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Schott RK, Fujita MK, Streicher JW, Gower DJ, Thomas KN, Loew ER, Bamba Kaya AG, Bittencourt-Silva GB, Guillherme Becker C, Cisneros-Heredia D, Clulow S, Davila M, Firneno TJ, Haddad CFB, Janssenswillen S, Labisko J, Maddock ST, Mahony M, Martins RA, Michaels CJ, Mitchell NJ, Portik DM, Prates I, Roelants K, Roelke C, Tobi E, Woolfolk M, Bell RC. Diversity and Evolution of Frog Visual Opsins: Spectral Tuning and Adaptation to Distinct Light Environments. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae049. [PMID: 38573520 PMCID: PMC10994157 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual systems adapt to different light environments through several avenues including optical changes to the eye and neurological changes in how light signals are processed and interpreted. Spectral sensitivity can evolve via changes to visual pigments housed in the retinal photoreceptors through gene duplication and loss, differential and coexpression, and sequence evolution. Frogs provide an excellent, yet understudied, system for visual evolution research due to their diversity of ecologies (including biphasic aquatic-terrestrial life cycles) that we hypothesize imposed different selective pressures leading to adaptive evolution of the visual system, notably the opsins that encode the protein component of the visual pigments responsible for the first step in visual perception. Here, we analyze the diversity and evolution of visual opsin genes from 93 new eye transcriptomes plus published data for a combined dataset spanning 122 frog species and 34 families. We find that most species express the four visual opsins previously identified in frogs but show evidence for gene loss in two lineages. Further, we present evidence of positive selection in three opsins and shifts in selective pressures associated with differences in habitat and life history, but not activity pattern. We identify substantial novel variation in the visual opsins and, using microspectrophotometry, find highly variable spectral sensitivities, expanding known ranges for all frog visual pigments. Mutations at spectral-tuning sites only partially account for this variation, suggesting that frogs have used tuning pathways that are unique among vertebrates. These results support the hypothesis of adaptive evolution in photoreceptor physiology across the frog tree of life in response to varying environmental and ecological factors and further our growing understanding of vertebrate visual evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan K Schott
- Department of Biology and Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Matthew K Fujita
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Kate N Thomas
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
- Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Ellis R Loew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | | | - C Guillherme Becker
- Department of Biology and One Health Microbiome Center, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Diego Cisneros-Heredia
- Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Simon Clulow
- Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia
| | - Mateo Davila
- Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Thomas J Firneno
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, USA
| | - Célio F B Haddad
- Department of Biodiversity and Center of Aquaculture—CAUNESP, I.B., São Paulo State University, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sunita Janssenswillen
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jim Labisko
- Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles, Mahé, Seychelles
| | - Simon T Maddock
- Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles, Mahé, Seychelles
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Michael Mahony
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle 2308, Australia
| | - Renato A Martins
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Conservação da Fauna, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Nicola J Mitchell
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Daniel M Portik
- Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ivan Prates
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kim Roelants
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Corey Roelke
- Department of Biology, Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Elie Tobi
- Gabon Biodiversity Program, Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Gamba, Gabon
| | - Maya Woolfolk
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rayna C Bell
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
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2
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Bates KA, Sommer U, Hopkins KP, Shelton JMG, Wierzbicki C, Sergeant C, Tapley B, Michaels CJ, Schmeller DS, Loyau A, Bosch J, Viant MR, Harrison XA, Garner TWJ, Fisher MC. Microbiome function predicts amphibian chytridiomycosis disease dynamics. Microbiome 2022; 10:44. [PMID: 35272699 PMCID: PMC8908643 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01215-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) threatens amphibian biodiversity and ecosystem stability worldwide. Amphibian skin microbial community structure has been linked to the clinical outcome of Bd infections, yet its overall functional importance is poorly understood. METHODS Microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles were assessed using high-throughput bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 gene sequencing, bacterial shotgun metagenomics and skin mucosal metabolomics. We sampled 56 wild midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) from montane populations exhibiting