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Funk ER, Spellman GM, Winker K, Withrow JJ, Ruegg KC, Taylor SA. The genetic basis of plumage coloration and elevation adaptation in a clade of recently diverged alpine and arctic songbirds. Evolution 2023; 77:705-717. [PMID: 36626815 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpac064] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Trait genetic architecture plays an important role in the probability that variation in that trait leads to divergence and speciation. In some cases, speciation may be driven by the generation of novel phenotypes through the recombination of genes associated with traits that are important for local adaptation or sexual selection. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of three plumage color traits, and one ecological trait, breeding elevation, in a recent avian radiation, the North American rosy-finches (Leucosticte spp.). We identify unique genomic regions associated with each trait and highlight 11 candidate genes. Among these are well-characterized melanogenesis genes, including Mitf and Tyrp1, and previously reported hypoxia-related genes including Egln1. Additionally, we use mitochondrial data to date the divergence of rosy-finch clades which appear to have diverged within the past 250 ky. Given the low levels of genome-wide differentiation among rosy-finch taxa, and evidence for extensive introgression in North America, plumage coloration and adaptation to high elevations have likely played large roles in generating the observed patterns of lineage divergence. The relative independence of these candidate regions across the genome suggests that recombination might have led to multiple phenotypes, and subsequent rosy-finch speciation, over short periods of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik R Funk
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Garth M Spellman
- Department of Zoology, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Kevin Winker
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States
| | - Jack J Withrow
- University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, United States
| | - Kristen C Ruegg
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Scott A Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
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Crouch EEV, Reinoso-Perez MT, Vanderstichel RV, Dhondt KV, Dhondt AA, Cruz Otero JD, Piech T, Forzán MJ. THE EFFECT OF DEXAMETHASONE ON HEMATOLOGIC PROFILES, HEMOSPORIDIAN INFECTION, AND SPLENIC HISTOLOGY IN HOUSE FINCHES (HAEMORHOUS MEXICANUS). J Wildl Dis 2022; 58:512-23. [PMID: 35704503 DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-21-00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Research on host response to infectious disease often involves pharmacological induction of immunosuppression, frequently through administration of dexamethasone. Reports on the effect of dexamethasone in birds are largely restricted to poultry and pigeons. This study describes changes in white blood cell (WBC) differentials, hemoparasite counts, splenic histology, and splenic CD3 immunoreactivity in House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). Experimental group birds (n=9) were treated with a daily intramuscular injection of 25 µg of dexamethasone for 8 d; a control group (n=9) received daily saline solution. Smears were made with blood collected immediately before the first dose (day 0) and on d 4, 8, and 9, and stained with modified Wright. The WBC differential counts were performed by three blinded observers, parasite counts by two blinded observers, and histology by one blinded observer. Dexamethasone-treated birds experienced relative heterophilia and lymphopenia on d 4 (P=0.008); heterophilia was also present at d 8 (P=0.018). Hemosporidian counts were significantly increased in dexamethasone-treated birds on d 4 and 8 (P=0.048 and P=0.031, respectively). In contrast with control birds, all dexamethasone-treated birds lacked histologically apparent splenic lymphoid follicles (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed in splenic CD3 immunoreactivity between groups. Our results indicate that dexamethasone has an effect on the hematologic profile of House Finches and suggest that it may be a useful method to induce immunosuppression in this species.
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Crispo M, Blakey J, Shivaprasad HL, Laroucau K, Vorimore F, Aaziz R, Bickford A, Pesavento J, Stoute ST. Chlamydiosis in a Gouldian Finch ( Erythrura gouldiae). Avian Dis 2020; 64:216-222. [PMID: 32550623 DOI: 10.1637/0005-2086-64.2.216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Avian chlamydiosis is an infection caused by obligate intracellular and Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the family Chlamydiaceae and has been reported in more than 450 avian species distributed in 30 orders. In particular, a high prevalence of infection has been demonstrated in wild passerine populations, including both asymptomatic and clinically ill individuals, suggesting a role of these avian species as important carriers. In May 2018, avian chlamydiosis was diagnosed in a 1-year-old male Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) at the Turlock Branch of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System. The bird belonged to an outdoor aviary with mixed avian species, including Gouldian finches, doves (Geopelia cuneata and Spilopelia chinensis), and psittacines (Aratinga, Psittacula, Pyrrhura, and Trichoglossus sp.). Severe respiratory distress and mortality were noted among the finches. Gross and histopathologic lesions were concentrated in the liver and spleen, with a mild involvement of the upper respiratory tract. Chlamydia spp. were detected in the spleen and kidney by real-time PCR and were further confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Subsequently, Chlamydia psittaci was isolated from the liver and spleen and characterized as a CP3-like strain (genotype B). In addition, viral particles compatible with circovirus were identified in the liver by direct electron microscopy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of avian chlamydiosis with hepatic viral particles consistent with circovirus infection in a Gouldian finch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Crispo
- Turlock Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Turlock, CA 95380
| | - Julia Blakey
- Turlock Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Turlock, CA 95380
| | - H L Shivaprasad
- Tulare Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Tulare, CA 93274
| | - Karine Laroucau
- University Paris-Est, Anses, Animal Health Laboratory, Bacterial Zoonoses Unit, Maisons-Alfort, 94706 France
| | - Fabien Vorimore
- University Paris-Est, Anses, Animal Health Laboratory, Bacterial Zoonoses Unit, Maisons-Alfort, 94706 France
| | - Rachid Aaziz
- University Paris-Est, Anses, Animal Health Laboratory, Bacterial Zoonoses Unit, Maisons-Alfort, 94706 France
| | - Arthur Bickford
- Turlock Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Turlock, CA 95380
| | - Joseph Pesavento
- Davis Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Simone T Stoute
