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6 páginas, 1 figura, 2 tablas., Faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) analysis is a reliable non-invasive method used in field endocrinology studies to assess levels of stress in animals. It is known that weather and, above all, humidity, can affect FCM concentrations in faecal samples. In addition, the prolonged storage of samples and delay in their analysis may alter metabolite concentrations. Intrinsic factors such as the heterogeneous distribution of FCMs within scats may likewise cause intra-sample variation. All of these sources of variation in FCM concentrations need to be addressed if we are to interpret results correctly. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of lyophilisation and storage temperature on the long-term stability of 11-oxoaetiocholanolone (11-o) in red deer (Cervus elaphus) faecal samples. After pre-cleaning with hexane and extraction with methanol, 11-o levels were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry HPLC-MS/MS at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16 and 32 weeks post-collection. We used linear mixed models to explore the effects of temperature and storage time on concentrations of faecal 11-o in wet and dry samples. Our results showed significant variations in 11-o concentrations in wet faecal samples over time and at different storage temperatures. By contrast, the 11-o values of dry samples were more stable in terms of storage temperatures. Lyophilising red deer faecal samples and storage at − 80 °C guarantees the stability of 11-o for several months., This study was funded by the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs (France) (project: PR4-2013). The research activities of the authors are partially supported by the Junta de Andalucía (RNM-118 and RNM-175 groups).

During the course of parasitic disease infestations, parasite population sizes change at both individual host (infrapopulation) and host population (metapopulation) levels. However, most studies only report epidemiological values for specific locations and times. In this study we analysed the dynamics of several Sarcoptes scabiei infrapopulations from experimentally infested Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica. We obtained mite counts by digesting small skin biopsies, which we compared with indices obtained from histopathological analyses performed on adjacent skin biopsies. We obtained the finite growth rate and the daily growth rate for the mite infrapopulations: mean ± SE = 11.53 ± 10.17 and 0.10 ± 0.08 mites/day, respectively. Mite counts derived from skin sample digestion did not correlate with the histological mite indices obtained from adjacent skin biopsies. At a metapopulational level, both indices of mite abundance were modelled using GLMMs and the factors influencing their variation are analysed and discussed. Our results suggest that mites are not distributed uniformly over the whole area of the skin lesion. Therefore, direct diagnoses of mange and mite counts could be inaccurate if only small skin samples are used., This study was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spanish Government) (projects CGL2012-40043-C02-01, CGL2012-40043-C02-02 and CGL2016-80543-P). The authors’ research activities are partially funded by the PAIDI, Junta de Andalucía (RNM 118 group). José Espinosa was funded by a PhD Grant (Grant Number ECC/1402/2013: BES-2013-063931). We would like to thank the Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía and in particular the staff of Sierra Nevada Natural Space (SNNS) for their logistical support, and the staff of the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park for the transfer of their experimental facilities.

The aims of the present study were to investigate Pb and Cd levels in tissues of wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the Sierra Nevada Natural Space (SNNS) (southern Spain). Heavy metal concentrations in livers, kidneys and bones from 111 animals were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Bones and kidneys were the most Pb- and Cd-contaminated tissues, respectively; Cd concentrations were 5.6 times higher in kidneys than in livers. This is the first biomonitoring study of these pollutants in wild boar tissues in the SNNS, and findings indicate that this population is chronically exposed to these heavy metals. The detected Pb and Cd concentrations were lower than those found in many studies performed in Europe on the same species., The research activities were partially funded by the Junta de Andalucía, Plan Andaluz de Investigación (RNM-118 group).

A cost-effective, reliable and efficient method of obtaining DNA samples is essential in large-scale genetic analyses. This study examines the possibility of using a threatened vole species, Microtus cabrerae, as a model for the collection and preservation of faecal samples for subsequent DNA extraction with a protocol based on the HotSHOT technique. Through the examination of the probability of multi-copies (mitochondrial) and single copy (microsatellite) loci amplification (including the genotype error) and of the DNA yield (estimated by real-time qPCR), the new protocol was compared with both the frequently employed methods that successfully use ethanol to preserve faecal samples and with commercial kit-based DNA extraction. The single-tube HotSHOT-based protocol is a user-friendly, non-polluting, time-saving and inexpensive method of faeces sample collection, preservation and PCR- quality gDNA preparation. This technique therefore provides researchers with a new approach that can be employed in high-throughput, noninvasive genetic analyses of wild animal populations

We studied the factors that determined kidney fat stores (KFs) and kidney stores (Ks)-defined as the residuals from the linear regression of kidney mass and kidney fat, respectively, on body weight-in 463 Iberian wild goats (Capra pyrenaica) from the Sierra Nevada (southern Spain). Despite the fact that body stores in both sexes were highest during the warmest months of the year and lowest during the coldest months when food resources are limited, the observed pattern was sex- and age-dependent. The KFs of male goats fell more than those of females in winter, and the yearlings of both sexes needed one season more than young or adults to restore their KFs. Goats of all age classes showed the same seasonal patterns in their Ks, although Ks were lower in females than in males throughout the yearly cycle. In addition, we found strong delayed effects of both snowfalls and population density on body stores, and in years with a lot of snow, goats' KFs reached their lowest levels in the current winter-spring, but the highest in the following summers and autumns. This pattern was less noticeable in the Ks. Population density negatively affected the body stores of wild goats, especially in winter, and the amount of snow fallen in the year of birth (cohort effect) did not seem to influence the body stores in our data set. In addition, we assessed the accuracy of the residuals from the regression between body size and body mass for monitoring body condition of live wild goats and concluded that, although it poorly indicates fat stores, it could be used as a general proxy of body condition. Finally, we discuss the expected effects of climate warming on body stores in this Mediterranean Caprinae species. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Blood samples were analysed from 175 shot Iberian ibexes, and good-quality samples were obtained in more than 56% of cases. Sixty-eight of these samples from healthy animals were then used to characterize standard values for the species. Values for 10 blood parameters [monocytes, cholesterol, creatinine, albumin, beta-globulin, gamma-globulin, albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, calcium (Ca), phosphates and iron (Fe)] from shot ibexes did not differ from those obtained from healthy captured and physically restrained animals. Blood samples from mange-infested ibexes (n=31) were also analysed and showed higher values for eosinophils and gamma-globulin than samples from healthy animals, but lower values for cholesterol, direct bilirubin, albumin, alpha-2-globulins and chloride. Values from blood parameters can provide useful information about the health and nutritional status of animals, and blood values may thus provide a complementary source of information for animals shot in Andalusia that will prove to be useful for monitoring the physiological status of ibex populations. The protocol described here provides guidelines for quick sample collection after an animal's death and standardized instructions for sample storage, transport and analysis. © Springer-Verlag 2005.