Meeting Abstract
Waterfowl face a multitude of stressors while in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). These stressors include energetic demands associated with life history stage, weather, habitat availability, and waterfowl hunting seasons. Many studies have examined the effects of hunting on waterfowl, but very few have focused on how hunting affects the stress physiology of waterfowl. Any stressful stimulus will elicit a physiologic stress response and activate the sympatho-adrenal system culminating with the release of epinephrine and corticosterone (CORT). These hormones aid in survival and recovery over the short-term, but if CORT is elevated over a long period it can lead to decrements in health. Importantly, maintenance of body condition is well known to affect future reproductive potential. The aim of this ongoing study is to determine whether hunting and duration of hunting alter body condition and stress physiology of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) while in the MAV. Mallards were collected before, during, and after the waterfowl hunting season in eastern Arkansas. Only clean, one-shot killed birds were sampled, thus eliminating confounds of wounded highly stressed samples. A blood sample was taken immediately, and then morphometrics and a breast fat score were recorded for each bird. Blood samples were analyzed for plasma triglycerides and baseline CORT levels. We hypothesized that baseline CORT levels and body condition would change as the season progressed. Thus far, our data do not support the hypothesis and indicate that neither hunting per se, nor the duration of the hunting season alter baseline CORT or body condition.
