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Table 1 A flow chart presenting the research setup for the three cohorts studied

From: An exploratory investigation of glucocorticoids, personality and survival rates in wild and rehabilitated hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Denmark

Categories

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

Cohort 3

Subject characteristics

n = 10 rehabilitated, adult hedgehogs

n = 15 rehabilitated, juvenile hedgehogs

n = 8 wild hedgehogs (3 juveniles, 5 unidentified)

  

n = 10 wild, juvenile hedgehogs

 

Glucocorticoid analyses

   

Sampling

Faecal samples (n = 10)

Saliva samples (n = 57)

Saliva samples (n = 4)

  

Faecal samples (n = 67)

Faecal samples (n = 9)

  

Sampling before (wild) and during captivity (both groups) and post release (both groups)

 

Laboratory procedure

Testing:

Testing:

Testing:

 

Faecal corticosterone metabolite levels (n = 10)

Faecal corticosterone metabolite levels (n = 67)

Faecal corticosterone metabolite levels (n = 9)

  

Saliva corticosterone levels (n = 57)

Faecal cortisol metabolite levels (n = 7)

   

Saliva cortisol levels (n = 4)

Personality testing

Not performed

Novel arena test on day 1 in enclosures

Not performed

  

Novel object tests on day 3 and 5 in enclosures

 

Release into the wild

Not performed

After 7 days in enclosures (n = 18, 8 rehabilitated and 10 wild juveniles)

Already free-living

Post release monitoring of survival and spatial behaviour

Not performed

Radio tracking of 18 juveniles, out of which 1 was unaccounted for

Results not included in the present study: Radio tracking of the 3 radio tagged wild juveniles (Rasmussen et al. (2019))

Data analyses

   

 Faecal corticosterone metabolite levels in relation to background, sex and health

Linear mixed effects model (LME) for all cohorts

Linear mixed effects model (LME) for all cohorts

Linear mixed effects model (LME) for all cohorts

 Saliva corticosterone levels in relation to background, sex and health

 

Linear mixed effects model (LME)

 

 Personality (novel arena and novel object tests)

 

Principal component analyses (PCA)

 

 Effects of personality (shy/bold) and background (wild/rehabilitated) on post release survival

 

Fisher's exact test

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