RESUMO
The growth of personality research has led to the integration of consistent variation of individual behaviour in multidimensional approaches including physiological variables, which are required to continue building a more comprehensive theory about coping strategies. In this study, we used wild-caught males of Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tucos), a solitary subterranean rodent, to assess the relationships among personality traits and several physiological variables, namely stress response, testosterone, immunity, and energy metabolism. Subjects (n = 21) were used in experimental tests assessing behaviour, energy metabolism, testosterone levels, inflammatory cell-mediated and humoral immunity, and stress response to a simulated predator attack. The structural equation model explained a moderate portion of the variance of personality behaviours related to activity (52%), boldness (35%), and socioaversion (30%). More active and bold individuals showed higher oxygen consumption. While those subjects had lower baseline cortisol levels, there was no relationship between cortisol levels of the stress-induced response. Cell-mediated immune response was related to activity levels. Finally, testosterone only affected boldness. Despite some of these relationships diverge in direction to predicted ones, overall they support the existence of coping styles in male C. talarum; and are discussed in the light of current hypotheses and particular behavioural and ecological traits of tuco-tucos.
RESUMO
The acute phase response (APR), coordinated by a complex network of components of the immune and neuroendocrine systems, plays a key role in early immune defense. This response can be elicited by a wide variety of pathogens at different intensities (frequencies and doses), hence experimental immune challenges with antigen gradients makes it possible to evaluate sickness progression with a better representation of what occurs in natural systems. However, how infection intensity could shape the APR magnitude in wild species is still poorly understood. Here, the immune response was activated in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum with a gradient of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) doses (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/kg of body mass). Changes in body temperature, body mass, and energetic costs were evaluated over time. We also assessed cortisol levels, white blood cells counts and neutrophil: lymphocyte ratios, before and after injection. Results indicated that during the APR, C. talarum shows a hyperthermic response, which is maintained for 6 h, with slight differences among antigen doses in the pattern of thermal response and body mass change. A maximum increase in body temperature of 0.83°C to 1.63°C was observed during the first hour, associated with a metabolic cost that ranged from 1.25 to 1.41 ml O2 /gh. Although no clear effects of treatment were detected on leukocyte abundance, we found increments in neutrophil: lymphocyte ratios and gradual increases in cortisol levels corresponding to the intensity of simulated infection, which may indicate redistribution of immune cells and enhancement of immune function. An evident sickness syndrome was observed even at the lowest LPS dose that was characterized by an increase in body temperature, energy expenditure, and N: L ratio, as well as a dose-dependent increase in cortisol levels. Although in nature, other constraints and challenges could affect the magnitude and costs of immune responses, C. talarum mounts an effective APR with a low increase in their daily energy expenditure, regardless of LPS dose.
Assuntos
Reação de Fase Aguda , Doenças dos Roedores , Animais , Hidrocortisona , Roedores/metabolismo , Lipopolissacarídeos/toxicidade , ImunidadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Animal personalities have been studied in a wide variety of taxa, but among rodents, available studies are relatively scarce and have focused mainly on social species. In this study, we evaluated the existence of personality in the solitary subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. Specifically, we aimed to test individual differences in behavior that are stable over time and context in males of C. talarum captured in the wild. METHODS: Our experimental design included two series of three behavioral tests each, carried out with a 35 day time interval. Each series included an Open Field test, a Social Encounter test, and an Open Field test with a predator stimulus. RESULTS: Of the total recorded behaviors, 55.55% showed temporal consistency. Principal component analysis of consistent behaviors grouped them into four dimensions that explain inter individual behavioral variability, in order of importance: activity, socioaversion, boldness and exploration. Therefore, our results suggest that the concept of animal personality is applicable to C. talarum and the dimensions found are in accordance with the ecological and behavioral characteristics of this species.
RESUMO
Glucocorticoids participate in the behavioral and physiological responses generated under stressful circumstances coming from different sources-physical and/or psychological. In mammals, the increases of these hormones are mediated by the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This response occurs after exposure to novel and unpredictable situations that lead to the loss of homeostasis, for example, a direct encounter with predators or their cues. However, the relationship between the physiological and behavioral responses is still a complex issue in vertebrates. We evaluate the effects of an experimental manipulation of glucocorticoid levels on the generation of the behavioral and physiological response to stress by predation in the subterranean rodent C. talarum. We found that when tuco-tucos encountered predator cues-fur odor, and largely, immobilization-they responded physiologically by secreting cortisol. This response was accompanied by an associated behavioral response. However, when the increase in plasma cortisol originated exogenously by the injection of cortisol, a behavioral response was not observed. Finally, inhibition of glucocorticoids' synthesis was effective in weakening the behavioral effects produced by immobilization. In conclusion, in tuco-tucos, predator cues act as stress factors that trigger differential increases in plasma cortisol and a behavioral response associated with the appearance of anxiety states.
