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Xie H, Chen Z, Pang S, Du W. Efficient and Highly Continuous Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the First Chameleon Genome. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad131. [PMID: 37481259 PMCID: PMC10410292 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Most amniote genomes are diploid and moderate in size (∼1-6 Gbp) and contain a large proportion of repetitive sequences. The development of next-generation sequencing technology, especially the emergence of high-fidelity (HiFi) long-read data, has made it feasible to resolve high-quality genome assembly for nonmodel species efficiently. However, reference genomes for squamate reptiles have lagged behind other amniote lineages. Here, we de novo assembled the first genome from the Chameleonidae family, the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis). We obtained telomere-to-telomere contigs using only HiFi data, reaching a contig N50 of 158.72 Mbp. The final chromosome-level assembly is 1.61 Gbp in size, and 100% of primary contigs were placed to pseudochromosomes using Hi-C interaction data. We also found that sequencing depth > 30 folds can ensure both the integrity and accuracy of the genome, whereas insufficient depth led to false increase in genome size and proportion of duplicated genes. We provide a high-quality reference genome valuable for evolutionary and ecological studies in chameleons as well as provide comparative genomic resources for squamate reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zixuan Chen
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Weiguo Du
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Assessment of the Orbital and Auricular Asymmetry in Italian and Sudanese Children: A Three-Dimensional Study. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13091657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of the symmetry of orbital and ear soft tissues is important for aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. However, little information is available for these facial regions, especially in children. We analyzed the orbital and auricular symmetry in 418 Italian and 206 Sudanese subadult males divided into three age groups (8–11, 12–15, and 16–19 years old). Orbital and auricular height and width were measured for calculating fluctuating and directional asymmetry indices. Differences in asymmetry indices according to ethnicity and age group were assessed through the two-way ANOVA test (p < 0.01), while differences in the prevalence of right or left asymmetry according to ethnicity were assessed through the chi-square test. On average, directional asymmetry indices ranged from −2.1% to 1.1%, while fluctuating asymmetry indices ranged between 2.9% and 5.4%, corresponding to a small effect size and to 1.06–2.34 mm actual dimensions. Sudanese subjects showed a greater asymmetry for all the indices except for the fluctuating asymmetry of orbital height (p < 0.01). The directional asymmetry of auricular width increased with age. A prevalent right-side asymmetry was found for all the orbital indices (p < 0.001) in both populations, although significantly more prevalent in Sudanese individuals (over 83% for both measures), while auricular measures showed a prevalent left asymmetry exclusively in the Sudanese but with lower percentages. Aside from the limited effect size, the results proved the ethnic variability of asymmetry of orbital and auricle regions in children and suggest the need to collect more population data.
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Asymmetric Behavior in Ptyodactylus guttatus: Can a Digit Ratio Reflect Brain Laterality? Symmetry (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sym12091490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The digit ratio, an indicator of brain laterality, is the ratio of the second and fourth digits on the left (L24) or right foot (R24). Much of the research on the digit ratio and brain laterality focuses on primates, rather than other species such as reptiles. We tested whether the digit ratio in the gecko Ptyodactylus guttatus was associated with behaviors attributed to brain laterality. We examined risk-taking behavior (time spent under cover), foot preference (which foot was the first to start moving) and the side from which geckos bypassed an obstacle, in relation to the digit ratio. Geckos with longer fourth digits on their left hind foot (higher digit ratio) spent more time under cover. Geckos starting to move with their left leg were much more likely to bypass obstacles from the right side, and vice versa. This is the first evidence of laterality being associated with the digit ratio in reptiles. Comparisons among vertebrates are needed in order to decipher the evolutionary origin of the commonalities and peculiarities of brain asymmetry and disentangle the patterns and drivers of our evolutionary tree.
