RAPID: Primate stress and survival during a strong El Nino event

一些研究表明，动物体内高水平的应激激素与较低的繁殖成功率和存活率（“适应性”）有关。其他研究发现，较高的应激激素水平可能是有益的。在野生动物种群中，通常很难测量适合度并校正影响激素水平的其他因素。这个RAPID项目将支持哥斯达黎加几个卷尾猴群体的压力和生存数据的即时收集。这些猴子目前正在经历强烈的El Niño气候模式的环境影响。在影响所有个体的压力事件（El Niño）期间，研究一个受到良好监测的猴子种群的机会是罕见的。该项目将提供个人过去和现在的激素水平与健康之间关系的新数据。研究人员支持对STEM科学中代表性不足群体的个人进行研究生培训。该项目还包括在哥斯达黎加和美国的科学推广活动，以及灵长类动物保护工作。该项目将测试皮质适能假说，即糖皮质激素水平越高，适能水平越低。目前，在哥斯达黎加的洛马斯巴布达尔，一场非常强烈的El Niño事件导致了一群众所周知的白面卷尾猴（Cebus capucinus）的前所未有的死亡率。这一事件提供了一个机会来测试糖皮质激素升高是否会增加或降低野生卷尾猴在遭受影响所有个体的灾难性压力源时的存活率。纵向行为和健康数据以及糖皮质激素的粪便测量将允许个体水平的方法，校正已知影响野生灵长类动物糖皮质激素的其他几个变量，考虑同一个体过去和现在的激素水平，并与其他个体进行比较，以及评估婴儿死亡率和母亲激素水平。

Some studies have shown that high levels of stress hormones in animals are linked to lower reproductive success and survival ("fitness"). Other studies have found that higher stress hormone levels may be beneficial. In wild animal populations it is often hard to measure fitness and correct for other factors that affect hormone levels. This RAPID project will support immediate collection of stress and survival data for several capuchin monkey groups in Costa Rica. These monkeys are currently experiencing the environmental effects of a strong El Niño climate pattern. The opportunity to study a well-monitored monkey population during a stress event (El Niño) that affects all individuals is rare. The project will provide new data on how an individual's past and present hormone levels relate to their fitness. The researchers support graduate training of individuals from underrepresented groups in the STEM sciences. The project also includes science outreach activities in Costa Rica and the United States, and primate conservation efforts.This project will test the cort-fitness hypothesis, which suggests that higher glucocorticoid hormone levels will be associated with reduced fitness. Currently, a very strong El Niño event is causing unprecedented mortality among a habituated, well-known population of white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) at Lomas Barbudal in Costa Rica. This event presents the opportunity to test whether elevated glucocorticoids increase or decrease survival in wild capuchin monkeys subjected to a catastrophic stressor that affects all individuals. Longitudinal behavioral and fitness data and fecal measures of glucocorticoids will allow for an individual-level approach, correction for several other variables known to affect glucocorticoids in wild primates, consideration of past and present hormone levels for the same individual and in comparison with others, and assessment of infant mortality and maternal hormone levels.