Ecological correlates of baseline and maximum glucocorticoid concentrations in wild freshwater fish
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Freshwater fish were used to examine how habitat quality, conspecific density, and season were associated with the cortisol stress response. Using pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) I tested whether glucose and cortisol concentrations varied relative to habitat complexity and conspecific density. Overall, neither factor had a significant effect on the GC stress response but, during the habitat experiment, fish collected from a littoral site had significantly higher concentrations of maximum glucose, glucose responsiveness, and maximum cortisol. Using central mudminnow (Umbra limi) from streams differing in habitat quality, I tested whether cortisol levels varied relative to habitat quality and season. Overall, only season had a significant effect on cortisol levels. This thesis indicates that polymorphism and season should be considered in stress-related studies. Moreover, the lack of association of GCs in fish sampled from habitats of differing quality emphasizes that human-perceived differences in habitat quality may not yield individual-level differences in stress.
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Copyright © 2015 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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belanger-ecologicalcorrelatesofbaselineandmaximumglucocorticoid.pdf | 2023-05-04 | Public | Download |