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Ketter-Katz H, Lev-Ari T, Katzir G. Vision in chameleons-A model for non-mammalian vertebrates. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 106:94-105. [PMID: 32576499 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae, Reptilia) are known for their extreme sensory and motor adaptations to arboreal life and insectivoury. They show most distinct sequences of visuo-motor patterns in threat avoidance and in predation with prey capture being performed by tongue strikes that are unparalleled in vertebrates. Optical adaptations result in retinal image enlargement and the unique capacity to determine target distance by accommodation cues. Ocular adaptations result in complex eye movements that are context dependent, not independent, as observed in threat avoidance and predation. In predation, evidence from the chameleons' capacity to track multiple targets support the view that their eyes are under individual controls. Eye movements and body movements are lateralised, with lateralisation being a function of many factors at the population, individual, and specific-situation levels. Chameleons are considered a potentially important model for vision in non-mammalian vertebrates. They provide exceptional behavioural tools for studying eye movements as well as information gathering and analysis. They open the field of lateralisation, decision making, and context dependence. Finally, chameleons allow a deeper examination of the relationships between their unique visuo-motor capacities and the central nervous system of reptiles and ectotherms, in general, as compared with mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Ketter-Katz
- Goldschleger Eye Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, 52621, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Tidhar Lev-Ari
- Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Gadi Katzir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
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Gripshover ND, Jayne BC. Visual Contrast and Intensity Affect Perch Choice of Brown Tree Snakes (Boiga irregularis) and Boa Constrictors (Boa constrictor). ZOOLOGY 2020; 139:125744. [PMID: 32070798 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125744] [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: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Habitat structure can affect animal movement both by affecting the mechanical demands of locomotion and by influencing where animals choose to go. Arboreal habitats facilitate studying path choice by animals because variation in branch structure has known mechanical consequences, and different branches create discrete choices. Recent laboratory studies have found that arboreal snakes can use vision to select shapes and locations of destinations that mechanically facilitate bridging gaps. However, the extent to which the appearance of objects unrelated to biomechanical demands affects the choice of destinations remains poorly understood for most animal taxa including snakes. Hence, we manipulated the intensity (black, gray, or white), contrast, structure, and locations of destinations to test for their combined effects on perch choice during gap bridging of brown tree snakes and boa constrictors. For a white background and a given perch structure and location, both species had significant preferences for darker perches. The preference for darker destinations was strong enough to override or reduce some preferences for biomechanically advantageous destinations such as those having secondary branches or being located closer or along a straighter trajectory. These results provide a striking example of how visual cues unrelated to the physical structure of surfaces, such as contrast and intensity, can bias choice and, in some cases, supersede a preference for mechanically beneficial surfaces. Because these two species are so phylogenetically distant, some of their similar preferences suggest a sensory bias that may be widespread in snakes. The manipulation of surface color may facilitate management of invasive species, such as the brown tree snakes, by enhancing the efficiency of traps or making certain objects less attractive to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah D Gripshover
- Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 210006, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0006, USA.
| | - Bruce C Jayne
- Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 210006, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0006, USA
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Context-specific response inhibition and differential impact of a learning bias in a lizard. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:317-329. [PMID: 30707367 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01245-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Response inhibition (inhibiting prepotent responses) is needed for reaching a more favourable goal in situations where reacting automatically would be detrimental. Inhibiting prepotent responses to resist the temptation of a stimulus in certain situations, such as a novel food item, can directly affect an animal's survival. In humans and dogs, response inhibition varies between contexts and between individuals. We used two contextually different experiments to investigate response inhibition in the eastern water skink (Eulamprus quoyii): reversal of a visual two-choice discrimination and a cylinder detour task. During the two-choice task, half of our lizards were able to reach an initial learning criterion, but, thereafter, did not show consistent performance. Only two individuals reached a more stringent criterion, but subsequently failed during reversals. Furthermore, half of our animals were not able to inhibit a pre-existing side preference which affected their ability to learn during the two-choice task. Skinks were, however, able to achieve a detour around a cylinder performing at levels comparable to brown lemurs, marmosets, and some parrot species. A comparison between the tasks showed that reaching the initial criterion was associated with low success during the detour task, indicating that response inhibition could be context-specific in the water skink. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine inhibitory control and motor self-regulation in a lizard species.
