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Corticosterone as a Physiological Biomarker: Decoding the Environment-Cort-Energy Paradigm.

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Measuring total glucocorticoids (GCs) may miss key stress response details. Incorporating free hormone and binding protein (CBG) dynamics reveals more about animal physiology and environmental impacts, especially sex-specific patterns.

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climatecorticosteroid‐binding‐globulincorticosterone regulationglucocorticoid variationsex‐specific stress responsesstructural equation modeling in ecology

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Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Ecology
  • Animal Physiology

Background:

  • Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are vital for assessing wild animal stress responses to environmental changes.
  • Total plasma GCs are commonly measured, but free GCs, unbound to corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG), may better reflect tissue-level activity.
  • Understanding GC dynamics is crucial for accurate interpretation of physiological stress in wildlife.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare different frameworks for measuring plasma glucocorticoid physiology in wild animals.
  • To investigate how environmental factors and energetic state influence GC and CBG dynamics.
  • To determine the best approach for characterizing glucocorticoid stress responses, considering sex-specific differences.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized 14 years of physiological, morphological, and environmental data from mountain white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha).
  • Applied structural equation modeling to compare models based on total GCs, free GCs, and GCs with CBG variation.
  • Analyzed sex-specific patterns in hormone-environment relationships.

Main Results:

  • Links between environmental conditions, energetic state, and GC/CBG physiology were identified, varying by sex and hormonal measure.
  • Models incorporating free hormone and CBG dynamics explained more variables than models using total GCs alone.
  • CBG dynamics clarified sex-specific physiological patterns not evident when considering total or free GCs separately.

Conclusions:

  • Inferences on glucocorticoid-environment relationships are highly dependent on the chosen measurement method.
  • Integrating corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) dynamics and sex-specific physiology is essential for accurate interpretation of glucocorticoid variation.
  • This study underscores the importance of a nuanced approach to measuring stress hormones in wildlife research.