1
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Tavares WC, Pessôa LM. Pelvic sexual dimorphism and its association with cranial morphology in Neotropical spiny rats (Rodentia, Echimyidae). J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09625-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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2
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Calede JJM. The oldest semi-aquatic beaver in the world and a new hypothesis for the evolution of locomotion in Castoridae. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220926. [PMID: 36016911 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6154283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The North American rodent fossil record includes hundreds of species representing both an incredible taxonomic diversity and great ecological disparity. Although it is during the Oligocene that taxonomic diversity first peaks, it is not until the Miocene, almost 10 Myr later, that many ecologies, particularly locomotory ecologies, are recorded. Here, I present a new Oligocene-aged species of beaver from Montana, Microtheriomys articulaquaticus sp. nov., which represents the oldest semi-aquatic rodent in North America and the oldest amphibious beaver in the world, pushing the advent of semi-aquatic ecology in beavers by 7 Myr. I also provide morphological data supporting a terrestrial ecology for the sister taxon to Castoridae. Together with existing data, these findings lead to a new hypothesis for the evolutionary ecology of castorids whereby swimming was exapted from burrowing during the Oligocene. This evolution of semi-aquatic locomotion may have taken place in North America instead of Eurasia. It started in small beavers with gigantism achieved only much later. Indeed, body size evolution in castoroids follows a directional drift. Beavers obey Cope's rule, a selection for larger size over time that appears associated with semi-aquatic ecology and may well explain their low modern diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
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3
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Calede JJM. The oldest semi-aquatic beaver in the world and a new hypothesis for the evolution of locomotion in Castoridae. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220926. [PMID: 36016911 PMCID: PMC9399697 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The North American rodent fossil record includes hundreds of species representing both an incredible taxonomic diversity and great ecological disparity. Although it is during the Oligocene that taxonomic diversity first peaks, it is not until the Miocene, almost 10 Myr later, that many ecologies, particularly locomotory ecologies, are recorded. Here, I present a new Oligocene-aged species of beaver from Montana, Microtheriomys articulaquaticus sp. nov., which represents the oldest semi-aquatic rodent in North America and the oldest amphibious beaver in the world, pushing the advent of semi-aquatic ecology in beavers by 7 Myr. I also provide morphological data supporting a terrestrial ecology for the sister taxon to Castoridae. Together with existing data, these findings lead to a new hypothesis for the evolutionary ecology of castorids whereby swimming was exapted from burrowing during the Oligocene. This evolution of semi-aquatic locomotion may have taken place in North America instead of Eurasia. It started in small beavers with gigantism achieved only much later. Indeed, body size evolution in castoroids follows a directional drift. Beavers obey Cope's rule, a selection for larger size over time that appears associated with semi-aquatic ecology and may well explain their low modern diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J. M. Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
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4
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Florek M, Domaradzki P, Skałecki P, Ryszkowska-Siwko M, Ziomek M, Tajchman K, Gondek M, Pyz-Łukasik R. Content and Solubility of Collagen and Their Relation to Proximate Composition and Shear Force of Meat from Different Anatomical Location in Carcass of European Beaver ( Castor fiber). Foods 2022; 11:foods11091288. [PMID: 35564011 PMCID: PMC9101397 DOI: 10.3390/foods11091288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The content and solubility of collagen in the muscle tissue and cooked meat from three anatomical locations (loin, hind leg and shoulder) in carcasses of adult male European beavers and relationships of collagen fractions with proximate composition and shear force were studied. Shoulder muscle tissue contained the highest amount of intramuscular fat, collagen/protein ratio, total and insoluble collagen, and the lowest percentage of soluble collagen. The cooked meat from hind leg contained the lowest amount of total, soluble and insoluble collagen. The percentage of collagen fractions in cooked meat was comparable in all cuts (p > 0.05). The toughest meat was from the shoulder, followed by the hind leg, and the tenderest meat was from the loin (p < 0.01). Shear force of cooked meat was correlated positively with the amount of total collagen, insoluble collagen and its percentage in muscle tissue (0.597, 0.594 and 0.499, p < 0.01), as well as negatively with percentage of soluble collagen (−0.594, p < 0.001). No correlations between the shear force and the content of total collagen and its fractions in cooked meat were found. In conclusion, our results indicate that the amount of total collagen and its fractions in raw muscle tissue of beaver is a better tenderness predictor for cooked meat than their values in heat-treated meat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz Florek
- Department of Quality Assessment and Processing of Animal Products, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.F.); (P.S.); (M.R.-S.)
| | - Piotr Domaradzki
- Department of Quality Assessment and Processing of Animal Products, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.F.); (P.S.); (M.R.-S.)
