Diurnal variation on the excretion patterns of fecal XXXX in @entity7533 ( @entity7533 ) females.

@entity43 @entity1420 @entity53 @entity134 @entity701 @entity230 @entity7533
The use of fecal @entity134 analysis to assess gonadal and adrenal function in primates has rapidly increased in recent years due to the ability to collect feces from nonhuman primates living in wild conditions. These techniques offer an exciting new potential for enhancing our knowledge of the endocrine status of free-living animals. Prior to using these techniques under field conditions, it is important to determine the diurnal variation of fecal excreted @entity230 for assessing possible time limitations on fecal collections. The following study investigates the diurnal frequency of defecation and patterns of @entity134 levels excreted in feces from four female @entity7533 , @entity7533 , living in a family group. These females represented three reproductive conditions: early pregnancy, @entity43 , and noncycling (postpubertal). @entity701 , @entity53 , and @entity1420 were extracted and analyzed by enzyme immunoassay. Diurnal variations in @entity134 levels were found by ANOVA for @entity701 and @entity1420 but not for @entity53 . Significantly higher levels of @entity701 were found in the afternoon, while the reverse was found for @entity1420 . All females showed the same pattern of @entity134 level change, except for @entity701 in the pregnant female. Since all females defecated within the first hour after they awoke in the morning, this time was determined to be the most effective time to collect feces. The consistency of our findings reinforces the usefulness of this approach for studying reproductive and adrenocortical function in marmosets and also indicates that fecal collection should be limited to either morning or afternoon collections.
