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Redpath SHA, Marks NJ, Menzies FD, O'Hagan MJH, Wilson RP, Smith S, Magowan EA, McClune DW, Collins SF, McCormick CM, Scantlebury DM. Impact of test, vaccinate or remove protocol on home ranges and nightly movements of badgers a medium density population. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2592. [PMID: 36788237 PMCID: PMC9929337 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In the British Isles, the European badger (Meles meles) is thought to be the primary wildlife reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), an endemic disease in cattle. Test, vaccinate or remove ('TVR') of bTB test-positive badgers, has been suggested to be a potentially useful protocol to reduce bTB incidence in cattle. However, the practice of removing or culling badgers is controversial both for ethical reasons and because there is no consistent observed effect on bTB levels in cattle. While removing badgers reduces population density, it may also result in disruption of their social behaviour, increase their ranging, and lead to greater intra- and inter-species bTB transmission. This effect has been recorded in high badger density areas, such as in southwest England. However, little is known about how TVR affects the behaviour and movement of badgers within a medium density population, such as those that occur in Northern Ireland (NI), which the current study aimed to examine. During 2014-2017, badger ranging behaviours were examined prior to and during a TVR protocol in NI. Nightly distances travelled by 38 individuals were determined using Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of animal tracks and GPS-enhanced dead-reckoned tracks. The latter was calculated using GPS, tri-axial accelerometer and tri-axial magnetometer data loggers attached to animals. Home range and core home range size were measured using 95% and 50% autocorrelated kernel density estimates, respectively, based on location fixes. TVR was not associated with measured increases in either distances travelled per night (mean = 3.31 ± 2.64 km) or home range size (95% mean = 1.56 ± 0.62 km2, 50% mean = 0.39 ± 0.62 km2) over the four years of study. However, following trapping, mean distances travelled per night increased by up to 44% eight days post capture. Findings differ from those observed in higher density badger populations in England, in which badger ranging increased following culling. Whilst we did not assess behaviours of individual badgers, possible reasons why no differences in home range size were observed include higher inherent 'social fluidity' in Irish populations whereby movements are less restricted by habitat saturation and/or that the numbers removed did not reach a threshold that might induce increases in ranging behaviour. Nevertheless, short-term behavioural disruption from trapping was observed, which led to significant increases in the movements of individual animals within their home range. Whether or not TVR may alter badger behaviours remains to be seen, but it would be better to utilise solutions such as oral vaccination of badgers and/or cattle as well as increased biosecurity to limit bTB transmission, which may be less likely to cause interference and thereby reduce the likelihood of bTB transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie H A Redpath
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland
| | - Nikki J Marks
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Fraser D Menzies
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Maria J H O'Hagan
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Rory P Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales
| | - Sinéad Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Elizabeth A Magowan
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - David W McClune
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Shane F Collins
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Belfast, BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland
| | - Carl M McCormick
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland
| | - D Michael Scantlebury
- School of Biological Sciences, Queens' University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland.
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2
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Lam DK, Frantz AC, Burke T, Geffen E, Sin SYW. Both selection and drift drive the spatial pattern of adaptive genetic variation in a wild mammal. Evolution 2023; 77:221-238. [PMID: 36626810 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been intensively studied for the relative effects of different evolutionary forces in recent decades. Pathogen-mediated balancing selection is generally thought to explain the high polymorphism observed in MHC genes, but it is still unclear to what extent MHC diversity is shaped by selection relative to neutral drift. In this study, we genotyped MHC class II DRB genes and 15 neutral microsatellite loci across 26 geographic populations of European badgers (Meles meles) covering most of their geographic range. By comparing variation of microsatellite and diversity of MHC at different levels, we demonstrate that both balancing selection and drift have shaped the evolution of MHC genes. When only MHC allelic identity was investigated, the spatial pattern of MHC variation was similar to that of microsatellites. By contrast, when functional aspects of the MHC diversity (e.g., immunological supertypes) were considered, balancing selection appears to decrease genetic structuring across populations. Our comprehensive sampling and analytical approach enable us to conclude that the likely mechanisms of selection are heterozygote advantage and/or rare-allele advantage. This study is a clear demonstration of how both balancing selection and genetic drift simultaneously affect the evolution of MHC genes in a widely distributed wild mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Kong Lam
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alain C Frantz
- Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Terry Burke
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Eli Geffen
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Simon Yung Wa Sin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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3
