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Field EK, Terry J, Hartzheim AM, Krajcir K, Mullin SJ, Neuman-Lee LA. Investigating relationships among stress, reproduction, and immunity in three species of watersnake. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2023; 343:114350. [PMID: 37524232 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Energy is a finite resource required for all physiological processes and must be allocated efficiently among essential activities to ensure fitness and survival. During the active season, adult organisms are expected to prioritize investment in reproduction over other energetically expensive processes, such as responding to immunological challenges. Furthermore, when encountering a stressor, the balance between reproduction and immunity might be disrupted in order to fuel the stress response. Because of the distinct differences in life histories across species, watersnakes provide a unique group of study in which to examine these tradeoffs. Over a two-year period, we captured three watersnake species throughout Northeast Arkansas. Animals were subjected to restraint stress and blood samples were collected throughout the acute stress response. Blood samples were used to assess innate immunity and steroid hormone concentrations. We found the peak in corticosterone concentration is season-specific, potentially because energetic reserves fluctuate with reproductive activities. We also found body condition was positively related to acute stress and negatively related to immunity. Watersnakes evidently prioritize reproduction over immunity, especially during the energetically intensive process of vitellogenesis. Energetic tradeoffs between reproduction, immunity, and the stress response are complex, and this study contributes to our understanding of energetic shifts in free-living organisms in the context of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Field
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson MS, United States.
| | - Jennifer Terry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States
| | - Alyssa M Hartzheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Kevin Krajcir
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States; Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Stephen J Mullin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
| | - Lorin A Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR, United States.
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Sunny A, Manjarrez J, Caballero-Viñas C, Bolom-Huet R, Gómez-Ortiz Y, Domínguez-Vega H, Heredia-Bobadilla RL, Torres-Romero EJ, González-Fernández A. Modelling the effects of climate and land-cover changes on the potential distribution and landscape connectivity of three earth snakes (Genus Conopsis, Günther 1858) in central Mexico. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:52. [PMID: 37889338 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01880-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic land use and climate change are the greatest threats to biodiversity, especially for many globally endangered reptile species. Earth snakes (Conopsis spp.) are a poorly studied group endemic to Mexico. They have limited dispersal abilities and specialized niches, making them particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Species distribution models (SDMs) were used to assess how future climate and land-cover change scenarios might influence the distribution and habitat connectivity of three earth snakes: Conopsis biserialis (Taylor and Smith), C. lineata (Kennicott), and C. nasus (Günther). Two climate models, CNRM-CM5 (CN) and MPI-ESM-LR (MP) (Representative Concentration Pathway 85), were explored with ENMeval Maxent modelling. Important SDM environmental variables and environmental niche overlap between species were also examined. We found that C. biserialis and C. lineata were restricted by maximum temperatures whereas C. nasus was restricted by minimum ones and was more tolerant to arid vegetation. C. biserialis and C. lineata were primarily distributed in the valleys and mountains of the highlands of the TMBV, while C. nasus was mainly distributed in the Altiplano Sur (Zacatecano-Potosino). C. lineata had the smallest potential distribution and suffered the greatest contraction in the future whereas C. nasus was the least affected species in future scenarios. The Sierra de las Cruces and the Sierra Chichinautzin were identified as very important areas for connectivity. Our results suggest that C. lineata may be the most vulnerable of the three species to anthropogenic and climate changes whereas C. nasus seems to be less affected by global warming than the other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando Sunny
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Javier Manjarrez
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Carmen Caballero-Viñas
- Instituto de Geología, Departamento de Paleontología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - René Bolom-Huet
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Yuriana Gómez-Ortiz
- División de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México, Libramiento Francisco Villa SN, 50640, San Felipe del Progreso, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Hublester Domínguez-Vega
- División de Desarrollo Sustentable, Universidad Intercultural del Estado de México, Libramiento Francisco Villa SN, 50640, San Felipe del Progreso, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Rosa Laura Heredia-Bobadilla
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Instituto Literario 100, Colonia Centro, 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Erik Joaquín Torres-Romero
- Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Puebla, San Mateo Cuanalá, Juan C. Bonilla, 72640, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Andrea González-Fernández
- Laboratorio de Análisis Geo-Espacial (LAGE), Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Exterior S/N, Coyoacán, Cd. Universitaria, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
