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Allegrini C, Korine C, Krasnov BR. Climatic gradients and forest composition shape bat communities in Eastern Mediterranean pine plantations. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38196112 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Biotic and abiotic factors can act as filters for determining the species composition of biological communities. We aimed to identify abiotic factors driving the assembly of bat communities in Eastern Mediterranean pine plantations along a north-south climatic gradient, as they are crucial forest habitats for the assessment and conservation of these communities. We expected that bat communities are predominantly shaped by environmental filtering. We conducted acoustic sampling in 35 pine plantations in Israel and analyzed recordings for species identification. We used the ESLTP analysis, an extension of the three-table ordination (RLQ analysis), to explore relationships between environmental characteristics, species occurrences, and functional traits of species while accounting for phylogenetic relationships between species and spatial distribution of the communities. Communities showed phylogenetic and trait clustering. Climatic conditions and forest vegetation composition shaped communities of bats, affecting the distribution of traits related to foraging behaviors, vegetation clutter, and the ability of bats to maneuver in it. Maneuverable species were associated with the northern Mediterranean climatic zone, with a scarce cover of drought-tolerant small shrubs and grassland. Fast flyers were associated with the center-south semi-arid area, with abundant drought-tolerant small shrubs and grassland. These forces might have a predominant role in the assembly of these communities, presumably due to the stressful climatic conditions of the study area. The ESLTP approach can be extended to other taxa and environments to predict species responses to disturbance and environmental changes and give insights into environmental management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Allegrini
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
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Hand SJ, Maugoust J, Beck RMD, Orliac MJ. A 50-million-year-old, three-dimensionally preserved bat skull supports an early origin for modern echolocation. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4624-4640.e21. [PMID: 37858341 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Bats are among the most recognizable, numerous, and widespread of all mammals. But much of their fossil record is missing, and bat origins remain poorly understood, as do the relationships of early to modern bats. Here, we describe a new early Eocene bat that helps bridge the gap between archaic stem bats and the hyperdiverse modern bat radiation of more than 1,460 living species. Recovered from ∼50 million-year-old cave sediments in the Quercy Phosphorites of southwestern France, Vielasia sigei's remains include a near-complete, three-dimensionally preserved skull-the oldest uncrushed bat cranium yet found. Phylogenetic analyses of a 2,665 craniodental character matrix, with and without 36.8 kb of DNA sequence data, place Vielasia outside modern bats, with total evidence tip-dating placing it sister to the crown clade. Vielasia retains the archaic dentition and skeletal features typical of early Eocene bats, but its inner ear shows specializations found in modern echolocating bats. These features, which include a petrosal only loosely attached to the basicranium, an expanded cochlea representing ∼25% basicranial width, and a long basilar membrane, collectively suggest that the kind of laryngeal echolocation used by most modern bats predates the crown radiation. At least 23 individuals of V. sigei are preserved together in a limestone cave deposit, indicating that cave roosting behavior had evolved in bats by the end of the early Eocene; this period saw the beginning of significant global climate cooling that may have been an evolutionary driver for bats to first congregate in caves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne J Hand
- ESSRC, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Jacob Maugoust
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Robin M D Beck
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK.
| | - Maeva J Orliac
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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3
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Smith TD, Santana SE, Eiting TP. Ecomorphology and sensory biology of bats. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2660-2669. [PMID: 37656052 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25314] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
This special issue of The Anatomical Record is inspired by and dedicated to Professor Kunwar P. Bhatnagar, whose lifelong interests in biology, and long career studying bats, inspired many and advanced our knowledge of the world's only flying mammals. The 15 articles included here represent a broad range of investigators, treading topics familiar to Prof. Bhatnagar, who was interested in seemingly every aspect of bat biology. Key topics include broad themes of bat development, sensory systems, and specializations related to flight and diet. These articles paint a complex picture of the fascinating adaptations of bats, such as rapid fore limb development, ear morphologies relating to echolocation, and other enhanced senses that allow bats to exploit niches in virtually every part of the world. In this introduction, we integrate and contextualize these articles within the broader story of bat ecomorphology, providing an overview of each of the key themes noted above. This special issue will serve as a springboard for future studies both in bat biology and in the broader world of mammalian comparative anatomy and ecomorphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Smith
- School of Physical Therapy, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sharlene E Santana
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Thomas P Eiting
- Department of Physiology and Pathology, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
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Li Y, Jiao H, Sin SYW, Wang R, Rossiter SJ, Zhao H. Common ancestors of bats were omnivorous suggested by resurrection of ancestral sweet receptors. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:1748-1751. [PMID: 37500405 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yingcan Li
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of the Ministry of Education, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Hengwu Jiao
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Simon Yung Wa Sin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Ruiqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of the Ministry of Education, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Huabin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of the Ministry of Education, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
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Gaudioso PJ, Pérez MJ, Gamboa Alurralde S, Toledo N, Díaz MM. Exploration of the morphology and functional implications of the forelimb in bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Neotropical region. ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-022-00588-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Hagen JFD, Roberts NS, Johnston RJ. The evolutionary history and spectral tuning of vertebrate visual opsins. Dev Biol 2023; 493:40-66. [PMID: 36370769 PMCID: PMC9729497 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Many animals depend on the sense of vision for survival. In eumetazoans, vision requires specialized, light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors. Light reaches the photoreceptors and triggers the excitation of light-detecting proteins called opsins. Here, we describe the story of visual opsin evolution from the ancestral bilaterian to the extant vertebrate lineages. We explain the mechanisms determining color vision of extant vertebrates, focusing on opsin gene losses, duplications, and the expression regulation of vertebrate opsins. We describe the sequence variation both within and between species that has tweaked the sensitivities of opsin proteins towards different wavelengths of light. We provide an extensive resource of wavelength sensitivities and mutations that have diverged light sensitivity in many vertebrate species and predict how these mutations were accumulated in each lineage based on parsimony. We suggest possible natural and sexual selection mechanisms underlying these spectral differences. Understanding how molecular changes allow for functional adaptation of animals to different environments is a major goal in the field, and therefore identifying mutations affecting vision and their relationship to photic selection pressures is imperative. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of opsin evolution in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna F D Hagen
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Natalie S Roberts
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Robert J Johnston
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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7
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Zou W, Liang H, Wu P, Luo B, Zhou D, Liu W, Wu J, Fang L, Lei Y, Feng J. Correlated evolution of wing morphology and echolocation calls in bats. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1031548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionFlight and echolocation are two crucial behaviors associated with niche expansion in bats. Previous researches have attempted to explain the interspecific divergence in flight morphology and echolocation vocalizations in some bat groups from the perspective of foraging ecology. However, the relationship between wing morphology and echolocation vocalizations of bats remains obscure, especially in a phylogenetic context.ObjectivesHere, we aimed to assess the correlated evolution of wing morphology and echolocation calls in bats within a phylogenetic comparative framework.MethodsWe integrated the information on search-phrase echolocation call duration, peak frequency, relative wing loading, aspect ratio, and foraging guilds for 152 bat species belonging to 15 families. We quantified the association among wing morphology, echolocation call parameters, and foraging guilds using phylogeny-based comparative analyses.ResultsOur analyses revealed that wing morphology and echolocation call parameters depended on families and exhibited a marked phylogenetic signal. Peak frequency of the call was negatively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio. Call duration was positively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio among open-space aerial foragers, edge-space aerial foragers, edge-space trawling foragers, and narrow-space gleaning foragers. Wing morphology, call duration, and peak frequency were predicted by foraging guilds.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that adaptive response to foraging ecology has shaped the correlated evolution between flight morphology and echolocation calls in bats. Our findings expand the current knowledge regarding the link between morphology and vocalizations within the order Chiroptera.
