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Sugianto NA, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Effects of weather and social factors on hormone levels in the European badger (Meles meles). ZOOLOGY 2023; 158:126093. [PMID: 37149943 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2023.126093] [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: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Animals in the wild continually experience changes in environmental and social conditions, which they respond to with behavioural, physiological and morphological adaptations related to individual phenotypic quality. During unfavourable environmental conditions, reproduction can be traded-off against self-maintenance, mediated through changes in reproductive hormone levels. Using the European badger (Meles meles) as a model species, we examine how testosterone in males and oestrogens in females respond to marked deviations in weather from the long-term mean (rainfall and temperature, where badger earthworm food supply is weather dependent), and to social factors (number of adult males and females per social group and total adults in the population), in relation to age, weight and head-body length. Across seasons, testosterone levels correlated postively with body weight and rainfall variability, whereas oestrone correlated positively with population density, but negatively with temperature variability. Restricting analyses to the mating season (spring), heavier males had higher testosterone levels and longer females had higher oestradiol levels. Spring oestrone levels were lower when temperatures were above normal. That we see these effects for this generally adaptive species with a broad bioclimatic niche serves to highlight that climatic effects (especially with the threat of anthropogenic climate change) on reproductive physiology warrant careful attention in a conservation context.
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Affiliation(s)
- N A Sugianto
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK.
| | - C Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK; Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - D W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
| | - C D Buesching
- Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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Fokidis HB, Brock T, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Assessing chronic stress in wild mammals using claw-derived cortisol: a validation using European badgers ( Meles meles). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad024. [PMID: 37179707 PMCID: PMC10171820 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Measuring stress experienced by wild mammals is increasingly important in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change and initiatives to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. Glucocorticoids (GC), such as cortisol, mediate responses by promoting physiological adjustments during environmental perturbations. Measuring cortisol is a popular technique; however, this often reveals only recent short-term stress such as that incurred by restraining the animal to sample blood, corrupting the veracity of this approach. Here we present a protocol using claw cortisol, compared with hair cortisol, as a long-term stress bio-indicator, which circumvents this constraint, where claw tissue archives the individual's GC concentration over preceding weeks. We then correlate our findings against detailed knowledge of European badger life history stressors. Based on a solid-phase extraction method, we assessed how claw cortisol concentrations related to season and badger sex, age and body-condition using a combination of generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) (n = 668 samples from 273 unique individuals) followed by finer scale mixed models for repeated measures (MMRM) (n = 152 re-captured individuals). Claw and hair cortisol assays achieved high accuracy, precision and repeatability, with similar sensitivity. The top GLMM model for claw cortisol included age, sex, season and the sex*season interaction. Overall, claw cortisol levels were significantly higher among males than females, but strongly influenced by season, where females had higher levels than males in autumn. The top fine scale MMRM model included sex, age and body condition, with claw cortisol significantly higher in males, older and thinner individuals. Hair cortisol was more variable than claw; nevertheless, there was a positive correlation after removing 34 outliers. We discuss strong support for these stress-related claw cortisol patterns from previous studies of badger biology. Given the potential of this technique, we conclude that it has broad application in conservation biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bobby Fokidis
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA.
