Central Asian tortoise Testudo horsfieldii gray, 1844 (Reptilia: Testudinidae): adaptive blood reactions

To characterize the natural population of the Central Asian turtle Testudo horsfieldii from the Mangystau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a hematological approach was used. The leukocyte formula of the blood was assessed with the calculation of the leukocyte indices associated with it (lymphocyte-granulocyte, leukocyte shift, ratio of lymphocytes and eosinophils, ratio of heterophils and eosinophils, ratio of heterophils and lymphocytes). The method of multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the total leukocyte parameters of males (12 individuals) and females (22 individuals). Sex differences were manifested by an increased content of lymphocytes and the value of the lymphocyte-granulocyte index, as well as a decreased ratio of heterophils and lymphocytes in females. An increased value of the heterophils-lymphocytes ratio index in males indicates a stressful effect on them. In females, a moderate positive correlation was found between the length of the carapace and the content of granulocytes and eosinophils in their blood, and a negative correlation of that with the total content of agranulocytes due to the contribution of lymphocytes. In females, unlike males, lymphocyte-dependent immune reactions predominated. The principal components method was used to differentiate males and females with a more complete quantitative description of the leukocyte composition. The blood pattern and dynamics of its leukocyte indices reflect the active response of the body to a special complex of environmental factors of T. horsfieldii habitat in the arid zone.