As humanity continues to alter the environment extensively, comprehending the effect of anthropogenic disturbances on the health, survival, and fitness of wildlife is a crucial question of conservation biology. Many primate populations occupy sub-optimal habitats prone to diverse anthropogenic disturbances that may be sources of acute and chronic stress. Quantification of glucocorticoid concentrations has repeatedly been used to explore the impact of disturbances on physiological stress. Although it is still debated, prolonged elevation of glucocorticoid levels might impair reproduction, growth, and immune system activity of individuals. In this study, we quantified the effect of anthropogenic disturbances on physiological stress in primates using a global meta-analysis based on data from 26 articles, spanning 24 distinct species in 13 different countries. Anthropogenic disturbances were classified into six distinct categories: habitat loss, habitat degradation, ongoing logging, hunting, tourism, and other human activities. We calculated effect sizes (Hedges' g) using the standardized mean difference in glucocorticoid concentrations between primates affected by human activity and their undisturbed conspecifics. We ran random-effects models and subgroup analyses to estimate the overall effect as well as a cumulative effect size for each disturbance category. Overall, primates inhabiting sites subject to anthropogenic disturbances exhibited significantly higher glucocorticoid levels (g = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.28 to 0.93). Habitat loss and hunting were overall associated with increased glucocorticoid concentrations, while the cumulative effects of the other disturbances were not statistically significant. Biologically, higher glucocorticoid levels may increase fitness by enabling individuals to overcome the challenges linked to anthropogenic disturbances. On the other hand, primates in disturbed environments may suffer from sustained elevated glucocorticoid levels. In order to strengthen future research, it is necessary to systematically control for confounding factors (e.g. diet, reproductive status, predatory pressure, resource availability) and better understand the link between glucocorticoid levels and the health, fitness, and survival of animals. Article impact statement: Anthropogenic disturbances induce physiological stress responses in free-ranging primates, as revealed by increased glucocorticoid levels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

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人为对野生灵长类动物生理应激影响的荟萃分析

随着人类继续广泛地改变环境，了解人为干扰对野生动物的健康、生存和适应性的影响是保护生物学的一个关键问题。许多灵长类动物种群占据次优栖息地，容易受到各种人为干扰，这些干扰可能是急性和慢性压力的来源。糖皮质激素浓度的量化已反复用于探索干扰对生理应激的影响。尽管仍有争议，但糖皮质激素水平的长期升高可能会损害个体的生殖、生长和免疫系统活动。在这项研究中，我们使用基于 26 篇文章的数据的全球荟萃分析量化了人为干扰对灵长类动物生理压力的影响，跨越 13 个不同国家的 24 个不同物种。人为干扰分为六个不同的类别：栖息地丧失、栖息地退化、持续伐木、狩猎、旅游和其他人类活动。我们使用受人类活动影响的灵长类动物与其未受干扰的同种动物之间糖皮质激素浓度的标准化平均差异来计算效应大小 (Hedges' g)。我们运行随机效应模型和亚组分析来估计每个干扰类别的整体效应以及累积效应大小。总体而言，居住在遭受人为干扰的地点的灵长类动物的糖皮质激素水平显着升高（g = 0.60；95% CI = 0.28 至 0.93）。栖息地丧失和狩猎总体上与糖皮质激素浓度增加有关，而其他干扰的累积影响在统计上并不显着。在生物学上，较高的糖皮质激素水平可以通过使个人克服与人为干扰相关的挑战来提高健康度。另一方面，在受干扰环境中的灵长类动物可能会遭受持续升高的糖皮质激素水平。为了加强未来的研究，有必要系统地控制混杂因素（例如饮食、生殖状态、捕食压力、资源可用性），更好地了解糖皮质激素水平与动物健康、健康和生存之间的联系。文章影响声明：糖皮质激素水平升高表明，人为干扰会诱发自由放养灵长类动物的生理应激反应。本文受版权保护。