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Fokidis HB, Brock T, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Assessing chronic stress in wild mammals using claw-derived cortisol: a validation using European badgers ( Meles meles). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad024. [PMID: 37179707 PMCID: PMC10171820 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Measuring stress experienced by wild mammals is increasingly important in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change and initiatives to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. Glucocorticoids (GC), such as cortisol, mediate responses by promoting physiological adjustments during environmental perturbations. Measuring cortisol is a popular technique; however, this often reveals only recent short-term stress such as that incurred by restraining the animal to sample blood, corrupting the veracity of this approach. Here we present a protocol using claw cortisol, compared with hair cortisol, as a long-term stress bio-indicator, which circumvents this constraint, where claw tissue archives the individual's GC concentration over preceding weeks. We then correlate our findings against detailed knowledge of European badger life history stressors. Based on a solid-phase extraction method, we assessed how claw cortisol concentrations related to season and badger sex, age and body-condition using a combination of generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) (n = 668 samples from 273 unique individuals) followed by finer scale mixed models for repeated measures (MMRM) (n = 152 re-captured individuals). Claw and hair cortisol assays achieved high accuracy, precision and repeatability, with similar sensitivity. The top GLMM model for claw cortisol included age, sex, season and the sex*season interaction. Overall, claw cortisol levels were significantly higher among males than females, but strongly influenced by season, where females had higher levels than males in autumn. The top fine scale MMRM model included sex, age and body condition, with claw cortisol significantly higher in males, older and thinner individuals. Hair cortisol was more variable than claw; nevertheless, there was a positive correlation after removing 34 outliers. We discuss strong support for these stress-related claw cortisol patterns from previous studies of badger biology. Given the potential of this technique, we conclude that it has broad application in conservation biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bobby Fokidis
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA.
| | - Taylor Brock
- Department of Biology, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Avenue, Winter Park, Florida, 32789-4499, USA
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abindgon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abindgon Rd, Tubney, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V1V7, Canada
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Tanigawa K, Makino Y, Miura N, Umeki K, Hirao T. Scale-dependent habitat selection of sympatric mesocarnivore species in a cool temperate forest in eastern Japan. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00303-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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5
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Recovery of an isolated badger (Meles meles) population in The Netherlands. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01596-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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6
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Bae HK, Lee JK, Eom TK, Lee DH, Rhim SJ. Ecological factors influencing the selection of sett location by the Asian badger Meles leucurus. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ho-Kyoung Bae
- H.-K. Bae, J.-K. Lee, T.-K. Eom, D.-H. Lee and S.-J. Rhim (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1148) ✉ , School of Bioresource and Bioscience, Chung-Ang Univ., Ansung, South Korea
| | - Jae-Kang Lee
- H.-K. Bae, J.-K. Lee, T.-K. Eom, D.-H. Lee and S.-J. Rhim (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1148) ✉ , School of Bioresource and Bioscience, Chung-Ang Univ., Ansung, South Korea
| | - Tae-Kyung Eom
- H.-K. Bae, J.-K. Lee, T.-K. Eom, D.-H. Lee and S.-J. Rhim (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1148) ✉ , School of Bioresource and Bioscience, Chung-Ang Univ., Ansung, South Korea
| | - Dong-Ho Lee
- H.-K. Bae, J.-K. Lee, T.-K. Eom, D.-H. Lee and S.-J. Rhim (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1148) ✉ , School of Bioresource and Bioscience, Chung-Ang Univ., Ansung, South Korea
| | - Shin-Jae Rhim
- H.-K. Bae, J.-K. Lee, T.-K. Eom, D.-H. Lee and S.-J. Rhim (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1148) ✉ , School of Bioresource and Bioscience, Chung-Ang Univ., Ansung, South Korea
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Silva M, Rosalino LM, Alcobia S, Santos-Reis M. Sett Use, Density and Breeding Phenology of Badgers in Mediterranean Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Systems. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11092663. [PMID: 34573629 PMCID: PMC8471938 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Understanding carnivores social structure variation is pivotal for properly addressing conservation challenges and solutions. The European badgers is a social carnivore for which most of the available information regarding how this species is socially organized derives from central west populations. This article describes the group composition, den use patterns and breeding phenology of a Mediterranean population of badgers. We showed that badger live in low density, in relatively small groups, composed by 2–4 adult animals and ca. 2 cubs, born in winter. These patterns, representing a variation of what was described for other populations, show that badgers take advantage of the landscape context, where human-related resources and mild environmental conditions allow badger to reach higher densities than in many southern populations, and to reproduce earlier than their northern counterparts. Abstract Carnivores social organization varies widely, from strongly social to solitary predators. European badgers are facultative social carnivores that also shows a geographical variation in social structure. These patterns derive mainly from central/west European regions, with an under-representation of Mediterranean populations that face different conservation challenges, especially regarding group composition, sett use patterns and breeding phenology. We addressed these traits topics for a population inhabiting a Portuguese agro-silvo-pastoral system. Based on monthly monitoring of 34 setts and continuous camera-trapping surveys of 12, we showed that setts surrounded by diversified vegetation and located in sandy sites are more used, a pattern probably linked to food availability and ease of sett excavation and maintenance, respectively. Badgers followed a general pattern regarding group size (2–4 adults), but showed an intermediate population density (0.49–0.73 badgers/km2), with values higher than those estimated for other Mediterranean environments, but lower than for central-western populations. This, together with the breeding (November/January) and cub emergence (1.8 cubs/sett; March/April) periods, indicates an ecological adaptation to the landscape context, where human-related resources and mild environmental conditions allow badger to reach higher densities than in many southern populations, and to reproduce earlier than their northern counterparts.
