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Caruso S, Edwards SJ. Recently Emerged Novel Henipa-like Viruses: Shining a Spotlight on the Shrew. Viruses 2023; 15:2407. [PMID: 38140648 PMCID: PMC10747904 DOI: 10.3390/v15122407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Henipaviruses are zoonotic viruses, including some highly pathogenic and capable of serious disease and high fatality rates in both animals and humans. Hendra virus and Nipah virus are the most notable henipaviruses, resulting in significant outbreaks across South Asia, South-East Asia, and Australia. Pteropid fruit bats have been identified as key zoonotic reservoirs; however, the increased discovery of henipaviruses outside the geographic distribution of Pteropid fruit bats and the detection of novel henipa-like viruses in other species such as the shrew, rat, and opossum suggest that Pteropid bats are not the sole reservoir for henipaviruses. In this review, we provide an update on henipavirus spillover events and describe the recent detection of novel unclassified henipaviruses, with a strong focus on the shrew and its emerging role as a key host of henipaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J. Edwards
- Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, Health & Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 5 Portarlington Road, East Geelong, VIC 3219, Australia;
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Bergstrom BJ, Scruggs SB, Vieira EM. Tropical savanna small mammals respond to loss of cover following disturbance: A global review of field studies. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1017361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Small-mammal faunas of tropical savannas consist of endemic assemblages of murid rodents, small marsupials, and insectivores on four continents. Small mammals in tropical savannas are understudied compared to other tropical habitats and other taxonomic groups (e.g., Afrotropical megafauna or Neotropical rainforest mammals). Their importance as prey, ecosystem engineers, disease reservoirs, and declining members of endemic biodiversity in tropical savannas compels us to understand the factors that regulate their abundance and diversity. We reviewed field studies published in the last 35 years that examined, mostly experimentally, the effects of varying three primary endogenous disturbances in tropical savanna ecosystems—fire, large mammalian herbivory (LMH), and drought—on abundance and diversity of non-volant small mammals. These disturbances are most likely to affect habitat structure (cover or concealment), food availability, or both, for ground-dwelling small mammalian herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores. Of 63 studies (included in 55 published papers) meeting these criteria from the Afrotropics, Neotropics, and northern Australia (none was found from southern Asia), 29 studies concluded that small mammals responded (mostly negatively) to a loss of cover (mostly from LMH and fire); four found evidence of increased predation on small mammals in lower-cover treatments (e.g., grazed or burned). Eighteen studies concluded a combination of food- and cover-limitation explained small-mammal responses to endogenous disturbances. Only two studies concluded small-mammal declines in response to habitat-altering disturbance were caused by food limitation and not related to cover reduction. Evidence to date indicates that abundance and richness of small savanna mammals, in general (with important exceptions), is enhanced by vegetative cover (especially tall grass, but sometimes shrub cover) as refugia for these prey species amid a “landscape of fear,” particularly for diurnal, non-cursorial, and non-fossorial species. These species have been called “decreasers” in response to cover reduction, whereas a minority of small-mammal species have been shown to be “increasers” or disturbance-tolerant. Complex relationships between endogenous disturbances and small-mammal food resources are important secondary factors, but only six studies manipulated or measured food resources simultaneous to habitat manipulations. While more such studies are needed, designing effective ones for cryptic consumer communities of omnivorous dietary opportunists is a significant challenge.
