To maintain wolf populations in a good state of conservation, it is necessary to know their physiological responses to the disturbances of the environment in which they live.

To maintain wolf populations in a good state of conservation, it is necessary to know their physiological responses to the disturbances of the environment in which they live.

The results obtained with this type of study are very useful to manage the populations of the canid, and to identify what their conservation problems are. However, there is currently no study, in any area of the species’ range, in which the use of different physiological indicators is combined to assess its conservation status.

This project aims to evaluate whether trophic supply and quality (related to habitat quality) and parasite load determine variations in specific physiological parameters in wolves in the wild. In addition, the reproductive success, determined by the litter size, of each group will be evaluated, in order to know if the levels of physiological stress exhibited by each group could be affecting the biological efficiency of the species.

The main objective of the project is to evaluate the conservation status of the Iberian wolf in areas subject to different ecological and environmental conditions through the use of physiological indicators (glucocorticoids, sex hormones, parasite load and trophic quality). More specifically, it is intended to:

• To assess whether variations in physiological stress levels are related to the nutritional status of individuals.
• To determine whether differences in physiological stress levels are related to the parasite load of the animals.
• Evaluate the reproductive status of the groups.
• To determine the coherence between the different physiological indicators used to assess the conservation status of the wolf breeding groups studied.

All the information obtained will make it possible to identify the factors involved in the conservation status of the groups of wolves studied and to develop management guidelines for the species for these areas, and even for other areas of Europe, in order to maintain populations in an optimal state of conservation in the long term.