Conservation Physiology最新文献

{"title":"The impacts of diel thermal variability on growth, development and performance of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from two thermally distinct rivers","authors":"Sean Andrew, Sula Swart, Stephanie McKenna, Jenna Morissette, Carole-Anne Gillis, Tommi Linnansaari, Suzanne Currie, Andrea J Morash","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae007","url":null,"abstract":"Temperature in many natural aquatic environments follows a diel cycle, but to date, we know little on how diel thermal cycles affect fish biology. The current study investigates the growth, development and physiological performance of wild Atlantic salmon collected from the Miramichi and Restigouche rivers (NB, Canada). Fish were collected as parr and acclimated to either 16–21 or 19–24°C diel thermal cycles throughout the parr and smolt life stages. Both Miramichi and Restigouche Atlantic salmon parr grew at similar rates during 16–21 or 19–24°C acclimations. However, as smolts, the growth rates of the Miramichi (−8% body mass day−1) and Restigouche (−38% body mass day−1) fish were significantly slower at 19–24°C, and were in fact negative, indicating loss of mass in this group. Acclimation to 19–24°C also increased Atlantic salmon CTmax. Our findings suggest that both life stage and river origin impact Atlantic salmon growth and performance in the thermal range used herein. These findings provide evidence for local adaptation of Atlantic salmon, increased vulnerability to warming temperatures, and highlight the differential impacts of these ecologically relevant diel thermal cycles on the juvenile life stages in this species.","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139769431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of temperature acclimation on the upper thermal tolerance of two Arctic fishes.","authors":"Carolyn R Waterbury, Trent M Sutton, Amanda L Kelley, J Andrés López","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The thermally dynamic nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska, is experiencing climate change-driven temperature increases. Measuring thermal tolerance of broad whitefish (<i>Coregonus nasus</i>) and saffron cod (<i>Eleginus gracilis</i>), both important species in the Arctic ecosystem, will enhance understanding of species-specific thermal tolerances. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent that acclimating broad whitefish and saffron cod to 5°C and 15°C changed their critical thermal maximum (CT_max) and HSP70 protein and mRNA expression in brain, muscle and liver tissues. After acclimation to 5°C and 15°C, the species were exposed to a thermal ramping rate of 3.4°C · h^-1 before quantifying the CT_max and HSP70 protein and transcript concentrations. Broad whitefish and saffron cod acclimated to 15°C had a significantly higher mean CT_max (27.3°C and 25.9°C, respectively) than 5°C-acclimated fish (23.7°C and 23.2°C, respectively), which is consistent with trends in CT_max between higher and lower acclimation temperatures. There were species-specific differences in thermal tolerance with 15°C-acclimated broad whitefish having higher CT_max and HSP70 protein concentrations in liver and muscle tissues than saffron cod at both acclimation temperatures. Tissue-specific differences were quantified, with brain and muscle tissues having the highest and lowest HSP70 protein concentrations, respectively, for both species and acclimation temperatures. The differences in broad whitefish CT_max between the two acclimation temperatures could be explained with brain and liver tissues from 15°C acclimation having higher HSP70a-201 and HSP70b-201 transcript concentrations than control fish that remained in lab-acclimation conditions of 8°C. The shift in CT_max and HSP70 protein and paralogous transcripts demonstrate the physiological plasticity that both species possess in responding to two different acclimation temperatures. This response is imperative to understand as aquatic temperatures continue to elevate.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coae001"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10858409/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139725006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of incubation temperature on the upper thermal tolerance of the imperiled longfin smelt (<i>Spirinchus thaleichthys</i>).","authors":"Yuzo R Yanagitsuru, Florian Mauduit, Alexis J Lundquist, Levi S Lewis, James A Hobbs, Tien-Chieh Hung, Richard E Connon, Nann A Fangue","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Upper thermal limits in many fish species are limited, in part, by the heart's ability to meet increased oxygen demand during high temperatures. Cardiac plasticity induced by developmental temperatures can therefore influence thermal tolerance. Here, we determined how incubation temperatures during the embryonic stage influence cardiac performance across temperatures during the sensitive larval stage of the imperiled longfin smelt. We transposed a cardiac assay for larger fish to newly hatched larvae that were incubated at 9°C, 12°C or 15°C. We measured heart rate over increases in temperature to identify the Arrhenius breakpoint temperature (T_AB), a proxy for thermal optimum and two upper thermal limit metrics: temperature when heart rate is maximized (T_peak) and when cardiac arrhythmia occurs (T_Arr). Higher incubation temperatures increased T_AB, T_peak and T_Arr, but high individual variation in all three metrics resulted in great overlap of individuals at T_AB, T_peak and T_Arr across temperatures. We found that the temperatures at which 10% of individuals reached T_peak or T_Arr and temperatures at which