Common myths of glucocorticoid function in ecology and conservation

Glucocorticoids are popular hormones to measure in both biomedical and ecological studies of stress. Many assumptions used to interpret glucocorticoid results are derived from biomedical data on humans or laboratory rodents, but these assumptions often fail for wild animals under field conditions. We discuss five common assumptions often made about glucocorticoids in ecological and conservation research that are not generally supported by the literature. (1) High acute elevations of glucocorticoids indicate an animal in distress. In fact: because glucocorticoids are needed to survive stressors, elevated concentrations often reflect adequate coping. (2) Low glucocorticoid concentrations indicate a healthy animal. In fact: because glucocorticoids are important in responding to stressors, low glucocorticoid concentrations might indicate the lack of adequate coping. (3) Sustained elevated glucocorticoids indicate chronically stressed animals. In fact: glucocorticoid concentrations by themselves have no predictive value in diagnosing chronic stress. (4) Glucocorticoids mobilize energy to survive short-term stressors such as predator attacks. In fact: glucocorticoids' primary impact on energy regulation is to remove glucose transporters from cell surfaces. Not only is this process too slow to provide short-term energy, but glucocorticoid-induced increases in glucose reflect decreased, not increased, glucose utilization. (5) Glucocorticoid measurements in non-blood tissues (e.g., feces, hair, feathers, etc.) are equivalent to blood concentrations. In fact: these alternative tissues present imperfect reflections of blood concentrations, and it is blood concentrations that interact with receptors to evoke biological change. In summary, proper consideration of these common assumptions will greatly aid in interpreting glucocorticoid data from ecological and conservation studies.

Automated summary

Glucocorticoid levels do not always indicate distress in animals; low concentrations do not necessarily mean the animal is healthy; sustained high levels do not necessarily indicate chronic stress; and glucocorticoids do not mobilize energy for short-term stress, but instead hinder glucose utilization. Additionally, measurements in non-blood tissues give imperfect reflections of blood concentrations.