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Pellitteri-Rosa D, Gazzola A. Context-dependent behavioural lateralization in the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis (Testudines, Emydidae). J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.186775. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Lateralization presents clear advantages in ecological contexts since dominance of one brain side prevents the simultaneous activation of contrasting responses in organisms with laterally located eyes. This is crucial in selecting a safe refuge during a predatory attack and may strongly affect predator–prey interactions. We explored the possible presence of lateralization in the antipredatory behaviour of European pond turtles, considering their escape facing a possible predatory attack. Thirty individuals (17 males, 13 females) were exposed to three different environmental situations of gradual increasing predatory threat: escape underwater from an unsafe shelter, diving into the water from a basking site, righting after being overturned. All turtles were tested 20 times for each of the three experiments (60 trials per individual and 1800 overall trials). We recorded multiple behavioural responses in the general context of predation risk. This was done in order to assess both the existence of lateralization and possible correlations among different behaviours as function of lateralization. The number of significant responses to the left side was always prevalent in each of the three simulated anti-predatory situations, suggesting the existence of a lateralized behaviour in this species. At the individual level, the differences we found in the three experiments could be related to different ecological contexts and consequent risk of predation. Our findings, among the few on Chelonians, support the possible involvement of the right hemisphere activity and, most importantly, reveal how the complexity of a general predatory context can affect the laterality of escape behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa
- Laboratorio di Eco-Etologia, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Gazzola
- Laboratorio di Eco-Etologia, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Abstract
In this paper, we review one of the oldest paradigms used in animal cognition: the detour paradigm. The paradigm presents the subject with a situation where a direct route to the goal is blocked and a detour must be made to reach it. Often being an ecologically valid and a versatile tool, the detour paradigm has been used to study diverse cognitive skills like insight, social learning, inhibitory control and route planning. Due to the relative ease of administrating detour tasks, the paradigm has lately been used in large-scale comparative studies in order to investigate the evolution of inhibitory control. Here we review the detour paradigm and some of its cognitive requirements, we identify various ecological and contextual factors that might affect detour performance, we also discuss developmental and neurological underpinnings of detour behaviors, and we suggest some methodological approaches to make species comparisons more robust.
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Smith GR, Rettig JE, Iverson JB. Is righting response lateralized in two species of freshwater turtles? BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Laterality has been found in a variety of reptiles. In turtles, one important behaviour is the righting response. Here, we studied laterality of righting response of two species of freshwater turtles, the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) and the Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). We found evidence of individual-level laterality in righting response in C. picta, but not S. odoratus. Neither species showed evidence of population-level laterality in righting response. Our results suggest that there is variation in the extent of laterality of righting response in turtles. Possible explanations for variation in laterality of righting response in turtles include shell shape and use of terrestrial habitats. However, more species of turtles need to be examined to demonstrate any general patterns in laterality of righting response in turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey R. Smith
- aDepartment of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
| | - Jessica E. Rettig
- aDepartment of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
| | - John B. Iverson
- bDepartment of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
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Avoidance of a moving threat in the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon): rapid tracking by body motion and eye use. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2016; 202:567-76. [PMID: 27343128 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-016-1106-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) on a perch responds to a nearby threat by moving to the side of the perch opposite the threat, while bilaterally compressing its abdomen, thus minimizing its exposure to the threat. If the threat moves, the chameleon pivots around the perch to maintain its hidden position. How precise is the body rotation and what are the patterns of eye movement during avoidance? Just-hatched chameleons, placed on a vertical perch, on the side roughly opposite to a visual threat, adjusted their position to precisely opposite the threat. If the threat were moved on a horizontal arc at angular velocities of up to 85°/s, the chameleons co-rotated smoothly so that (1) the angle of the sagittal plane of the head relative to the threat and (2) the direction of monocular gaze, were positively and significantly correlated with threat angular position. Eye movements were role-dependent: the eye toward which the threat moved maintained a stable gaze on it, while the contralateral eye scanned the surroundings. This is the first description, to our knowledge, of such a response in a non-flying terrestrial vertebrate, and it is discussed in terms of possible underlying control systems.
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Munteanu AM, Starnberger I, Pašukonis A, Bugnyar T, Hödl W, Fitch WT. Take the long way home: Behaviour of a neotropical frog, Allobates femoralis, in a detour task. Behav Processes 2016; 126:71-5. [PMID: 26997105 PMCID: PMC5458138 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Detour behaviour, an individual's ability to reach its goal by taking an indirect route, has been used to test spatial cognitive abilities across a variety of taxa. Although many amphibians show a strong homing ability, there is currently little evidence of amphibian spatial cognitive flexibility. We tested whether a territorial frog, Allobates femoralis, can flexibly adjust its homing path when faced with an obstacle. We displaced male frogs from their calling sites into the centre of circular arenas and recorded their escape routes. In the first experiment we provided an arena with equally high walls. In the second experiment we doubled the height of the homeward facing wall. Finally, we provided a tube as a shortcut through the high wall. In the equal-height arena, most frogs chose to escape via the quadrant facing their former calling site. However, when challenged with different heights, nearly all frogs chose the low wall, directing their movements away from the calling site. In the "escape tunnel" experiment most frogs still chose the low wall. Our results show that displaced A. femoralis males can flexibly adjust their homing path and avoid (presumably energetically costly) obstacles, providing experimental evidence of spatial cognitive flexibility in an amphibian.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iris Starnberger
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrius Pašukonis
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Hödl
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - William Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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