| | - Taylor Brock
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, 32789-4499, USA
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abindgon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abindgon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V1V7, Canada
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Bichet C, Régis C, Gilot‐Fromont E, Cohas A. Variations in immune parameters with age in a wild rodent population and links with survival. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9094. [PMID: 35845372 PMCID: PMC9273568 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that immune functions do not unidirectionally deteriorate with age but that a potentially adaptive remodeling, where functions of the immune system get downregulated while others get upregulated with age could also occur. Scarce in wild populations, longitudinal studies are yet necessary to properly understand the patterns and consequences of age variations of the immune system in the wild. Meanwhile, it is challenging to understand if the observed variations in immune parameters with age are due to changes at the within-individual level or to selective (dis)appearance of individuals with peculiar immune phenotypes. Thanks to a long-term and longitudinal monitoring of a wild Alpine marmot population, we aimed to understand within- and between-individual variation in the immune phenotype with age, in order to improve our knowledge about the occurrence and the evolutionary consequences of such age variations in the wild. To do so, we recorded the age-specific leukocyte concentration and leukocyte profile in repeatedly sampled dominant individuals. We then tested whether the potential changes with age were attributable to within-individual variations and/or selective (dis)appearance. Finally, we investigated if the leukocyte concentration and profiles were correlated to the probability of death at a given age. The leukocyte concentration was stable with age, but the relative number of lymphocytes decreased, while the relative number of neutrophils increased, over the course of an individual's life. Moreover, between individuals of the same age, individuals with fewer lymphocytes but more neutrophils were more likely to die. Therefore, selective disappearance seems to play a role in the age variations of the immune parameters in this population. Further investigations linking age variations in immune phenotype to individual fitness are needed to understand whether remodeling of the immune system with age could or could not be adaptive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coraline Bichet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de ChizéCNRS‐La Rochelle UniversitéVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
- Institut für Vogelforschung "Vogelwarte Helgoland" (Institute of Avian Research)WilhelmshavenGermany
- UMR‐CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie ÉvolutiveUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Corinne Régis
- UMR‐CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie ÉvolutiveUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
| | - Emmanuelle Gilot‐Fromont
- UMR‐CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie ÉvolutiveUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
- Université de Lyon, VetAgro SupMarcy‐l'EtoileFrance
| | - Aurélie Cohas
- UMR‐CNRS 5558, Laboratoire Biométrie et Biologie ÉvolutiveUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1VilleurbanneFrance
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF)ParisFrance
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A fat chance of survival: Body condition provides life-history dependent buffering of environmental change in a wild mammal population. CLIMATE CHANGE ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecochg.2021.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Sugianto NA, Heistermann M, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Alternative reproductive strategies provide a flexible mechanism for assuring mating success in the European badgers (Meles meles): An investigation from hormonal measures. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 310:113823. [PMID: 34044013 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Selection-pressures differ with population density, but few studies investigate how this can affect reproductive physiology. European badger (Meles meles) density varies from solitary to group-living across their range, with reported mating periods throughout the entire year to specific seasonal periods. Badger reproduction is evolutionarily distinct, interrupting the direct progression from conception to gestation with delayed implantation (DI), allowing for superfecundation (SF). To establish the tactical mating flexibility afforded by DI*SF, we used cross-sectional population-level seasonal variation of circulating sex-steroids for 97 females from a high-density population. Oestradiol was highest in spring among non-parous females, then lower in summer, and remained low during following seasons, suggesting that the mating period was restricted to just spring. Oestrone was consistently higher than oestradiol; it was elevated in spring, lowest during summer, peaked in autumn, and remained elevated for pregnant females in winter. This suggests that oestrone sustains pre-implanted blastocysts throughout DI. Progesterone was low throughout, except during winter pregnancy, associated with implantation and luteal development. In contrast to multiple mating periods reported by lower-density studies, our oestradiol data suggest that, at high-density, females exhibit only one mating period (congruent with testosterone patterns in males studied previously in this same population). While additional mating periods during DI enhance fertility assurance at low-density, at high-density, we propose that when coitus is frequent, fertilisation is assured, precluding the need for further cycles and associated mating risks. This endocrinologically flexible DI*SF mating strategy likely represents a form of balancing selection, allowing badgers to succeed at a range of regional densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Adrianna Sugianto
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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François L. Long-term monitoring of activities of badgers (Meles meles L.) in a broadleaved forest in France. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01447-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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7
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Sugianto NA, Dehnhard M, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. A non-invasive method to assess the reproductive status of the European badger (Meles meles) from urinary sex-steroid metabolites. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 301:113655. [PMID: 33152349 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Due to their unique reproductive physiology and behaviour, European badgers (Meles meles) are often used as a model to study mammalian reproduction. For reproductive endocrinology, circulating hormone levels are conventionally measured directly from blood samples. However, routine blood sampling is often not practical for wild animals and may induce stress affecting measurement accuracy. Non-invasive alternatives are thus of interest. Circulating hormones are metabolized through different routes, either by the kidneys, to be excreted through urine, or by the liver, to be excreted through faeces. These metabolites can thus be used as a proxy of hormone measurements, provided the species-specific metabolic characteristics are known. Here we tested the suitability of measuring urinary metabolites of circulating plasma sex-steroid hormones (testosterone in males and oestrogen in females) with enzyme immunoassays to assess the reproductive status of the European badger (Meles meles). Biological validation evidenced that urinary testosterone metabolite (UTM) and urinary total oestrogen metabolite (UEM) excretion patterns both corresponded with seasonal badger reproductive patterns on a population level, signaling correlation over a broad time frame. On an individual level, concurrent sampling of urine and plasma showed that male plasma testosterone and UTM levels correlated significantly across seasons, but no short term correlation was evident for total oestrogen and UEM in females. Thus, in badgers, urinary sex-steroid metabolites can be used reliably in the short term to assess male reproductive status at the individual level, but only at the broader population level for females.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin Dehnhard