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Badger territoriality maintained despite disturbance of major road construction. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0242586. [PMID: 34478443 PMCID: PMC8415604 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Road ecology has traditionally focused on the impact of in-situ and functional roads on wildlife. However, road construction also poses a major, yet understudied, threat and the implications for key aspects of animal behaviour are unknown. Badgers (Meles meles) have been implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle. There are concerns that environmental disturbances, including major road construction, can disrupt badger territoriality, promoting the spread of the disease to cattle. To address these knowledge gaps the ranging behaviour of a medium-density Irish badger population was monitored using GPS-tracking collars before, during, and after a major road realignment project that bisected the study area. We estimated badgers’ home range sizes, nightly distances travelled, and the distance and frequency of extra-territorial excursions during each phase of the study and quantified any changes to these parameters. We show that road construction had a very limited effect on ranging behaviour. A small increase in nightly distance during road construction did not translate into an increase in home range size, nor an increase in the distance or frequency of extra-territorial excursions during road construction. In addition, suitable mitigation measures to prevent badger deaths appeared to ensure that normal patterns of ranging behaviour continued once the new road was in place. We recommend that continuous badger-proof fencing be placed along the entire length of new major roads, in combination with appropriately sited underpasses. Our analysis supports the view that road construction did not cause badgers to change their ranging behaviour in ways likely to increase the spread of tuberculosis.
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9
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10
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Albery GF, Newman C, Ross JB, MacDonald DW, Bansal S, Buesching C. Negative density-dependent parasitism in a group-living carnivore. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202655. [PMID: 33323092 PMCID: PMC7779509 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals living at high population densities commonly experience greater exposure to disease, leading to increased parasite burdens. However, social animals can benefit immunologically and hygienically from cooperation, and individuals may alter their socio-spatial behaviour in response to infection, both of which could counteract density-related increases in exposure. Consequently, the costs and benefits of sociality for disease are often uncertain. Here, we use a long-term study of a wild European badger population (Meles meles) to investigate how within-population variation in host density determines infection with multiple parasites. Four out of five parasite taxa exhibited consistent spatial hotspots of infection, which peaked among badgers living in areas of low local population density. Combined movement, survival, spatial and social network analyses revealed that parasite avoidance was the likely cause of this negative density dependence, with possible roles for localized mortality, encounter-dilution effects, and micronutrient-enhanced immunity. These findings demonstrate that animals can organize their societies in space to minimize parasite infection, with important implications for badger behavioural ecology and for the control of badger-associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julius Bright Ross
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W. MacDonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shweta Bansal
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Christina Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Sciences, Okanagan Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
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11
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van Lieshout SHJ, Sparks AM, Bretman A, Newman C, Buesching CD, Burke T, Macdonald DW, Dugdale HL. Estimation of environmental, genetic and parental age at conception effects on telomere length in a wild mammal. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:296-308. [PMID: 33113164 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Understanding individual variation in fitness-related traits requires separating the environmental and genetic determinants. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that are thought to be a biomarker of senescence as their length predicts mortality risk and reflect the physiological consequences of environmental conditions. The relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual variation in telomere length is, however, unclear, yet important for understanding its evolutionary dynamics. In particular, the evidence for transgenerational effects, in terms of parental age at conception, on telomere length is mixed. Here, we investigate the heritability of telomere length, using the 'animal model', and parental age at conception effects on offspring telomere length in a wild population of European badgers (Meles meles). Although we found no heritability of telomere length and low evolvability (<0.001), our power to detect heritability was low and a repeatability of 2% across individual lifetimes provides a low upper limit to ordinary narrow-sense heritability. However, year (32%) and cohort (3%) explained greater proportions of the phenotypic variance in telomere length, excluding qPCR plate and row variances. There was no support for cross-sectional or within-individual parental age at conception effects on offspring telomere length. Our results indicate a lack of transgenerational effects through parental age at conception and a low potential for evolutionary change in telomere length in this population. Instead, we provide evidence that individual variation in telomere length is largely driven by environmental variation in this wild mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sil H J van Lieshout
