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North–South Differentiation of Black Flies in the Western Cordillera of North America: A New Species of Prosimulium (Diptera: Simuliidae). DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Glaciation has been a powerful determiner of species distributions and the genetic structure of populations. Contemporary distributions of many organisms in North America’s Western Cordillera reflect the influence of Pleistocene glaciation. We identified a pattern of north–south differentiation in the genus Prosimulium of western North America, which reflects the separation of northern and southern populations by the North American Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene Epoch. The taxonomic implication is that new species exist within nominal species, requiring formal description or revalidation of names currently in synonymy. We morphologically and cytogenetically examined populations of one nominal species of black fly, Prosimulium esselbaughi Sommerman, over its known range from Alaska south to California and Colorado. Chromosomal and morphological evidence supports the presence of two species, P. esselbaughi sensu stricto from Alaska to at least southern British Columbia, and a new species, Prosimulium supernum in the central Rocky Mountains and high Sierra Nevada range of the United States. The new species is described in all life stages above the egg, along with its polytene chromosomes. The existence of differentiated populations of other nominal species of black flies in northern and southern North America provides a system for investigating possible co-differentiation of vectors and parasites.
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Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the Arctic: Revisiting distribution and identifying research and conservation priorities amid rapid environmental change. Polar Biol 2022; 45:1465-1482. [PMID: 36090964 PMCID: PMC9440465 DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03079-4] [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: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Wolverines (Gulo gulo) occupy most of the globe’s Arctic tundra. Given the rapidly warming climate and expanding human activity in this biome, understanding wolverine ecology, and therefore the species’ vulnerability to such changes, is increasingly important for developing research priorities and effective management strategies. Here, we review and synthesize knowledge of wolverines in the Arctic using both Western science sources and available Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to improve our understanding of wolverine ecology in the Arctic and better predict the species’ susceptibility to change. To accomplish this, we update the pan-Arctic distribution map of wolverines to account for recent observations and then discuss resulting inference and uncertainties. We use these patterns to contextualize and discuss potential underlying drivers of distribution and population dynamics, drawing upon knowledge of food habits, habitat associations, and harvest, as well as studies of wolverine ecology elsewhere. We then identify four broad areas to prioritize conservation and research efforts: (1) Monitoring trends in population abundance, demographics, and distribution and the drivers thereof, (2) Evaluating and predicting wolverines’ responses to ongoing climate change, particularly the consequences of reduced snow and sea ice, and shifts in prey availability, (3) Understanding wolverines’ response to human development, including the possible impact of wintertime over-snow travel and seismic testing to reproductive denning, as well as vulnerability to hunting and trapping associated with increased human access, and (4) Ensuring that current and future harvest are sustainable.
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Lok S, Lau TNH, Trost B, Tong AHY, Wintle RF, Engstrom MD, Stacy E, Waits LP, Scrafford M, Scherer SW. Chromosomal-level reference genome assembly of the North American wolverine ( Gulo gulo luscus): a resource for conservation genomics. G3 GENES|GENOMES|GENETICS 2022; 12:6604289. [PMID: 35674384 PMCID: PMC9339297 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkac138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report a chromosomal-level genome assembly of a male North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) from the Kugluktuk region of Nunavut, Canada. The genome was assembled directly from long-reads, comprising: 758 contigs with a contig N50 of 36.6 Mb; contig L50 of 20; base count of 2.39 Gb; and a near complete representation (99.98%) of the BUSCO 5.2.2 set of 9,226 genes. A presumptive chromosomal-level assembly was generated by scaffolding against two chromosomal-level Mustelidae reference genomes, the ermine and the Eurasian river otter, to derive a final scaffold N50 of 144.0 Mb and a scaffold L50 of 7. We annotated a comprehensive set of genes that have been associated with models of aggressive behavior, a trait which the wolverine is purported to have in the popular literature. To support an integrated, genomics-based wildlife management strategy at a time of environmental disruption from climate change, we annotated the principal genes of the innate immune system to provide a resource to study the wolverine’s susceptibility to new infectious and parasitic diseases. As a resource, we annotated genes involved in the modality of infection by the coronaviruses, an important class of viral pathogens of growing concern as shown by the recent spillover infections by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 to naïve wildlife. Tabulation of heterozygous single nucleotide variants in our specimen revealed a heterozygosity level of 0.065%, indicating a relatively diverse genetic pool that would serve as a baseline for the genomics-based conservation of the wolverine, a rare cold-adapted carnivore now under threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Lok
