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Reuber VM, Westbury MV, Rey-Iglesia A, Asefa A, Farwig N, Miehe G, Opgenoorth L, Šumbera R, Wraase L, Wube T, Lorenzen ED, Schabo DG. Topographic barriers drive the pronounced genetic subdivision of a range-limited fossorial rodent. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17271. [PMID: 38279205 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Due to their limited dispersal ability, fossorial species with predominantly belowground activity usually show increased levels of population subdivision across relatively small spatial scales. This may be exacerbated in harsh mountain ecosystems, where landscape geomorphology limits species' dispersal ability and leads to small effective population sizes, making species relatively vulnerable to environmental change. To better understand the environmental drivers of species' population subdivision in remote mountain ecosystems, particularly in understudied high-elevation systems in Africa, we studied the giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a fossorial rodent confined to the afro-alpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. Using mitochondrial and low-coverage nuclear genomes, we investigated 77 giant root-rat individuals sampled from nine localities across its entire ~1000 km2 range. Our data revealed a distinct division into a northern and southern group, with no signs of gene flow, and higher nuclear genetic diversity in the south. Landscape genetic analyses of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes indicated that population subdivision was driven by slope and elevation differences of up to 500 m across escarpments separating the north and south, potentially reinforced by glaciation of the south during the Late Pleistocene (~42,000-16,000 years ago). Despite this landscape-scale subdivision between the north and south, weak geographic structuring of sampling localities within regions indicated gene flow across distances of at least 16 km at the local scale, suggesting high, aboveground mobility for relatively long distances. Our study highlights that despite the potential for local-scale gene flow in fossorial species, topographic barriers can result in pronounced genetic subdivision. These factors can reduce genetic variability, which should be considered when developing conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Reuber
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Addisu Asefa
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Nina Farwig
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Georg Miehe
- Department of Geography, Vegetation Geography, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lars Opgenoorth
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecology & Geobotany, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Luise Wraase
- Department of Geography, Environmental Informatics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilaye Wube
- Department of Zoological Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Dana G Schabo
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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2
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Holland CV. A walk on the wild side: A review of the epidemiology of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati in wild hosts. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 22:216-228. [PMID: 37964985 PMCID: PMC10641444 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.10.008] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Toxocara species are cosmopolitan nematode parasites of companion, domestic and wild hosts. Of the 26 known species of Toxocara, only Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati are definitively zoonotic. The significance of wild carnivores as definitive hosts of T. canis and T. cati respectively, has received far less attention compared to domestic dogs and cats. Complex environmental changes have promoted increasing contact between wildlife, domestic animals and humans that can enhance the risk of pathogen spillover. This review lists a total of 19 species of wild canid host that have been shown to act as definitive hosts for T. canis and a total of 21 species of wild felid host. In general, the number of publications focusing on felid host species is fewer in number, reflecting the general paucity of data on T. cati. The wild canids that have received the most attention in the published literature include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the wolf (Canis lupus), and the golden jackal (Canis aureus). The wild felid species that has received the most attention in the published literature is the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Some non-canid and non-felid hosts also act as definitive hosts of Toxocara species. Certainly, red foxes would appear to be the most significant wild species in terms of their potential to transmit Toxocara to domestic dogs and humans via environmental contamination. This can be explained by their increasing population densities, encroachment into urban areas and their dietary preferences for a wide range of potential paratenic hosts. However, a major challenge remains to assess the relative importance of wild hosts as contributors to environmental contamination with Toxocara ova. Furthermore, one major constraint to our understanding of the significance of wildlife parasitism is a lack of access to samples, particularly from rare host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia V. Holland
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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3
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Mooney JA, Marsden CD, Yohannes A, Wayne RK, Lohmueller KE. Long-term Small Population Size, Deleterious Variation, and Altitude Adaptation in the Ethiopian Wolf, a Severely Endangered Canid. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 40:6966048. [PMID: 36585842 PMCID: PMC9847632 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethiopian wolves, a canid species endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands, have been steadily declining in numbers for decades. Currently, out of 35 extant species, it is now one of the world's most endangered canids. Most conservation efforts have focused on preventing disease, monitoring movements and behavior, and assessing the geographic ranges of sub-populations. Here, we add an essential layer by determining the Ethiopian wolf's demographic and evolutionary history using high-coverage (∼40×) whole-genome sequencing from 10 Ethiopian wolves from the Bale Mountains. We observe exceptionally low diversity and enrichment of weakly deleterious variants in the Ethiopian wolves in comparison with two North American gray wolf populations and four dog breeds. These patterns are consequences of long-term small population size, rather than recent inbreeding. We infer the demographic history of the Ethiopian wolf and find it to be concordant with historic records and previous genetic analyses, suggesting Ethiopian wolves experienced a series of both ancient and recent bottlenecks, resulting in a census population size of fewer than 500 individuals and an estimated effective population size of approximately 100 individuals. Additionally, long-term small population size may have limited the accumulation of strongly deleterious recessive mutations. Finally, as the Ethiopian wolves have inhabited high-altitude areas for thousands of years, we searched for evidence of high-altitude adaptation, finding evidence of positive selection at a transcription factor in a hypoxia-response pathway [CREB-binding protein (CREBBP)]. Our findings are pertinent to continuing conservation efforts and understanding how demography influences the persistence of deleterious variation in small populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clare D Marsden
