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Differential antipredatory responses in the tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum) in relation to endogenous and exogenous changes in glucocorticoids

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Abstract

Glucocorticoids participate in the behavioral and physiological responses generated under stressful circumstances coming from different sources—physical and/or psychological. In mammals, the increases of these hormones are mediated by the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. This response occurs after exposure to novel and unpredictable situations that lead to the loss of homeostasis, for example, a direct encounter with predators or their cues. However, the relationship between the physiological and behavioral responses is still a complex issue in vertebrates. We evaluate the effects of an experimental manipulation of glucocorticoid levels on the generation of the behavioral and physiological response to stress by predation in the subterranean rodent C. talarum. We found that when tuco-tucos encountered predator cues—fur odor, and largely, immobilization—they responded physiologically by secreting cortisol. This response was accompanied by an associated behavioral response. However, when the increase in plasma cortisol originated exogenously by the injection of cortisol, a behavioral response was not observed. Finally, inhibition of glucocorticoids’ synthesis was effective in weakening the behavioral effects produced by immobilization. In conclusion, in tuco-tucos, predator cues act as stress factors that trigger differential increases in plasma cortisol and a behavioral response associated with the appearance of anxiety states.

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Abbreviations

ACTH:

Adrenocorticotropic hormone

GCs:

Glucocorticoids

HPA:

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

VNO:

Vomeronasal organ

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Acknowledgements

In this study, the capture, handling, and maintenance in captivity of all animals were conducted in accordance with the guidelines approved by the American Society of Mammalogists (Sikes et al. 2016) and the current laws of Argentina. Once the Institutional Committee for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (CICUAL) of the FCEyN of the UNMdP was formed, the approval of the protocols used was processed (CICUAL 2555-06-14 RD 141/15).

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Funded by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (PIP 0292) and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2349).

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  1. Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Valentina Brachetta, Cristian E. Schleich & Roxana R. Zenuto

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  1. Valentina Brachetta
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  2. Cristian E. Schleich
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  3. Roxana R. Zenuto
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Brachetta, V., Schleich, C.E. & Zenuto, R.R. Differential antipredatory responses in the tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum) in relation to endogenous and exogenous changes in glucocorticoids . J Comp Physiol A 206, 33–44 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-019-01384-8

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