- Endocrinology Laboratory of Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung (IZW), Berlin, Germany
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Cook's Lake Farming Forestry and Wildlife Inc (Ecological Consultancy), Queens County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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van Lieshout SHJ, Badás EP, Mason MWT, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW, Dugdale HL. Social effects on age-related and sex-specific immune cell profiles in a wild mammal. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200234. [PMID: 32673548 PMCID: PMC7423055 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence for age-related changes in innate and adaptive immune responses is increasing in wild populations. Such changes have been linked to fitness, and knowledge of the factors driving immune response variation is important for understanding the evolution of immunity. Age-related changes in immune profiles may be owing to factors such as immune system development, sex-specific behaviour and responses to environmental conditions. Social environments may also contribute to variation in immunological responses, for example, through transmission of pathogens and stress arising from resource and mate competition. Yet, the impact of the social environment on age-related changes in immune cell profiles is currently understudied in the wild. Here, we tested the relationship between leukocyte cell composition (proportion of neutrophils and lymphocytes [innate and adaptive immunity, respectively] that were lymphocytes) and age, sex and group size in a wild population of European badgers (Meles meles). We found that the proportion of lymphocytes in early life was greater in males in smaller groups compared to larger groups, but with a faster age-related decline in smaller groups. By contrast, the proportion of lymphocytes in females was not significantly related to age or group size. Our results provide evidence of sex-specific age-related changes in immune cell profiles in a wild mammal, which are influenced by the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sil H J van Lieshout
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Elisa P Badás
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael W T Mason
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Bright Ross JG, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. What lies beneath? Population dynamics conceal pace-of-life and sex ratio variation, with implications for resilience to environmental change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3307-3324. [PMID: 32243650 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Life-history and pace-of-life syndrome theory predict that populations are comprised of individuals exhibiting different reproductive schedules and associated behavioural and physiological traits, optimized to prevailing social and environmental factors. Changing weather and social conditions provide in situ cues altering this life-history optimality; nevertheless, few studies have considered how tactical, sex-specific plasticity over an individual's lifespan varies in wild populations and influences population resilience. We examined the drivers of individual life-history schedules using 31 years of trapping data and 28 years of pedigree for the European badger (Meles meles L.), a long-lived, iteroparous, polygynandrous mammal that exhibits heterochrony in the timing of endocrinological puberty in male cubs. Our top model for the effects of environmental (social and weather) conditions during a badger's first year on pace-of-life explained <10% of variance in the ratio of fertility to age at first reproduction (F/α) and lifetime reproductive success. Conversely, sex ratio (SR) and sex-specific density explained 52.8% (males) and 91.0% (females) of variance in adult F/α ratios relative to the long-term population median F/α. Weather primarily affected the sexes at different life-history stages, with energy constraints limiting the onset of male reproduction but playing a large role in female strategic energy allocation, particularly in relation to ongoing mean temperature increases. Furthermore, the effects of social factors on age of first reproduction and year-to-year reproductive success covaried differently with sex, likely due to sex-specific responses to potential mate availability. For females, low same-sex densities favoured early primiparity; for males, instead, up to 10% of yearlings successfully mated at high same-sex densities. We observed substantial SR dynamism relating to differential mortality of life-history strategists within the population, and propose that shifting ratios of 'fast' and 'slow' life-history strategists contribute substantially to population dynamics and resilience to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius G Bright Ross
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Sugianto NA, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Reproductive and Somatic Senescence in the European Badger (Meles meles): Evidence from Lifetime Sex-Steroid Profiles. ZOOLOGY 2020; 141:125803. [PMID: 32574816 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Among the Carnivora, there is sparse evidence for any substantive fitness benefits of post reproductive lifespan (PRLS, survival after reproductive cessation, RC). Using the European badger (Meles meles) as a model species, we analyzed sex-specific cross-sectional endocrinological and morphological data to investigate: 1) age-dependent reproductive decline in sex-steroid levels versus prime reproductive age; 2) age-dependent declines in somatic condition and reproductive advertisement (from subcaudal scent gland secretion); 3) changes in reproductive success with age due to somatic and endocrinological decline; 4) occurrence of RC, PRLS, and post reproductive representation (PrR) in the population with reference to pre-pubescent hormone levels and evidenced by fewer cub assignments from pedigree. We provide strong evidence for a gradual, not abrupt, decline in sex-steroid levels with age, with both sexes following a concave (down) quadratic trend. For both sexes, the onset of decline in somatic condition commenced at the age of 3 years. In contrast, decline in reproductive hormones started at age ca. 5.5 years in females and 6 years in males, with similar rates of decline thereafter. Subcaudal gland secretion volume also decreased in both sexes, especially after age 5, suggesting less investment in reproductive advertisement. After age 3, fewer (surviving) females were assigned cubs. This coincided with the onset of somatic decline but came earlier than hormonal decline (5.5 years onwards). The decrease in offspring assignments commenced later in males at age 5-6 years; concomitant with onset of testosterone decline at 6 years. This suggests that, contrary to females, in males declining body condition does not preclude reproductive success (no 'restraint') in advance of hormonal senescence ('constraint'). There was evidence of female PRLS, with very old adults living up to 2.59 ± 1.29 years after RC; although in males this evidence was weaker. We discuss the implications of these findings for RC and PRLS in the context of adaptive and non-adaptive hypotheses. There was evidence of over 2 years of Post Reproductive Life Span in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Adrianna Sugianto
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon Road, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon Road, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon Road, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon Road, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, UK.