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Diet evolution of carnivorous and herbivorous mammals in Laurasiatheria. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:82. [PMID: 35729512 PMCID: PMC9210794 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02033-6] [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: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Laurasiatheria contains taxa with diverse diets, while the molecular basis and evolutionary history underlying their dietary diversification are less clear. Results In this study, we used the recently developed molecular phyloecological approach to examine the adaptive evolution of digestive system-related genes across both carnivorous and herbivorous mammals within Laurasiatheria. Our results show an intensified selection of fat and/or protein utilization across all examined carnivorous lineages, which is consistent with their high-protein and high-fat diets. Intriguingly, for herbivorous lineages (ungulates), which have a high-carbohydrate diet, they show a similar selection pattern as that of carnivorous lineages. Our results suggest that for the ungulates, which have a specialized digestive system, the selection intensity of their digestive system-related genes does not necessarily reflect loads of the nutrient components in their diets but appears to be positively related to the loads of the nutrient components that are capable of being directly utilized by the herbivores themselves. Based on these findings, we reconstructed the dietary evolution within Laurasiatheria, and our results reveal the dominant carnivory during the early diversification of Laurasiatheria. In particular, our results suggest that the ancestral bats and the common ancestor of ruminants and cetaceans may be carnivorous as well. We also found evidence of the convergent evolution of one fat utilization-related gene, APOB, across carnivorous taxa. Conclusions Our molecular phyloecological results suggest that digestive system-related genes can be used to determine the molecular basis of diet differentiations and to reconstruct ancestral diets. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02033-6.
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A bibliometric analysis of research trends in bat echolocation studies between 1970 and 2021. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Frafjord K. The influence of night length: Activity of the northern bat Eptesicus nilssonii under conditions of continuous light in midnight sun compared to a southern population. BMC ZOOL 2021; 6:34. [PMID: 37170161 PMCID: PMC10124180 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-021-00099-1] [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: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nearly all insectivorous bats (Chiroptera) are strictly nocturnal, flying and feeding only between sunset and sunrise despite lower insect availability than by day, most likely to avoid predation by diurnal birds. This may represent a great challenge to bats living north of the Arctic Circle, which are exposed to bright nights in the period of the midnight sun. The northern bat Eptesicus nilssonii was studied at different latitudes in Norway (69, 66 and 58°N) by three techniques; visual counts of exits from and returns to roosts, infrared detection with a datalogger and an ultrasound data recorder, to reveal how their activity varied across latitude, season, and night, as well as across light levels. How does a nocturnal bat adjust to perpetual light and what light levels are tolerated? RESULTS In the north the bats' active season lasted 2.5 months, 1.5 months shorter than in the south. The bats only flew in 3-4 weeks of midnight sun, and hardly ever left the roost until the sun went behind a hill in the evening. In addition, the timing of their nightly hunting was highly influenced by the darkness of the sky, and they very rarely flew in light levels above 200 foot-candles (FC). As the night became darker than twilight from early August, the bats restricted their activity to between sunset and sunrise. This was the normal situation in southern Norway, where the bats tracked sunset and sunrise throughout the entire season. Those bats appeared to prefer light levels below 100-50 FC and hence, also did fly in twilight conditions. CONCLUSIONS The willingness to fly in twilight by the southern population may be a prerequisite to the northern bat's survival in the land of the midnight sun. These bats must accept short nights in the first part of their summer season and must be willing to fly in light levels 2-4 times higher than in the south. Most likely, this depends on a reduced predation risk and good abundance of insects at night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Frafjord
- Tromsø University Museum, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, P.O. Box 6050 Langnes, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
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11
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Howenstine AO, Sadier A, Anthwal N, Lau CL, Sears KE. Non-model systems in mammalian forelimb evo-devo. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 69:65-71. [PMID: 33684847 PMCID: PMC8364859 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Mammal forelimbs are highly diverse, ranging from the elongated wing of a bat to the stout limb of the mole. The mammal forelimb has been a long-standing system for the study of early developmental patterning, proportional variation, shape change, and the reduction of elements. However, most of this work has been performed in mice, which neglects the wide variation present across mammal forelimbs. This review emphasizes the critical role of non-model systems in limb evo-devo and highlights new emerging models and their potential. We discuss the role of gene networks in limb evolution, and touch on functional analyses that lay the groundwork for further developmental studies. Mammal limb evo-devo is a rich field, and here we aim to synthesize the findings of key recent works and the questions to which they lead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan O Howenstine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Neal Anthwal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States; Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's CollegeLondon, 27th Floor Guy's Tower, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Clive Lf Lau
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States.
