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Goździewska-Harłajczuk K, Hamouzová P, Klećkowska-Nawrot J, Čížek P. Morphological adaptation of the tongue of okapi (Okapia johnstoni Artiodactyla, Giraffidae)-Anatomy, histology, and ultrastructure. J Morphol 2024; 285:e21743. [PMID: 38825877 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21743] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to describe the morphology of the tongue of the okapi, and to compare the results with other ruminants including browsers, intermediates and grazers. The material was collected post-mortem from two animals from a Zoological Garden. The structure of the okapi tongue, focusing of the shape of the tongue, lingual surface, its papillae and lingual glands, was examined using gross morphology, light and polarized microscopy, and by scanning electron microscopy. The okapi tongue was characterized by dark pigmentation on the lingual dorsum (except lingual torus) and on the whole ventral surface. Two types of filiform papillae were observed, with additional, even 6-8 projections at their base. The round fungiform papillae were present at a higher density, up to 16/cm2, on the ventro-lateral area of the lingual apex. Round and elongate vallate papillae were arranged in two parallel lines between the body and root of the tongue. Numerous taste buds were detected within the epithelium of their vallum, while fungiform papillae had sparse taste buds. A lack of foliate papillae was noted. Very small conical papillae, some lenticular in shape, were present on the lingual torus. Thick collagen type I fibers were dominant over collagen type III fibers in the connective tissue of the lingual papillae. The mucous acini units were dominant among lingual glands, indicating that the secretion of okapi lingual glands was mostly mucous. In many aspects, the tongue of okapi resembles the tongue of other ruminants. The specific lingual shape and lingual surface, together with the lingual glands, support the processing of plant food, such as young and soft leaves. Although okapi tongue is characterized by smaller conical papillae compared to other ruminants, its high number of vallate papillae is similar that found in other browsers, intermediate and grazers. Thus the number of gustatory papillae rather indicates that this feature is not related to the type of feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Goździewska-Harłajczuk
- Department of Biostructure and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Pavla Hamouzová
- Department of Physiology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joanna Klećkowska-Nawrot
- Department of Biostructure and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Petr Čížek
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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Clauss M, Fritz J, Hummel J. Teeth and the gastrointestinal tract in mammals: when 1 + 1 = 3. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220544. [PMID: 37839451 PMCID: PMC10577037 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Both teeth and the digestive tract show adaptations that are commonly interpreted in the context of trophic guilds-faunivory, herbivory and omnivory. Teeth prepare food for the digestive tract, and dental evolution focuses on increasing durability and functionality; in particular, size reduction of plant particles is an important preparation for microbial fermentative digestion. In narratives of digestive adaptations, microbes are typically considered as service providers, facilitating digestion. That the majority of 'herbivorous' (and possibly 'omnivorous') mammals display adaptations to maximize microbes' use as prey-by harvesting the microbes multiplying in their guts-is less emphasized and not reflected in trophic labels. Harvesting of microbes occurs either via coprophagy after separation from indigestible material by a separation mechanism in the hindgut, or from a forestomach by a 'washing mechanism' that selectively removes fines, including microbes, to the lower digestive tract. The evolution of this washing mechanism as part of the microbe farming niche opened the opportunity for the evolution of another mechanism that links teeth and guts in an innovative way-the sorting and cleaning of not-yet-sufficiently-size-reduced food that is then re-submitted to repeated mastication (rumination), leading to unprecedented chewing and digestive efficiency. This article is part of the theme issue 'Food processing and nutritional assimilation in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julia Fritz
- Zugspitzstr. 15 1/2, 82131 Stockdorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Hummel