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Westra SA, Mol RR, Desjardins RB, Visser MD, Baele AVMPC, van Montfort D. Results of a small terrestrial mammal survey in the remote Boé region of
Guinea‐Bissau
, with discovery of two new shrew records for the country. Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sil A. Westra
- Silvavir Ecological Consultants Schalkhaar The Netherlands
| | - Roy R. Mol
- Silvavir Ecological Consultants Schalkhaar The Netherlands
| | | | - Marco D. Visser
- Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
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Ofori BY, Obeng EA, Attuquayefio DK. Urbanization influences small mammal composition, but not species richness in forest fragments in Accra, Ghana. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:60. [PMID: 34993649 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09729-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The Accra Plain of Ghana is experiencing rapid urbanization, but there is scant information on its impact on local biodiversity. We assessed the changes in land use/land cover of the Accra Plain since 1991 and evaluated how the observed changes have influenced local small mammals in forest fragments. We applied supervised classification and intensity analysis time-series Landsat imagery data to assess land use/land cover changes between 1991 and 2017. Small mammals were surveyed in two forest fragments, the Pinkwae and Adumanya forests from June 2019 to January 2020, using capture-mark-recapture technique. We compared our data with baseline data gathered in 1991-1992, when large areas of the city remained mostly undeveloped. Our data revealed that the urban area has increased by 832%, while the forest area declined by 85% between 1991 and 2017. The Pinkwae and Adumanya forests, which covered 120 and 1.5 ha, respectively, in 1991 have each been reduced to < 1 ha. We found changes in the small mammal species composition in the forest fragments, but not species richness due to species turnover. Grammomys poensis and Dephomys defua are first records for the Accra Plain. Our data suggested that small forest fragments within the urbanizing landscape are important for maintaining the local small mammal species. For the conservation of local small mammals in urbanizing landscapes, it is important to maintain the greatest possible number of small forest fragments and establish policies that prevent forest remnants from being further depleted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Yeboah Ofori
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
| | - Eudosia Asomaniwa Obeng
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
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Denys C, Jacquet F, Kadjo B, Missoup AD, Aniskine V, de Bellocq JG, Soropogui B, Douno M, Sylla M, Nicolas V, Lalis A, Monadjem A. Shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla) from a biodiversity hotspot, Mount Nimba (West Africa), with a field identification key to species. ZOOSYSTEMA 2021. [DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2021v43a30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Denys
- Institut de Systématique, évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles UMR 7205, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris cedex 05 (France)
| | - François Jacquet
- Institut de Systématique, évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles UMR 7205, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris cedex 05 (France)
| | - Blaise Kadjo
- Laboratoire de Zoologie et Biologie – UFR Biosciences-Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Côte d'Ivoire)
| | - Alain Didier Missoup
- Zoology Unit, Laboratory of Biology and Physiology of Animal Organisms, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, POBox 24157 Douala (Cameroon)
| | - Vladimir Aniskine
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii pr 33, 117071 Moscow (Russia)
| | - Joelle Goüy de Bellocq
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Research Facility Studenec, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno (Czech Republic)
| | - Barré Soropogui
- Projet de Recherche sur les Fièvres Hemorragiques en Guinée, C.H.U. Donka, 5680 Conakry (Guinea)
| | - Mory Douno
- Centre de Gestion de l'Environnement des monts Nimba et Simandou (CEGENS), ministère de l'Environnement des Eaux et Forêts (Guinea)
| | - Morlaye Sylla
- Centre d'études et de Recherches sur les Petits Animaux, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser, 2580 Conakry (Guinea)
| | - Violaine Nicolas
- Institut de Systématique, évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, UMR 7205, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris cedex 05 (France) ;
| | - Aude Lalis
- Institut de Systématique, évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, UMR 7205, case postale 51, 57 rue Cuvier, F-75231 Paris cedex 05 (France) ;
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Eswatini, Private Bag 4, Kwaluseni, Eswatini & Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag 20, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria (South Africa)
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Allen KE, Greenbaum E, Hime PM, Tapondjou N. WP, Sterkhova VV, Kusamba C, Rödel M, Penner J, Peterson AT, Brown RM. Rivers, not refugia, drove diversification in arboreal, sub-Saharan African snakes. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:6133-6152. [PMID: 34141208 PMCID: PMC8207163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative roles of rivers versus refugia in shaping the high levels of species diversity in tropical rainforests have been widely debated for decades. Only recently has it become possible to take an integrative approach to test predictions derived from these hypotheses using genomic sequencing and paleo-species distribution modeling. Herein, we tested the predictions of the classic river, refuge, and river-refuge hypotheses on diversification in the arboreal sub-Saharan African snake genus Toxicodryas. We used dated phylogeographic inferences, population clustering analyses, demographic model selection, and paleo-distribution modeling to conduct a phylogenomic and historical demographic analysis of this genus. Our results revealed significant population genetic structure within both Toxicodryas species, corresponding geographically to river barriers and divergence times from the mid-Miocene to Pliocene. Our demographic analyses supported the interpretation that rivers are indications of strong barriers to gene flow among populations since their divergence. Additionally, we found no support for a major contraction of suitable habitat during the last glacial maximum, allowing us to reject both the refuge and river-refuge hypotheses in favor of the river-barrier hypothesis. Based on conservative interpretations of our species delimitation analyses with the Sanger and ddRAD data sets, two new cryptic species are identified from east-central Africa. This study highlights the complexity of diversification dynamics in the African tropics and the advantages of integrative approaches to studying speciation in tropical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin E. Allen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Eli Greenbaum