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Abigail Yohannes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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4
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Home range, habitat use, and activity patterns of African wolves (Canis lupaster) in the Ethiopian highlands. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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5
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Entringer H, Del Duque HJ, Chiarello AG, Srbek-Araujo AC. Temporal variation of the diet of a top terrestrial predator: the jaguar as a case study. MAMMAL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-022-00648-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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6
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Zabihi-Seissan S, Prokopenko CM, Vander Wal E. Wolf spatial behavior promotes encounters and kills of abundant prey. Oecologia 2022; 200:11-22. [PMID: 35941269 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05218-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Predators use different spatial tactics to track the prey on the landscape. Three hypotheses describe spatial tactics: prey abundance for prey that are aggregated in space; prey habitat for uniformly distributed prey; and prey catchability for prey that are difficult to catch and kill. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a generalist predator that likely employs more than one spatial hunting tactic to match their diverse prey with distinct distributions and behavior that are available. We conducted a study on 17 GPS collared wolves in 6 packs in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada where wolves prey on moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus canadensis). We evaluated wolf selection for prey density, habitat selection and catchability on the landscape through within-territory habitat selection analysis. We reveal support for both the prey habitat and prey catchability hypotheses. For moose, their primary prey, wolves employed a mixed habitat and catchability tactic. Wolves used spaces described by the intersection of moose habitat and moose catchability. Wolves selected for the catchability of elk, their secondary prey, but not elk habitat. Counter to our predictions, wolves avoided areas of moose and elk density, likely highlighting the ongoing space race between predator and prey. We illustrate that of the three hypotheses the primary driver was prey catchability, where the interplay of both prey habitat with catchability culminate in predator spatial behaviour in a multiprey system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, 45 Arctic Avenue, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
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7
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Reuber VM, Rey-Iglesia A, Westbury MV, Cabrera AA, Farwig N, Skovrind M, Šumbera R, Wube T, Opgenoorth L, Schabo DG, Lorenzen ED. Complete mitochondrial genome of the giant root-rat ( Tachyoryctes macrocephalus). Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 2021; 6:2191-2193. [PMID: 34263047 PMCID: PMC8253177 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1944388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The endangered giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, also known as giant mole rat) is a fossorial rodent endemic to the afro-alpine grasslands of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. The species is an important ecosystem engineer with the majority of the global population found within 1000 km2. Here, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of the giant root-rat and the genus Tachyoryctes, recovered using shotgun sequencing and iterative mapping. A phylogenetic analysis including 15 other representatives of the family Spalacidae placed Tachyoryctes as sister genus to Rhizomys with high support. This position is in accordance with a recent study revealing the topology of the Spalacidae family. The full mitochondrial genome of the giant root-rat presents an important resource for further population genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M. Reuber
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Alba Rey-Iglesia
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael V. Westbury
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andrea A. Cabrera
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nina Farwig
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Mikkel Skovrind
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tilaye Wube
- Department of Zoological Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Lars Opgenoorth
- Department of Biology, Plant Ecology & Geobotany, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dana G. Schabo
- Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Eline D. Lorenzen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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8
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Abstract
Many large predators are also facultative scavengers that may compete with and depredate other species at carcasses. Yet, the ecological impacts of facultative scavenging by large predators, or their "scavenging effects," still receive relatively little attention in comparison to their predation effects. To address this knowledge gap, we comprehensively examine the roles played by, and impacts of, facultative scavengers, with a focus on large canids: the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), dhole (Cuon alpinus), dingo (Canis dingo), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), gray wolf (Canis lupus), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and red wolf (Canis rufus). Specifically, after defining facultative scavenging as use or usurpation of a carcass that a consumer has not killed, we (1) provide a conceptual overview of the community interactions around carcasses that can be initiated by facultative scavengers, (2) review the extent of scavenging by and the evidence for scavenging effects of large canids, (3) discuss external factors that may diminish or enhance the effects of large canids as scavengers, and (4) identify aspects of this phenomenon that require additional research attention as a guide for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron J Wirsing
