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He F, Svenning JC, Chen X, Tockner K, Kuemmerle T, le Roux E, Moleón M, Gessner J, Jähnig SC. Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1141-1163. [PMID: 38411930 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13062] [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: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Freshwater megafauna, such as sturgeons, giant catfishes, river dolphins, hippopotami, crocodylians, large turtles, and giant salamanders, have experienced severe population declines and range contractions worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of studies investigating the causes of megafauna losses in fresh waters, little attention has been paid to synthesising the impacts of megafauna on the abiotic environment and other organisms in freshwater ecosystems, and hence the consequences of losing these species. This limited understanding may impede the development of policies and actions for their conservation and restoration. In this review, we synthesise how megafauna shape ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems and discuss their potential for enhancing ecosystem restoration. Through activities such as movement, burrowing, and dam and nest building, megafauna have a profound influence on the extent of water bodies, flow dynamics, and the physical structure of shorelines and substrata, increasing habitat heterogeneity. They enhance nutrient cycling within fresh waters, and cross-ecosystem flows of material, through foraging and reproduction activities. Freshwater megafauna are highly connected to other freshwater organisms via direct consumption of species at different trophic levels, indirect trophic cascades, and through their influence on habitat structure. The literature documenting the ecological impacts of freshwater megafauna is not evenly distributed among species, regions, and types of ecological impacts, with a lack of quantitative evidence for large fish, crocodylians, and turtles in the Global South and their impacts on nutrient flows and food-web structure. In addition, population decline, range contraction, and the loss of large individuals have reduced the extent and magnitude of megafaunal impacts in freshwater ecosystems, rendering a posteriori evaluation more difficult. We propose that reinstating freshwater megafauna populations holds the potential for restoring key ecological processes such as disturbances, trophic cascades, and species dispersal, which will, in turn, promote overall biodiversity and enhance nature's contributions to people. Challenges for restoration actions include the shifting baseline syndrome, potential human-megafauna competition for habitats and resources, damage to property, and risk to human life. The current lack of historical baselines for natural distributions and population sizes of freshwater megafauna, their life history, trophic interactions with other freshwater species, and interactions with humans necessitates further investigation. Addressing these knowledge gaps will improve our understanding of the ecological roles of freshwater megafauna and support their full potential for facilitating the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies to achieve the coexistence of humans and megafauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhi He
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, Changchun, 130102, China
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Xing Chen
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Klement Tockner
- Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
- Faculty for Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
| | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Marcos Moleón
- Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva S/N, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Jörn Gessner
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
| | - Sonja C Jähnig
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
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Cedrola F, Senra MVX, Morales MJA, Fregulia P, Canesin L, Dias RJP, Solferini VN. Giants' cooperation: a draft genome of the giant ciliate Muniziella cunhai suggests its ecological role in the capybara's digestive metabolism. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001263. [PMID: 38953769 PMCID: PMC11316547 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001263] [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: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Several hundred ciliate species live in animals' guts as a part of their microbiome. Among them, Muniziella cunhai (Trichostomatia, Pycnotrichidae), the largest described ciliate, is found exclusively associated with Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (capybara), the largest known rodent reaching up to 90 kg. Here, we present the sequence, structural and functional annotation of this giant microeukaryote macronuclear genome and discuss its phylogenetic placement. The 85 Mb genome is highly AT rich (GC content 25.71 %) and encodes a total of 11 397 protein-coding genes, of which 2793 could have their functions predicted with automated functional assignments. Functional annotation showed that M. cunhai can digest recalcitrant structural carbohydrates, non-structural carbohydrates, and microbial cell walls, suggesting a role in diet metabolization and in microbial population control in the capybara's intestine. Moreover, the phylogenetic placement of M. cunhai provides insights on the origins of gigantism in the subclass Trichostomatia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franciane Cedrola