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Alexandra M Sparks
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Amanda Bretman
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Abingdon, UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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12
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Bright Ross JG, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. What lies beneath? Population dynamics conceal pace-of-life and sex ratio variation, with implications for resilience to environmental change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:3307-3324. [PMID: 32243650 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Life-history and pace-of-life syndrome theory predict that populations are comprised of individuals exhibiting different reproductive schedules and associated behavioural and physiological traits, optimized to prevailing social and environmental factors. Changing weather and social conditions provide in situ cues altering this life-history optimality; nevertheless, few studies have considered how tactical, sex-specific plasticity over an individual's lifespan varies in wild populations and influences population resilience. We examined the drivers of individual life-history schedules using 31 years of trapping data and 28 years of pedigree for the European badger (Meles meles L.), a long-lived, iteroparous, polygynandrous mammal that exhibits heterochrony in the timing of endocrinological puberty in male cubs. Our top model for the effects of environmental (social and weather) conditions during a badger's first year on pace-of-life explained <10% of variance in the ratio of fertility to age at first reproduction (F/α) and lifetime reproductive success. Conversely, sex ratio (SR) and sex-specific density explained 52.8% (males) and 91.0% (females) of variance in adult F/α ratios relative to the long-term population median F/α. Weather primarily affected the sexes at different life-history stages, with energy constraints limiting the onset of male reproduction but playing a large role in female strategic energy allocation, particularly in relation to ongoing mean temperature increases. Furthermore, the effects of social factors on age of first reproduction and year-to-year reproductive success covaried differently with sex, likely due to sex-specific responses to potential mate availability. For females, low same-sex densities favoured early primiparity; for males, instead, up to 10% of yearlings successfully mated at high same-sex densities. We observed substantial SR dynamism relating to differential mortality of life-history strategists within the population, and propose that shifting ratios of 'fast' and 'slow' life-history strategists contribute substantially to population dynamics and resilience to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius G Bright Ross
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christina D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Tuberculosis Epidemiology and Badger ( Meles meles) Spatial Ecology in a Hot-Spot Area in Atlantic Spain. Pathogens 2019; 8:pathogens8040292. [PMID: 31835627 PMCID: PMC6963265 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We provide a temporal overview (from 2012 to 2018) of the outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) in the cattle and badger populations in a hot-spot in Asturias (Atlantic Spain). We also study the badger’s spatial ecology from an epidemiological perspective in order to describe hazardous behavior in relation to TB transmission between cattle and badgers. Culture and single intradermal tuberculin test (SITT) were available for cattle as part of the National Program for the Eradication of TB. A field survey was also carried out in order to determine the paddocks and buildings used by each farm, and the information obtained was stored by using geographic information systems. Moreover, eighty-three badgers were submitted for necropsy and subsequent bacteriological studies. Ten badgers were also tracked, using global positioning system (GPS) collars. The prevalence of TB in cattle herds in the hot-spot increased from 2.2% in 2012 to 20% in 2016; it then declined to 0.0% in 2018. In contrast, the TB prevalence in badgers increased notably (from 5.55% in 2012–2015 to 10.64% in 2016–2018). Both cattle and badgers shared the same strain of Mycobacterium bovis. The collared badgers preferred paddocks used by TB-positive herds in spring and summer (when they were more active). The males occupied larger home ranges than the females (Khr95: males 149.78 ± 25.84 ha and females 73.37 ± 22.91 ha; Kcr50: males 29.83 ± 5.69 ha and females 13.59 ± 5.00 ha), and the home ranges were smaller in autumn and winter than in summer. The averages of the index of daily and maximum distances traveled by badgers were 1.88 ± (SD) 1.20 km and 1.99 ± 0.71 km, respectively. One of them presented a dispersive behavior with a maximum range of 18.3 km. The most preferred habitat was apple orchards in all seasons, with the exception of winter, in which they preferred pastures. Land uses and landscape structure, which have been linked with certain livestock-management practices, provide a scenario of great potential for badger–cattle interactions, thus enhancing the importance of the badgers’ ecology, which could potentially transmit TB back to cattle in the future.