Bd epizootic or enzootic disease dynamics. In addition, to assess whether disease-specific microbiome profiles were linked to microbe-mediated protection or Bd-induced perturbation, we performed a laboratory Bd challenge experiment whereby 40 young adult A. obstetricans were exposed to Bd or a control sham infection. We measured temporal changes in the microbiome as well as functional profiles of Bd-exposed and control animals at peak infection. RESULTS Microbiome community structure and function differed in wild populations based on infection history and in experimental control versus Bd-exposed animals. Bd exposure in the laboratory resulted in dynamic changes in microbiome community structure and functional differences, with infection clearance in all but one infected animal. Sphingobacterium, Stenotrophomonas and an unclassified Commamonadaceae were associated with wild epizootic dynamics and also had reduced abundance in laboratory Bd-exposed animals that cleared infection, indicating a negative association with Bd resistance. This was further supported by microbe-metabolite integration which identified functionally relevant taxa driving disease outcome, of which Sphingobacterium and Bd were most influential in wild epizootic dynamics. The strong correlation between microbial taxonomic community composition and skin metabolome in the laboratory and field is inconsistent with microbial functional redundancy, indicating that differences in microbial taxonomy drive functional variation. Shotgun metagenomic analyses support these findings, with similar disease-associated patterns in beta diversity. Analysis of differentially abundant bacterial genes and pathways indicated that bacterial environmental sensing and Bd resource competition are likely to be important in driving infection outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Bd infection drives altered microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles across laboratory and field environments. Our application of multi-omics analyses in experimental and field settings robustly predicts Bd disease dynamics and identifies novel candidate biomarkers of infection. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran A Bates
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK.
- MRC Centre for GlobaI Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK.
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK.
| | - Ulf Sommer
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility - Metabolomics Node (NBAF-B), School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Kevin P Hopkins
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Jennifer M G Shelton
- MRC Centre for GlobaI Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Claudia Wierzbicki
- MRC Centre for GlobaI Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
| | - Christopher Sergeant
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Benjamin Tapley
- ZSL London Zoo, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | | | - Dirk S Schmeller
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France
| | - Adeline Loyau
- Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Alte Fischerhütte 2, 16775, Stechlin, Germany
| | - Jaime Bosch
- IMIB Biodiversity Research Institute (CSIC-University of Oviedo), 33600, Mieres, Spain
| | - Mark R Viant
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility - Metabolomics Node (NBAF-B), School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Xavier A Harrison
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4DQ, UK
| | - Trenton W J Garner
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Matthew C Fisher
- MRC Centre for GlobaI Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, UK
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Kane D, Guthrie A, Michaels CJ, Spiro S. Fungal dermatitis secondary to a hemipenal plug in a rhinoceros viper (
Bitis nasicornis
). Vet Record Case Reports 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/vrc2.295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kane
- Zoological Society of London London Zoo London UK
| | | | | | - Simon Spiro
- Zoological Society of London London Zoo London UK
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4
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Abstract
Stereotypies (a subset of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviour [ARB]) are characterised by an unchanging pattern of behaviour and in captive animals can be associated with poor welfare. Although well known in certain taxa, little is known about both welfare and ARBs in reptiles, especially
snakes. We document an instance of an ARB in a captive snake species (Hydrodynastes gigas), set it in the context of husbandry in zoos, and assess efforts to reduce it. The stereotypy consisted of a fixed pattern of movement against the enclosures viewing window. Ethographic data were
used to focally sample the animals behaviour over several months in the context of different enrichment interventions. Modified Spread of Participation Indices (mSPIs) were also calculated to quantify the evenness of enclosure use. The snake spent considerable portions of time (47 of observations)
performing a behaviour that fulfils the criteria for stereotypy. mSPI data suggested a possible welfare impact of the behaviour on the snake. Zoos holding this species globally were surveyed about observations of similar behaviour and one other institution reported similar behaviour. Standard
husbandry practice (A) was used alternately in an ABAC format with prey scent trails (B) and modified feeding schedules (C), representing enrichment types based on species natural history. Neither stereotyping frequency nor mSPI was found to be significantly affected by any of the enrichments.