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Hartzheim AM, Terry JL, Field EK, Haydt NT, Poo S, Neuman-Lee LA. Immune and stress physiology of two captively-housed tortoise species. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:220-233. [PMID: 36450699 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Ecoimmunology affords us the ability to better understand immunological processes through consideration of external factors, such as the thermal microenvironment. This consideration is imperative when examining the immunological processes of ectothermic organisms like reptiles. Reptiles uniquely rely heavily on their innate immune function but remain poorly understood in immunological studies. In this study, we examined innate immunity in two zoo-housed tortoise species, the Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans, Schoepff, 1795) and northern spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides brygooi, Vuillemin & Domergue, 1972). Bacterial killing assays (BKAs) were optimized and used to assess the monthly immunocompetence of these tortoises to three different bacteria: Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus aureus. We evaluated differences in blood biochemistry values (lactate and glucose) among months and species as well as fecal corticosterone (CORT) between species. Lastly, we examined the potential influences of individual thermal microenvironments on bactericidal ability. Both G. elegans and P. a. brygooi demonstrated immunocompetence against all bacterial challenges, but only bactericidal ability against E. coli varied over months. Optimal BKA serum dilutions, blood glucose levels, and fecal CORT concentrations differed between the two species. Finally, there was evidence that the thermal microenvironment influenced the tortoises' bactericidal ability against E. coli. Through use of nonmodel organisms, such as tortoises, we are given insight into the inner workings of innate immunity and a better understanding of the complexities of the vertebrate immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa M Hartzheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Jennifer L Terry
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Emily K Field
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Natalie T Haydt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Sinlan Poo
- Department of Conservation and Research, Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lorin A Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
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Past, Present, and Future of Naturally Occurring Antimicrobials Related to Snake Venoms. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040744. [PMID: 36830531 PMCID: PMC9952678 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity because these biopolymers can be useful in the fight against infectious diseases and to overcome the critical problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics. In fact, snakes show the highest diversification among reptiles, surviving in various environments; their innate immunity is similar to mammals and the response of their plasma to bacteria and fungi has been explored mainly in ecological studies. Snake venoms are a rich source of components that have a variety of biological functions. Among them are proteins like lectins, metalloproteinases, serine proteinases, L-amino acid oxidases, phospholipases type A2, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, as well as many oligopeptides, such as waprins, cardiotoxins, cathelicidins, and β-defensins. In vitro, these biomolecules were shown to be active against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that are pathogenic to humans. Not only cathelicidins, but all other proteins and oligopeptides from snake venom have been proteolyzed to provide short antimicrobial peptides, or for use as templates for developing a variety of short unnatural sequences based on their structures. In addition to organizing and discussing an expressive amount of information, this review also describes new β-defensin sequences of Sistrurus miliarius that can lead to novel peptide-based antimicrobial agents, using a multidisciplinary approach that includes sequence phylogeny.
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Holden KG, Gangloff EJ, Miller DAW, Hedrick AR, Dinsmore C, Basel A, Kutz G, Bronikowski AM. Over a decade of field physiology reveals life-history specific strategies to drought in garter snakes ( Thamnophis legans). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212187. [PMID: 35078358 PMCID: PMC8790353 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Changing climates and severe weather events can affect population viability. Individuals need to buffer such negative fitness consequences through physiological plasticity. Whether certain life-history strategies are more conducive to surviving changing climates is unknown, but theory predicts that strategies prioritizing maintenance and survival over current reproduction should be better able to withstand such change. We tested this hypothesis in a meta-population of garter snakes having naturally occurring variation in life-history strategies. We tested whether slow pace-of-life (POL) animals, that prioritize survival over reproduction, are more resilient than fast POL animals as measured by several physiological biomarkers. From 2006 to 2019, which included two multi-year droughts, baseline and stress-induced reactivity of plasma corticosterone and glucose varied annually with directionalities consistent with life-history theory. Slow POL animals exhibited higher baseline corticosterone and lower baseline glucose, relative to fast POL animals. These patterns were also observed in stress-induced measures; thus, reactivity was equivalent between ecotypes. However, in drought years, measures of corticosterone did not differ between different life histories. Immune cell distribution showed annual variation independent of drought or life history. These persistent physiological patterns form a backdrop to several extirpations of fast POL populations, suggesting a limited physiological toolkit to surviving periods of extreme drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn G. Holden
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Eric J. Gangloff
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - David A. W. Miller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Ashley R. Hedrick
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Carli Dinsmore
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alison Basel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Greta Kutz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Anne M. Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 2200 Osborn Drive, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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