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Valdez DJ. An updated look at the mating system, parental care and androgen seasonal variations in ratites. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 323-324:114034. [PMID: 35367461 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Androgens modulate multiple key aspects of male reproduction, from morphology to mating behavior. Across animals the seasonal patterns of androgens are tightly linked to many of the species' life-history traits and their evolution. One popular framework to address this issue has been the Challenge Hypothesis, which proposed a testosterone-mediated trade-off between mating and parental care in males. Given the lack of empirical support, especially in birds, this hypothesis has been recently revisited (Challenge Hypothesis 2.0), integrating aspects such as male-female interactions and the diversity of reproductive systems in birds. Ratites constitute the most basal avian group (Palaeognathae: ratites together with Tinamiformes) and have certain characteristics that make them unique. They are flightless and generally have promiscuous mating systems with communal nests and male-only parental care (nest building, incubation and chick rearing). Furthermore, male testosterone concentrations remain high during the entire parental care period. Here we review the reproductive biology of ratites, integrating information on seasonal variations in parental care, social interactions and androgen levels across the group, in light of the Challenge Hypotheses and the Challenge Hypothesis 2.0 (there are no seasonal hormonal data for Tinamiformes, therefore they are not included in this review). We also discuss the constraints that could explain the lack of experimental approaches in behavioral endocrinology across ratites. I hope this review will motivate further research on this basal group of birds and further our understanding of the evolution of the mechanisms in the endocrine system that underly reproductive behavior across birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego J Valdez
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Zoología Aplicada. Rondeau 798, CP X5000AVP, Córdoba, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA), Av. Vélez Sarsfield 299, X5000JJC, Córdoba, Argentina.
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Ostrich ejaculate characteristics and male libido around equinox and solstice dates. Trop Anim Health Prod 2020; 52:2609-2619. [PMID: 32451835 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02299-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The study evaluated the effect of time of the year in which changes in photoperiod occurs on ostrich semen characteristics and male libido. Semen was collected for 5 days before, on and 5 days after winter solstice (21 June 2016), spring equinox (22 September 2016), summer solstice (21 December 2016) and autumn equinox (20 March 2017) in the southern hemisphere. Semen was collected from 10 South African Black ostrich males (average age ± standard deviation; 4.5 ± 2.27 years) using the dummy female. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm per ejaculate, sperm motility traits, percentage of normal sperm, head and tail abnormalities and percentage of affected sperm in the hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOS) were evaluated. Male libido defined as the willingness of males to mount the dummy female was also recorded. Semen samples collected around summer solstice, spring and autumn equinox were higher in sperm concentration and sperm output compared with winter solstice (P < 0.05). Study periods did not influence semen volume, sperm motility traits, the percentage of normal sperm, head abnormalities and HOS. Tail abnormalities were higher around winter solstice than around spring equinox (P < 0.05). Male libido and the success of semen collection were significantly higher around spring equinox (P < 0.05). Changes in photoperiod in the southern hemisphere do not affect semen production in ostriches. However, high sperm output and male libido around spring equinox and summer solstice dates suggest that these periods may be preferred for semen collection for artificial insemination and storage purposes.
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Siddique F, Abbas R, Mahmood M, Iqbal A, Javaid A, Hussain I. Eco-epidemiology and pathogenesis of Newcastle disease in ostriches ( Struthio camelus). WORLD POULTRY SCI J 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/00439339.2020.1746220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F. Siddique
- Department of Microbiology, Cholistan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
| | - R.Z. Abbas
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - M.S. Mahmood
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - A. Iqbal
- Department of Parasitology, Riphah College of Veterinary Science, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - A. Javaid
- Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
| | - I. Hussain
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
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Muvhali PT, Bonato M, Engelbrecht A, Malecki IA, Hough D, Robinson JE, Evans NP, Cloete SWP. The Effect of Extensive Human Presence at an Early Age on Stress Responses and Reactivity of Juvenile Ostriches towards Humans. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:E175. [PMID: 30301126 PMCID: PMC6210211 DOI: 10.3390/ani8100175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of extensive human presence and regular gentle handling performed at an early age (0⁻3 months old) on stress responses and reactivity of juvenile ostriches towards humans was investigated. A total of 416 ostrich chicks over two years were exposed to one of three treatments for three months after hatching; namely, Human Presence 1 (HP1, N = 144): extensive/prolonged human presence with physical contact (touch, stroking), gentle human voice, and visual stimuli; Human Presence 2 (HP2, N = 136): extensive/prolonged human presence without physical contact, but with gentle human voice and visual stimuli; and the Standard treatment (S, N = 136): human presence limited to routine feed and water supply as a control. At 7.5 months of age, the plasma heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio was measured before and 72 h after feather harvesting and feather clipping to determine acute stress responses, while chronic stress was measured by quantification of corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in the floss feathers of the birds. Birds' behavioural response towards a familiar or an unfamiliar handler was evaluated at 12 months using docility and fear tests, and through behavioural observations conducted on random days between the ages of 8⁻13 months. Willingness to approach, and to allow touch interactions, aggressiveness, and exhibition of sexual display towards the handler, was recorded. No difference in the H/L ratios before and after feather harvesting and clipping was observed in HP1 birds, whereas H/L ratios showed a significant increase 72 h post feather harvesting and clipping in HP2 and S birds (p < 0.05). Birds from the S treatment exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) higher feather CORT concentration compared with HP1 birds, while HP2 birds had intermediate responses. Birds' reactivity towards humans and temperament as evaluated using behavioural observations, docility, and fear tests was not affected by treatment (p > 0.05). However, HP1 and HP2 birds were more inclined (p < 0.05) to approach a familiar rather than an unfamiliar handler during the behavioural observations, indicating an ability to distinguish between a familiar and an unfamiliar handler. Overall, the results indicate that early gentle human interactions with ostrich chicks can be beneficial in reducing physiological stress sensitivity later in life and facilitate the ability of ostriches to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar handlers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pfunzo T Muvhali
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
| | - Maud Bonato
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
| | - Anel Engelbrecht
- Directorate Animal Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture: Oudtshoorn Research Farm, P.O. Box 351, Oudtshoorn 6620, South Africa.