- Laboratório de Diversidade Genética, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Millke Jasmine Arminini Morales
- Laboratório de Diversidade Genética, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Priscila Fregulia
- Laboratório de Protozoologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Roberto Júnio Pedroso Dias
- Laboratório de Protozoologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação da Natureza, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vera Nisaka Solferini
- Laboratório de Diversidade Genética, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Surgical Anatomy for Sterilization Procedures in Female Capybaras. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030438. [PMID: 36766328 PMCID: PMC9913292 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030438] [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: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Capybaras are the largest rodents cohabiting with humans within urban and peri-urban green areas and are known by their prolificity. Surgical contraception has been recommended by official organizations as a way to control capybara populations in areas of zoonotic disease transmission, but little data are available concerning surgical anatomy. To obtain objective anatomical descriptions related to reproductive organs, eight female capybaras cadavers were dissected. The stratigraphy of the lateral (flank) and ventral, post-umbilical (on the linea alba) abdominal wall is described as well as the vascular anatomy of reproductive organs and their syntopy with the abdominal viscera. We commented on the access to the uterine tubes and uterine horns for each approach, and for better description of abdominal wall stratigraphy, abdominal ultrasonography was performed in one live female. All of the animals were provenient from "in situ" population management projects that were properly authorized. Similar abdominal wall stratigraphy was found in comparison to domestic mammals, with emphasis on a thick cutaneous muscle, a thin linea alba, and a large, loose cecum. The uterine tubes were easily accessed by bilateral laparotomy, allowing tubal removal/ligation procedures, while uterine horn exposure was more readily reached by a midline post umbilical celiotomy, favoring horn ligature and hysterotomy techniques. This study can help achieve more efficient contraceptive surgeries in capybaras, reducing the total surgical time and enhancing animal welfare.
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Cabral L, Persinoti GF, Paixão DAA, Martins MP, Morais MAB, Chinaglia M, Domingues MN, Sforca ML, Pirolla RAS, Generoso WC, Santos CA, Maciel LF, Terrapon N, Lombard V, Henrissat B, Murakami MT. Gut microbiome of the largest living rodent harbors unprecedented enzymatic systems to degrade plant polysaccharides. Nat Commun 2022; 13:629. [PMID: 35110564 PMCID: PMC8810776 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28310-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The largest living rodent, capybara, can efficiently depolymerize and utilize lignocellulosic biomass through microbial symbiotic mechanisms yet elusive. Herein, we elucidate the microbial community composition, enzymatic systems and metabolic pathways involved in the conversion of dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids, a main energy source for the host. In this microbiota, the unconventional enzymatic machinery from Fibrobacteres seems to drive cellulose degradation, whereas a diverse set of carbohydrate-active enzymes from Bacteroidetes, organized in polysaccharide utilization loci, are accounted to tackle complex hemicelluloses typically found in gramineous and aquatic plants. Exploring the genetic potential of this community, we discover a glycoside hydrolase family of β-galactosidases (named as GH173), and a carbohydrate-binding module family (named as CBM89) involved in xylan binding that establishes an unprecedented three-dimensional fold among associated modules to carbohydrate-active enzymes. Together, these results demonstrate how the capybara gut microbiota orchestrates the depolymerization and utilization of plant fibers, representing an untapped reservoir of enzymatic mechanisms to overcome the lignocellulose recalcitrance, a central challenge toward a sustainable and bio-based economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucelia Cabral
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriela F Persinoti
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
| | - Douglas A A Paixão
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcele P Martins
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Functional and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana A B Morais
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana Chinaglia
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Functional and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariane N Domingues
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mauricio L Sforca
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Renan A S Pirolla
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Wesley C Generoso
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Clelton A Santos
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucas F Maciel
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Nicolas Terrapon
- The Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, USC 1408 AFMB, 13288, Marseille, France
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Vincent Lombard
