Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Minor
undeclared
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Kelsey Reider; Dr. Howard Whiteman; Dr. Andrea Darracq
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Life history morph, sex, and body condition are traits that may influence stress within salamander populations because of differences in physiology and environmental conditions. Given widespread declines and the effects chronic stress can have on amphibian health, it is important to understand within-population drivers of stress and how population level variation may influence population viability. Thus, the objective of our study was to assess how corticosterone varies within the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) population at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve. We used a non-invasive skin swabbing method to collect baseline and elevated corticosterone from paedomorph (aquatic morph; N = 30 male,14 female) and metamorph (terrestrial morph; N = 10 male, 22 female) Arizona tiger salamanders in July 2020. Baseline samples were collected within three minutes of capture. We then induced stress via manual restraint, and collected elevated stress samples at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post-restraint. Preliminary results suggest baseline corticosterone ranges from 797 to 2,297 pg/mL (mean±SE = 1547 ± 275 pg/mL). The timing of peak corticosterone levels varied across individuals and occurred at 30, 60, and 90 min. Additional samples will be processed soon, and will allow us to consider variability in corticosterone by sex, body condition, and morph. Our study will provide a better understanding of how stress hormones can be used to assess population health and disease susceptibility. Future research utilizing this method could clarify the effects of climatic variation and population density in amphibian populations.
Spring Scholars Week 2021 Event
Watershed Studies Institute Symposium
Other Scholars Week Event
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
WSI Presentation Slides
Included in
Animal Experimentation and Research Commons, Biochemistry Commons, Biology Commons, Endocrinology Commons, Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons, Zoology Commons
Morph- and sex-specific differences in corticosterone of the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum)
Life history morph, sex, and body condition are traits that may influence stress within salamander populations because of differences in physiology and environmental conditions. Given widespread declines and the effects chronic stress can have on amphibian health, it is important to understand within-population drivers of stress and how population level variation may influence population viability. Thus, the objective of our study was to assess how corticosterone varies within the Arizona tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum) population at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve. We used a non-invasive skin swabbing method to collect baseline and elevated corticosterone from paedomorph (aquatic morph; N = 30 male,14 female) and metamorph (terrestrial morph; N = 10 male, 22 female) Arizona tiger salamanders in July 2020. Baseline samples were collected within three minutes of capture. We then induced stress via manual restraint, and collected elevated stress samples at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post-restraint. Preliminary results suggest baseline corticosterone ranges from 797 to 2,297 pg/mL (mean±SE = 1547 ± 275 pg/mL). The timing of peak corticosterone levels varied across individuals and occurred at 30, 60, and 90 min. Additional samples will be processed soon, and will allow us to consider variability in corticosterone by sex, body condition, and morph. Our study will provide a better understanding of how stress hormones can be used to assess population health and disease susceptibility. Future research utilizing this method could clarify the effects of climatic variation and population density in amphibian populations.