number of individuals at T_AB relative to T_peak (ΔN(T_AB,T_peak)) was maximal, correlated more closely with upper thermal limits and thermal optima inferred from previous studies, compared to the mean values of the three cardiac metrics of the present study. Higher incubation temperatures increased the 10% T_peak and T_Arr thresholds but maximum ΔN(T_AB,T_peak) largely remained the same, suggesting that incubation temperatures modulate upper thermal limits but not T_opt for a group of larvae. Overall, by measuring cardiac performance across temperatures, we defined upper thermal limits (10% thresholds; T_peak, 14.4-17.5°C; T_Arr, 16.9-20.2°C) and optima (ΔN(T_AB,T_peak), 12.4-14.4°C) that can guide conservation strategies for longfin smelt and demonstrated the potential of this cardiac assay for informing conservation plans for the early life stages of fish.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coae004"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10858410/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139725005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-invasive assessment of hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy in guanacos (<i>Lama guanicoe</i>) and its application in a wild population.","authors":"A Marozzi, V I Cantarelli, A Panebianco, F M Gomez, R Ovejero, P F Gregorio, F Peña, M F Ponzio, P D Carmanchahi","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obtaining endocrinological profiles using non-invasive methodologies by the measurement of hormone fecal metabolites is a widely used method to monitor ovarian activity and pregnancy in wild species. These tools allow the obtention of physiological information without causing capture-related stress on the individuals. In this research, we aimed to 1) biologically validate a non-invasive method to assess fecal progestagens and estrogens fluctuations during gestation in guanacos (<i>Lama guanicoe</i>) and 2) apply this technique to assess pregnancy in a wild free-ranging population. Fecal samples were collected through the gestation period (~12 months) of female guanacos in a 6.5-ha paddock. An increase in fecal metabolites of both hormones was detected. Progestagens increased gradually, in contrast to estrogens, which remained at basal values for most of the gestation period and peaked only a few days before calving. To assess pregnancy in wild free-ranging animals, fecal samples were collected from a population of La Payunia provincial reserve (Mendoza, Argentina) during the beginning of gestation and at the end of gestation. Through the first months of possible gestation, pregnant females represented between 40 and 80% of the population; at the end of gestation, only 20-40% of the females had confirmed pregnancies. Our results demonstrated that the polyclonal antisera and sexual hormone metabolite assays used here detect variations in the metabolites excreted through feces in guanacos and provide the possibility of non-invasive hormone monitoring of female reproductive status. Also, the findings in wild conditions suggest that natural abortions could have occurred during the first months of gestation. Although some abortions may be natural, the harsh environmental conditions that challenge the support of such a long gestational process may be another relevant factor to consider. The results obtained here enhance our understanding of the reproductive physiology of one of the most emblematic ungulates in South America.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coae003"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10854214/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139725007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Handling heatwaves: balancing thermoregulation, foraging and bumblebee colony success.","authors":"Tiffany Bretzlaff, Jeremy T Kerr, Charles-A Darveau","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae006","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate changes pose risks for bumblebee populations, which have declined relative to the growing frequency and severity of warmer temperature extremes. Bumblebees might mitigate the effects of such extreme weather through colonial behaviours. In particular, fanning behaviour to dissipate heat is an important mechanism that could reduce exposure of thermally sensitive offspring to detrimental nest temperatures (T_n). The allocation of workers towards fanning over prolonged periods could impact foraging activity that is essential for colony-sustaining resource gathering. Colony maintenance and growth could suffer as a result of nutritional and high ambient temperature (T_a) thermal stress. It remains uncertain whether a compromise occurs between thermoregulation and foraging under chronic, sublethal heat events and how colony success is impacted as a result. This study held colonies of <i>Bombus impatiens</i> at constant high T_a (25°C, 30°C or 35°C) for 2 weeks while quantifying the percentage of foragers, fanning incidence, nest temperature (T_n) and other metrics of colony success such as the percentage of adult emergence and offspring production. We found that foraging and adult emergence were not significantly affected by T_a, but that thermoregulation was unsuccessful at maintaining T_n despite increased fanning at 35°C. Furthermore, 35°C resulted in workers abandoning the colony and fewer offspring being produced. Our findings imply that heatwave events that exceed 30°C can negatively impact colony success through failed thermoregulation and reduced workforce production.