- Correspondence: (P.D.); (M.Z.)
| | - Piotr Skałecki
- Department of Quality Assessment and Processing of Animal Products, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.F.); (P.S.); (M.R.-S.)
| | - Małgorzata Ryszkowska-Siwko
- Department of Quality Assessment and Processing of Animal Products, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.F.); (P.S.); (M.R.-S.)
| | - Monika Ziomek
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.G.); (R.P.-Ł.)
- Correspondence: (P.D.); (M.Z.)
| | - Katarzyna Tajchman
- Department of Animal Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Michał Gondek
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.G.); (R.P.-Ł.)
| | - Renata Pyz-Łukasik
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950 Lublin, Poland; (M.G.); (R.P.-Ł.)
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Merker Breyer G, de Carli S, Inácio Vieira N, França Ribeiro VM, Chaves da Silva FR, Daudt C, Maboni Siqueira F. Wild capybaras as reservoir of shiga toxin‐producing
Escherichia coli
in urban Amazonian Region. Lett Appl Microbiol 2022; 75:10-16. [DOI: 10.1111/lam.13694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Merker Breyer
- Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Graduate Program in Veterinary Science Porto Alegre Brazil
- Veterinary Bacteriology Laboratory Veterinary Science Faculty Veterinary Pathology Department 9090 Bento Gonçalves Avenue 91540‐000 Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Sílvia de Carli
- Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Graduate Program in Veterinary Science Porto Alegre Brazil
- Veterinary Bacteriology Laboratory Veterinary Science Faculty Veterinary Pathology Department 9090 Bento Gonçalves Avenue 91540‐000 Porto Alegre Brazil
| | - Natã Inácio Vieira
- Federal University of Acre Graduate Program in Health and Sustainable Animal Production in the Western Amazon Rio Branco Brazil
- Laboratory of Virology and Parasitology Center of Biological Sciences and Nature BR 364 Km 04, Office Building Laércio Wanderley da Nóbrega 69920‐900 Rio Branco Brazil
| | - Vânia Maria França Ribeiro
- Federal University of Acre Graduate Program in Health and Sustainable Animal Production in the Western Amazon Rio Branco Brazil
- Laboratory of Virology and Parasitology Center of Biological Sciences and Nature BR 364 Km 04, Office Building Laércio Wanderley da Nóbrega 69920‐900 Rio Branco Brazil
| | - Flavio Roberto Chaves da Silva
- Federal University of Acre Graduate Program in Health and Sustainable Animal Production in the Western Amazon Rio Branco Brazil
- Laboratory of Virology and Parasitology Center of Biological Sciences and Nature BR 364 Km 04, Office Building Laércio Wanderley da Nóbrega 69920‐900 Rio Branco Brazil
| | - Cíntia Daudt
- Federal University of Acre Graduate Program in Health and Sustainable Animal Production in the Western Amazon Rio Branco Brazil
- Laboratory of Virology and Parasitology Center of Biological Sciences and Nature BR 364 Km 04, Office Building Laércio Wanderley da Nóbrega 69920‐900 Rio Branco Brazil
| | - Franciele Maboni Siqueira
- Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Graduate Program in Veterinary Science Porto Alegre Brazil
- Veterinary Bacteriology Laboratory Veterinary Science Faculty Veterinary Pathology Department 9090 Bento Gonçalves Avenue 91540‐000 Porto Alegre Brazil
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Kerber L, Candela AM, Ferreira JD, Pretto FA, Bubadué J, Negri FR. Postcranial Morphology of the Extinct Rodent Neoepiblema (Rodentia: Chinchilloidea): Insights Into the Paleobiology of Neoepiblemids. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09567-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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7
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Durão AF, Muñoz-Muñoz F, Ventura J. Postnatal ontogeny of the femur in fossorial and semiaquatic water voles in the 3D-shape space. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:1073-1086. [PMID: 34515418 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24765] [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: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Water voles of the genus Arvicola constitute an excellent subject to investigate to which extent function affects postnatal developmental growth of limb structures in phylogenetically close species. We performed a comparative analysis of postweaning femur form changes between Arvicola sapidus (semiaquatic) and Arvicola scherman (fossorial) using three-dimensional landmark-based geometric morphometrics. In both species, we observed greater femur robustness in juvenile individuals than in adult ones, probably due to the accommodation of high loads on the bone during initial locomotor efforts. Significant interspecific differences were also found in the femur size and shape of adult specimens, as well as in the postnatal allometric and phenotypic trajectories. In terms of phenotypic variation, fossorial water voles show relatively wider third and lesser trochanters, and greater femur robustness than A. sapidus, characters associated to the digging activity. In contrast, A. sapidus displays a slight increase of the greater trochanter in comparison with A. scherman, which is seemingly an adaptive response for enhancing propulsion through the water. Results evidence that certain morphological traits and differences between A. sapidus and A. scherman in the allometric and phenotypic trajectories of the femur are associated with their different locomotor mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Filipa Durão