- School of Environment and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Thomas M Newsome
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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9
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Kshirsagar AR, Applebaum JW, Randriana Z, Rajaonarivelo T, Rafaliarison RR, Farris ZJ, Valenta K. Human-Dog Relationships across Communities Surrounding Ranomafana and Andasibe-Mantadia National Parks, Madagascar. J ETHNOBIOL 2020. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-40.4.483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akhil R. Kshirsagar
- University of Florida, Department of Geography, 3141 Turlington Hall, 330 Newell Dr., Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Jennifer W. Applebaum
- University of Florida, Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Zoavina Randriana
- Mad Dog Initiative. Akanin'ny Veterinera Akaikiniarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Tsiky Rajaonarivelo
- Mad Dog Initiative. Akanin'ny Veterinera Akaikiniarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Zach J. Farris
- Appalachian State University, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Boone, North Carolina
| | - Kim Valenta
- University of Florida, Department of Anthropology, Gainesville, Florida
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10
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Di Blanco YE, Desbiez ALJ, di Francescantonio D, Di Bitetti MS. Excavations of giant armadillos alter environmental conditions and provide new resources for a range of animals. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Y. E. Di Blanco
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS) Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales UNaM Eldorado Misiones Argentina
| | - A. L. J. Desbiez
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS) Campo Grande Mato Grosso do Sul Brasil
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Edinburgh UK
| | - D. di Francescantonio
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS) Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
| | - M. S. Di Bitetti
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS) Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA) Puerto Iguazú Misiones Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales UNaM Eldorado Misiones Argentina
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11
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Hirt MR, Tucker M, Müller T, Rosenbaum B, Brose U. Rethinking trophic niches: Speed and body mass colimit prey space of mammalian predators. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7094-7105. [PMID: 32760514 PMCID: PMC7391329 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Realized trophic niches of predators are often characterized along a one-dimensional range in predator-prey body mass ratios. This prey range is constrained by an "energy limit" and a "subdue limit" toward small and large prey, respectively. Besides these body mass ratios, maximum speed is an additional key component in most predator-prey interactions.Here, we extend the concept of a one-dimensional prey range to a two-dimensional prey space by incorporating a hump-shaped speed-body mass relation. This new "speed limit" additionally constrains trophic niches of predators toward fast prey.To test this concept of two-dimensional prey spaces for different hunting strategies (pursuit, group, and ambush predation), we synthesized data on 63 terrestrial mammalian predator-prey interactions, their body masses, and maximum speeds.We found that pursuit predators hunt smaller and slower prey, whereas group hunters focus on larger but mostly slower prey and ambushers are more flexible. Group hunters and ambushers have evolved different strategies to occupy a similar trophic niche that avoids competition with pursuit predators. Moreover, our concept suggests energetic optima of these hunting strategies along a body mass axis and thereby provides mechanistic explanations for why there are no small group hunters (referred to as "micro-lions") or mega-carnivores (referred to as "mega-cheetahs").Our results demonstrate that advancing the concept of prey ranges to prey spaces by adding the new dimension of speed will foster a new and mechanistic understanding of predator trophic niches and improve our predictions of predator-prey interactions, food web structure, and ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam R. Hirt
- EcoNetLabGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityFriedrich Schiller University JenaJenaGermany
| | - Marlee Tucker
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK‐F)FrankfurtGermany
- Department of Biological SciencesGoethe‐UniversityFrankfurtGermany
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water ResearchRadboud UniversityNijmegenthe Netherlands
| | - Thomas Müller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK‐F)FrankfurtGermany
- Department of Biological SciencesGoethe‐UniversityFrankfurtGermany
| | - Benjamin Rosenbaum
- EcoNetLabGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityFriedrich Schiller University JenaJenaGermany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- EcoNetLabGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiodiversityFriedrich Schiller University JenaJenaGermany
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12
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Hrouzková E, Bernasová E, Šklíba J. Eavesdropping on a heterospecific alarm call in the giant root-rat (Tachyorytes macrocephalus), an important prey of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis). J ETHOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-019-00618-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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13
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Macdonald DW, Campbell LAD, Kamler JF, Marino J, Werhahn G, Sillero-Zubiri C. Monogamy: Cause, Consequence, or Corollary of Success in Wild Canids? Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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14
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Gutema TM, Atickem A, Tsegaye D, Bekele A, Sillero-Zubiri C, Marino J, Kasso M, Venkataraman VV, Fashing PJ, Stenseth NC. Foraging ecology of African wolves ( Canis lupaster) and its implications for the conservation of Ethiopian wolves ( Canis simensis). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190772. [PMID: 31598305 PMCID: PMC6774988 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
