Differential antipredatory responses in the tuco-tuco (Ctenomys talarum) in relation to endogenous and exogenous changes in glucocorticoids

Abstract

Glucocorticoids participate in the behavioral and physiological responses generated under stressful circumstances coming from different sources—physical and/or psychological. In mammals, the increases of these hormones are mediated by the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. This response occurs after exposure to novel and unpredictable situations that lead to the loss of homeostasis, for example, a direct encounter with predators or their cues. However, the relationship between the physiological and behavioral responses is still a complex issue in vertebrates. We evaluate the effects of an experimental manipulation of glucocorticoid levels on the generation of the behavioral and physiological response to stress by predation in the subterranean rodent C. talarum. We found that when tuco-tucos encountered predator cues—fur odor, and largely, immobilization—they responded physiologically by secreting cortisol. This response was accompanied by an associated behavioral response. However, when the increase in plasma cortisol originated exogenously by the injection of cortisol, a behavioral response was not observed. Finally, inhibition of glucocorticoids’ synthesis was effective in weakening the behavioral effects produced by immobilization. In conclusion, in tuco-tucos, predator cues act as stress factors that trigger differential increases in plasma cortisol and a behavioral response associated with the appearance of anxiety states.