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Francesc Muñoz-Muñoz
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Jacint Ventura
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.,Àrea de recerca en petits mamífers, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Granollers "La Tela", Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Tavares WC, Pessôa LM. Effects of size, phylogeny and locomotor habits on the pelvic and femoral morphology of South American spiny rats (Rodentia: Echimyidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The rodent family Echimyidae (spiny rats, hutias and coypu) is notable for its high phylogenetic and ecological diversity, encompassing ~100 living species with body mass ranging from 70 to 4500 g, including arboreal, epigean (non-arboreal or scansorial), fossorial and semi-aquatic taxa. In view of this diversity, it was hypothesized that echimyid morphological variation in the pelvis and femur should reflect: (1) allometric association with body mass; (2) morphofunctional specializations for the different locomotor habits; and (3) phylogenetic history. To test these propositions, we examined 30 echimyid species, in addition to eight species of two other octodontoid families, Abrocomidae and Octodontidae. Pelvic and femoral variation was assessed with linear morphometry, using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods, part of which was phylogenetically informed. Approximately 80% of the total variation among echimyids was explained by body mass, and some univariate measurements were found potentially to be effective as body mass estimators after simple allometric procedures, notably in the pelvis. Even considering the significant phylogenetic signal, variation in shape was largely structured by locomotor habits, mainly in the pelvis, suggesting that the echimyid hindlimb diversification was driven, in part, by selective pressures related to locomotor habits. Finally, echimyid femoral disparity was considerably greater than in other octodontoids, contrasting with their relatively modest cranial variation. Thus, this study suggests that hindlimb diversity constitutes a key factor for the exceptional echimyid ecological and phyletic diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Corrêa Tavares
- Campus Duque de Caxias Professor Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leila Maria Pessôa
- Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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9
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Sichting F, Holowka NB, Ebrecht F, Lieberman DE. Evolutionary anatomy of the plantar aponeurosis in primates, including humans. J Anat 2020; 237:85-104. [PMID: 32103502 PMCID: PMC7309290 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The plantar aponeurosis in the human foot has been extensively studied and thoroughly described, in part, because of the incidence of plantar fasciitis in humans. It is commonly assumed that the human plantar aponeurosis is a unique adaptation to bipedalism that evolved in concert with the longitudinal arch. However, the comparative anatomy of the plantar aponeurosis is poorly known in most mammals, even among non‐human primates, hindering efforts to understand its function. Here, we review previous anatomical descriptions of 40 primate species and use phylogenetic comparative methods to reconstruct the evolution of the plantar aponeurosis and its relationship to the plantaris muscle in primates. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that the overall organization of the human plantar aponeurosis is shared with chimpanzees and that a similar anatomical configuration evolved independently in different primate clades as an adaptation to terrestrial locomotion. The presence of a plantar aponeurosis with clearly developed lateral and central bands in the African apes suggests that this structure is not prohibitive to suspensory locomotion and that these species possess versatile feet adapted for both terrestrial and arboreal locomotion. This plantar aponeurosis configuration would have been advantageous in enhancing foot stiffness for bipedal locomotion in the earliest hominins, prior to the evolution of a longitudinal arch. Hominins may have subsequently evolved thicker and stiffer plantar aponeuroses alongside the arch to enable a windlass mechanism and elastic energy storage for bipedal walking and running, although this idea requires further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddy Sichting
- Department of Human Locomotion, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas B Holowka
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Florian Ebrecht
- Department of Human Locomotion, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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10
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Deep changes in masticatory patterns and masseteric musculature configurations accompanied the eco-morphological evolution of cavioid rodents (Hystricognathi, Caviomorpha). Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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11
