Stress responses in animals

Stress responses are natural responses that help animals adjust to changes in their external or internal environment. They are characterized by the secretion of the steroid hormones cortisol or corticosterone from the adrenal gland. These hormones increases blood glucose concentrations, promotes changes in behaviour and have a variety of other actions that allow the animal to manage the situation. Stress responses vary markedly between animals in all species that have been studied, and individual differences in stress responses are associated with similar differences in patterns of behaviour. Personalities are sets of correlated behaviours and animals, like people, have different personalities. Some animals have relatively small stress responses and personalities classified as proactive or bold, and other animals have relatively large stress responses an reactive or shy personalities. The identification of individual variation in stress responses and personalities is important for all studies of animals, whether in production systems or in the wild. Animals with proactive personalities are likely to be more successful in a relatively constant environment where as the more cautious style of reactive animals may be more successful in a changing environment. The relative proportions of individuals with each personality (proactive or reactive will differ between populations and between species. This could in turn have ramifications for species that experience habitat changes as consequences of global warming, with the ability of populations and species to adapt to these changes influenced by the proportions of individuals with each personality.

Post Comment:

Notify me by email when others post comments to this article.

Do not include your name, "with regards" etc in the comment. Write detailed comment, relevant to the topic.

No HTML formatting and links to other web sites are allowed.

This is a strictly moderated site. Absolutely no spam allowed.

Name:	Sign In to fill automatically.
Email:	(Will not be published, but required to validate comment)
	Type the numbers and letters shown on the left.