African wolves (AWs) are sympatric with endangered Ethiopian wolves (EWs) in parts of their range. Scat analyses have suggested a dietary overlap between AWs and EWs, raising the potential for exploitative competition, and a possible conservation threat to EWs. However, in contrast to that of the well-studied EW, the foraging ecology of AWs remains poorly characterized. Accordingly, we studied the foraging ecology of radio-collared AWs (n = 11 individuals) at two localities with varying levels of anthropogenic disturbance in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Guassa-Menz Community Conservation Area (GMCCA) and Borena-Saynt National Park (BSNP), accumulating 845 h of focal observation across 2952 feeding events. We also monitored rodent abundance and rodent trapping activity by local farmers who experience conflict with AWs. The AW diet consisted largely of rodents (22.0%), insects (24.8%), and goats and sheep (24.3%). Of the total rodents captured by farmers using local traps during peak barley production (July to November) in GMCCA, averaging 24.7 ± 8.5 rodents/hectare/day, 81% (N = 3009) were scavenged by AWs. Further, of all the rodents consumed by AWs, most (74%) were carcasses. These results reveal complex interactions between AWs and local farmers, and highlight the scavenging niche occupied by AWs in anthropogenically altered landscapes in contrast to the active hunting exhibited by EWs in more intact habitats. While AWs cause economic damage to local farmers through livestock predation, they appear to play an important role in scavenging pest rodents among farmlands, a pattern of behaviour which likely mitigates direct and indirect competition with EWs. We suggest two routes to promote the coexistence of AWs and EWs in the Ethiopian highlands: local education efforts highlighting the complex role AWs play in highland ecosystems to reduce their persecution, and enforced protection of intact habitats to preserve habitat preferred by EWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariku Mekonnen Gutema
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, PO Box 307, Ethiopia
| | - Anagaw Atickem
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Diress Tsegaye
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Mohammed Kasso
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, 800 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | - Nils C. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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15
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Šklíba J, Vlasatá T, Lövy M, Hrouzková E, Meheretu Y, Sillero‐Zubiri C, Šumbera R. The giant that makes do with little: small and easy‐to‐leave home ranges found in the giant root‐rat. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Šklíba
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - T. Vlasatá
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - M. Lövy
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - E. Hrouzková
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Y. Meheretu
- Department of Biology College of Natural and Computational Sciences University of Mekelle Mekelle Ethiopia
| | - C. Sillero‐Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Zoology Department University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Born Free Foundation Horsham UK
| | - R. Šumbera
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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16
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Dawson SJ, Broussard L, Adams PJ, Moseby KE, Waddington KI, Kobryn HT, Bateman PW, Fleming PA. An outback oasis: the ecological importance of bilby burrows. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. J. Dawson
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
| | - L. Broussard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
| | - P. J. Adams
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
- Invasive Species Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development South Perth WA Australia
| | - K. E. Moseby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | | | - H. T. Kobryn
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
| | - P. W. Bateman
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Perth WA Australia
| | - P. A. Fleming
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia
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Anthropogenic Food Subsidy to a Commensal Carnivore: The Value and Supply of Human Faeces in the Diet of Free-Ranging Dogs. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:ani8050067. [PMID: 29702585 PMCID: PMC5981278 DOI: 10.3390/ani8050067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Free-ranging dog populations are growing worldwide, posing threats to human health and wildlife conservation. Dog population management requires a better understanding of the supply and quality of human-derived food. We studied the diet of free-ranging dogs in a remote area of Zimbabwe to explore the relationships between human waste, dog condition, and fertility, with a focus on the value of human faeces. We found that mammal remains, ‘sadza’ (maize porridge, the human staple) and human faeces were the most important food items, and unlike other items, faeces and sadza were consistently available. Nutritional analysis showed that human faeces was comparatively high in protein and energy content, exceeding that of sadza, and equivalent to mammal remains. Adult female dog condition was good throughout the year, indicating a diet sufficient to maintain fertility, and dogs largely fed alone, suggesting that food was abundant. We conclude that the lack of sanitation allows an important food subsidy to free-ranging dogs, but improved sanitation is unlikely to limit population growth as long as alternative human waste is available. Reproductive control by owners is more likely to reduce fertility rates. Abstract As the global population of free-ranging domestic dogs grows, there is increasing concern about impacts on human health and wildlife conservation. Effective management of dog populations requires reliable information on their diet, feeding behavior, and social ecology. Free-ranging dogs are reliant on humans, but anthropogenic food subsidies, particularly human faeces (i.e., coprophagy) have not previously been fully quantified. In this study we assess the contributions of different food types to the diet, and their influences on the social behaviour of free-ranging dogs in communal lands of rural Zimbabwe, with a focus on coprophagy. Free-ranging dog diets, body condition, and sociology were studied amongst 72 dogs over 18 months using scat analysis and direct observations. Human faeces constituted the fourth most common item in scats (56% occurrence) and contributed 21% by mass to the observed diet. Human faeces represented a valuable resource because relative to other food items it was consistently available, and of higher nutritional value than ‘sadza’ (maize porridge, the human staple and primary human-derived food), yielding 18.7% crude protein and 18.7 KJ/kg gross energy, compared to 8.3% and 18.5 KJ/kg for sadza, respectively. Human faeces had protein and energy values equivalent to mammal remains, another important food item. Dog condition was generally good, with 64% of adult females and 74% of adult males in the highest two body condition scores (on a five point scale), suggesting a plentiful and high quality food supply. Dogs largely fed alone, perhaps as a consequence of the small, inert, and spatially dispersed items that comprise their diet, and its abundance. We discuss the relationships between sanitation, human development, the supply of human faeces, female dog fertility, and population control.
