiol, Patcharapa Towiboon, Zaw Min-Oo, Ye Htut-Aung, Janine L. Brown, Virpi Lummaa
Format: Journal
Published: 2018
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http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/54210
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spelling th-cmuir.6653943832-542102018-09-04T10:16:24Z Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants Hannah S. Mumby Khyne U. Mar Chatchote Thitaram Alexandre Courtiol Patcharapa Towiboon Zaw Min-Oo Ye Htut-Aung Janine L. Brown Virpi Lummaa Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Environmental Science © The Author 2015. Establishing links between ecological variation, physiological markers of stress and demography is crucial for understanding how and why changes in environmental conditions affect population dynamics, and may also play a key role for conservation efforts of endangered species. However, detailed longitudinal studies of long-lived species are rarely available. We test how two markers of stress and body condition vary through the year and are associated with climatic conditions and large-scale mortality and fertility variation in the world's largest semi-captive population of Asian elephants employed in the timber industry in Myanmar. Glucocorticoid metabolites (used as a proxy for stress levels in 75 elephants) and body weight (used as a proxy for condition in 116 elephants) were monitored monthly across a typical monsoon cycle and compared with birth and death patterns of the entire elephant population over half a century (n = 2350). Our results show seasonal variation in both markers of stress and condition. In addition, this variation is correlated with population-level demographic variables. Weight is inversely correlated with population mortality rates 1 month later, and glucocorticoid metabolites are negatively associated with birth rates. Weight shows a highly positive correlation with rainfall 1 month earlier. Determining the factors associated with demography may be key to species conservation by providing information about the correlates of mortality and fertility patterns. The unsustainability of the studied captive population has meant that wild elephants have been captured and tamed for work. By elucidating the correlates of demography in captive elephants, our results offer management solutions that could reduce the pressure on the wild elephant population in Myanmar. 2018-09-04T10:09:33Z 2018-09-04T10:09:33Z 2015-01-01 Journal 20511434 2-s2.0-84983608524 10.1093/conphys/cov030 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84983608524&origin=inward http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/54210
institution Chiang Mai University
building Chiang Mai University Library
country Thailand
collection CMU Intellectual Repository
topic Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Environmental Science
spellingShingle Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Environmental Science
Hannah S. Mumby
Khyne U. Mar
Chatchote Thitaram
Alexandre Courtiol
Patcharapa Towiboon
Zaw Min-Oo
Ye Htut-Aung
Janine L. Brown
Virpi Lummaa
Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
description © The Author 2015. Establishing links between ecological variation, physiological markers of stress and demography is crucial for understanding how and why changes in environmental conditions affect population dynamics, and may also play a key role for conservation efforts of endangered species. However, detailed longitudinal studies of long-lived species are rarely available. We test how two markers of stress and body condition vary through the year and are associated with climatic conditions and large-scale mortality and fertility variation in the world's largest semi-captive population of Asian elephants employed in the timber industry in Myanmar. Glucocorticoid metabolites (used as a proxy for stress levels in 75 elephants) and body weight (used as a proxy for condition in 116 elephants) were monitored monthly across a typical monsoon cycle and compared with birth and death patterns of the entire elephant population over half a century (n = 2350). Our results show seasonal variation in both markers of stress and condition. In addition, this variation is correlated with population-level demographic variables. Weight is inversely correlated with population mortality rates 1 month later, and glucocorticoid metabolites are negatively associated with birth rates. Weight shows a highly positive correlation with rainfall 1 month earlier. Determining the factors associated with demography may be key to species conservation by providing information about the correlates of mortality and fertility patterns. The unsustainability of the studied captive population has meant that wild elephants have been captured and tamed for work. By elucidating the correlates of demography in captive elephants, our results offer management solutions that could reduce the pressure on the wild elephant population in Myanmar.
format Journal
author Hannah S. Mumby
Khyne U. Mar
Chatchote Thitaram
Alexandre Courtiol
Patcharapa Towiboon
Zaw Min-Oo
Ye Htut-Aung
Janine L. Brown
Virpi Lummaa
author_facet Hannah S. Mumby
Khyne U. Mar
Chatchote Thitaram
Alexandre Courtiol
Patcharapa Towiboon
Zaw Min-Oo
Ye Htut-Aung
Janine L. Brown
Virpi Lummaa
author_sort Hannah S. Mumby
title Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
title_short Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
title_full Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
title_fullStr Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
title_full_unstemmed Stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in Asian elephants
title_sort stress and body condition are associated with climate and demography in asian elephants
publishDate 2018
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84983608524&origin=inward
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/54210
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