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Aziz SA, McConkey KR, Tanalgo K, Sritongchuay T, Low MR, Yong JY, Mildenstein TL, Nuevo-Diego CE, Lim VC, Racey PA. The Critical Importance of Old World Fruit Bats for Healthy Ecosystems and Economies. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.641411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive documentation of the ecological and economic importance of Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) and the many threats they face from humans, negative attitudes towards pteropodids have persisted, fuelled by perceptions of bats as being pests and undesirable neighbours. Such long-term negativity towards bats is now further exacerbated by more recent disease-related concerns, particularly associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. There remains an urgent need to investigate and highlight the positive and beneficial aspects of bats across the Old World. While previous reviews have summarised these extensively, numerous new studies conducted over the last 36 years have provided further valuable data and insights which warrant an updated review. Here we synthesise research on pteropodid-plant interactions, comprising diet, ecological roles, and ecosystem services, conducted during 1985-2020. We uncovered a total of 311 studies covering 75 out of the known 201 pteropodid species (37%), conducted in 47 countries. The majority of studies documented diet (52% of all studies; 67 pteropodid species), followed by foraging movement (49%; 50 pteropodid species), with fewer studies directly investigating the roles played by pteropodids in seed dispersal (24%; 41 pteropodid species), pollination (14%; 19 pteropodid species), and conflict with fruit growers (12%; 11 pteropodid species). Pteropodids were recorded feeding on 1072 plant species from 493 genera and 148 families, with fruits comprising the majority of plant parts consumed, followed by flowers/nectar/pollen, leaves, and other miscellaneous parts. Sixteen pteropodid species have been confirmed to act as pollinators for a total of 21 plant species, and 29 pteropodid species have been confirmed to act as seed dispersers for a total of 311 plant species. Anthropogenic threats disrupting bat-plant interactions in the Old World include hunting, direct persecution, habitat loss/disturbance, invasive species, and climate change, leading to ecosystem-level repercussions. We identify notable research gaps and important research priorities to support conservation action for pteropodids.
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Pérez de la Lastra JM, Asensio-Calavia P, González-Acosta S, Baca-González V, Morales-delaNuez A. Bioinformatic Analysis of Genome-Predicted Bat Cathelicidins. Molecules 2021; 26:1811. [PMID: 33806967 PMCID: PMC8004601 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26061811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats are unique in their potential to serve as reservoir hosts for intracellular pathogens. Recently, the impact of COVID-19 has relegated bats from biomedical darkness to the frontline of public health as bats are the natural reservoir of many viruses, including SARS-Cov-2. Many bat genomes have been sequenced recently, and sequences coding for antimicrobial peptides are available in the public databases. Here we provide a structural analysis of genome-predicted bat cathelicidins as components of their innate immunity. A total of 32 unique protein sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database. Interestingly, some bat species contained more than one cathelicidin. We examined the conserved cysteines within the cathelin-like domain and the peptide portion of each sequence and revealed phylogenetic relationships and structural dissimilarities. The antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity of peptides was examined using bioinformatic tools. The peptides were modeled and subjected to docking analysis with the region binding domain (RBD) region of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. The appearance of multiple forms of cathelicidins verifies the complex microbial challenges encountered by these species. Learning more about antiviral defenses of bats and how they drive virus evolution will help scientists to investigate the function of antimicrobial peptides in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Manuel Pérez de la Lastra
- Biotechnology of Macromolecules Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain; (S.G.-A.); (V.B.-G.); (A.M.-d.)
| | - Patricia Asensio-Calavia
- Biological Activity Service, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain;
| | - Sergio González-Acosta
- Biotechnology of Macromolecules Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain; (S.G.-A.); (V.B.-G.); (A.M.-d.)
| | - Victoria Baca-González
- Biotechnology of Macromolecules Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain; (S.G.-A.); (V.B.-G.); (A.M.-d.)
| | - Antonio Morales-delaNuez
- Biotechnology of Macromolecules Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, 3, 38206 San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain; (S.G.-A.); (V.B.-G.); (A.M.-d.)