Our results, interpretation of which is limited by the paucity of data on snakes, uncover stereotypies in snakes and suggest that, as with other taxa, ARBs may be resistant to strategies employed to reduce them.
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5
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Freeland L, Ellis C, Michaels CJ. Documenting Aggression, Dominance and the Impacts of Visitor Interaction on Galápagos Tortoises ( Chelonoidis nigra) in a Zoo Setting. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10040699. [PMID: 32316413 PMCID: PMC7222779 DOI: 10.3390/ani10040699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Ensuring high levels of welfare is imperative for modern zoos, but such organisations must also engage visitors in order to successfully spread awareness and raise conservation funds. It is therefore important to understand the responses of animals to visitor interaction to optimise welfare. Often, the opportunity to interact with humans may be enriching for animals, but in other contexts, this interaction may have negative welfare effects. We observed captive female Galápagos giant tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) to describe aggressive interactions, characterize hierarchy using Elo ratings and assess the impact of visitor interactions. Elo ratings indicated that one individual was dominant over two equally ranked subordinates; aggressive interactions are discussed in this context. We detected significant effects of the presence of visitors and visitor type (keepers, vets or public) within the enclosure on aggression and activity. We suggest that previous miscategorisation of a natural behaviour (the finch response) as an operantly conditioned behaviour, rather than a fixed action pattern, may have triggered aggression. We then document changes made to the management of the animals to mitigate the impacts discovered. This work highlights the importance of empirical evidence in determining optimal management strategies for zoo animals with regards to public interactions and animal welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Freeland
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Royal College Street, London NW1 0TU, UK
- Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; (C.E.); (C.J.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Charlotte Ellis
- Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; (C.E.); (C.J.M.)
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6
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Jayson S, Ferguson A, Goetz M, Routh A, Tapley B, Harding L, Michaels CJ, Dawson J. Comparison of the nutritional content of the captive and wild diets of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) to improve its captive husbandry. Zoo Biol 2018; 37:332-346. [PMID: 30221785 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Revised: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
It is vital to provide appropriate nutrition to maintain healthy populations in conservation breeding programs. Knowledge of the wild diet of a species can be used to inform captive diet formulation. The nutritional content of the wild diet of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) is unknown, like that of most amphibians. In this study, we analyzed the nutritional content of food items that comprise 91% of the wild diet of L. fallax, by dry weight of food items, and all food items offered to captive L. fallax at ZSL London Zoo and Jersey Zoo. We subsequently compared the nutritional content of the wild diet and captive diet at ZSL London Zoo consumed by L. fallax. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to directly compare the nutritional content of the wild and captive diets of an anuran amphibian. The captive diet at ZSL London Zoo, without dusting of nutritional supplements, was higher in gross energy and crude fat and lower in ash, calcium and calcium:phosphorus ratio than the wild diet. Most of the food items in the captive diets had a high omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio and in the wild diet had a low omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio. We recommend a combination of modifications to the captive diets to better reflect the nutritional content of the wild diet. Nutritional analysis of captive and wild diets is recommended for other species in conservation breeding programs to improve captive husbandry and ultimately fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Jayson
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom.,The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda Ferguson
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Goetz
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Trinity, Jersey, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Routh
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Trinity, Jersey, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Tapley
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Harding
- Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Paignton, Devon, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jeff Dawson
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Trinity, Jersey, United Kingdom
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7
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Huggins LG, Michaels CJ, Cruickshank SM, Preziosi RF, Else KJ. Correction: A novel copro-diagnostic molecular method for qualitative detection and identification of parasitic nematodes in amphibians and reptiles. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198977. [PMID: 29879230 PMCID: PMC5991690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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8
