Seasonal glucocorticoid secretion in mountain hares ( Lepus timidus)
Abstract In temperate climates mammals might show elevated glucocorticoid secretion in winter to facilitate catabolism. We investigated the influence of season on the concentration of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in mountain hares throughout the course of 1 year. The results show that mo...
| Published in: | mammalia |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2010.032 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.2010.032/xml https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.2010.032/pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract In temperate climates mammals might show elevated glucocorticoid secretion in winter to facilitate catabolism. We investigated the influence of season on the concentration of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in mountain hares throughout the course of 1 year. The results show that mountain hares did not have higher GCM values in winter. Our results suggested that this lagomorph copes with harsh envir-onmental conditions by reducing metabolic rate instead of depleting fat reserves. |
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