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Eshete G, Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C. Ethiopian wolves conflict with pastoralists in small Afroalpine relicts. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Girma Eshete
- Institute of Environmental Sciences; Conservation Biology Department; University of Leiden; Leiden the Netherlands
- North Wollo Zone Environmental Protection Department; Woldia Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme; Robe Bale Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme; Robe Bale Ethiopia
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; University of Oxford; Tubney UK
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Marshall-Pescini S, Cafazzo S, Virányi Z, Range F. Integrating social ecology in explanations of wolf–dog behavioral differences. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Dorning J, Harris S. Dominance, gender, and season influence food patch use in a group-living, solitary foraging canid. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
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Atickem A, Simeneh G, Bekele A, Mekonnen T, Sillero-Zubiri C, Hill RA, Stenseth NC. African wolf diet, predation on livestock and conflict in the Guassa mountains of Ethiopia. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anagaw Atickem
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory; German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Getachew Simeneh
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Tariku Mekonnen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo Norway
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; University of Oxford; The Recanati-Kaplan centre, Tubney house Tubney OX13 5QL U.K
- IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group; The Recanati-Kaplan centre; Tubney house; Tubney OX13 5QL Oxford U.K
| | - Russell A. Hill
- Department of Anthropology; Durham University; Dawson Building; South Road Durham DH1 3LE U.K
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; P. O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Vlasatá T, Šklíba J, Lövy M, Meheretu Y, Sillero-Zubiri C, Šumbera R. Daily activity patterns in the giant root rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus
), a fossorial rodent from the Afro-alpine zone of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. Vlasatá
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - J. Šklíba
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Entomology; Biology Centre CAS; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - M. Lövy
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Y. Meheretu
- Department of Biology; College of natural and computational sciences; University of Mekelle; Mekelle Ethiopia
| | - C. Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Zoology Department; University of Oxford; Oxford UK
| | - R. Šumbera
- Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
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Šklíba J, Vlasatá T, Lövy M, Hrouzková E, Meheretu Y, Sillero-Zubiri C, Šumbera R. Ecological role of the giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) in the Afroalpine ecosystem. Integr Zool 2016; 12:333-344. [PMID: 27734606 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rodents with prevailing subterranean activity usually play an important role in the ecosystems of which they are a part due to the combined effect of herbivory and soil perturbation. This is the case for the giant root-rat Tachyoryctes macrocephalus endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. We studied the impact of root-rats on various ecosystem features within a 3.5-ha study locality dominated by Alchemilla pasture, which represents an optimal habitat for this species, in 2 periods of a year. The root-rats altered plant species composition, reducing the dominant forb, Alchemilla abyssinica, while enhancing Salvia merjame and a few other species, and reduced vegetation cover, but not the fresh plant biomass. Where burrows were abandoned by root-rats, other rodents took them over and A. abyssinica increased again. Root-rat burrowing created small-scale heterogeneity in soil compactness due to the backfilling of some unused burrow segments. Less compacted soil tended to be rich in nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, which likely affected the plant growth on sites where the vegetation has been reduced as a result of root-rat foraging and burrowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Šklíba
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Vlasatá
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
| | - Matěj Lövy
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
| | - Ema Hrouzková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
| | - Yonas Meheretu
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Cmputational Sciences, Mekelle University, Ethiopia
| | | | - Radim Šumbera
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
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Eshete G, Tesfay G, Bauer H, Ashenafi ZT, de Iongh H, Marino J. Community Resource Uses and Ethiopian Wolf Conservation in Mount Abune Yosef. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2015; 56:684-94. [PMID: 25971736 PMCID: PMC4527986 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0529-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