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Ayala-Berdon J, Medina-Bello KI, López-Cuamatzi IL, Vázquez-Fuerte R, MacSwiney G. MC, Orozco-Lugo L, Iñiguez-Dávalos I, Guillén-Servent A, Martínez-Gómez M. Random forest is the best species predictor for a community of insectivorous bats inhabiting a mountain ecosystem of central Mexico. BIOACOUSTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2020.1835539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rommy Vázquez-Fuerte
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, México
| | | | - Lorena Orozco-Lugo
- Centro de Investigación de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Morelos, México
| | - Ignacio Iñiguez-Dávalos
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales - IMECBIO, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
| | | | - Margarita Martínez-Gómez
- CONACYT, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
- Departamento de Biol. Celular y Fisiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
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15
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Liu T, Zhang K, Dai W, Jin L, Sun K, Feng J. Evolutionary insights into
Rhinolophus episcopus
(Chiroptera, Rhinolophidae) in China: Isolation by distance, environment, or sensory system? J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tong Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Kangkang Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Wentao Dai
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Longru Jin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Keping Sun
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology Ministry of Education Changchun China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization Northeast Normal University Changchun China
- College of Life Science Jilin Agricultural University Changchun China
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia C. Anderson
- School of Biology University of St Andrews Sir Harold Mitchell BuildingGreenside Place St AndrewsKY16 9THUK
| | - Graeme D. Ruxton
- School of Biology University of St Andrews Sir Harold Mitchell BuildingGreenside Place St AndrewsKY16 9THUK
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17
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Zuercher ME, Monson TA, Dvoretzky RR, Ravindramurthy S, Hlusko LJ. Dental Variation in Megabats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae): Tooth Metrics Correlate with Body Size and Tooth Proportions Reflect Phylogeny. J MAMM EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-020-09508-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Burchardt LS, Norton P, Behr O, Scharff C, Knörnschild M. General isochronous rhythm in echolocation calls and social vocalizations of the bat Saccopteryx bilineata. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181076. [PMID: 30800360 PMCID: PMC6366212 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Rhythm is an essential component of human speech and music but very little is known about its evolutionary origin and its distribution in animal vocalizations. We found a regular rhythm in three multisyllabic vocalization types (echolocation call sequences, male territorial songs and pup isolation calls) of the neotropical bat Saccopteryx bilineata. The intervals between element onsets were used to fit the rhythm for each individual. For echolocation call sequences, we expected rhythm frequencies around 6-24 Hz, corresponding to the wingbeat in S. bilineata which is strongly coupled to echolocation calls during flight. Surprisingly, we found rhythm frequencies between 6 and 24 Hz not only for echolocation sequences but also for social vocalizations, e.g. male territorial songs and pup isolation calls, which were emitted while bats were stationary. Fourier analysis of element onsets confirmed an isochronous rhythm across individuals and vocalization types. We speculate that attentional tuning to the rhythms of echolocation calls on the receivers' side might make the production of equally steady rhythmic social vocalizations beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara S. Burchardt
- Institute of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Author for correspondence: Lara S. Burchardt e-mail:
| | - Philipp Norton
- Institute of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Behr
- University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Paul-Gordan-Str. 3/5, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Institute of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Institute of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Barro Colorado Island, Roosevelt Avenue, Tupper Building – 401, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
- Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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19
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Flutter sensitivity in FM bats. Part II: amplitude modulation. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2018; 204:941-951. [PMID: 30242470 PMCID: PMC6208682 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-018-1292-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Bats use echolocation to detect targets such as insect prey. The echolocation call of frequency-modulating bats (FM bats) typically sweeps through a broad range of frequencies within a few milliseconds. The large bandwidth grants the bat high spatial acuity in depicting the target. However, the extremely short call duration and the overall low duty cycle of call emission impair the bat’s capability to detect e.g. target movement. Nonetheless, FM bats constitute more than 80% of all echolocating species and are able to navigate and forage in an environment full of moving targets. We used an auditory virtual reality approach to generate changes in echo amplitude reflective of fluttering insect wings independently from other confounding parameters. We show that the FM bat Phyllostomus discolor successfully detected these modulations in echo amplitude and that their performance increased with the rate of the modulation, mimicking faster insect wing-beats. The ability of FM bats to detect amplitude modulations of echoes suggests a release from the trade-off between spatial and temporal acuity and highlights the diversity of selective pressures working on the echolocation system of bats.
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Volodin IA, Panyutina AA, Abramov AV, Ilchenko OG, Volodina EV. Ultrasonic bouts of a blind climbing rodent (Typhlomys chapensis): acoustic analysis. BIOACOUSTICS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2018.1509374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Alexei V. Abramov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Joint Vietnam–Russian Tropical Research and Technological Centre, Nguyen Van Huyen, Hanoi, Vietnam
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21
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Retention and losses of ultraviolet-sensitive visual pigments in bats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11933. [PMID: 30093712 PMCID: PMC6085362 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29646-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive visual pigment and its corresponding ability for UV vision was retained in early mammals from their common ancestry with sauropsids. Subsequently, UV-sensitive pigments, encoded by the short wavelength-sensitive 1 (SWS1) opsin gene, were converted to violet sensitivity or have lost function in multiple lineages during the diversification of mammals. However, many mammalian species, including most bats, are suggested to retain a UV-sensitive pigment. Notably, some cave-dwelling fruit bats and high duty cycle echolocating bats have lost their SWS1 genes, which are proposed to be due to their roosting ecology and as a sensory trade-off between vision and echolocation, respectively. Here, we sequenced SWS1 genes from ecologically diverse bats and found that this gene is also non-functional in both common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) and white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi). Apart from species with pesudogenes, our evolutionary and functional studies demonstrate that the SWS1 pigment of bats are UV-sensitive and well-conserved since their common ancestor, suggesting an important role across major ecological types. Given the constrained function of SWS1 pigments in these bats, why some other species, such as vampire bats, have lost this gene is even more interesting and needs further investigation.
