Strah i stres kod divljih životinja

undergraduate thesis

• Title (english): Fear and stress in wild animals
• Author: Martin Hrgović
• Mentor: Zoran Tadić (mentor)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Biology); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2024-08-28, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Biology

Abstract

Opasnosti i nepredvidive promjene životnih uvjeta kod divljih životinja dovode do straha i
stresa. U ovom radu ću prezentirati prilagodbe životinja na takve situacije te njihov utjecaj na
pojedinca, populaciju, pa čak i cijeli ekosustav. Te prilagodbe uključuju evolucijski očuvan
fiziološki odgovor te promjene ponašanja. Kao glavni indikatori stresa kod životinja koriste se
razina glukokortikoida u tijelu i varijabilnost otkucaja srca uzrokovana ispuštanjem
katekolamina (adrenalina i noradrenalina). To su ujedno i glavni medijatori stresa koji
omogućuju tijelu bolju reakciju i oporavak. Osvrnut ću se na reakcije divljih životinja na opasne
situacije sa naglaskom na nedostatak hrane i predaciju. Kao primjeri za nošenje sa nestašicom
hrane će mi poslužiti morske iguane na Galapagosu i carski pingvini. Predacija je odnos u kojem
se nalazi velika većina životinja u divljini, bilo to u ulozi predatora, plijena ili oboje. Hranidbena
mreža često obuhvaća sve životinje na određenom arealu, a uloga vršnog predatora u takvom
ekosustavu je neizmjerno važna, što ću pokazati na primjeru utjecaja vukova na okoliš u
Nacionalnom parku Yellowstone. Sve veći utjecaj ljudi na okoliš uzrokuje sve češću pojavu
kroničnog stresa kod divljih životinja i zbog toga istraživanja utjecaja stresa na životinje postaju
svakim danom sve važnija.

Abstract (english)

Dangers and unpredictable changes of living conditions lead to fear and stress in wild animals.
In this paper, I will present adaptations of animals to such situations and their impact on the
individual, the population, and even the entire ecosystem. These adaptations include
evolutionarily conserved physiological response and behavioral changes. The main indicators
of stress in animals are levels of glucocorticoids in the body and heart rate variability caused
by the release of catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). These are also the main
mediators of stress that enable the body better reaction and recovery. I will discuss the reactions
of wild animals to dangerous situations with an emphasis on lack of food and predation. Marine
iguanas in the Galapagos and emperor penguins will serve as examples of dealing with food
shortages. Predation is the relationship in which the vast majority of animals in the wild find
themselves, either in the role of predator, prey, or both. A food web often includes all animals
in a certain area, and the role of the apex predator in such ecosystem is extremely important, as
will be shown by the example of wolves impact on the environment in Yellowstone National
Park. The growing impact of humans on the environment causes the appearance of chronic
stress in wild animals, which is why research into the impact of stress on animals is becoming
more and more important every day

• Keywords: glukokortikoid; katekolamin; glad; predacija
• Keywords (english): Glucocorticoid; Catecholamine; Hunger; Predation
• Language: croatian
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:825214
• Study programme: Title: Biology; Study programme type: university; Study level: undergraduate; Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) biologije (sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) biologije)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-09-16 16:17:37