People who perceive economic benefits and enjoy unrestricted access to natural resources tend to support ecosystem conservation efforts. Our study explores whether this remains true in remnant patches of Afroalpine ecosystem in North Ethiopia, where communal land provides valuable natural resources for the local communities and also sustain small populations of the endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis). Questionnaires were designed to assess ecological and socio-economic characteristics of the livelihoods of the Amhara people living in Mount Abune Yosef and their attitudes toward Afroalpine and Ethiopian wolf conservation. Of the 120 households interviewed, selected randomly from across eight villages, 80 % benefited from natural resources by grazing their livestock and harvesting firewood and grasses. The majority (90 %) also suffered from livestock predation by Ethiopian wolves and common jackals (Canis aureus) and crop raiding by geladas (Theropithecus gelada), birds, and rodents, yet more than half reported a positive attitudes toward Ethiopian wolves (66 %). People with positive attitudes tended to live close to the communal land, to own more livestock, and to be unaffected by conflict. Many also recognized the need to protect the Afroalpine habitats of Abune Yosef (71 %), and this attitude predominated among the literate, households that owned land, had smaller herds and were further away. We discussed how people's attitudes were modulated by human-wildlife conflicts and by the benefits derived from the access to natural resources in communal land, and the implications for the conservation of Afroalpine ecosystem and the flagship Ethiopian wolf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girma Eshete
- Conservation Biology Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands,
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Venkataraman VV, Kerby JT, Nguyen N, Ashenafi ZT, Fashing PJ. Solitary Ethiopian wolves increase predation success on rodents when among grazing gelada monkey herds. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Nguyen N, Fashing PJ, Boyd DA, Barry TS, Burke RJ, Goodale CB, Jones SCZ, Kerby JT, Kellogg BS, Lee LM, Miller CM, Nurmi NO, Ramsay MS, Reynolds JD, Stewart KM, Turner TJ, Venkataraman VV, Knauf Y, Roos C, Knauf S. Fitness impacts of tapeworm parasitism on wild gelada monkeys at Guassa, Ethiopia. Am J Primatol 2015; 77:579-94. [PMID: 25716944 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Parasitism is expected to impact host morbidity or mortality, although the fitness costs of parasitism have rarely been quantified for wildlife hosts. Tapeworms in the genus Taenia exploit a variety of vertebrates, including livestock, humans, and geladas (Theropithecus gelada), monkeys endemic to the alpine grasslands of Ethiopia. Despite Taenia's adverse societal and economic impacts, we know little about the prevalence of disease associated with Taenia infection in wildlife or the impacts of this disease on host health, mortality and reproduction. We monitored geladas at Guassa, Ethiopia over a continuous 6½ year period for external evidence (cysts or coenuri) of Taenia-associated disease (coenurosis) and evaluated the impact of coenurosis on host survival and reproduction. We also identified (through genetic and histological analyses) the tapeworms causing coenurosis in wild geladas at Guassa as Taenia serialis. Nearly 1/3 of adult geladas at Guassa possessed ≥1 coenurus at some point in the study. Coenurosis adversely impacted gelada survival and reproduction at Guassa and this impact spanned two generations: adults with coenuri suffered higher mortality than members of their sex without coenuri and offspring of females with coenuri also suffered higher mortality. Coenurosis also negatively affected adult reproduction, lengthening interbirth intervals and reducing the likelihood that males successfully assumed reproductive control over units of females. Our study provides the first empirical evidence that coenurosis increases mortality and reduces fertility in wild nonhuman primate hosts. Our research highlights the value of longitudinal monitoring of individually recognized animals in natural populations for advancing knowledge of parasite-host evolutionary dynamics and offering clues to the etiology and control of infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California; Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California
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Yihune M, Bekele A. Feeding ecology of the Ethiopian wolf in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Afr J Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mesele Yihune
- Department of Biology; Debre Markos University; P.O. Box 269 Debre Markos Ethiopia
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; P.O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Abstract
AbstractEthiopian wolves,Canis simensis, are an endangered carnivore endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. Although previous studies have focused on aspects of Ethiopian wolf biology, including diet, territoriality, reproduction and infectious diseases such as rabies, little is known of their helminth parasites. In the current study, faecal samples were collected from 94 wild Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia, between August 2008 and February 2010, and were screened for the presence of helminth eggs using a semi-quantitative volumetric dilution method with microscopy. We found that 66 of the 94 faecal samples (70.2%) contained eggs from at least one group of helminths, includingCapillaria,Toxocara,Trichuris, ancylostomatids,Hymenolepisand taeniids. Eggs ofCapillariasp. were found most commonly, followed byTrichurissp., ancylostomatid species andToxocaraspecies. Three samples containedHymenolepissp. eggs, which were likely artefacts from ingested prey species. Four samples contained taeniid eggs, one of which was copro-polymerase chain reaction (copro-PCR) and sequence positive forEchinococcus granulosus, suggesting a spillover from a domestic parasite cycle into this wildlife species. Associations between presence/absence ofCapillaria,ToxocaraandTrichuriseggs were found; and egg burdens ofToxocaraand ancylostomatids were found to be associated with geographical location and sampling season.
