兽类学报2019，Vol.39Issue(2)：111-118,8.DOI:10.16829/j.slxb.150191
社群压力对圈养雌性亚洲象动情的影响
Impact of social pressure on the estrus of captive female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
摘要
Abstract
Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are endangered species,and their reproduction in captivity is important for their conservation.In this study,we analyzed the impact of social pressure on stress status and the estrus of captive female Asian elephants with the aim of determining the reason for their prolonged anestrous status.The levels of estradiol and progesterone indicate the estrous phase,and those of cortisol show stress status;therefore,we measured estradiol and cortisol in urine and feces,and progesterone in the urine of female elephants by radioimmunoassay.Social pressure was determined by the degree of aggressive and nonaggressive behavior.The results indicate the following:(1) females in a dominant position were more frequently engaged in aggressive behavior compared with those in a subordinate position;(2) cortisol levels in dominant females were significantly higher than those in subordinate females;(3) the levels of estradiol and progesterone in dominant individuals showed cyclic fluctuations,but those in subordinate individuals did not.These data suggest that among captive Asian elephants,social pressure may be the cause of low sex hormone levels and prolonged anestrus in subordinate females,which are therefore not engaged in reproductive behavior for a long time.关键词
亚洲象/社群压力/动情/皮质醇/雌二醇/孕酮Key words
Asian elephant/Social pressure/Estrus/Cortisol/Estradiol/Progesterone分类
生物科学引用本文复制引用
唐如春,徐可欣,杨旋,杨海超,保明伟,贾婷,张金国,张立..社群压力对圈养雌性亚洲象动情的影响[J].兽类学报,2019,39(2):111-118,8.基金项目
This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31570408) （31570408）
This work was also supported by the Beijing Normal Universities' Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program to Xu Kexin and Yang Haichao.We are grateful to the continuous support from Mr.Wu Zhaozheng,Zhang Jinguo,Wang Lu,Wang Zezhong,Zhang Enquan and Zhang Yizhuo at Beijing Zoo.We also thank Fu Rao,Yu Chao,Sun Xiao,He Changhuan,Liu Peng,Yu Yang,Du Jiaojiao and Li Yulin at the Asian Elephant Research and Conservation Center in the Beijing Normal University for their support. （）
