Title: Stress: a male non-human primate perspective

(Research Advisor: Haven Wiley, Mentor: Stephanie Combes)

Kena Rae Grace

Among mammals, well-known consequences of stress include reductions in health and longevity.  However, the differential effects of short versus long-term stressors are less clear.  Therefore, I studied behavioral and social circumstances that induce physiological stress responses in male ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta).  Among these lemurs, short-term stressors included human contact, social grouping, and seasonal changes in behavior and affiliations.  Long-term stressors included male rank in a social group.  A male’s response to these stressors was measured by comparing behavior with circulating levels of cortisol, a physiological indicator of stress.  Also, each male’s response to chronic and acute stressors was compared.  Due to similar physiologies among primates, my findings could suggest much about the development and maintenance of a stressful life due to social influences.  The physiological responses observed in these male ring-tailed lemurs may be comparable to chronic and acute stressors humans encounter daily.