학술논문
Using an on-site laboratory for fecal steroid analysis in wild white-faced capuchins
Document Type
article
Author
Beehner, Jacinta C; Alfaro, José; Allen, Cloe; Benítez, Marcela E; Bergman, Thore J; Buehler, Margaret S; Carrera, Sofia C; Chester, Emily M; Deschner, Tobias; Fuentes, Alexander; Gault, Colleen M; Godoy, Irene; Jack, Katharine M; Kim, Justin D; Kolinski, Lev; Kulick, Nelle K; Losch, Teera; Ordoñez, Juan Carlos; Perry, Susan E; Pinto, Fernando; Reilly, Olivia T; Johnson, Elizabeth Tinsley; Wasserman, Michael D
Source
Subject
Language
Abstract
Hormone laboratories located "on-site" where field studies are being conducted have a number of advantages. On-site laboratories allow hormone analyses to proceed in near-real-time, minimize logistics of sample permits/shipping, contribute to in-country capacity-building, and (our focus here) facilitate cross-site collaboration through shared methods and a shared laboratory. Here we provide proof-of-concept that an on-site hormone laboratory (the Taboga Field Laboratory, located in the Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica) can successfully run endocrine analyses in a remote location. Using fecal samples from wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) from three Costa Rican forests, we validate the extraction and analysis of four steroid hormones (glucocorticoids, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone) across six assays (DetectX® and ISWE, all from Arbor Assays). Additionally, as the first collaboration across three long-term, wild capuchin field sites (Lomas Barbudal, Santa Rosa, Taboga) involving local Costa Rican collaborators, this laboratory can serve as a future hub for collaborative exchange.