Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39696666›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of primatology2025

Novel Scent Enrichment Enhances Socio-Sexual and Olfactory Behaviors in Zoo-Housed Gentle Lemurs.

Sara Fontani, Gale Glendewar, Rachel Cowen, Georgia Callagan, Anna B Costantini, Emily Elwell, Colin Dubreuil, Matthew Palframan, Stefano Vaglio

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of primatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sara FontaniSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9338-8555
Gale GlendewarDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust - Jersey Zoo, Trinity, Jersey, Channel Islands.
Rachel CowenDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust - Jersey Zoo, Trinity, Jersey, Channel Islands.
Georgia CallaganSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
Anna B CostantiniSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
Emily ElwellSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.ORCID 0009-0001-6013-5690
Colin DubreuilSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.ORCID 0009-0000-8789-8519
Matthew PalframanSchool of Pharmacy, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0797-1646
Stefano VaglioSchool of Life Sciences, Animal Behaviour & Wildlife Conservation Group, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0885-8573

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement [no. 890341 to SF and SV] and the Primate Society of Great Britain Captive Care Grant [round 2021 to SF]. Lab work and publication fees were funded by the University of Wolverhampton's Research Investment Fund scheme - Phase 4 [to SV].
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur Alaotrensis) is one of the most endangered primates in the world and shows a low success rate in captive breeding programmes. We tested a novel scent enrichment, made up of a synthesized mixture likely conveying information about female fertility, on four unsuccessful breeding pairs (n = 8 subjects) living at the Jersey, Birmingham, London (United Kingdom) and Mulhouse (France) zoos. We evaluated the effects of the scent enrichment on behavior (515 h of observation) and fecal endocrinology (cortisol and testosterone measurements) (n = 180 samples) comparing pre- enrichment, enrichment and post- enrichment phases. We found a small effect by sex on olfactory behaviors related to the enrichment. We also found that both male and female sexual behaviors significantly increased during the enrichment. Conversely, we did not find any significant change related to enrichment in cortisol and testosterone levels, whilst some effect by the zoo environment. Our results show little effectiveness by the scent enrichment as the lemur hormone levels did not change significantly and the lemurs continued to fail to reproduce following the enrichment. Nevertheless, our findings highlight that biologically relevant scent may trigger natural species-specific behaviors, with potential implications for enhancing behavioral health and management of zoo-based endangered lemur species.

Indexed as

Animals, ZooHydrocortisoneOdorantsSexual Behavior, AnimalTestosteroneAnimalsEndangered SpeciesFecesFemaleLemuridaeMaleSmellSocial BehaviorHydrocortisoneTestosteronecaptive breedingcaptive welfarechemical signallingcortisolfecal endocrinologyHapalemur alaotrensisscent enrichmenttestosterone

Identifiers

PMID39696666
PMCPMC11655772

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.