Annual antler variation and their relationship with fecal androgen metabolites in males of the genus Mazama (Artiodactyla; Cervidae)

• Grant number: 17/21960-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2018
• End date: March 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: José Maurício Barbanti Duarte
• Grantee: Laura Dias Sponton
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Deer of the genus Mazama are very important as part of the biomass of the forest environments of Brazil and several of the species have been suffering decline due to the anthropic actions. They are little known ungulates, especially in the aspects related to the antler cycle of males and the role of fluctuations of testosterone in the fall, growth and bare of the same. It is known, through studies with temperate species, that the cycle of antlers is related to the production of testosterone, being an event dependent on the photoperiod. However, tropical zone species, such as those of the Mazama genus, have shown little synchrony in antler exchange, with only one study on annual monitoring of fecal androgen metabolites (FAM) and its relation to the antler cycle performed in a species of this genus. Therefore, we intend to analyze the annual variations of the FAM in males of the genus Mazama, in order to understand the annual fluctuations of the same and to understand their relation with the antler. For this, nine males will be used, three M. americana, three M. gouazoubira, one M. nana, one M. bororo and one M. nemorivaga, which are available at the Núcleo de Pesquisa e Conservação de Cervídeos da UNESP/Jaboticabal. Fecal samples will be collected weekly for a period of one year and the FAM levels in the samples will be quantified using a competitive type testosterone immunoassay. With these results, it is expected to obtain a better knowledge about the pattern of secretion of androgens in each of the species of the genus Mazama and its relation with the biological antler cycle.