Stress in captive Blue-fronted parrots (): the animalists' tale.

Understanding stress physiology is crucial for species management because high levels of stress can reduce reproduction and the individual's ability to face threats to survive. One of the most popular methods for non-invasive monitoring of animal endocrine status is the glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite measurements, which can provide important information about how animals are affected by their surrounding environment. Here, we carried out the biological validation of corticosterone enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), which together with a cortisol EIA was used to quantified the concentrations of urofaecal GC metabolites (uGCMs) in wild and captive Blue-fronted amazon parrots ().

Urofecal steroid profiles of captive Blue-fronted parrots (Amazona aestiva) with different reproductive outcomes.

Despite Psitaciformes (parrots) being the third largest nonpasserine order (398 species), it currently ranks second in number of threatened species (28%) according to the Internatinal Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Since most of the literature concerning reproductive endocrinology in avian species derives from domestic and song birds, it is puzzling that advances in reproductive science for the Psitaciformes order lags far behind, in spite of the growing threats against them. In order to expand our knowledge of Neotropical parrots (Psittacidae), we examined annual changes in urofecal sex steroid metabolites of Blue-fronted amazon pairs (Amazona aestiva) exhibiting successful (nestlings) and unsuccessful breeding (infertile or no eggs).

Genetic diversity of the pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) population in the Brazilian Pantanal assessed by combining fresh fecal DNA analysis and a set of heterologous microsatellite loci.

The pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is close to being classified as 'globally threatened', with the largest population occurring in the Brazilian Pantanal. Since capture is stressful to these animals, non-invasive sampling methods such as the use of feces can provide reliable sources of DNA. The aim of this study was to use fecal samples to evaluate the genetic variability of the Brazilian Pantanal population of pampas deer.