Socioecological and environmental predictors of physiological stress markers in a threatened feline species

In recent years, ecological studies have shown that oxidative status can have a significant impact on fitness components in free-ranging animals. This has raised awareness by conservation practitioners about the importance of identifying the factors associated with individual variation in markers of oxidative status because this might provide several potential benefits for conservation programmes. In this study, we measured five markers of oxidative status in the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), a carnivore species classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We asked whether the five measures of oxidative damage and antioxidant blood-based markers are associated with a number of socioecological and environmental factors, including individual sex, age class, living condition (free-ranging vs. captive), restraint duration stress (i.e. capture duration stress), spatial tactic of males (territory holders vs. non-territory holders, i.e. floaters) and reproductive status of females (accompanied by offspring vs. solitary). Markers of oxidative damage were higher in those cheetahs that were physically restraint for a longer duration in the trap, indicating that oxidative stress may be increased by short-term unpredictable environmental stressors. Markers of oxidative damage were also higher in captive than free-ranging cheetahs, suggesting that oxidative stress might be a physiological mechanism underlying the detrimental effects of captivity on the health status of cheetahs. Variation of oxidative status markers was also significantly associated with individual age class, spatial tactic and reproductive status, opening new research avenues about the role of oxidative stress in influencing behavioural and life-history traits in cheetahs