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coae006"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10853005/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139708576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent impacts of the neonicotinoid insecticide, clothianidin, on flight performance metrics in two species of migratory butterflies","authors":"Staci Cibotti, Phineas J Saum, Andrew J Myrick, Rudolf J Schilder, Jared G Ali","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae002","url":null,"abstract":"Long-distance flight is crucial for the survival of migratory insects, and disruptions to their flight capacity can have significant consequences for conservation. In this study, we examined how a widely used insecticide, clothianidin (class: neonicotinoid), impacted the flight performance of two species of migratory butterflies, monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and painted ladies (Vanessa cardui). To do this, we quantified the free-flight energetics and tethered-flight velocity and distance of the two species using flow-through respirometry and flight mill assays. Our findings show differential effects of the pesticide on the two species. For painted ladies, we found that clothianidin exposure reduced average free-flight metabolic rates, but did not affect either average velocity or total distance during tethered flight. Other studies have linked low flight metabolic rates with reduced dispersal capacity, indicating that clothianidin exposure may hinder painted lady flight performance in the wild. Conversely, for monarchs, we saw no significant effect of clothianidin exposure on average free-flight metabolic rates but did observe increases in the average velocity, and for large individuals, total distance achieved by clothianidin-exposed monarchs in tethered flight. This suggests a potential stimulatory response of monarchs to low-dose exposures to clothianidin. These findings indicate that clothianidin exposure has the potential to influence the flight performance of butterflies, but that not all species are impacted in the same way. This highlights the need to be thoughtful when selecting performance assays, as different assays can evaluate fundamentally distinct aspects of physiology, and as such may yield divergent results.","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139680274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of an enzyme immunoassay for the detection of corticosterone metabolites from northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) feces","authors":"Jeremiah Leach, Hannah N Suber, Katelyn Conley, Regan Rivera, James Surles, Benjamin Hames, Ronald J Kendall","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coad098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coad098","url":null,"abstract":"Interest in the effects of stressors on wildlife has grown substantially over the past few decades. As this interest has grown, so has the need for minimally invasive and reliable methods for estimating differences in the levels of stress hormones. An enzyme immunoassay using standardized methods was validated for detecting concentrations of corticosterone (cort) metabolites from northern bobwhite fecal samples. Two physiological challenges and one biological challenge were applied to 18 northern bobwhites (nine males and nine females), and the fecal cort metabolite concentrations were compared to baseline levels. The interactions of sex and treatment, treatment and time and sex and time were all significant. Thus, the methods and tools used here were sensitive enough to detect expected changes to the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis of northern bobwhite.","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139586321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The habitat quality paradox: loss of riparian forest cover leads to decreased risk of parasitism and improved body condition in an imperiled amphibian","authors":"Catherine M Bodinof Jachowski, Valentina Alaasam, Arden Blumenthal, Andrew K Davis, William A Hopkins","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coad101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coad101","url":null,"abstract":"Amphibian declines are a global phenomenon but responses of populations to specific threats are often context dependent and mediated by individual physiological condition. Habitat degradation due to reduced riparian forest cover and parasitism are two threats facing the hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), but their potential to interact in nature remains largely unexplored. We investigated associations between forest cover, parasitic infection and physiology of hellbenders to test the hypotheses that physiological condition responds to infection and/or habitat degradation. We sampled 17 stream reaches in southwest Virginia, USA, on a year-round basis from 2013 to 2016 and recorded 841 captures of 405 unique hellbenders. At each capture we documented prevalence of two blood-associated parasites (a leech and trypanosome) and quantified up to three physiological condition indices (body condition, hematocrit, white blood cell [WBC] differentials). We used generalized linear mixed models to describe spatiotemporal variation in parasitic infection and each condition index. In general, living in the most heavily forested stream reaches, where hellbender density was highest, was associated with the greatest risk of parasitism, elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N:L) ratios and eosinophils, slightly lower hematocrit and lower mean body condition in hellbenders. All condition indices fluctuated temporally in a manner consistent with seasonal variation in hellbender metabolic demands and breeding phenology and were associated with land use during at least part of the year. Paradoxically, relatively low levels of forest