Assuntos
Ansiedade/fisiopatologia , Comportamento Animal/fisiologia , Medo/fisiologia , Glucocorticoides/metabolismo , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisário/fisiologia , Comportamento Predatório/fisiologia , Roedores/fisiologia , Animais , Masculino , Sistema Hipófise-Suprarrenal/fisiologia , Roedores/metabolismoRESUMO
In pregnant females, a failed predatory event not only induces individual responses but also represents a significant change in the developmental environment of the offspring, which may lead to modifications in their phenotype that may persist at different stages of life. We evaluate whether prenatal exposure to predatory cues affects anxiety behavior, behavioral response to predator cues, stress response to immobilization, and immune response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in juveniles of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. We found that prenatal predator stress (PPS) (1) increased juvenile anxiety-like behaviors and the appearance of antipredator behaviors, (2) did not affect the response of offspring to predatory stressors, and (3) did not influence the physiological response of juveniles to stressors (immobilization) nor the immunological responses to SRBC and PHA challenges. This work shows the influence of PPS on the development of behavioral responses in the offspring, whom displayed a state of anxiety and behavioral changes associated with decreased locomotor activity and avoidance behaviors. Thus, these individuals prenatally exposed to predatory cues show behavioral adaptations that may contribute to avoid predators in the adult life.
Assuntos
Ansiedade , Comportamento Animal/fisiologia , Comportamento Exploratório/fisiologia , Hidrocortisona/sangue , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal , Roedores/fisiologia , Estresse Psicológico , Animais , Ansiedade/metabolismo , Ansiedade/fisiopatologia , Feminino , Masculino , Gravidez , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/imunologia , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/metabolismo , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/fisiopatologia , Roedores/metabolismo , Estresse Psicológico/complicações , Estresse Psicológico/metabolismo , Estresse Psicológico/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Magnitude and effectiveness of immune responses vary greatly between and within species. Among factors reported to determine this variation, parasitism is a critical one, although controversial effects of parasites over immunological indices have been reported. Information regarding immune strategies in species with different life histories is crucial to better understand the role of immune defenses in an ecological and evolutionary context. Here, we examine the influence of the parasite community on immune responsiveness of a solitary subterranean rodent, Ctenomys talarum. To do this, we assessed the impact of the natural parasite community and the experimental infection with Eimeria sp. on the phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-response, as well as other immune, condition, nutrition, and stress parameters. PHA-triggered inflammation was similarly impaired by Eimeria sp. infection alone or co-occurring with a number of gastrointestinal nematodes. None of the other physiological parameters studied were affected by parasitism. This indicates that parasitism is a general key factor modulating immune responsiveness of the host, and in particular for C. talarum, it could explain the great inter-individual variation previously observed in the PHA-response. Thus, our results highlight the importance of taking the parasite community into account in ecoimmunological studies, particularly when using immunological indices.
Assuntos
Infecções por Nematoides/veterinária , Parasitos/fisiologia , Fito-Hemaglutininas/farmacologia , Roedores/imunologia , Roedores/parasitologia , Animais , Antiparasitários/farmacologia , Coccidiose/imunologia , Coccidiose/veterinária , Eimeria/fisiologia , Feminino , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Inflamação/imunologia , Inflamação/parasitologia , Ivermectina/farmacologia , Masculino , Nematoides/fisiologia , Infecções por Nematoides/imunologia , Triazinas/farmacologiaRESUMO
Insufficient or unbalanced food intake typically has a negative impact on immune responses. The understanding of this effect is, however, hampered by the effect that food has on general condition, which, in turn, affects immunity, and the interaction among general condition, immunocompetence, and concurrent infections. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of food restriction and methionine supplementation on immunity in tuco-tucos (Ctenomys talarum). Effects of diet manipulations on nutritional state, inflammatory response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and other immune parameters (bacterial killing capacity, natural antibodies, and leukocyte profile) were evaluated. Health and stress parameters and endoparasite loads were assessed to understand more deeply potential effects of treatments on immune status. Individuals under food restriction presented an altered nutritional state as well as increased stress levels (higher N: L ratios) compared with individuals fed ad libitum, and a marked reduction in the inflammatory response to PHA. Supplementation with methionine did not affect any of the parameters analyzed. Endoparasite loads were not affected by treatments. Our results support the idea that food insufficiency can modulate the individual's immune responsiveness through the lack of adequate essential nutrients, metabolic fuel and energetic reserves, or by a detrimental effect of the stress caused by nutrient limitation. We show that the response to PHA previously reported as nonenergetically costly for C. talarum, implies a nutritional cost; an opposite pattern to that previously found for the adaptive antibody response to sheep red blood cells in the same species.