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Texas at El PasoEl PasoTXUSA
| | - Paul M. Hime
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Walter P. Tapondjou N.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Viktoria V. Sterkhova
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Chifundera Kusamba
- Laboratoire d’Hérpétologie, Département de BiologieCentre de Recherche en Sciences NaturellesLwiroDemocratic Republic of Congo
| | - Mark‐Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceBerlinGermany
| | - Johannes Penner
- Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceBerlinGermany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - A. Townsend Peterson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
| | - Rafe M. Brown
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
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Mamba ML, Dalton DL, Mahlaba TAM, Kropff AS, Monadjem A. Small mammals of a West African hotspot, the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi transfrontier forest landscape. MAMMALIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Upper Guinea rainforest zone in West Africa is considered a biodiversity hotspot and contains important habitats for threatened and endemic mammals, yet this region remains poorly known particularly for small mammals. The aim of this study was to survey small mammals in a Liberian and Guinean cross-border conservation area, the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi landscape. We recorded a total of 52 small mammal species, including 26 bats, 15 rodents, 10 shrews, one otter-shrew, of which one rodent species was new to science (Colomys sp. nov.). We also documented the first country records of the bats Chaerephon aloysiisabaudiae, Pseudoromicia brunnea and Pipistrellus inexspectatus from Guinea, and the shrews Crocidura douceti and Crocidura grandiceps from Liberia. Furthermore, we recorded the recently described bat Nycticeinops
happoldorum from Wologizi and Ziama, and we documented the presence of Micropotamogale lamottei at Wologizi, which represents the fourth known locality for this globally threatened species. Finally, the forests of Wologizi and Ziama support numerous threatened species. The results of our survey demonstrate the importance of this region for small mammals and support the creation of a transboundary protected area that will encompass the entire forest landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mnqobi L. Mamba
- Department of Biological Sciences , University of Eswatini , Private Bag 4 , Kwaluseni , Eswatini
| | - Desire L. Dalton
- Department of Biological Sciences , University of Eswatini , Private Bag 4 , Kwaluseni , Eswatini
- South African National Biodiversity Institute , P.O. Box 754 , Pretoria , 0001 , South Africa
| | | | - Anna S. Kropff
- South African National Biodiversity Institute , P.O. Box 754 , Pretoria , 0001 , South Africa
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological Sciences , University of Eswatini , Private Bag 4 , Kwaluseni , Eswatini
- Department of Zoology and Entomology , Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria , Private Bag 20 , Hatfield 0028 , Pretoria , South Africa
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Chen S, Qing J, Liu Z, Liu Y, Tang M, Murphy RW, Pu Y, Wang X, Tang K, Guo K, Jiang X, Liu S. Multilocus phylogeny and cryptic diversity of white-toothed shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Crocidura) in China. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:29. [PMID: 32059644 PMCID: PMC7023792 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-1588-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crocidura, the most speciose mammalian genus, occurs across much of Asia, Europe and Africa. The taxonomy of Chinese representatives has been studied primarily based on cursory morphological comparisons and their molecular phylogenetic analyses remain unexplored. In order to understand the phylogeny of this group in China, we estimated the first multilocus phylogeny and conducted species delimitation, including taxon sampling throughout their distribution range. RESULTS We obtained one mitochondrial gene (cytb) (~ 1, 134 bp) and three nuclear genes (ApoB, BRCA1, RAG1) (~ 2, 170 bp) for 132 samples from 57 localities. Molecular analyses identified at least 14 putative species that occur within two major well-supported groups in China. Polyphyletic C. wuchihensis appears to be composed of two putative species. Two subspecies, C. rapax rapax and C. rapax kurodai should be elevated to full species status. A phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial gene from Asian Crocidura species showed that the C. rapax rapax is embedded within C. attenuata, making the latter a paraphyletic group. Three strongly supported undescribed species (C. sp.1, C. sp.2 and C. sp.3) are revealed from Zada County of Tibet (Western China), Hongjiang County of Hunan Province (Central China) and Dongyang County of Zhejiang Province (Eastern China), Motuo County of Tibet, respectively. The divergence time estimation suggested that China's Crocidura species began to diversify during the late Pliocene (3.66 Ma) and the Early Pleistocene (2.29 Ma), followed by a series of diversifications through the Pleistocene. CONCLUSIONS The cryptic diversity found in this study indicated that the number of species is strongly underestimated under the current taxonomy. We propose that the three undescribed species should be evaluated using extensive taxon sampling and comprehensive morphological and morphometric approaches. Climate change since the late Pliocene and the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau may result in the diversification and speciation of China's Crocidura species. In short, the underestimated diversity underlines the need for a taxonomic revision of Chinese Crocidura species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunde Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China.,Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Jiao Qing
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, 157011, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Mingkun Tang
- Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Robert W Murphy
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, M5S 2C6, Canada
| | - Yingting Pu
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Xuming Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China.,Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Keyi Tang
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Keji Guo
- Central South Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of State Forestry Administration, Changsha, 410014, China
| | - Xuelong Jiang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
| | - Shaoying Liu
- Sichuan Academy of Forestry, Chengdu, 610081, China.
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