what proxy is used to assess the health of a population clas

what proxy is used to assess the health of a population?

class: Wildlife Techniques

Solution

Answer:

Animal populations can range over huge areas and thus it is difficult to monitor their reproduction, and usually we are unaware as to how long most individuals live. Therefore, conservation biologists became interested in using physiological markers as proxy measures for the health of a population.

Example: Levels of corticosterone (the primary stress hormone in birds)

If stress hormone levels are high in most individuals, then it can be assumed that the population is experiencing challenging conditions and could be in decline. But, using meta-analytic techniques, it was found that corticosterone levels are generally related to food availability, and reproductive success. However, these were not consistently related to other metrics of fitness such as body condition, foraging or breeding effort.