- Turlock Branch, University of California, Davis, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, Turlock, CA 95380,
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Gosbell MC, Olaogun OM, Luk K, Noormohammadi AH. Investigation of systemic isosporosis outbreaks in an aviary of greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) and goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) and a possible link with local wild sparrows (Passer domesticus). Aust Vet J 2020; 98:338-344. [PMID: 32430906 DOI: 10.1111/avj.12947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
CASE REPORT An outbreak of systemic isosporosis caused mortalities in greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) and goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) kept in an aviary in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The following year, a further outbreak in the same aviary occurred in a different flock of goldfinches. At the time of the second outbreak, dead and sick common sparrows (Passer domesticus) discovered near the aviary were also found to have systemic isosporosis. METHOD The systemic isosporosis was investigated and described using histopathology, electron microscopy and sequence analysis of the 18s gene. RESULTS Isospora spp. infecting the greenfinch and the goldfinch caused significant thickening of the duodenal lamina propria. Measurements in the goldfinches showed an inverse correlation coefficient between the thickening of the duodenum and the weightof the birds. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of Isospora spp. within lymphocytes migrating into the lamina propria of the duodenum. Analysis of the 18s sequence discovered two different gene sequences across the three species of birds that didn't completely match any sequences previously deposited in GenBank. CONCLUSION Although the sparrows were found to have died from causes other than systemic Isospora, molecular studies of samples from their liver revealed the presence of an Isospora with 18s gene sequence identical to that found in the captive greenfinches.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Gosbell
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia.,Melbourne Bird Veterinary Clinic, Scoresby, Victoria, 3179, Australia
| | - O M Olaogun
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
| | - Khy Luk
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
| | - A H Noormohammadi
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia
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Abstract
We report the natural colonization of the small Galápagos island Daphne Major by the large ground finch (Geospiza magnirostris). Immigrants of this species were present in every year of a 22-yr study, 1973-1994. Typically they arrived after a breeding season and left at the beginning of the next one. Geospiza magnirostris bred on the island for the first time in the exceptionally wet El Niño year of 1982-1983, and bred in all subsequent years except drought years. In agreement with theoretical expectations the frequency of inbreeding was unusually high. Pronounced fluctuating asymmetry in tarsus length, together with slightly reduced breeding success of inbreeding pairs, suggests a low level of inbreeding depression. Despite this, the population increased from 5 breeding individuals in 1983 to 20 breeding individuals in 1992, and probably more than twice that number in 1993, largely through recruitment of locally born birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Grant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544-1003
| | - B Rosemary Grant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544-1003
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Legler M, Stelter R, Jung A, Wohlsein P, Kummerfeld N. First detection of Macrorhabdus ornithogaster in wild Eurasian Siskins (Carduelis spinus) in Germany. A case study. Tierarztl Prax Ausg K Kleintiere Heimtiere 2016; 43:161-5. [PMID: 25804259 DOI: 10.15654/tpk-140714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The colonization of the gastric ascomycetous yeast Macrorhabdus (M.) ornithogaster could be associated with a chronic wasting disease in several bird species in captivity. The prevalence and clinical relevance of M. ornithogaster in wild birds is unknown in detail. MATERIAL AND METHODS In the wintering season 2012/13 injured Eurasian Siskins (Carduelis spinus, n = 8) from the area of Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany were examined microbiologically and pathologically. RESULTS In six out of eight injured Eurasian Siskins M. ornithogaster were detected. The yeast was diagnosed microscopically in wet smears from the gastric isthmus and/or in faecal samples. Histopathological examination (n = 4) of the macroscopically slightly enlarged proventriculus in infected birds demonstrated the growth of M. ornithogaster in the mucosal surface and in the ducts of the glands without an inflammatory reaction. As a possible sign of a lowered fitness, all six infected siskins had a reduced body weight (mean: 11.8 ± 1.64 g) in the lower normal weight range compared to the two injured Eurasian Siskins without M. ornithogaster (15.0 g) as well as to data from the literature. Concurrent intestinal bacterial infections comprised Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens or Salmonella Typhimurium, that are regarded as an abnormal bacterial flora for Eurasian Siskins. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Infections with M. ornithogaster can be found in the wild population of Eurasian Siskins in Germany. The frequent occurrence of secondary bacterial infections associated with M. ornithogaster infections should be considered in the treatment and rehabilitation of finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Legler
- Dr. Marko Legler, Clinic for Exotic Pets, Reptiles and Birds, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hannover, Germany,
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Abstract
Transmission via shared water implicates passerine birds as possible vectors for dissemination of this virus. Low pathogenicity avian influenza A(H7N9) virus has been detected in poultry since 2013, and the virus has caused >450 infections in humans. The mode of subtype H7N9 virus transmission between avian species remains largely unknown, but various wild birds have been implicated as a source of transmission. H7N9 virus was recently detected in a wild sparrow in Shanghai, China, and passerine birds, such as finches, which share space and resources with wild migratory birds, poultry, and humans, can be productively infected with the virus. We demonstrate that interspecies transmission of H7N9 virus occurs readily between society finches and bobwhite quail but only sporadically between finches and chickens. Inoculated finches are better able to infect naive poultry than the reverse. Transmission occurs through shared water but not through the airborne route. It is therefore conceivable that passerine birds may serve as vectors for dissemination of H7N9 virus to domestic poultry.
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