- Ruminant Nutrition, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Przybyło M, Krajda G, Różański Ł, Rolik G, Ortmann S, Górka P, Clauss M. Fluid and particle retention in a small New World and a small Old World cervid, the southern pudu (Pudu puda) and Reeves's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 285:111506. [PMID: 37595882 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111506] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Ruminants differ in the pattern how small particles and liquids pass through their gastrointestinal tract, and in particular their reticulorumen (RR). Based on that they may be classified into 'moose-type' and 'cattle-type' species (smaller and larger differences between particle and liquid passage, respectively). The ratio between the retention of particles and fluids is called the 'selectivity factor' (SF) and is a species-specific characteristic, studied in tragulids, giraffids and bovids, but not in many cervid species. Recently, it has been suggested that a high SF might also serve to wash digesta clean of external abrasives prior to regurgitation for rumination. In this study, we measured SF and passage kinetics (using a liquid marker and markers of different particle size, fed with the diet) in a capreoline deer, the southern pudu (Pudu puda, n = 5, 10.3 ± 2.9 kg, kept at two zoos) and a cervine deer, the Reeves's muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi, n = 6, 11.0 ± 1.7 kg, kept at a research facility). The relative daily dry matter intake (38 ± 3 g/kg0.75 for pudu and 76 ± 5 g/kg0.75 for muntjac) was higher, and the mean retention times (MRT) correspondingly shorter (e.g., MRT small particles in the total digestive tract 39 ± 8 h for pudu and 15 ± 2 h for muntjac), in the muntjac. The SF for small particles/liquid in the reticulorumen were, however, similar for both species, at 1.47 ± 0.21 for pudu and 1.66 ± 0.20 for muntjac, indicating a 'moose-type' physiology for both, irrespective of their different phylogenetic origin. To date, SF recorded in bovids attain distinctively higher values than the few reported for cervids. This situation reflects the degree of hypsodonty (tooth crown height) attained by these taxa, which is higher in bovids than in cervids. Together, constraints in hypsodonty as well as SF might limit cervids to more mesic habitats without distinct loads of external abrasives (such as dust or grit) on their food. In both species, some animals showed the typical ruminant pattern of a longer MRT for large than for small particle markers, but in some animals, this difference was not evident. This may be due to variable degrees of marker chewing during ingestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Przybyło
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, and Fisheries, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Gracja Krajda
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, and Fisheries, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Łukasz Różański
- Municipal Zoological Garden in Warsaw, Ratuszowa 1/3, 03-461 Warszawa, Poland.
| | | | - Sylvia Ortmann
- Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Paweł Górka
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology, and Fisheries, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-059 Krakow, Poland.
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Zhang XY, Wang DH. Gut Microbial Community and Host Thermoregulation in Small Mammals. Front Physiol 2022; 13:888324. [PMID: 35480035 PMCID: PMC9035535 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.888324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The endotherms, particularly the small mammals living in the polar region and temperate zone, are faced with extreme challenges for maintaining stable core body temperatures in harsh cold winter. The non-hibernating small mammals increase metabolic rate including obligatory thermogenesis (basal/resting metabolic rate, BMR/RMR) and regulatory thermogenesis (mainly nonshivering thermogenesis, NST, in brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle) to maintain thermal homeostasis in cold conditions. A substantial amount of evidence indicates that the symbiotic gut microbiota are sensitive to air temperature, and play an important function in cold-induced thermoregulation, via bacterial metabolites and byproducts such as short-chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids. Cold signal is sensed by specific thermosensitive transient receptor potential channels (thermo-TRPs), and then norepinephrine (NE) is released from sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and thyroid hormones also increase to induce NST. Meanwhile, these neurotransmitters and hormones can regulate the diversity and compositions of the gut microbiota. Therefore, cold-induced NST is controlled by both Thermo-TRPs—SNS—gut microbiota axis and thyroid—gut microbiota axis. Besides physiological thermoregulation, small mammals also rely on behavioral regulation, such as huddling and coprophagy, to maintain energy and thermal homeostasis, and the gut microbial community is involved in these processes. The present review summarized the recent progress in the gut microbiota and host physiological and behavioral thermoregulation in small mammals for better understanding the evolution and adaption of holobionts (host and symbiotic microorganism). The coevolution of host-microorganism symbionts promotes individual survival, population maintenance, and species coexistence in the ecosystems with complicated, variable environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - De-Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: De-Hua Wang,