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Jayson S, Harding L, Michaels CJ, Tapley B, Hedley J, Goetz M, Barbon A, Garcia G, Lopez J, Flach E. Development of a body condition score for the mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax). Zoo Biol 2018; 37:196-205. [PMID: 29655202 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Critically Endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) has undergone drastic population decline due to habitat loss, hunting, invasive species, and chytridiomycosis. In response, several partner institutions initiated a conservation breeding program. It is important to maintain the captive population in good health. Therefore the program partners have recommended establishment of protocols for health examination of the species, including body condition assessment. Visual body condition scoring is a useful means to assess body condition in zoo animals for which regular bodyweight measurements are impractical or associated with capture-related stress. In this study, the authors developed a visual body condition score for the mountain chicken frog based on an ordinal categorical scale from 1 to 5 (1 = lowest body condition, 5 = highest body condition) using anatomical features that vary with total body energy reserves. Veterinary staff, animal managers, keepers, researchers, and students subsequently used the body condition score to assign scores to 98 mountain chicken frogs (41 male, 57 female) aged between 8 months and 12 years housed in five zoos in the UK and Jersey between February and March 2016. Body condition scores showed moderate (rho = 0.54; males) to strong (rho = 0.6; females) correlation with the scaled mass index, an objective measure of total energy reserves. The majority of pairwise comparisons between scores showed slight to substantial intra-observer agreement (93.8%) and slight to almost perfect inter-observer agreement (97.2%). Cases of poor agreement were likely due to limited observer experience working with the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Jayson
- Zoological Society of London, London Zoo, Regent's Park, London.,The Royal Veterinary College, London
| | - Luke Harding
- Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Paignton, Devon
| | | | - Benjamin Tapley
- Zoological Society of London, London Zoo, Regent's Park, London
| | | | - Matthias Goetz
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey Zoo, Trinity, Jersey
| | - Alberto Barbon
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey Zoo, Trinity, Jersey
| | | | | | - Edmund Flach
- Zoological Society of London, London Zoo, Regent's Park, London
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9
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Huggins LG, Michaels CJ, Cruickshank SM, Preziosi RF, Else KJ. A novel copro-diagnostic molecular method for qualitative detection and identification of parasitic nematodes in amphibians and reptiles. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185151. [PMID: 28934299 PMCID: PMC5608329 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbance via resource acquisition, habitat fragmentation and climate change, amongst other factors, has led to catastrophic global biodiversity losses and species extinctions at an accelerating rate. Amphibians are currently one of the worst affected classes with at least a third of species categorised as being threatened with extinction. At the same time, they are also critically important for many habitats and provide man with a powerful proxy for ecosystem health by acting as a bioindicator group. Whilst the causes of synchronised amphibian losses are varied recent research has begun to highlight a growing role that macroparasites are playing in amphibian declines. However, diagnosing parasite infection in the field can be problematic, principally relying on collection and euthanasia of hosts, followed by necropsy and morphological identification of parasites in situ. The current study developed a non-invasive PCR-based methodology for sensitive detection and identification of parasitic nematode DNA released in the faeces of infected amphibians as egg or tissue fragments (environmental DNA). A DNA extraction protocol optimised for liberation of DNA from resilient parasite eggs was developed alongside the design of a novel, nematode universal, degenerate primer pair, thus avoiding the difficulties of using species specific primers in situations where common parasite species are unknown. Used in conjunction this protocol and primer pair was tested on a wide range of faecal samples from captive and wild amphibians. The primers and protocol were validated and detected infections, including a Railletnema nematode infection in poison dart frogs from ZSL London Zoo and Mantella cowani frogs in the wild. Furthermore, we demonstrate the efficacy of our PCR-based protocol for detecting nematode infection in other hosts, such as the presence of pinworm (Aspiculuris) in two tortoise species and whipworm (Trichuris muris) in mice. Our environmental DNA approach mitigates problems associated with microscopic identification and can be applied to detect nematode parasitoses in wild and captive hosts for infection surveillance and maintenance of healthy populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas G. Huggins
