Collaborative Research: Monitoring Stress and Survival in Galapagos Marine Iguanas

许多动物种群经历了灾难性的种群数量下降，这通常是由自然或人为引起的环境条件变化造成的，如气候变化或栖息地改变。为了应对环境灾难，所有脊椎动物都会表现出一种应激反应，这种应激反应涉及应激激素(皮质酮/皮质醇)分泌到血液中。到目前为止，还不清楚压力反应是否以及如何帮助个人生存，以及低压力反应还是高压力反应更好。主要的问题是，在野外研究濒临死亡的动物是非常困难的。在这里，Wikelski和Romero教授利用了加拉帕戈斯海洋鬣蜥反复经历自然灾害(厄尔尼诺天气事件)的事实，但同时它们很温和，在死亡时很容易被观察到。研究人员将在灾难发生前评估个人的压力反应，并测试什么样的压力反应对个人的生存最有帮助。这项研究将放在将公布的25年数据集的背景下进行。这项研究的结果将极大地促进人们对脊椎动物如何从生理上处理环境中的灾难性事件的理解。该项目还将通过电视节目和出版物教育公众，促进拉美和美国研究人员之间的科学交流，并为本科生和研究生提供高级培训。

Many animal populations experience catastrophic population declines which are often caused by natural or human-induced changes in environmental conditions such as climate change or habitat alteration. In response to environment disasters, all vertebrate animals show a stress response that involves the secretion of the stress hormone (corticosterone/cortisol) into the blood. It is so far unclear whether and how a stress response helps individuals to survive, and whether a low or a high stress response is better. The main problem is that it is very hard to study dying animals in the wild. Here professors Wikelski and Romero make use of the fact that Galapagos marine iguanas repeatedly experience natural catastrophes (El Nino weather events) but at the same time are tame and can easily be observed as they die. The researchers will assess the stress response of individuals before a catastrophe and test what kind of a stress response helps individuals most to survive. This research will be put into the context of a 25-year data set that will be made public.The results of this study will significantly advance the understanding of how vertebrates physiologically deal with catastrophic events in their environment. This project will also educate the public via TV shows and publications, foster scientific exchange between Latin American and US researchers and provide advanced training for undergraduate and graduate students.