| | - Irek A Malecki
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
| | - Denise Hough
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Jane E Robinson
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Neil P Evans
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Schalk W P Cloete
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
- Directorate Animal Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture: Elsenburg, Private Bag X1, Elsenburg 7607, South Africa.
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da Costa PJ, Menezes J, Romão L. The role of alternative splicing coupled to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in human disease. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 91:168-175. [PMID: 28743674 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2017.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 07/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Alternative pre-mRNA splicing (AS) affects gene expression as it generates proteome diversity. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a surveillance pathway that recognizes and selectively degrades mRNAs carrying premature translation-termination codons (PTCs), preventing the production of truncated proteins that could result in disease. Several studies have also implicated NMD in the regulation of steady-state levels of physiological mRNAs. In addition, it is known that several regulated AS events do not lead to generation of protein products, as they lead to transcripts that carry PTCs and thus, they are committed to NMD. Indeed, an estimated one-third of naturally occurring, alternatively spliced mRNAs is targeted for NMD, being AS coupled to NMD (AS-NMD) an efficient strategy to regulate gene expression. In this review, we will focus on how AS mechanism operates and how can be coupled to NMD to fine-tune gene expression levels. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the physiological significance of the interplay among AS and NMD in human disease, such as cancer and neurological disorders. The understanding of how AS-NMD orchestrates expression of vital genes is of utmost importance for the advance in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of many human disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo J da Costa
- Department of Human Genetics, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Juliane Menezes
- Department of Human Genetics, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Luísa Romão
- Department of Human Genetics, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Roberts P, Henshilwood CS, van Niekerk KL, Keene P, Gledhill A, Reynard J, Badenhorst S, Lee-Thorp J. Climate, Environment and Early Human Innovation: Stable Isotope and Faunal Proxy Evidence from Archaeological Sites (98-59ka) in the Southern Cape, South Africa. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157408. [PMID: 27383620 PMCID: PMC4934875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of southern Africa, and in particular its Still Bay and Howiesons Poort lithic traditions, represents a period of dramatic subsistence, cultural, and technological innovation by our species, Homo sapiens. Climate change has frequently been postulated as a primary driver of the appearance of these innovative behaviours, with researchers invoking either climate instability as a reason for the development of buffering mechanisms, or environmentally stable refugia as providing a stable setting for experimentation. Testing these alternative models has proved intractable, however, as existing regional palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records remain spatially, stratigraphically, and chronologically disconnected from the archaeological record. Here we report high-resolution records of environmental shifts based on stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in ostrich eggshell (OES) fragments, faunal remains, and shellfish assemblages excavated from two key MSA archaeological sequences, Blombos Cave and Klipdrift Shelter. We compare these records with archaeological material remains in the same strata. The results from both sites, spanning the periods 98-73 ka and 72-59 ka, respectively, show significant changes in vegetation, aridity, rainfall seasonality, and sea temperature in the vicinity of the sites during periods of human occupation. While these changes clearly influenced human subsistence strategies, we find that the remarkable cultural and technological innovations seen in the sites cannot be linked directly to climate shifts. Our results demonstrate the need for scale-appropriate, on-site testing of behavioural-environmental links, rather than broader, regional comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Roberts
- School of Archaeology, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, the University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher S. Henshilwood
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Karen L. van Niekerk
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Petro Keene
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrew Gledhill
- Division of Geographic, Archaeological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom
| | - Jerome Reynard
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shaw Badenhorst
- Archaeozoology and Large Mammal Section, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (former Transvaal Museum), Paul Kruger St, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of South Africa, UNISA, Durban, South Africa
| | - Julia Lee-Thorp