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22
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A synthesis of ecological and evolutionary determinants of bat diversity across spatial scales. BMC Ecol 2018; 18:18. [PMID: 29890975 PMCID: PMC5996565 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0174-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Diversity patterns result from ecological to evolutionary processes operating at different spatial and temporal scales. Species trait variation determine the spatial scales at which organisms perceive the environment. Despite this knowledge, the coupling of all these factors to understand how diversity is structured is still deficient. Here, we review the role of ecological and evolutionary processes operating across different hierarchically spatial scales to shape diversity patterns of bats—the second largest mammal order and the only mammals with real flight capability. Main body We observed that flight development and its provision of increased dispersal ability influenced the diversification, life history, geographic distribution, and local interspecific interactions of bats, differently across multiple spatial scales. Niche packing combined with different flight, foraging and echolocation strategies and differential use of air space allowed the coexistence among bats as well as for an increased diversity supported by the environment. Considering distinct bat species distributions across space due to their functional characteristics, we assert that understanding such characteristics in Chiroptera improves the knowledge on ecological processes at different scales. We also point two main knowledge gaps that limit progress on the knowledge on scale-dependence of ecological and evolutionary processes in bats: a geographical bias, showing that research on bats is mainly done in the New World; and the lack of studies addressing the mesoscale (i.e. landscape and metacommunity scales). Conclusions We propose that it is essential to couple spatial scales and different zoogeographical regions along with their functional traits, to address bat diversity patterns and understand how they are distributed across the environment. Understanding how bats perceive space is a complex task: all bats can fly, but their perception of space varies with their biological traits. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-018-0174-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Cravens ZM, Brown VA, Divoll TJ, Boyles JG. Illuminating prey selection in an insectivorous bat community exposed to artificial light at night. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M. Cravens
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory; Department of Zoology; Southern Illinois University; Carbondale IL USA
| | | | - Timothy J. Divoll
- Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation; Indiana State University; Terre Haute IN USA
| | - Justin G. Boyles
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory; Department of Zoology; Southern Illinois University; Carbondale IL USA
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24
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Bôlla DAS, Carvalho F, Zocche JJ, Bianco A, Vitto JADB, dos Santos R. Phyllostomid bats flying in daylight: a case from the Neotropics. J NAT HIST 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1397227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando Carvalho
- Laboratório de Zoologia e Ecologia de Vertebrados, Avenida Universitária, Criciúma, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais da UNESC, Avenida Universitária, Criciúma, Brazil
| | - Jairo José Zocche
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais da UNESC, Avenida Universitária, Criciúma, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Paisagem e Vertebrados da UNESC, Avenida Universitária, Criciúma, Brazil
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PANYUTINA AA, KUZNETSOV AN, VOLODIN IA, ABRAMOV AV, SOLDATOVA IB. A blind climber: The first evidence of ultrasonic echolocation in arboreal mammals. Integr Zool 2017; 12:172-184. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra A. PANYUTINA
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution; Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow Russia
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | - Alexander N. KUZNETSOV
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
| | - Ilya A. VOLODIN
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
- Scientific Research Department; Moscow Zoo; Moscow Russia
| | - Alexei V. ABRAMOV
- Zoological Institute; Russian Academy of Sciences; Saint Petersburg Russia
- Joint Vietnam-Russian Tropical Research and Technological Centre; Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Irina B. SOLDATOVA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Lomonosov Moscow State University; Moscow Russia
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27
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Liu HQ, Wei JK, Li B, Wang MS, Wu RQ, Rizak JD, Zhong L, Wang L, Xu FQ, Shen YY, Hu XT, Zhang YP. Divergence of dim-light vision among bats (order: Chiroptera) as estimated by molecular and electrophysiological methods. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11531. [PMID: 26100095 PMCID: PMC5155579 DOI: 10.1038/srep11531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Dim-light vision is present in all bats, but is divergent among species. Old-World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) have fully developed eyes; the eyes of insectivorous bats are generally degraded, and these bats rely on well-developed echolocation. An exception is the Emballonuridae, which are capable of laryngeal echolocation but prefer to use vision for navigation and have normal eyes. In this study, integrated methods, comprising manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI), f-VEP and RNA-seq, were utilized to verify the divergence. The results of MEMRI showed that Pteropodidae bats have a much larger superior colliculus (SC)/ inferior colliculus (IC) volume ratio (3:1) than insectivorous bats (1:7). Furthermore, the absolute visual thresholds (log cd/m(2)•s) of Pteropodidae (-6.30 and -6.37) and Emballonuridae (-3.71) bats were lower than those of other insectivorous bats (-1.90). Finally, genes related to the visual pathway showed signs of positive selection, convergent evolution, upregulation and similar gene expression patterns in Pteropodidae and Emballonuridae bats. Different results imply that Pteropodidae and Emballonuridae bats have more developed vision than the insectivorous bats and suggest that further research on bat behavior is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- He-Qun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Kuan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ming-Shan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rui-Qi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Joshua D. Rizak
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Zhong
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Fu-Qiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yong-Yi Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- Joint Influenza Research Centre (SUMC/HKU), Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China
| | - Xin-Tian Hu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Ya-Ping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Yunnan Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Domestic Animals, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resource, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
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28
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Wertheim JO, Murrell B, Smith MD, Kosakovsky Pond SL, Scheffler K. RELAX: detecting relaxed selection in a phylogenetic framework. Mol Biol Evol 2014; 32:820-32. [PMID: 25540451 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msu400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 413] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Relaxation of selective strength, manifested as a reduction in the efficiency or intensity of natural selection, can drive evolutionary innovation and presage lineage extinction or loss of function. Mechanisms through which selection can be relaxed range from the removal of an existing selective constraint to a reduction in effective population size. Standard methods for estimating the strength and extent of purifying or positive selection from molecular sequence data are not suitable for detecting relaxed selection, because they lack power and can mistake an increase in the intensity of positive selection for relaxation of both purifying and positive selection. Here, we present a general hypothesis testing framework (RELAX) for detecting relaxed selection in a codon-based phylogenetic framework. Given two subsets of branches in a phylogeny, RELAX can determine whether selective strength was relaxed or intensified in one of these subsets relative to the other. We establish the validity of our test via simulations and show that it can distinguish between increased positive selection and a relaxation of selective strength. We also demonstrate the power of RELAX in a variety of biological scenarios where relaxation of selection has been hypothesized or demonstrated previously. We find that obligate and facultative γ-proteobacteria endosymbionts of insects are under relaxed selection compared with their free-living relatives and obligate endosymbionts are under relaxed selection compared with facultative endosymbionts. Selective strength is also relaxed in asexual Daphnia pulex lineages, compared with sexual lineages. Endogenous, nonfunctional, bornavirus-like elements are found to be under relaxed selection compared with exogenous Borna viruses. Finally, selection on the short-wavelength sensitive, SWS1, opsin genes in echolocating and nonecholocating bats is relaxed only in lineages in which this gene underwent pseudogenization; however, selection on the functional medium/long-wavelength sensitive opsin, M/LWS1, is found to be relaxed in all echolocating bats compared with nonecholocating bats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ben Murrell
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego
| | - Martin D Smith
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego