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Privação de Alimentos , Inflamação/veterinária , Estado Nutricional/fisiologia , Fito-Hemaglutininas/toxicidade , Roedores/fisiologia , Animais , Feminino , Inflamação/induzido quimicamente , MasculinoRESUMO
A traditional approach used to assess whether immune defense is costly is to explore the existence of trade-offs between immunity and other functions; however, quantitative studies of the energetic costs associated with the activation of the immune system are scarce. We assessed the magnitude of a PHA-triggered immune response and the associated energetic costs in 60-day old Ctenomys talarum. We expected that the magnitude of the macroscopic inflammatory response to PHA is lower in young tuco-tucos compared with that of adults, given the allocation of substantial energy to growth, and that the magnitude of the inflammation is lower in male pups compared to females, due to the higher investment in growth of the larger sex. Concomitantly, we expected that the pups challenged with PHA show an increase in oxygen consumption compared to control animals and that a positive association exists between magnitude of the PHA-induced inflammation and oxygen consumption. Contrary to what was expected, young tuco-tucos mounted a higher inflammatory response compared with adults and there were no differences in the magnitude of this response between sexes. The inflammatory response induced by a PHA injection did not represent a significant energetic cost for young tuco-tucos. There were no differences in oxygen consumption between PHA-injected and control animals, and tuco-tucos that mounted a higher inflammatory response to PHA did not show higher oxygen consumption. Energy expenditure, however, is not the only physiological cost involved in trade-offs between immune response and various functions of the organism, and other currencies are discussed.
Assuntos
Envelhecimento , Animais Selvagens/fisiologia , Metabolismo Energético , Imunidade Inata , Infecções/veterinária , Modelos Biológicos , Roedores/fisiologia , Animais , Argentina , Feminino , Pé , Fatores Imunológicos/toxicidade , Infecções/imunologia , Infecções/metabolismo , Inflamação/induzido quimicamente , Inflamação/imunologia , Inflamação/metabolismo , Inflamação/veterinária , Masculino , Consumo de Oxigênio , Fito-Hemaglutininas/toxicidade , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Caracteres SexuaisRESUMO
The ability to recognize familiar conspecifics plays an important role at the time of choosing a mating partner in rodents. A laboratory study using preference test was used in order to test the hypothesis that, in the polygynous subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum, females prefer novel males when offered two odors, or individuals (one familiar and one novel) limited in their movements so that male aggression is prevented. Our findings show that females prefer novel tuco-tucos at three levels of male assessment: odor samples (consisting of shavings soiled with urine, feces, and presumably, other body secretions collected from the male home cage), confined males behind a wire mesh, and full contact with tethered males. Previous studies of this species demonstrated that in the wild, male-male competition and male coercion severely limit the possibility of females mating non-neighbors, i.e. novel males. Females mating neighbors to whom they are familiarized, obtain high quality mating since they are territorial, highly competitive males. Nonetheless, when females have the opportunity, as shown in the two-choice experiments, they choose novel males, probably benefiting their progeny from novel genetic combinations. Hence, combining evidence from laboratory and field studies in C. talarum, it is possible to better understand female preferences in modeling individual reproductive strategies.
Assuntos
Comunicação Animal , Preferência de Acasalamento Animal/fisiologia , Octodon/fisiologia , Odorantes , Animais , Comportamento Exploratório , Feminino , Masculino , Reconhecimento PsicológicoRESUMO
We aimed to evaluate the responses of cortisol, corticosterone, and blood glucose to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in males and females of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum and addressed interannual variations in the plasma levels of both hormones. The most important results indicate that: (1) cortisol positively responds to the ACTH signal but corticosterone does not, even though corticosterone levels were higher than cortisol concentrations, (2) plasma corticosterone concentrations in free-living animals were 20 times higher compared to values reported for the same population during previous annual periods and, as cortisol levels were similar, this resulted in much lower cortisol/corticosterone ratios, (3) cortisol and corticosterone differentiated in their relative proportions in plasma in free-living males and females. These results indicate that cortisol and corticosterone are differentially regulated in our study species and emphasize that a remarkable temporal variation in the relative proportions of these hormones may occur in natural populations. Therefore, the conclusions regarding the presence of cortisol and corticosterone in plasma of wild animals may differ substantially depending on the moment when the study is conducted. Recent data indicate that cortisol and corticosterone are not interchangeable hormones in species of free-living vertebrates. We suggest that, in addition to the classical roles of glucocorticoids (GCs), it is crucial that other physiological functions be kept in mind when interpreting GC data from wild species.