- School of Archaeology, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, the University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Bonato M, Cherry MI, Cloete SW. Mate choice, maternal investment and implications for ostrich welfare in a farming environment. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Ghasemi HA, Kazemi-Bonchenari M, Khaltabadi-Farahani AH, Khodaei Motlagh M. The effect of feeding rations with different ratios of concentrate to alfalfa hay on blood hematological and biochemical parameters of farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus). Trop Anim Health Prod 2013; 45:1635-40. [DOI: 10.1007/s11250-013-0409-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Scriba MF, Harmening WM, Mettke-Hofmann C, Vyssotski AL, Roulin A, Wagner H, Rattenborg NC. Evaluation of two minimally invasive techniques for electroencephalogram recording in wild or freely behaving animals. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2012. [PMID: 23207908 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-012-0779-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Insight into the function of sleep may be gained by studying animals in the ecological context in which sleep evolved. Until recently, technological constraints prevented electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of animals sleeping in the wild. However, the recent development of a small recorder (Neurologger 2) that animals can carry on their head permitted the first recordings of sleep in nature. To facilitate sleep studies in the field and to improve the welfare of experimental animals, herein, we test the feasibility of using minimally invasive surface and subcutaneous electrodes to record the EEG in barn owls. The EEG and behaviour of four adult owls in captivity and of four chicks in a nest box in the field were recorded. We scored a 24-h period for each adult bird for wakefulness, slow-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep using 4 s epochs. Although the quality and stability of the EEG signals recorded via subcutaneous electrodes were higher when compared to surface electrodes, the owls' state was readily identifiable using either electrode type. On average, the four adult owls spent 13.28 h awake, 9.64 h in SWS, and 1.05 h in REM sleep. We demonstrate that minimally invasive methods can be used to measure EEG-defined wakefulness, SWS, and REM sleep in owls and probably other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Scriba
- Avian Sleep Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-str. 11, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
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Smith NC, Wilson AM. Mechanical and energetic scaling relationships of running gait through ontogeny in the ostrich (Struthio camelus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 216:841-9. [PMID: 23155079 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.064691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
It is unclear whether small animals, with their high stride frequency and crouched posture, or large animals, with more tendinous limbs, are more reliant on storage and return of elastic energy during locomotion. The ostrich has a limb structure that appears to be adapted for high-speed running with long tendons and short muscle fibres. Here we investigate biomechanics of ostrich gait through growth and, with consideration of anatomical data, identify scaling relationships with increasing body size, relating to forces acting on the musculoskeletal structures, effective mechanical advantage (EMA) and mechanical work. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected through growth from running ostriches. Joint moments scaled in a similar way to the pelvic limb segments as a result of consistent posture through growth, such that EMA was independent of body mass. Because no postural change was observed, relative loads applied to musculoskeletal tissues would be predicted to increase during growth, with greater muscle, and hence tendon, load allowing increased potential for elastic energy storage with increasing size. Mass-specific mechanical work per unit distance was independent of body mass, resulting in a small but significant increase in the contribution of elastic energy storage to locomotor economy in larger ostriches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola C Smith
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK.
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Omidi A, Ansari nik H. Selected biochemical values of yearling African blue neck ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Iran. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00580-012-1452-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Lesku JA, Meyer LCR, Fuller A, Maloney SK, Dell'Omo G, Vyssotski AL, Rattenborg NC. Ostriches sleep like platypuses. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23203. [PMID: 21887239 PMCID: PMC3160860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals and birds engage in two distinct states of sleep, slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. SWS is characterized by slow, high amplitude brain waves, while REM sleep is characterized by fast, low amplitude waves, known as activation, occurring with rapid eye movements and reduced muscle tone. However, monotremes (platypuses and echidnas), the most basal (or 'ancient') group of living mammals, show only a single sleep state that combines elements of SWS and REM sleep, suggesting that these states became temporally segregated in the common ancestor to marsupial and eutherian mammals. Whether sleep in basal birds resembles that of monotremes or other mammals and birds is unknown. Here, we provide the first description of brain activity during sleep in ostriches (Struthio camelus), a member of the most basal group of living birds. We found that the brain activity of sleeping ostriches is unique. Episodes of REM sleep were delineated by rapid eye movements, reduced muscle tone, and head movements, similar to those observed in other birds and mammals engaged in REM sleep; however, during REM sleep in ostriches, forebrain activity would flip between REM sleep-like activation and SWS-like slow waves, the latter reminiscent of sleep in the platypus. Moreover, the amount of REM sleep in ostriches is greater than in any other bird, just as in platypuses, which have more REM sleep than other mammals. These findings reveal a recurring sequence of steps in the evolution of sleep in which SWS and REM sleep arose from a single heterogeneous state that became temporally segregated into two distinct states. This common trajectory suggests that forebrain activation during REM sleep is an evolutionarily new feature, presumably involved in performing new sleep functions not found in more basal animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A. Lesku
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | - Andrea Fuller
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shane K. Maloney
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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