| | | | - Konrad Scheffler
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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29
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Kovalyova IM. Key morphofunctional transformations in the evolution of bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera). Russ J Dev Biol 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360414060071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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30
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Tokita M. How the pterosaur got its wings. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:1163-78. [PMID: 25361444 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the evolutionary history of life, only three vertebrate lineages took to the air by acquiring a body plan suitable for powered flight: birds, bats, and pterosaurs. Because pterosaurs were the earliest vertebrate lineage capable of powered flight and included the largest volant animal in the history of the earth, understanding how they evolved their flight apparatus, the wing, is an important issue in evolutionary biology. Herein, I speculate on the potential basis of pterosaur wing evolution using recent advances in the developmental biology of flying and non-flying vertebrates. The most significant morphological features of pterosaur wings are: (i) a disproportionately elongated fourth finger, and (ii) a wing membrane called the brachiopatagium, which stretches from the posterior surface of the arm and elongated fourth finger to the anterior surface of the leg. At limb-forming stages of pterosaur embryos, the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) cells, from which the fourth finger eventually differentiates, could up-regulate, restrict, and prolong expression of 5'-located Homeobox D (Hoxd) genes (e.g. Hoxd11, Hoxd12, and Hoxd13) around the ZPA through pterosaur-specific exploitation of sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling. 5'Hoxd genes could then influence downstream bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling to facilitate chondrocyte proliferation in long bones. Potential expression of Fgf10 and Tbx3 in the primordium of the brachiopatagium formed posterior to the forelimb bud might also facilitate elongation of the phalanges of the fourth finger. To establish the flight-adapted musculoskeletal morphology shared by all volant vertebrates, pterosaurs probably underwent regulatory changes in the expression of genes controlling forelimb and pectoral girdle musculoskeletal development (e.g. Tbx5), as well as certain changes in the mode of cell-cell interactions between muscular and connective tissues in the early phase of their evolution. Developmental data now accumulating for extant vertebrate taxa could be helpful in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of body-plan evolution in extinct vertebrates as well as extant vertebrates with unique morphology whose embryonic materials are hard to obtain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayoshi Tokita
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A
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31
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Herculano-Houzel S, Avelino-de-Souza K, Neves K, Porfírio J, Messeder D, Mattos Feijó L, Maldonado J, Manger PR. The elephant brain in numbers. Front Neuroanat 2014; 8:46. [PMID: 24971054 PMCID: PMC4053853 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2014.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
What explains the superior cognitive abilities of the human brain compared to other, larger brains? Here we investigate the possibility that the human brain has a larger number of neurons than even larger brains by determining the cellular composition of the brain of the African elephant. We find that the African elephant brain, which is about three times larger than the human brain, contains 257 billion (10(9)) neurons, three times more than the average human brain; however, 97.5% of the neurons in the elephant brain (251 billion) are found in the cerebellum. This makes the elephant an outlier in regard to the number of cerebellar neurons compared to other mammals, which might be related to sensorimotor specializations. In contrast, the elephant cerebral cortex, which has twice the mass of the human cerebral cortex, holds only 5.6 billion neurons, about one third of the number of neurons found in the human cerebral cortex. This finding supports the hypothesis that the larger absolute number of neurons in the human cerebral cortex (but not in the whole brain) is correlated with the superior cognitive abilities of humans compared to elephants and other large-brained mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kamilla Avelino-de-Souza
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kleber Neves
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jairo Porfírio
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Débora Messeder
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | - Larissa Mattos Feijó
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Neurociência TranslacionalSão Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the WitwatersrandJohannesburg, South Africa
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32
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Marinello M, Bernard E. Wing morphology of Neotropical bats: a quantitative and qualitative analysis with implications for habitat use. CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Wing morphology has a direct influence on the flight manoeuvrability, agility, and speed of bats. Studies addressing the relationship between bat wing morphology and ecology are biased towards Old World species and few of them have addressed the ecologically rich Amazonian bat fauna. We quantitatively and qualitatively characterized the wing shape of 51 bat species found in the Brazilian Amazonia by measuring their aspect ratio (AR) and relative wing load (RWL). We found a high variability in wing shape: AR varied from 5.0862 (pygmy round-eared bat, Lophostoma brasiliense (Peters, 1866)) to 8.2774 (brown dog-faced bat, Molossus (Cynomops) paranus (Thomas, 1901)), while RWL varied from 20.0459 (spectral bat, Vampyrum spectrum (L., 1758)) to 55.3931 (Pallas’s mastiff, Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766)). Insectivores had the largest variability, whereas frugivores and nectarivores had intermediate values with lower variability, indicating a higher flexibility in the use of space and resources. Our predictions on flight patterns are supported by capture and behavioural data from the literature, both of which point to the use of wing shape as a good proxy for habitat use and food partitioning among species. Our data are useful for integrative studies in ecology, physiology, behaviour, and evolution, and can contribute to a better understanding of the ecological interactions of Neotropical bat species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.M. Marinello
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Rua Nelson Chaves s/n, 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - E. Bernard
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Rua Nelson Chaves s/n, 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil
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Dong D, Lei M, Liu Y, Zhang S. Comparative inner ear transcriptome analysis between the Rickett's big-footed bats (Myotis ricketti) and the greater short-nosed fruit bats (Cynopterus sphinx). BMC Genomics 2013; 14:916. [PMID: 24365273 PMCID: PMC3879654 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bats have aroused great interests of researchers for the sake of their advanced echolocation system. However, this highly specialized trait is not characteristic of Old World fruit bats. Results To comprehensively explore the underlying molecular basis between echolocating and non-echolocating bats, we employed a sequence-based approach to compare the inner ear expression difference between the Rickett’s big-footed bat (Myotis ricketti, echolocating bat) and the Greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx, non-echolocating bat). De novo sequence assemblies were developed for both species. The results showed that the biological implications of up-regulated genes in M. ricketti were significantly over-represented in biological process categories such as ‘cochlea morphogenesis’, ‘inner ear morphogenesis’ and ‘sensory perception of sound’, which are consistent with the inner ear morphological and physiological differentiation between the two bat species. Moreover, the expression of TMC1 gene confirmed its important function in echolocating bats. Conclusion Our work presents the first transcriptome comparison between echolocating and non-echolocating bats, and provides information about the genetic basis of their distinct hearing traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Dong
- Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
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34
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Tokita M, Abe T, Suzuki K. The developmental basis of bat wing muscle. Nat Commun 2013; 3:1302. [PMID: 23250432 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
By acquiring wings, bats are the only mammalian lineage to have achieved flight. To be capable of powered flight, they have unique muscles associated with their wing. However, the developmental origins of bat wing muscles, and the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms are unknown. Here we report, first, that the wing muscles are derived from multiple myogenic sources with different embryonic origins, and second, that there is a spatiotemporal correlation between the outgrowth of wing membranes and the expansion of wing muscles into them. Together, these findings imply that the wing membrane itself may regulate the patterning of wing muscles. Last, through comparative gene expression analysis, we show Fgf10 signalling is uniquely activated in the primordia of wing membranes. Our results demonstrate how components of Fgf signalling are likely to be involved in the development and evolution of novel complex adaptive traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayoshi Tokita
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan.