cover appeared to confer a potential advantage to individuals in the form of release from parasites and improved body condition. Despite improved body condition, individuals from less forested areas failed to exhibit fluctuating body condition in response to spawning, which was typical in hellbenders from more forested habitats. We postulate this lack of fluctuation could be due to reduced conspecific competition or reproductive investment and/or high rates of filial cannibalism in response to declining forest cover.","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139586362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiple morphophysiological responses of a tropical frog to urbanization conform to the pace-of-life syndrome.","authors":"Lilian Franco-Belussi, José Gonçalves de Oliveira Júnior, Javier Goldberg, Classius De Oliveira, Carlos E Fernandes, Diogo B Provete","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coad106","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coad106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Pace-of-Life syndrome proposes that behavioural, physiological and immune characteristics vary along a slow-fast gradient. Urbanization poses several physiological challenges to organisms. However, little is known about how the health status of frogs is affected by urbanization in the Tropics, which have a faster and more recent urbanization than the northern hemisphere. Here, we analysed a suite of physiological variables that reflect whole organism health, reproduction, metabolic and circulatory physiology and leukocyte responses in <i>Leptodactylus podicipinus</i>. Specifically, we tested how leukocyte profile, erythrocyte morphometrics and germ cell density, as well as somatic indices and erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities differ throughout the adult life span between urban and rural populations. We used Phenotypic Trajectory Analysis to test the effect of age and site on each of the multivariate data sets; and a Generalised Linear Model to test the effect of site and age on nuclear abnormalities. Somatic indices, erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities, erythrocyte morphometrics and leukocyte profile differed between populations, but less so for germ cell density. We found a large effect of site on nuclear abnormalities, with urban frogs having twice as many abnormalities as rural frogs. Our results suggest that urban frogs have a faster pace of life, but the response of phenotypic compartments is not fully concerted.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coad106"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10823355/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139643850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preliminary comparisons between a point-of-care ketometer and reference method using Steller sea lion pup whole blood and plasma.","authors":"Stephanie G Crawford, Robert H Coker, Lorrie D Rea","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coad104","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coad104","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We evaluated the Precision Xtra™ ketometer as part of a larger study categorizing fasting status of free-ranging Steller sea lion (<i>Eumetopias jubatus</i>; SSL) pups which necessitated the identification of plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations ([β-HBA]) around a threshold of <0.3 and ≥0.3 mmol/l. Whole blood samples mixed with sodium heparin (NaHep) or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid liquid anticoagulants were tested <10 minutes after collection (<i>n</i> = 14; triplicate technical replicates). Plasma (stored at -80°C, NaHep, <i>Thaw1</i>) measured via our laboratory's <i>Reference Assay</i> (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, Kit #MAK041) served as the standard [β-HBA] for ketometer comparisons. Our observed β-HBA range (0.0-1.6 mmol/l), consistent with published [β-HBA] of free-ranging Otariid pups, represented the lower 20% of the ketometer's range (0.0-8.0 mmol/l). The maximal coefficient of variation (%CV) of ketometer technical replicates was 9.1% (NaHep, whole blood). The majority of ketometer technical replicate sets (84%, including all matrices, anticoagulants and thawings) were identical (CV = 0%). We found linear relationships and agreement of ketometer [β-HBA] between whole blood preserved with different anticoagulants and between whole blood and plasma (<i>Thaw1</i>) measurements. The ketometer produced results with linearity to the <i>Reference Assay</i> for both whole blood and plasma (<i>Thaw1</i>). We identified a non-linear relationship between plasma at <i>Thaw1</i> and <i>Thaw2</i> (tested four months apart, NaHep), as only samples with higher SSL [β-HBA] decreased in concentration, and all others remained the same. With respect to categorizing SSL pup fasting in our larger study, the ketometer's <i>%Accuracy</i>, %<i>Sensitivity</i> and %<i>Specificity</i> for samples with <i>Reference Assay</i> β-HBA <0.2 and >0.4 mmol/l were 100%. We adopted a modified procedure: plasma samples with mean ketometer concentrations ±0.1 mmol/l of 0.3 mmol/l β-HBA were re-evaluated using the <i>Reference Assay</i>, improving measurement precision from tenths (ketometer) to thousandths (assay) mmol/l. The Precision Xtra™ ketometer was valuable to our application over the range of [β-HBA] observed in SSL pup plasma and whole blood samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"12 1","pages":"coad104"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10823332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139643387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}