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Noonan MJ, Tinnesand HV, Müller CT, Rosell F, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Knowing Me, Knowing You: Anal Gland Secretion of European Badgers (Meles meles) Codes for Individuality, Sex and Social Group Membership. J Chem Ecol 2019; 45:823-837. [DOI: 10.1007/s10886-019-01113-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
European badgers, Meles meles, are group-living in the UK, and demarcate their ranges with shared latrines. As carnivores, badgers possess paired anal glands, but olfactory information on the content of badger anal gland secretion (AGS) is largely uninvestigated. Here, we examined the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of AGS samples from 57 free-living badgers using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. AGS was rich in alkanes (C7–C15, 14.3% of identified compounds), aldehydes (C5–C14, 9.7%), phenols (C6–C15, 9.5%), alcohols (C5–C10, 7.3%), aromatic hydrocarbons (C6–C13, 6.8%), ketones (C6–C13, 6.3%) and carboxylic acids (C3–C12, 5.6%) and contained a variety of esters, sulfurous and nitrogenous compounds, and ethers. The number of VOCs per profile ranged from 20 to 111 (mean = 65.4; ± 22.7 SD), but no compound was unique for any of the biological categories. After normalization of the raw data using Probabilistic Quotient Normalization, we produced a resemblance matrix by calculating the Euclidian distances between all sample pairs. PERMANOVA revealed that AGS composition differs between social groups, and concentration and complexity in terms of number of measurable VOCs varies between seasons and years. AGS VOC profiles encode individual identity, sex and vary with female reproductive state, indicating an important function in intraspecific communication. Because AGS is excreted together with fecal deposits, we conclude that chemical complexity of AGS enables particularly latrine-using species, such as badgers, to advertise more complex individual-specific information than in feces alone.
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Evaluation of a single-shot gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) immunocontraceptive vaccine in captive badgers. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-019-1296-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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13
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Sugianto NA, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Heterochrony of puberty in the European badger (Meles meles) can be explained by growth rate and group-size: Evidence for two endocrinological phenotypes. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0203910. [PMID: 30840618 PMCID: PMC6402631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Puberty is a key stage in mammalian ontogeny, involving endocrinological, physiological and behavioural changes, moderated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Thus, not all individuals within one population achieve sexual maturity simultaneously. Here, using the European badger (Meles meles) as a model, we describe male testosterone and female oestrone profiles (using Enzyme-immunoassays) from first capture (3 months, post-weaning) until 28 months (attaining sexual maturity and final body size), along with metrics of somatic growth, scent gland development and maturation of external reproductive organs as well as intra-specific competition. In both sexes, endocrinological puberty commenced at ca. 11 months. Thereafter, cub hormone levels followed adult seasonal hormone patterns but at lower levels, with the majority of cubs reaching sexual maturity during their second mating season (22-28 months). Interestingly, there was evidence for two endocrinological phenotypes among male cubs (less evident in females), with early developers reaching sexual maturity at 11 months (first mating season) and late developers reaching sexual maturity at 22-26 months (second mating season). Early developers also attained a greater proportion of their ultimate adult size by 11 months, exhibiting faster growth rates than late developers (despite having similar adult size). Male cubs born into larger social groups tended to follow the late developer phenotype. Our results support the hypothesis that a minimum body size is required to reach sexual maturity, which may be achieved at different ages, even within a single population, where early maturity can confer individual fitness advantages and enhance population growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Adrianna Sugianto
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Whyte Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Dagmar Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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14
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Linking plasma sex steroid hormone levels to the condition of external genitalia in European badgers (Meles meles): A critical evaluation of traditional field methodology. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Sin YW, Newman C, Dugdale HL, Buesching C, Mannarelli ME, Annavi G, Burke T, Macdonald DW. No Compensatory Relationship between the Innate and Adaptive Immune System in Wild-Living European Badgers. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163773. [PMID: 27695089 PMCID: PMC5047587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system provides the primary vertebrate defence system against pathogen invasion, but it is energetically costly and can have immune pathological effects. A previous study in sticklebacks found that intermediate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity correlated with a lower leukocyte coping capacity (LCC), compared to individuals with fewer, or many, MHC alleles. The organization of the MHC genes in mammals, however, differs to the highly duplicated MHC genes in sticklebacks by having far fewer loci. Using European badgers (Meles meles), we therefore investigated whether innate immune activity, estimated functionally as the ability of an individual’s leukocytes to produce a respiratory burst, was influenced by MHC diversity. We also investigated whether LCC was influenced by factors such as age-class, sex, body condition, season, year, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, and intensity of infection with five different pathogens. We found that LCC was not associated with specific MHC haplotypes, MHC alleles, or MHC diversity, indicating that the innate immune system did not compensate for the adaptive immune system even when there were susceptible MHC alleles/haplotypes, or when the MHC diversity was low. We also identified a seasonal and annual variation of LCC. This temporal variation of innate immunity was potentially due to physiological trade-offs or temporal variation in pathogen infections. The innate immunity, estimated as LCC, does not compensate for MHC diversity suggests that the immune system may function differently between vertebrates with different MHC organizations, with implications for the evolution of immune systems in different taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung Wa Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, Netherlands
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Maria-Elena Mannarelli
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Geetha Annavi
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Putra Malaysia, UPM 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
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Annavi G, Newman C, Dugdale HL, Buesching CD, Sin YW, Burke T, Macdonald DW. Neighbouring-group composition and within-group relatedness drive extra-group paternity rate in the European badger (Meles meles). J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2191-203. [PMID: 25234113 PMCID: PMC4283041 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Extra-group paternity (EGP) occurs commonly among group-living mammals and plays an important role in mating systems and the dynamics of sexual selection; however, socio-ecological and genetic correlates of EGP have been underexplored. We use 23 years of demographic and genetic data from a high-density European badger (Meles meles) population, to investigate the relationship between the rate of EGP in litters and mate availability, mate incompatibility and mate quality (heterozygosity). Relatedness between within-group assigned mothers and candidate fathers had a negative quadratic effect on EGP, whereas the number of neighbouring-group candidate fathers had a linear positive effect. We detected no effect of mean or maximum heterozygosity of within-group candidate fathers on EGP. Consequently, EGP was associated primarily with mate availability, subject to within-group genetic effects, potentially to mitigate mate incompatibility and inbreeding. In badgers, cryptic female choice, facilitated by superfecundation, superfoetation and delayed implantation, prevents males from monopolizing within-group females. This resonates with a meta-analysis in group-living mammals, which proposed that higher rates of EGP occur when within-group males cannot monopolize within-group females. In contrast to the positive meta-analytic association, however, we found that EGP associated negatively with the number of within-group assigned mothers and the number of within-group candidate fathers; potentially a strategy to counter within-group males committing infanticide. The relationship between the rate of EGP and socio-ecological or genetic factors can therefore be intricate, and the potential for cryptic female choice must be accounted for in comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Annavi
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Putra MalaysiaSelangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - C Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - H L Dugdale
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Theoretical Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of GroningenGroningen, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of GroningenGroningen, The Netherlands
| | - C D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Y W Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, USA
| | - T Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - D W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
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McAllan BM, Geiser F. Torpor during reproduction in mammals and birds: dealing with an energetic conundrum. Integr Comp Biol 2014; 54:516-32. [PMID: 24973362 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icu093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Torpor and reproduction in mammals and birds are widely viewed as mutually exclusive processes because of opposing energetic and hormonal demands. However, the reported number of heterothermic species that express torpor during reproduction is ever increasing, to some extent because of recent work on free-ranging animals. We summarize current knowledge about those heterothermic mammals that do not express torpor during reproduction and, in contrast, examine those heterothermic birds and mammals that do use torpor during reproduction. Incompatibility between torpor and reproduction occurs mainly in high-latitude sciurid and cricetid rodents, which live in strongly seasonal, but predictably productive habitats in summer. In contrast, torpor during incubation, brooding, pregnancy, or lactation occurs in nightjars, hummingbirds, echidnas, several marsupials, tenrecs, hedgehogs, bats, carnivores, mouse lemurs, and dormice. Animals that enter torpor during reproduction often are found in unpredictable habitats, in which seasonal availability of food can be cut short by changes in weather, or are species that reproduce fully or partially during winter. Moreover, animals that use torpor during the reproductive period have relatively low reproductive costs, are largely insectivorous, carnivorous, or nectarivorous, and thus rely on food that can be unpredictable or strongly seasonal. These species with relatively unpredictable food supplies must gain an advantage by using torpor during reproduction because the main cost is an extension of the reproductive period; the benefit is increased survival of parent and offspring, and thus fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M McAllan