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Meymand SZ, Pannala M, Müller R. Characterization of the time-variant behavior of a biomimetic beamforming baffle. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2013; 133:1141-1150. [PMID: 23363130 DOI: 10.1121/1.4773272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Horseshoe bats can actively change the shapes of their noseleaves and outer ears on time scales that are comparable to the duration of the biosonar pulses and echoes. When the shape deformations and the emission or reception of the ultrasonic signals overlap in time, the result is a time-variant diffraction process. Such a dynamic process provides additional flexibility that could potentially be used to enhance the encoding of sensory information. However, such a function remains hypothetical at present. To investigate the time-variant properties of deforming baffles such as the outer ears of horseshoe bats, the acoustic behavior of a biomimetic microphone baffle modeled on these biological structures has been investigated. The methods employed to characterize this device included representations in the time-delay domain as well as in the time-frequency domain. It was found that characterization methods which do not employ Fourier transforms revealed even more substantial time-variant effects than were apparent from time-frequency domain characterizations such as beampatterns obtained for different times in the deformation cycle. Furthermore, conspicuous correlates of asymmetries in the time-variant physical shapes were found in some characterizations that could be used to link dynamic baffle geometry with acoustic behavior.
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Nesi N, Kadjo B, Pourrut X, Leroy E, Pongombo Shongo C, Cruaud C, Hassanin A. Molecular systematics and phylogeography of the tribe Myonycterini (Mammalia, Pteropodidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2013; 66:126-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2012] [Revised: 09/14/2012] [Accepted: 09/15/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Fenton MB, Faure PA, Ratcliffe JM. Evolution of high duty cycle echolocation in bats. J Exp Biol 2012; 215:2935-44. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.073171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
Duty cycle describes the relative ‘on time’ of a periodic signal. In bats, we argue that high duty cycle (HDC) echolocation was selected for and evolved from low duty cycle (LDC) echolocation because increasing call duty cycle enhanced the ability of echolocating bats to detect, lock onto and track fluttering insects. Most echolocators (most bats and all birds and odontocete cetaceans) use LDC echolocation, separating pulse and echo in time to avoid forward masking. They emit short duration, broadband, downward frequency modulated (FM) signals separated by relatively long periods of silence. In contrast, bats using HDC echolocation emit long duration, narrowband calls dominated by a single constant frequency (CF) separated by relatively short periods of silence. HDC bats separate pulse and echo in frequency by exploiting information contained in Doppler-shifted echoes arising from their movements relative to background objects and their prey. HDC echolocators are particularly sensitive to amplitude and frequency glints generated by the wings of fluttering insects. We hypothesize that narrowband/CF calls produced at high duty cycle, and combined with neurobiological specializations for processing Doppler-shifted echoes, were essential to the evolution of HDC echolocation because they allowed bats to detect, lock onto and track fluttering targets. This advantage was especially important in habitats with dense vegetation that produce overlapping, time-smeared echoes (i.e. background acoustic clutter). We make four specific, testable predictions arising from this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Brock Fenton
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Paul A. Faure
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
| | - John M. Ratcliffe
- Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Shen YY, Lim BK, Liu HQ, Liu J, Irwin DM, Zhang YP. Multiple episodes of convergence in genes of the dim light vision pathway in bats. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34564. [PMID: 22509324 PMCID: PMC3324491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular basis of the evolution of phenotypic characters is very complex and is poorly understood with few examples documenting the roles of multiple genes. Considering that a single gene cannot fully explain the convergence of phenotypic characters, we choose to study the convergent evolution of rod vision in two divergent bats from a network perspective. The Old World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) are non-echolocating and have binocular vision, whereas the sheath-tailed bats (Emballonuridae) are echolocating and have monocular vision; however, they both have relatively large eyes and rely more on rod vision to find food and navigate in the night. We found that the genes CRX, which plays an essential role in the differentiation of photoreceptor cells, SAG, which is involved in the desensitization of the photoactivated transduction cascade, and the photoreceptor gene RH, which is directly responsible for the perception of dim light, have undergone parallel sequence evolution in two divergent lineages of bats with larger eyes (Pteropodidae and Emballonuroidea). The multiple convergent events in the network of genes essential for rod vision is a rare phenomenon that illustrates the importance of investigating pathways and networks in the evolution of the molecular basis of phenotypic convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yi Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Burton K. Lim
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada
| | - He-Qun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - David M. Irwin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ya-Ping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- * E-mail:
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Immunohistochemical evidence of cone-based ultraviolet vision in divergent bat species and implications for its evolution. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2012; 161:398-403. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2011] [Revised: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Maseko BC, Spocter MA, Haagensen M, Manger PR. Elephants have relatively the largest cerebellum size of mammals. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:661-72. [PMID: 22282440 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2011] [Revised: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The current study used MR imaging to determine the volume of the cerebellum and its component parts in the brain of three adult male African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and compared this with published data from Asian elephants and other mammalian species including odontocete cetaceans, primates, chiropterans, insectivores, carnivores, and artiodactyls. The cerebellum of the adult elephant has a volume of ∼925 mL (average of both African and Asian species). Allometric analysis indicates that the elephant has the largest relative cerebellum size of all mammals studied to date. In addition, both odontocete cetaceans and microchiropterans appear to have large relative cerebellar sizes. The vermal and hemispheric components of the African elephant cerebellum are both large relative to other mammals of similar brain size, however, for odontocete cetaceans the vermal component is small and the hemispheric component is large. These volumetric observations are related to life-histories and anatomies of the species investigated. The current study provides context for one aspect of the elephant brain in the broader picture of mammalian brain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe C Maseko
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
