1
|
Abstract
Urban environments are evolutionarily novel and differ from natural environments in many respects including food and/or water availability, predation, noise, light, air quality, pathogens, biodiversity, and temperature. The success of organisms in urban environments requires physiological plasticity and adjustments that have been described extensively, including in birds residing in geographically and climatically diverse regions. These studies have revealed a few relatively consistent differences between urban and non-urban conspecifics. For example, seasonally breeding urban birds often develop their reproductive system earlier than non-urban birds, perhaps in response to more abundant trophic resources. In most instances, however, analyses of existing data indicate no general pattern distinguishing urban and non-urban birds. It is, for instance, often hypothesized that urban environments are stressful, yet the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis does not differ consistently between urban and non-urban birds. A similar conclusion is reached by comparing blood indices of metabolism. The origin of these disparities remains poorly understood, partly because many studies are correlative rather than aiming at establishing causality, which effectively limits our ability to formulate specific hypotheses regarding the impacts of urbanization on wildlife. We suggest that future research will benefit from prioritizing mechanistic approaches to identify environmental factors that shape the phenotypic responses of organisms to urbanization and the neuroendocrine and metabolic bases of these responses. Further, it will be critical to elucidate whether factors affect these responses (a) cumulatively or synergistically; and (b) differentially as a function of age, sex, reproductive status, season, and mobility within the urban environment. Research to date has used various taxa that differ greatly not only phylogenetically, but also with regard to ecological requirements, social systems, propensity to consume anthropogenic food, and behavioral responses to human presence. Researchers may instead benefit from standardizing approaches to examine a small number of representative models with wide geographic distribution and that occupy diverse urban ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Karen Sweazea
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Frederic Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372, CNRS - La Rochelle Universite, Villiers en Bois, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rojas-Hucks S, Rodriguez-Jorquera IA, Nimpstch J, Bahamonde P, Benavides JA, Chiang G, Pulgar J, Galbán-Malagón CJ. South American National Contributions to Knowledge of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Wild Animals: Current and Future Directions. Toxics 2022; 10:toxics10120735. [PMID: 36548568 PMCID: PMC9781241 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10120735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Human pressure due to industrial and agricultural development has resulted in a biodiversity crisis. Environmental pollution is one of its drivers, including contamination of wildlife by chemicals emitted into the air, soil, and water. Chemicals released into the environment, even at low concentrations, may pose a negative effect on organisms. These chemicals might modify the synthesis, metabolism, and mode of action of hormones. This can lead to failures in reproduction, growth, and development of organisms potentially impacting their fitness. In this review, we focused on assessing the current knowledge on concentrations and possible effects of endocrine disruptor chemicals (metals, persistent organic pollutants, and others) in studies performed in South America, with findings at reproductive and thyroid levels. Our literature search revealed that most studies have focused on measuring the concentrations of compounds that act as endocrine disruptors in animals at the systemic level. However, few studies have evaluated the effects at a reproductive level, while information at thyroid disorders is scarce. Most studies have been conducted in fish by researchers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. Comparison of results across studies is difficult due to the lack of standardization of units in the reported data. Future studies should prioritize research on emergent contaminants, evaluate effects on native species and the use of current available methods such as the OMICs. Additionally, there is a primary focus on organisms related to aquatic environments, and those inhabiting terrestrial environments are scarce or nonexistent. Finally, we highlight a lack of funding at a national level in the reviewed topic that may influence the observed low scientific productivity in several countries, which is often negatively associated with their percentage of protected areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Rojas-Hucks
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
| | | | - Jorge Nimpstch
- Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
| | - Paulina Bahamonde
- Laboratory of Aquatic Environmental Research, Centro de Estudios Avanzados—HUB Ambiental UPLA, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2360004, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Austral Invasive Salmonids (INVASAL), Concepción 4070386, Chile
- Cape Horn International Center (CHIC), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas 6210427, Chile
| | - Julio A. Benavides
- Doctorado en Medicina de la Conservación, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
- Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Gustavo Chiang
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
- Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
| | - José Pulgar
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago 8370134, Chile
| | - Cristóbal J. Galbán-Malagón
- GEMA, Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Camino la Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba, Santiago 8580000, Chile
- Institute of Environment, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Benmazouz I, Jokimäki J, Lengyel S, Juhász L, Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki ML, Kardos G, Paládi P, Kövér L. Corvids in Urban Environments: A Systematic Global Literature Review. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113226. [PMID: 34827957 PMCID: PMC8614296 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is one of the most prevalent drivers of biodiversity loss, yet few taxonomic groups are remarkably successful at adapting to urban environments. We systematically surveyed the global literature on the effects of urbanization on species of family Corvidae (crows, choughs, jackdaws, jays, magpies, nutcrackers, ravens, rooks, treepies) to assess the occurrence of corvids in urban environments and the factors affecting their success. We found a total of 424 primary research articles, and the number of articles has increased exponentially since the 1970s. Most studies were carried out in cities of Europe and North America (45.5% and 31.4%, respectively) and were directed on a single species (75.2). We found that 30 corvid species (23% of 133 total) regularly occur in urban environments. The majority (72%) of the studies reported positive effects of urbanization on corvids, with 85% of studies detecting population increases and 64% of studies detecting higher breeding success with urbanization. Of the factors proposed to explain corvids' success (availability of nesting sites and food sources, low predation and persecution), food availability coupled with diet shifts emerged as the most important factors promoting Corvidae to live in urban settings. The breeding of corvids in urban environments was further associated with earlier nesting, similar or larger clutches, lower hatching but higher fledging success, reduced home range size and limited territoriality, increased tolerance towards humans and increasing frequency of conflicts with humans. Despite geographic and taxonomic biases in our literature sample, our review indicates that corvids show both flexibility in resource use and behavioral plasticity that enable them to exploit novel resources for nesting and feeding. Corvids can thus be urban exploiters of the large-scale modifications of ecosystems caused by urbanization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isma Benmazouz
- Animal Husbandry Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
- Correspondence:
| | - Jukka Jokimäki
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland; (J.J.); (M.-L.K.-J.)