- *Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia*Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Fritz Geiser
- *Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia; Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
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Bilham K, Sin YW, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. An example of life history antecedence in the European badger (Meles meles): rapid development of juvenile antioxidant capacity, from plasma vitamin E analogue. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2013.767861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Sin YW, Dugdale HL, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Burke T. Evolution of MHC class I genes in the European badger (Meles meles). Ecol Evol 2012; 2:1644-62. [PMID: 22957169 PMCID: PMC3434948 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a central role in the adaptive immune system and provides a good model with which to understand the evolutionary processes underlying functional genes. Trans-species polymorphism and orthology are both commonly found in MHC genes; however, mammalian MHC class I genes tend to cluster by species. Concerted evolution has the potential to homogenize different loci, whereas birth-and-death evolution can lead to the loss of orthologs; both processes result in monophyletic groups within species. Studies investigating the evolution of MHC class I genes have been biased toward a few particular taxa and model species. We present the first study of MHC class I genes in a species from the superfamily Musteloidea. The European badger (Meles meles) exhibits moderate variation in MHC class I sequences when compared to other carnivores. We identified seven putatively functional sequences and nine pseudogenes from genomic (gDNA) and complementary (cDNA) DNA, signifying at least two functional class I loci. We found evidence for separate evolutionary histories of the α1 and α2/α3 domains. In the α1 domain, several sequences from different species were more closely related to each other than to sequences from the same species, resembling orthology or trans-species polymorphism. Balancing selection and probable recombination maintain genetic diversity in the α1 domain, evidenced by the detection of positive selection and a recombination event. By comparison, two recombination breakpoints indicate that the α2/α3 domains have most likely undergone concerted evolution, where recombination has homogenized the α2/α3 domains between genes, leading to species-specific clusters of sequences. Our findings highlight the importance of analyzing MHC domains separately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung Wa Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, University of GroningenP.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology, University of GroningenP.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
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Sin YW, Buesching CD, Burke T, Macdonald DW. Molecular characterization of the microbial communities in the subcaudal gland secretion of the European badger (Meles meles). FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 81:648-59. [PMID: 22530962 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01396.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many mammals possess specialized scent glands, which convey information about the marking individual. As the chemical profile of scent marks is likely to be affected by bacteria metabolizing the primary gland products, the variation in bacterial communities between different individuals has been proposed to underpin olfactory communication. However, few studies have investigated the dependency of microbiota residing in the scent organs on the host's individual-specific parameters. Here, we used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene and clone library construction to investigate the microbial communities in the subcaudal gland secretion of the European badger (Meles meles). As the secretion has been shown to encode individual-specific information, we investigated the correlation of the microbiota with different individual-specific parameters (age, sex, body condition, reproductive status, and season). We discovered a high number of bacterial species (56 operational taxonomic units from four phyla: Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes), dominated by Actinobacteria (76.0%). The bacterial communities of cubs and adults differed significantly. Cubs possessed considerably more diverse communities dominated by Firmicutes, while in adults the communities were less diverse and dominated by Actinobacteria, suggesting that the acquisition of a 'mature bacterial community' is an ontogenetic process related to physiological changes during maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung Wa Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of Oxford, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK.
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Sin YW, Dugdale HL, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Burke T. MHC class II genes in the European badger (Meles meles): characterization, patterns of variation, and transcription analysis. Immunogenetics 2011; 64:313-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00251-011-0578-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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