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Panyutina AA, Puzachenko AY, Soldatova IB. Morphological diversity of wing structure in Rhinolophoid bats (Chiroptera, Rhinolophoidea). BIOL BULL+ 2011. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359011070041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Understanding the evolutionary origin and diversification of bat echolocation calls. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-374593-4.0005-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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Zhao H, Rossiter SJ, Teeling EC, Li C, Cotton JA, Zhang S. The evolution of color vision in nocturnal mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:8980-5. [PMID: 19470491 PMCID: PMC2690009 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0813201106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonfunctional visual genes are usually associated with species that inhabit poor light environments (aquatic/subterranean/nocturnal), and these genes are believed to have lost function through relaxed selection acting on the visual system. Indeed, the visual system is so adaptive that the reconstruction of intact ancestral opsin genes has been used to reject nocturnality in ancestral primates. To test these assertions, we examined the functionality of the short and medium- to long-wavelength opsin genes in a group of mammals that are supremely adapted to a nocturnal niche: the bats. We sequenced the visual cone opsin genes in 33 species of bat with diverse sensory ecologies and reconstructed their evolutionary history spanning 65 million years. We found that, whereas the long-wave opsin gene was conserved in all species, the short-wave opsin gene has undergone dramatic divergence among lineages. The occurrence of gene defects in the short-wave opsin gene leading to loss of function was found to directly coincide with the origin of high-duty-cycle echolocation and changes in roosting ecology in some lineages. Our findings indicate that both opsin genes have been under purifying selection in the majority bats despite a long history of nocturnality. However, when spectacular losses do occur, these result from an evolutionary sensory modality tradeoff, most likely driven by subtle shifts in ecological specialization rather than a nocturnal lifestyle. Our results suggest that UV color vision plays a considerably more important role in nocturnal mammalian sensory ecology than previously appreciated and highlight the caveat of inferring light environments from visual opsins and vice versa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huabin Zhao
- Institute of Zoology and Graduate University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Stephen J. Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom; and
| | - Emma C. Teeling
- UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Chanjuan Li
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - James A. Cotton
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom; and
| | - Shuyi Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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Primitive Early Eocene bat from Wyoming and the evolution of flight and echolocation. Nature 2008; 451:818-21. [PMID: 18270539 DOI: 10.1038/nature06549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2007] [Accepted: 12/10/2007] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Bats (Chiroptera) represent one of the largest and most diverse radiations of mammals, accounting for one-fifth of extant species. Although recent studies unambiguously support bat monophyly and consensus is rapidly emerging about evolutionary relationships among extant lineages, the fossil record of bats extends over 50 million years, and early evolution of the group remains poorly understood. Here we describe a new bat from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming, USA, with features that are more primitive than seen in any previously known bat. The evolutionary pathways that led to flapping flight and echolocation in bats have been in dispute, and until now fossils have been of limited use in documenting transitions involved in this marked change in lifestyle. Phylogenetically informed comparisons of the new taxon with other bats and non-flying mammals reveal that critical morphological and functional changes evolved incrementally. Forelimb anatomy indicates that the new bat was capable of powered flight like other Eocene bats, but ear morphology suggests that it lacked their echolocation abilities, supporting a 'flight first' hypothesis for chiropteran evolution. The shape of the wings suggests that an undulating gliding-fluttering flight style may be primitive for bats, and the presence of a long calcar indicates that a broad tail membrane evolved early in Chiroptera, probably functioning as an additional airfoil rather than as a prey-capture device. Limb proportions and retention of claws on all digits indicate that the new bat may have been an agile climber that employed quadrupedal locomotion and under-branch hanging behaviour.
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Cretekos CJ, Wang Y, Green ED, Martin JF, Rasweiler JJ, Behringer RR. Regulatory divergence modifies limb length between mammals. Genes Dev 2008; 22:141-51. [PMID: 18198333 DOI: 10.1101/gad.1620408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection acts on variation within populations, resulting in modified organ morphology, physiology, and ultimately the formation of new species. Although variation in orthologous proteins can contribute to these modifications, differences in DNA sequences regulating gene expression may be a primary source of variation. We replaced a limb-specific transcriptional enhancer of the mouse Prx1 locus with the orthologous sequence from a bat. Prx1 expression directed by the bat enhancer results in elevated transcript levels in developing forelimb bones and forelimbs that are significantly longer than controls because of endochondral bone formation alterations. Surprisingly, deletion of the mouse Prx1 limb enhancer results in normal forelimb length and Prx1 expression, revealing regulatory redundancy. These findings suggest that mutations accumulating in pre-existing noncoding regulatory sequences within a population are a source of variation for the evolution of morphological differences between species and that cis-regulatory redundancy may facilitate accumulation of such mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J Cretekos
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Adams RA. Morphogenesis in bat wings: linking development, evolution and ecology. Cells Tissues Organs 2008; 187:13-23. [PMID: 18163246 DOI: 10.1159/000109960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of powered flight in mammals required specific developmental shifts from an ancestral limb morphology to one adapted for flight. Through studies of comparative morphogenesis, investigators have quantified points and rates of divergence providing important insights into how wings evolved in mammals. Herein I compare growth,development and skeletogenesis of forelimbs between bats and the more ancestral state provided by the rat (Rattus norvegicus)and quantify growth trajectories that illustrate morphological divergence both developmentally and evolutionarily. In addition, I discuss how wing shape is controlled during morphogenesis by applying multivariate analyses of wing bones and wing membranes and discuss how flight dynamics are stabilized during flight ontogeny. Further, I discuss the development of flight in bats in relation to the ontogenetic niche and how juveniles effect populational foraging patterns. In addition, I provide a hypothetical ontogenetic landscape model that predicts how and when selection is most intense during juvenile morphogenesis and test this model with data from a population of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick A Adams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639, USA.
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