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van Kesteren F, Paris M, Macdonald DW, Millar R, Argaw K, Johnson PJ, Farstad W, Sillero-Zubiri C. The physiology of cooperative breeding in a rare social canid; sex, suppression and pseudopregnancy in female Ethiopian wolves. Physiol Behav 2013; 122:39-45. [PMID: 23994497 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 06/30/2012] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, differ from other cooperatively breeding canids in that they combine intense sociality with solitary foraging, making them a suitable species in which to study the physiology of cooperative breeding. The reproductive physiology of twenty wild female Ethiopian wolves (eleven dominant and nine subordinate) in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains National Park was studied non-invasively through the extraction and assaying of estradiol, progesterone and glucocorticoids in collected fecal samples using enzyme and radioimmunoassays. All dominant females showed increased estradiol concentrations and/or mating behavior during the annual mating season. In contrast, none of the subordinate females showed increased estradiol concentrations or mating behavior during the mating season. However, two subordinate females came into estrus outside of the mating season. Both dominant and subordinate females had higher average progesterone concentrations during the dominant female's pregnancy than at other times of the year, and two subordinate females allosuckled the dominant female's pups. No statistically significant differences in glucocorticoid concentrations were found between dominant and subordinate females. These results suggest that subordinate females are reproductively suppressed during the annual mating season, but may ovulate outside of the mating season and become pseudopregnant. No evidence was found to suggest that reproductive suppression in subordinate females was regulated through aggressive behaviors, and no relationship was found between fecal glucocorticoids and dominance status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya van Kesteren
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK; Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, PO Box 215, Robe, Bale, Ethiopia; Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
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Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C, Gottelli D, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. The fall and rise of Ethiopian wolves: lessons for conservation of long-lived, social predators. Anim Conserv 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - C. Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - D. Gottelli
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
| | - P. J. Johnson
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - D. W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
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Mbizah MM, Marino J, Groom RJ. Diet of Four Sympatric Carnivores in Savé Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe: Implications for Conservation of the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.3957/056.042.0213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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van Kesteren F, Sillero-Zubiri C, Millar R, Argaw K, Macdonald DW, Paris M. Sex, stress and social status: patterns in fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolites in male Ethiopian wolves. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 179:30-7. [PMID: 22841807 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, live in large multi-male family packs, where males are philopatric and do not disperse. Within a pack, mating and breeding is largely monopolized by the dominant male and female, although extra-pack copulations are common, and subordinate males may sire pups in neighboring packs. Regardless of paternity, all males in a pack help rear the pups. We non-invasively studied patterns in fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations using radioimmunoassays of fecal samples collected from nine wild male Ethiopian wolves between August 2007 and February 2008. We tested the predictions of the Challenge Hypothesis, namely that fecal testosterone metabolite concentrations would be higher during the annual mating season, which is the portion of the reproductive cycle when mating and increased aggression typically occur, and lower when there were pups in the pack for which to care. Contrary to the predictions of the Challenge Hypothesis, we did not detect patterns in fecal testosterone metabolite concentrations associated with reproductive stage during our study period. Similarly, we found no patterns associated with reproductive stage in male fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations. Dominant males had higher average fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations than did subordinates, which may be related to higher rates of aggression and mate guarding in dominant males of group-living canids, a pattern also reported in African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya van Kesteren
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, United Kingdom.