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Brombini GC, Rahal SC, Schimming BC, Santos IFC, Tsunemi MH, Mamprim MJ, Alves LS, Filadelpho AL, Teixeira CR. Radiological and osteological study of the pelvic limbs in free-ranging capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Anat Histol Embryol 2018; 47:239-249. [DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- G. C. Brombini
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Botucatu Brazil
| | - S. C. Rahal
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Botucatu Brazil
| | - B. C. Schimming
- Department of Anatomy; Institute of Biosciences; UNESP; Botucatu Brazil
| | - I. F. C. Santos
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Botucatu Brazil
| | - M. H. Tsunemi
- Department of Biostatistic; Institute of Biosciences; UNESP; Botucatu Brazil
| | - M. J. Mamprim
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; UNESP; Botucatu Brazil
| | - L. S. Alves
- Department of Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Radiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; UNESP; Botucatu Brazil
| | - A. L. Filadelpho
- Department of Anatomy; Institute of Biosciences; UNESP; Botucatu Brazil
| | - C. R. Teixeira
- Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Botucatu Brazil
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12
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The role of capybaras as carriers of leptospires in periurban and rural areas in the western Amazon. Acta Trop 2017; 169:57-61. [PMID: 28119048 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although leptospirosis has been described in capybaras, usually based on serological evidences, bacterial culture of leptospires has been scarcely reported in this species. The western Amazon is a reportedly endemic area where high seroprevalences have been reported in different species of wildlife, domestic animals and in human beings. The present study aimed at investigating the role of capybaras as carriers of leptospires in periurban and rural areas in the western Amazon region. A total of 44 animals were captured, and 41 blood samples (for serology) and 41 urine samples (for PCR and bacterial culture) were obtained. A total of 18/41 (43.9%) of sera were reactive and titers were generally low, indicating chronic infection. PCR was positive in 13/41 (31.7%) samples, isolates were recovered from urine samples belonging to Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa and Shermani serogroups. A high number of carriers (confirmed by PCR) associated to a tendency for harboring Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup strains could be noticed. Our results suggest that capybaras are massively infected by leptospires. Analogously to Norway rats, capybaras present chronic infection with low titers and long-term bacterial shedding, and may be acting as reservoirs of this bacterium.
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Candela AM, Muñoz NA, García-Esponda CM. The tarsal-metatarsal complex of caviomorph rodents: Anatomy and functional-adaptive analysis. J Morphol 2017; 278:828-847. [PMID: 28345764 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Caviomorph rodents represent a major adaptive radiation of Neotropical mammals. They occupy a variety of ecological niches, which is also reflected in their wide array of locomotor behaviors. It is expected that this radiation would be mirrored by an equivalent disparity of tarsal-metatarsal morphology. Here, the tarsal-metatarsal complex of Erethizontidae, Cuniculidae, Dasyproctidae, Caviidae, Chinchillidae, Octodontidae, Ctenomyidae, and Echimyidae was examined, in order to evaluate its anatomical variation and functional-adaptive relevance in relation to locomotor behaviors. A qualitative study in functional morphology and a geometric morphometric analysis were performed. We recognized two distinct tarsal-metatarsal patterns that represent the extremes of anatomical variation in the foot. The first, typically present in arboreal species, is characterized by features that facilitate movements at different levels of the tarsal-metatarsal complex. The second pattern, typically present in cursorial caviomorphs, has a set of features that act to stabilize the joints, improve the interlocking of the tarsal bones, and restrict movements to the parasagittal plane. The morphological disparity recognized in this study seems to result from specific locomotor adaptations to climb, dig, run, jump and swim, as well as phylogenetic effects within and among the groups studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M Candela
- CONICET, División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, La Plata, B1900FWA, Argentina
| | - Nahuel A Muñoz
- CONICET, División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Unidades de Investigación Anexo Museo, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Avenida 122 y 60, LA Plata, B1900FWA, Argentina
| | - César M García-Esponda
- Cátedra Zoología III Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Avenida 122 y 60, La Plata, B1900FWA, Argentina
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14
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Pérez ME, Vallejo-Pareja MC, Carrillo JD, Jaramillo C. A New Pliocene Capybara (Rodentia, Caviidae) from Northern South America (Guajira, Colombia), and its Implications for the Great American Biotic Interchange. J MAMM EVOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-016-9356-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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