| | - Szabolcs Lengyel
- Department of Tisza Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 4026 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - Lajos Juhász
- Department of Nature Conservation Zoology and Game Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (L.J.); (L.K.)
| | | | - Gábor Kardos
- Institute of Metagenomics, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - Petra Paládi
- Animal Husbandry Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - László Kövér
- Department of Nature Conservation Zoology and Game Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (L.J.); (L.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kim EY, Inoue N, Koh DH, Iwata H. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor 2 potentially mediates cytochrome P450 1A induction in the jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos). Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019; 171:99-111. [PMID: 30597322 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To understand the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) isoforms in avian species, we investigated the functional characteristics of two AHR isoforms (designated as jcAHR1 and jcAHR2) of the jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos). Two amino acid residues corresponding to Ile324 and Ser380 (high sensitive type) in chicken AHR1 that are known to determine dioxin sensitivity were Ile325 and Ala381 (moderate sensitive type) in jcAHR1 and Val306 and Ala362 (low sensitive type) in jcAHR2. The quantitative comparison of the two jcAHR mRNA expression levels in a Tokyo jungle crow population showed that jcAHR2 accounted for 92.4% in the liver, while jcAHR1 accounted for only 7.6%. Both in vitro-expressed jcAHR1 and jcAHR2 proteins exhibited a specific binding to [3H]-labeled 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Transactivation potencies for jcAHR1 and jcAHR2 in in vitro reporter gene assays were measured in jcAHR-expressed cells exposed to 16 dioxins and related compounds (DRCs). Both jcAHR1 and jcAHR2 were activated in a congener- and an isoform-specific manner. EC50 value of TCDD for jcAHR2 (0.61 nM) was six-fold higher than that for jcAHR1 (0.098 nM), but jcAHR2 had higher transactivation efficacy than jcAHR1 in terms of the magnitude of response. The high transactivation efficacy of jcAHR2 in DRCs is in contrast to that of AHR2s in other avian species with low transactivation efficacy. Molecular docking simulations of TCDD with in silico jcAHR1 and jcAHR2 homology models showed that the two sensitivity-decisive amino acids indirectly controlled TCDD-binding modes through their surrounding amino acids. Deletion assays of jcAHR2 revealed that 736-805 amino acid residues in the C-terminal region were critical for its transactivation. We suggest that jcAHR2 plays a critical role in regulating the AHR signaling pathway, at least in its highly expressed organs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Young Kim
- Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science and Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
| | - Naomi Inoue
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan
| | - Dong-Hee Koh
- Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science and Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea
| | - Hisato Iwata
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
HIRATA A, YONEMARU K, KUBO M, MURAKAMI M, SAKAI H, YANAI T, MASEGI T. Frequent Development of Inflammatory Lesions and Lymphoid Foci in the Kidneys of Japanese Wild Crows (Corvus macrorhynchos and Corvus corone) as a Result of the Entry of Causal Agents via the Renal Portal Blood. J Vet Med Sci 2010; 72:327-32. [DOI: 10.1292/jvms.09-0326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro HIRATA
- Division of Animal Experiment, Life Science Research Center, Gifu University
| | - Kayoko YONEMARU
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| | - Masahito KUBO
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| | - Mami MURAKAMI
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| | - Hiroki SAKAI
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| | - Tokuma YANAI
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| | - Toshiaki MASEGI
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
| |
Collapse
|