Abstract

The analysis of eco-physiological parameters in wildlife may represent a priority for their conservation and management, not only to establish causal relationships, obtaining a set of raw data, but also to monitor the effectiveness of management strategies. We studied Hair Cortisol concentration (HCC) in Eurasian red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris in four selected study areas in Italy. Areas differed from one another for vegetation type, degree of urbanization and anthropic disturbance, density of red squirrel populations and presence or absence of alien squirrel species. HCC measurements showed the highest values in a high-density population, subjected to a high predation pressure (i.e. in areas characterized by deciduous vegetation). Conversely, the lowest HCC levels have been observed in areas with the lowest squirrel density, i.e. in urbanized environments, where the species is established for a rather long time, and in areas with mixed vegetation and presence of conifers. Measuring HCC provides reliable information on the long-term activity of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and associated allostatic load. Furthermore, it constitutes a non-invasive method of investigation. The use of hair tubes further supports our non-invasive approach. Because of its simplicity and low costs, hair collection might be applied to monitor the long-term physiological response of wild species even in larger areas, besides focusing in the promotion of citizen-science data collection.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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欧亚红松鼠寻常型松鼠的环境变异性和恒静负荷

摘要

对野生动植物生态生理参数的分析可能代表着其保护和管理的优先事项，不仅是建立因果关系，获取一组原始数据，而且还可以监测管理策略的有效性。我们研究了欧亚红松鼠寻常型松鼠中的头发皮质醇浓度（HCC）在意大利的四个选定研究区域中。不同地区的植被类型，城市化程度和人类干扰程度，红松鼠种群密度以及是否存在外来松鼠物种都各不相同。HCC测量显示，在高密度捕食压力下（即在以落叶植被为特征的地区），高密度种群的最高值。相反，在松鼠密度最低的地区，即在城市化环境中树种建立时间较长的地区，在植被混合且有针叶树的地区，观察到最低的HCC水平。测量HCC可提供有关下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴的长期活动以及相关的同种异体负荷的可靠信息。此外，它构成了一种非侵入性的调查方法。毛管的使用进一步支持了我们的非侵入性方法。由于其简单性和低成本，除专注于促进公民科学数据收集外，毛发收集还可用于监测野生物种的长期生理反应，即使是在较大的地区。

图形摘要