Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (INIBIOMA, CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue), Ecophysiology and Life History of Reptiles: Research Laboratory, Quintral 1250, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIEMEP-CONICET), Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica, Gral. Roca 780, 9200 Esquel, Chubut, Argentina.
Biol Open. 2024 Jul 15;13(10). doi: 10.1242/bio.060595. Epub 2024 Oct 9.
Stress during laboratory experiments can affect the outcomes of ecophysiological studies. The serum corticosterone concentration (CORT), the leukocyte profile, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio (H/L), and the presence of blood endoparasites were analyzed as a proxy of stress and immunological state in adult males of the lizard Liolaemus attenboroughi, endemic to Patagonia, Argentina. The results of the ecophysiological variables (preferred temperature, running speed, locomotor endurance, and body condition index, BCI) were analyzed in relation to stress indicators obtained from blood samples taken at three different times: at capture, and on the third and seventh days in the laboratory. Males at capture showed a high percentage of lymphocytes and heterophils and a low of basophils, monocytes, and eosinophils. Haemogregorina-type endoparasites have been recorded in the genus Liolaemus for the first time. The proportion of infected males remained stable during captivity; however, these males showed higher CORT levels, increased percentages of basophils, and decreased percentages of lymphocytes. There was a significant increment in CORT and H/L, and a decrease in BCI during laboratory experiments, compared with baseline values at capture. The performance was not related to the CORT or the repeated blood sampling. The BCI decreased, possibly due to energy reserve mobilization caused by acute stress. This study shows that blood extraction and ecophysiological experiments over 7 days have a minor effect on the stress indicators used.
实验室实验过程中的压力会影响生态生理学研究的结果。本研究以阿根廷巴塔哥尼亚地区特有蜥蜴 Liolaemus attenboroughi 成年雄性个体为研究对象，分析了血清皮质酮浓度（CORT）、白细胞谱、异嗜性/淋巴细胞比值（H/L）和血液内寄生虫的存在情况，以评估其压力和免疫状态。此外，还分析了生态生理学变量（最适温度、奔跑速度、运动耐力和身体状况指数，BCI）的结果，这些变量与在捕获、实验室第 3 天和第 7 天采集的血液样本中的压力指标有关。在捕获时，雄性个体表现出高比例的淋巴细胞和异嗜性白细胞，以及低比例的嗜碱性粒细胞、单核细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞。本研究首次在 Liolaemus 属中记录到了 Haemogregorina 型内寄生虫。在圈养期间，感染雄性个体的比例保持稳定；然而，这些雄性个体的 CORT 水平升高，嗜碱性粒细胞比例增加，淋巴细胞比例减少。与捕获时的基线值相比，在实验室实验过程中，CORT 和 H/L 显著增加，BCI 降低。性能与 CORT 或重复采血无关。BCI 降低，可能是由于急性压力导致能量储备动员。本研究表明，血液提取和 7 天内的生态生理学实验对内寄生虫的压力指标影响较小。
