IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Pelican, K.M.; Abaigar, T.; Vargas, A.; RodrĄguez, J.M.; Bergara, J.; Ląpez, J.; V zquez, A.; Chaparro, J.M.; Brown, J.; Wildt, D.E. | |
| Unusual gonadal hormone profiles in the Iberian lynx as determined by fecal monitoring (Perfiles poco habituales de hormonas gonadales en el lince ibrico segŁn an lisis de muestras fecales) | |
| 2009 Book Chapter | |
The critically endangered Iberian lynx (_Lynx pardinus_) is a seasonal breeder in the wild, with cubs born in the spring. There is minimal information available on endocrine function in this species. Fecal hormone monitoring previously has been adapted successfully to nine wild felid species to characterize normative endocrine function. Our expectation was that this technique could be easily adapted to the Iberian lynx. The source of study animals was the El Acebuche breeding population within the Do€ana National Park, Spain. Daily fecal samples collected from April 2004 through June 2006 from adult females (n=4) and males (n=4) were analyzed using enzyme-immunoassays validated for the Iberian lynx. All females showed marked seasonal changes in estrogen metabolites with concentrations increasing above baseline in January and declining to nadir from May through August. Females also exhibited increased estrogen concentrations before or during copulation in six of seven breeding events. In contrast, fluctuations in progestogen metabolite concentrations did not correspond to the breeding season, but rather decreased slightly from October through December before increasing again in January. There was no difference in either estrogen or progestogen patterns between pregnant lynx and females that copulated but failed to conceive. Males showed modest seasonality with the highest fecal androgen concentrations measured from December through June, although levels were sufficiently high in all months to support the possibility of year-long sperm production. Results confirm that reproductive seasonality in the female Iberian lynx can be affirmed by changes in fecal estrogen metabolite excretion. Males show only mild gonadal hormone seasonality, which appears consistent with the ability to produce offspring throughout the year. Contrary to estrogen analyses, fecal progestogen is a poor indicator of reproductive status in the Iberian lynx as metabolites 1) are sustained at high concentrations for more than nine months of the year and 2) fail to show clear elevations during pregnancy. Thus, fecal hormone monitoring is less informative in the Iberian lynx than in previously studied felids. |
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