- The Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, USC 1408 AFMB, 13288, Marseille, France
- Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Bernard Henrissat
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering), Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kgs, Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mario T Murakami
- Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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Jones KR. Trichuris spp. in Animals, with Specific Reference to Neo-Tropical Rodents. Vet Sci 2021; 8:15. [PMID: 33494133 PMCID: PMC7909510 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trichuriasis is the clinical disease of animals infected with the parasite of the genus Trichuris. This review attempts to present information on Trichuris spp. infestation in neo-tropical rodents that are utilized for meat consumption by humans. Neo-tropical rodents utilized for meat production can be divided into two categories: those that have been domesticated, which include the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), and those that are on the verge of domestication, such as the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), lappe (Cuniculus paca/Agouti paca), and agouti (Dasyprocta leporina). This document reviews the literature on the species of Trichuris that affects the rodents mentioned above, as well as the clinical signs observed. The literature obtained spans over sixty years, from 1951 to 2020. Trichuris spp. was found in these neo-tropical rodents mentioned. However, there is a dearth of information on the species of Trichuris that parasitize these animals. The capybara was the only rodent where some molecular techniques were used to identify a new species named T. cutillasae. In most cases, Trichuris spp. was found in combination with other endoparasites, and was found at a low prevalence in the lappe and guinea pig. The presence of Trichuris spp. ranged from 4.62-53.85% in the agouti, 4.21-10.00% in the lappe, 50% in the capybaras, and 1-31% in guinea pigs. Further work must be done towards molecular identification of various Trichuris spp. present in these rodents, as well as the clinical effect of infection on the performance of agouti, lappe, capybara, and guinea pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kegan Romelle Jones
- Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences (DBVS), School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), University of the West Indies (UWI), Mt. Hope Campus, Trinidad and Tobago;
- Department of Food Production (DFP), Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago
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Digestive anatomy, physiology, resting metabolism and methane production of captive maras (Dolichotis patagonum). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 235:82-89. [PMID: 31146020 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The digestive physiology of maras (Dolichotis patagonum) has not been investigated in detail. Maras have a particular limb anatomy facilitating a unique cursoriality among rodents. This may also have led to additional adaptations such as a reduced volume of the gastrointestinal tract. We performed macroanatomical measurements of, and determined mean particle size along, the digestive tract of 10 semi-free-ranging animals (7.04 ± 1.05 kg). Additionally, we measured CH4 emission in five captive animals (7.67 ± 0.98 kg) fed a diet of pelleted lucerne, and measured food intake, digestibility, and digesta mean retention time (MRT) of a solute and three particle markers (fed at <2, 10 and 20 mm particle size). The digestive tract contents represented 11.1 ± 1.4% of body mass, similar to other mammals and rodents, and there was slight indication of selective small particle retention in the caecum. Secondary peaks in marker elimination patterns suggested the possibility of caecotrophy. The MRTs were 15.4 h for the solute and 13.6 h, 13.3 h and 13.3 h for the three particle markers, respectively. At a dry matter intake of 61 ± 12 g kg body mass-0.75 d-1, the maras digested organic matter and neutral detergent fibre to 48 ± 8% and 34 ± 10%, respectively, which is in the lower range of results from horses fed on a diet with a similar fibre content. The respiratory quotient (CO2/O2) was 0.93 ± 0.03, the resting metabolic rate 346 ± 35 kJ kg body mass-0.75 d-1, and CH4 emissions averaged at 3.85 ± 0.47 L d-1 and 14.5 ± 5.2 L per kg dry matter intake; this at a CH4/CO2 ratio of 0.042 ± 0.004. Thus, the methane yield was of a magnitude expected for a hypothetical ruminant of this body mass. The results are consistent with the general understanding of hystricomorph rodent digestive physiology, including caecotrophy, but do not indicate a reduction of digestive capacity to support cursoriality. These results, and those obtained from other hystricomorph rodents, suggest that CH4 production may be more prominent in rodents than previously thought.
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Pucora E, Schiffmann C, Clauss M. Resting postures in terrestrial mammalian herbivores. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Endre Pucora
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets, and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Schiffmann
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets, and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets, and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurstrasse, Zurich, Switzerland
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