Osburn Kayla Rae, Crossey Bruce, Majelantle Tshepiso L, Ganswindt Andre
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, 0028 Hatfield, South Africa.
Endocrine Research Lab, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
MethodsX. 2024 Nov 30;13:103077. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.103077. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Monitoring stress-related faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations is a reliable, popular and established approach for understanding wildlife responses to perceived stressors. To maintain fGCM integrity post-defaecation, faecal material must be promptly stored frozen, or dried to prevent continued suspected bacterial enzyme activity. We compare the effectiveness of freeze-drying with other field-friendly drying techniques (food dehydrator and homemade solar oven). We collected 10 fresh faecal samples each from nine species (giraffe, impala, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, African elephant, white rhino, cheetah, spotted hyena, and leopard) and monitored alterations in fGCM concentrations over time utilizing these different drying techniques. Our findings indicate that a homemade solar oven is as effective as freeze-drying faecal samples. A food dehydrator is also a suitable method for drying faecal samples for the carnivores monitored. Our findings provide field-friendly methods for researchers dealing with logistical constraints in remote field sites.•For all species examined, a homemade solar oven offers a practical and affordable alternative to freeze-drying faeces for fGCM quantification.•A food dehydrator provides an affordable alternative to freeze-drying faeces for fGCM analysis when monitoring carnivores.•Different faecal sample drying techniques should not be utilized within a single study to ensure comparable analyses of fGCM values.
监测与应激相关的粪便糖皮质激素代谢物（fGCM）浓度是一种可靠、常用且成熟的方法，用于了解野生动物对感知到的应激源的反应。为了在粪便排出后保持fGCM的完整性，粪便材料必须立即冷冻保存或干燥，以防止疑似细菌酶的持续活性。我们比较了冷冻干燥与其他便于野外操作的干燥技术（食品脱水机和自制太阳能烤箱）的效果。我们从九个物种（长颈鹿、黑斑羚、蓝角马、平原斑马、非洲象、白犀牛、猎豹、斑鬣狗和豹）中各收集了10份新鲜粪便样本，并利用这些不同的干燥技术监测fGCM浓度随时间的变化。我们的研究结果表明，自制太阳能烤箱在干燥粪便样本方面与冷冻干燥效果相同。食品脱水机也是干燥所监测的食肉动物粪便样本的合适方法。我们的研究结果为在偏远野外地点面临后勤限制的研究人员提供了便于野外操作的方法。•对于所有检测的物种，自制太阳能烤箱为fGCM定量分析提供了一种实用且经济的粪便冷冻干燥替代方法。•在监测食肉动物时，食品脱水机为fGCM分析提供了一种经济的粪便冷冻干燥替代方法。•在单一研究中不应使用不同的粪便样本干燥技术，以确保fGCM值的可比分析。