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, MAHSC, Manchester, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Sheena M. Cruickshank
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, MAHSC, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Richard F. Preziosi
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn J. Else
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, MAHSC, Manchester, United Kingdom
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10
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Naseeb S, James SA, Alsammar H, Michaels CJ, Gini B, Nueno-Palop C, Bond CJ, McGhie H, Roberts IN, Delneri D. Saccharomyces jurei sp. nov., isolation and genetic identification of a novel yeast species from Quercus robur. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017. [PMID: 28639933 PMCID: PMC5817255 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Two strains, D5088T and D5095, representing a novel yeast species belonging to the genus Saccharomyces were isolated from oak tree bark and surrounding soil located at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level in Saint Auban, France. Sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and 26S rRNA D1/D2 domains indicated that the two strains were most closely related to Saccharomyces mikatae and Saccharomyces paradoxus. Genetic hybridization analyses showed that both strains are reproductively isolated from all other Saccharomyces species and, therefore, represent a distinct biological species. The species name Saccharomyces jurei sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these two strains, with D5088T (=CBS 14759T=NCYC 3947T) designated as the type strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samina Naseeb
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | | | - Haya Alsammar
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | - Christopher J. Michaels
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | - Beatrice Gini
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | | | | | - Henry McGhie
- The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | | | - Daniela Delneri
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
- *Correspondence: Daniela Delneri,
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11
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Abstract
Xenopus longipes Loumont and Kobel, 1991 is an aquatic polyploid frog endemic to the high altitude crater lake, Lake Oku in North West region, Cameroon (Loumont & Kobel 1991). The tadpole of X. longipes is currently undescribed. So far, only dead tadpoles have been found at Lake Oku during regular monitoring since 2008 (Doherty-Bone et al. 2013), with specimens too decomposed to make adequate descriptions. Captive breeding provides one opportunity to obtain fresh specimens for description.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Tapley
- Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom.;
| | - Christopher J Michaels
- Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom.; unknown
| | - Thomas M Doherty-Bone
- Conservation Research and Action for Amphibians of Cameroon (CRAAC), Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; and, School of Geography and School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.;
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12
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Mohedano I, Abu Baker MA, Hunter B, Buchan J, Michaels CJ, Yamaguchi N. On the diet of the Pharaoh Eagle Owl,Bubo ascalaphus(Savigny, 1809), in Qatar, with an overview of its feeding habits. Zoology in the Middle East 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2014.914713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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13
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Michaels CJ, Antwis RE, Preziosi RF. Impact of plant cover on fitness and behavioural traits of captive red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas). PLoS One 2014; 9:e95207. [PMID: 24740289 PMCID: PMC3989275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of ex situ conservation programmes as highlighted in the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan, there are few empirical studies that examine the influence of captive conditions on the fitness of amphibians, even for basic components of enclosure design such as cover provision. Maintaining the fitness of captive amphibian populations is essential to the success of ex situ conservation projects. Here we examined the impact of plant cover on measures of fitness and behaviour in captive red-eyed tree frogs (Agalychnis callidryas). We found significant effects of plant provision on body size, growth rates and cutaneous bacterial communities that together demonstrate a compelling fitness benefit from cover provision. We also demonstrate a strong behavioural preference for planted rather than non-planted areas. We also assessed the impact of plant provision on the abiotic environment in the enclosure as a potential driver of these behavioural and fitness effects. Together this data provides valuable information regarding enclosure design for a non-model amphibian species and has implications for amphibian populations maintained in captivity for conservation breeding programmes and research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachael E. Antwis
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Richard F. Preziosi
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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