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Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. Ecological bases of philopatry and cooperation in Ethiopian wolves. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1348-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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KUPCZIK KORNELIUS, STYNDER DEANOD. Tooth root morphology as an indicator for dietary specialization in carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01779.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Tallents LA, Randall DA, Williams SD, Macdonald DW. Territory quality determines social group composition in Ethiopian wolves Canis simensis. J Anim Ecol 2011; 81:24-35. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01911.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Kennedy LJ, Randall DA, Knobel D, Brown JJ, Fooks AR, Argaw K, Shiferaw F, Ollier WER, Sillero-Zubiri C, Macdonald DW, Laurenson MK. Major histocompatibility complex diversity in the endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 77:118-25. [PMID: 21214524 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2010.01591.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influences immune response to infection and vaccination. In most species, MHC genes are highly polymorphic, but few wild canid populations have been investigated. In Ethiopian wolves, we identified four DLA (dog leucocyte antigen)-DRB1, two DLA-DQA1 and five DQB1 alleles. Ethiopian wolves, the world's rarest canids with fewer than 500 animals worldwide, are further endangered and threatened by rabies. Major rabies outbreaks in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia (where over half of the Ethiopian wolf population is located) have killed over 75% of wolves in the affected sub-populations. In 2004, following a rabies outbreak, 77 wolves were vaccinated, and 19 were subsequently recaptured to monitor the effectiveness of the intervention. Pre- and post-vaccination rabies antibody titres were available for 18 animals, and all of the animals sero-converted after vaccination. We compared the haplotype frequencies of this group of 18 with the post-vaccination antibody titre, and showed that one haplotype was associated with a lower response (uncorrected P < 0.03). In general, Ethiopian wolves probably have an adequate amount of MHC variation to ensure the survival of the species. However, we sampled only the largest Ethiopian wolf population in Bale, and did not take the smaller populations further north into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Kennedy
- Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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Vial F, Macdonald DW, Haydon DT. Limits to exploitation: dynamic food web models predict the impact of livestock grazing on Ethiopian wolves Canis simensis and their prey. J Appl Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01943.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Fashing PJ, Nguyen N, Fashing NJ. Behavior of geladas and other endemic wildlife during a desert locust outbreak at Guassa, Ethiopia: ecological and conservation implications. Primates 2010; 51:193-7. [PMID: 20333438 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-010-0194-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2010] [Accepted: 02/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) outbreaks have occurred repeatedly throughout recorded history in the Horn of Africa region, devastating crops and contributing to famines. In June 2009, a desert locust swarm invaded the Guassa Plateau, Ethiopia, a large and unusually intact Afroalpine tall-grass ecosystem, home to important populations of geladas (Theropithecus gelada), Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis), thick-billed ravens (Corvus crassirostris), and other Ethiopian or Horn of Africa endemics. During the outbreak and its aftermath, we observed many animals, including geladas, ravens, and a wolf, feeding on locusts in large quantities. These observations suggest surprising flexibility in the normally highly specialized diets of geladas and wolves, including the potential for temporary but intensive insectivory during locust outbreaks. To our knowledge, Guassa is the highest elevation site (3,200-3,600 m) at which desert locusts, which require temperatures >20 degrees C for sustained flight, have been reported. Continued monitoring will be necessary to determine whether the June 2009 outbreak was an isolated incident or part of an emerging pattern in the Ethiopian Highlands linked to global warming. The intensive consumption of desert locusts by geladas, wolves, and ravens during the outbreak at Guassa raises concerns about pesticide-based locust control strategies and potential unintended adverse effects on endemic and endangered wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Fashing
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton, 800 N. State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA.
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Fine-scale genetic structure in Ethiopian wolves imposed by sociality, migration, and population bottlenecks. CONSERV GENET 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-009-0005-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Marino J, Mitchell R, Johnson PJ. Dietary specialization and climatic-linked variations in extant populations of Ethiopian wolves. Afr J Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01140.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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VANAK ABITAMIM, GOMPPER MATTHEWE. Dogs
Canis familiaris
as carnivores: their role and function in intraguild competition. Mamm Rev 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2009.00148.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - MATTHEW E. GOMPPER
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Atickem A, Bekele A, Williams SD. Competition between domestic dogs and Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Afr J Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01126.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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EVANGELISTA P, ENGEMAN R, TALLENTS L. Testing a passive tracking index for monitoring the endangered Ethiopian wolf. Integr Zool 2009; 4:172-178. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2009.00147.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Randall DA, Pollinger JP, Wayne RK, Tallents LA, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. Inbreeding is reduced by female-biased dispersal and mating behavior in Ethiopian wolves. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C, Macdonald D. Trends, dynamics and resilience of an Ethiopian wolf population. Anim Conserv 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2005.00011.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Behaviour and ecology of the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) in a human-dominated landscape outside protected areas. Anim Conserv 2005. [DOI: 10.1017/s1367943005001952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Zrzavý J, Řičánková V. Phylogeny of Recent Canidae (Mammalia, Carnivora): relative reliability and utility of morphological and molecular datasets. ZOOL SCR 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0300-3256.2004.00152.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India. J Zool (1987) 2004. [DOI: 10.1017/s0952836903004783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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