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Przybyło M, Ortmann S, Świerk S, Clauss M. Fluid and particle retention in the greater kudu
(<i>Tragelaphus strepsiceros</i>). JOURNAL OF ANIMAL AND FEED SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.22358/jafs/145755/2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Wood BM, Millar RS, Wright N, Baumgartner J, Holmquist H, Kiffner C. Hunter-Gatherers in context: Mammal community composition in a northern Tanzania landscape used by Hadza foragers and Datoga pastoralists. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251076. [PMID: 33989291 PMCID: PMC8121365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In many regions of sub Saharan Africa large mammals occur in human-dominated areas, yet their community composition and abundance have rarely been described in areas occupied by traditional hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. Surveys of mammal populations in such areas provide important measures of biodiversity and provide ecological context for understanding hunting practices. Using a sampling grid centered on a Hadza hunter-gatherer camp and covering 36 km2 of semi-arid savannah in northern Tanzania, we assessed mammals using camera traps (n = 19 stations) for c. 5 months (2,182 trap nights). In the study area (Tli’ika in the Hadza language), we recorded 36 wild mammal species. Rarefaction curves suggest that sampling effort was sufficient to capture mammal species richness, yet some species known to occur at low densities in the wider area (e.g. African lions, wildebeest) were not detected. Relative abundance indices of wildlife species varied by c. three orders of magnitude, from a mean of 0.04 (African wild dog) to 20.34 capture events per 100 trap-nights (Kirk’s dik dik). To contextualize the relative abundance of wildlife in the study area, we compared our study’s data to comparable camera trap data collected in a fully protected area of northern Tanzania with similar rainfall (Lake Manyara National Park). Raw data and negative binomial regression analyses show that wild herbivores and wild carnivores were generally detected in the national park at higher rates than in the Hadza-occupied region. Livestock were notably absent from the national park, but were detected at high levels in Tli’ika, and cattle was the second most frequently detected species in the Hadza-used area. We discuss how these data inform current conservation efforts, studies of Hadza hunting, and models of hunter-gatherer foraging ecology and diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Wood
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BMW); (CK)
| | | | | | | | | | - Christian Kiffner
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Center For Wildlife Management Studies, The School For Field Studies, Karatu, Tanzania
- * E-mail: (BMW); (CK)
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Yang Y, Lin Y, Shi L. The effect of lizards on the dispersal and germination of Capparis spinosa (Capparaceae). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247585. [PMID: 33635876 PMCID: PMC7909692 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seed dispersal is a key component of the interactions between plants and animals. There is little research on the effects of lizard seed dispersal, which is more common on islands than elsewhere. In this study, the effects of the passage of Capparis spinosa seeds through Teratoscincus roborowskii lizard digestive tracts on the seed coats, water uptake rates and germination rates were investigated. In addition, the spatial patterns of fecal deposition by lizards in various microhabitats were assessed. Our results showed that the mean retention time (MRT) of mealworms was significantly longer than that of C. spinosa seeds in both adult and juvenile lizards. The defecation rate of C. spinosa tended to be lower than that of mealworms, which might be beneficial for seed dispersal. It was determined that the longer MRT of C. spinosa seeds enhanced the permeability of the seed coats, which promoted fast water uptake, broke seed dormancy and increased the seed germination rate. Furthermore, the seeds that passed through the digestive tracts of lizards were deposited in favorable germination microhabitats. By enhancing seed germination and depositing intact and viable seeds in safe potential recruitment sites, the lizard T. roborowskii acts, at least qualitatively, as an effective disperser of C. spinosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yingying Lin
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Lei Shi
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
- * E-mail:
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