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Timothy N H Lau
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Brett Trost
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Amy H Y Tong
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto , ON M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Richard F Wintle
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mark D Engstrom
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum , Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
| | - Elise Stacy
- Environmental Science Program, University of Idaho , Moscow, ID 83844, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Arctic Beringia , Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA
| | - Lisette P Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife, University of Idaho , Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Matthew Scrafford
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada , Thunder Bay, ON P7A 4K9, Canada
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto , ON M5S 1A8, Canada
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Sharma R, Harms NJ, Kukka PM, Jung TS, Parker SE, Ross S, Thompson P, Rosenthal B, Hoberg EP, Jenkins EJ. High prevalence, intensity, and genetic diversity of Trichinella spp. in wolverine (Gulo gulo) from Yukon, Canada. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:146. [PMID: 33685525 PMCID: PMC7938582 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04636-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Species of Trichinella are globally important foodborne parasites infecting a number of domestic and wild vertebrates, including humans. Free-ranging carnivores can act as sentinel species for detection of Trichinella spp. Knowledge of the epidemiology of these parasites may help prevent Trichinella spp. infections in northern Canadian animals and people. Previous research on Trichinella spp. in wildlife from Yukon did not identify risk factors associated with infection, or the diversity and identity of species of Trichinella in regional circulation, based on geographically extensive sampling with large sample sizes. Methods In a cross-sectional study, we determined the prevalence, infection intensity, risk factors, and species or genotypes of Trichinella in wolverine (Gulo gulo) in two regions of Yukon, Canada, from 2013–2017. A double separatory funnel digestion method followed by mutiplex PCR and PCR-RFLP were used to recover and identify species of Trichinella, respectively. Results We found larvae of Trichinella in the tongues of 78% (95% CI 73–82) of 338 wolverine sampled. The odds of adult (≥ 2 years) and yearling (1 year) wolverine being Trichinella spp.-positive were four and two times higher, respectively, compared to juveniles (<1 year). The odds of Trichinella spp. presence were three times higher in wolverine from southeast than northwest Yukon. The mean intensity of infection was 22.6 ± 39 (SD, range 0.1–295) larvae per gram. Trichinella T6 was the predominant genotype (76%), followed by T. nativa (8%); mixed infections with Trichinella T6 and T. nativa (12%) were observed. In addition, T. spiralis was detected in one wolverine. Out of 22 isolates initially identified as T. nativa in multiplex PCR, 14 were analyzed by PCR-RFLP to distinguish them from T. chanchalensis, a recently discovered cryptic species, which cannot be distinguished from the T. nativa on multiplex PCR. Ten isolates were identified either as T. chanchalensis alone (n = 7), or mixed infection with T. chanchalensis and T. nativa (n = 2) or T. chanchalensis and Trichinella T6 (n = 1)]. Conclusions Wolverine hosted high prevalence, high larval intensity, and multiple species of Trichinella, likely due to their scavenging habits, apex position in the food chain, and wide home range. Wolverine (especially adult males) should be considered as a sentinel species for surveys for Trichinella spp. across their distributional range.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajnish Sharma
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - N Jane Harms
- Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, P.O. Box 2703, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 2C6, Canada
| | - Piia M Kukka
- Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, P.O. Box 2703, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 2C6, Canada
| | - Thomas S Jung
- Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, P.O. Box 2703, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 2C6, Canada.,Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 351 General Services Building, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3T1, Canada
| | - Sarah E Parker
- Centre for Applied Epidemiology, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Sasha Ross
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Peter Thompson
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Benjamin Rosenthal
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA
| | - Eric P Hoberg
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.,Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Emily J Jenkins
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
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