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Lieshout SHJ, Bretman A, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW, Dugdale HL. Individual variation in early‐life telomere length and survival in a wild mammal. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:4152-4165. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sil H. J. Lieshout
- School of Biology Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Amanda Bretman
- School of Biology Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Abingdon UK
| | - Christina D. Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Abingdon UK
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Abingdon UK
| | - Hannah L. Dugdale
- School of Biology Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Leeds Leeds UK
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15
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Sugianto NA, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Buesching CD. Heterochrony of puberty in the European badger (Meles meles) can be explained by growth rate and group-size: Evidence for two endocrinological phenotypes. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0203910. [PMID: 30840618 PMCID: PMC6402631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Puberty is a key stage in mammalian ontogeny, involving endocrinological, physiological and behavioural changes, moderated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Thus, not all individuals within one population achieve sexual maturity simultaneously. Here, using the European badger (Meles meles) as a model, we describe male testosterone and female oestrone profiles (using Enzyme-immunoassays) from first capture (3 months, post-weaning) until 28 months (attaining sexual maturity and final body size), along with metrics of somatic growth, scent gland development and maturation of external reproductive organs as well as intra-specific competition. In both sexes, endocrinological puberty commenced at ca. 11 months. Thereafter, cub hormone levels followed adult seasonal hormone patterns but at lower levels, with the majority of cubs reaching sexual maturity during their second mating season (22-28 months). Interestingly, there was evidence for two endocrinological phenotypes among male cubs (less evident in females), with early developers reaching sexual maturity at 11 months (first mating season) and late developers reaching sexual maturity at 22-26 months (second mating season). Early developers also attained a greater proportion of their ultimate adult size by 11 months, exhibiting faster growth rates than late developers (despite having similar adult size). Male cubs born into larger social groups tended to follow the late developer phenotype. Our results support the hypothesis that a minimum body size is required to reach sexual maturity, which may be achieved at different ages, even within a single population, where early maturity can confer individual fitness advantages and enhance population growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Adrianna Sugianto
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Whyte Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Dagmar Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Tsunoda M, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW, Kaneko Y. Badger setts provide thermal refugia, buffering changeable surface weather conditions. J Therm Biol 2018; 74:226-233. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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17
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Tammeleht E, Kuuspu M. Effect of competition and landscape characteristics on mesocarnivore cohabitation in badger setts. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Tammeleht
- Department of Zoology Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - M. Kuuspu
- Department of Zoology Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
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18
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19
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Périquet S, le Roux A. Seasonal patterns of habitat selection in the insectivorous bat-eared fox. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Périquet
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; University of the Free State; Phuthaditjhaba South Africa
| | - Aliza le Roux
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; University of the Free State; Phuthaditjhaba South Africa
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20
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Buesching CD, Newman C, Service K, Macdonald DW, Riordan P. Latrine marking patterns of badgers (
Meles meles
) with respect to population density and range size. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christina D. Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney House Tubney OX13 5QL UK
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney House Tubney OX13 5QL UK
| | - Katrina Service
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney House Tubney OX13 5QL UK
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre University of Oxford Tubney House Tubney OX13 5QL UK
| | - Philip Riordan
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PS UK
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Périquet S, Mapendere C, Revilla E, Banda J, Macdonald D, Loveridge A, Fritz H. A potential role for interference competition with lions in den selection and attendance by spotted hyaenas. Mamm Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2015.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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22
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Balestrieri A, Cardarelli E, Pandini M, Remonti L, Saino N, Prigioni C. Spatial organisation of European badger (Meles meles) in northern Italy as assessed by camera-trapping. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-016-0996-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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O’Brien J, Elliott S, Hayden TJ. Use of hedgerows as a key element of badger (Meles meles) behaviour in Ireland. Mamm Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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24
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Noonan MJ, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. Evolution and function of fossoriality in the Carnivora: implications for group-living. Front Ecol Evol 2015. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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25
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Macdonald DW, Johnson DDP. Patchwork planet: the resource dispersion hypothesis, society, and the ecology of life. J Zool (1987) 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D. W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; UK
| | - D. D. P. Johnson
- Department of Politics and International Relations; University of Oxford; UK
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Annavi G, Newman C, Dugdale HL, Buesching CD, Sin YW, Burke T, Macdonald DW. Neighbouring-group composition and within-group relatedness drive extra-group paternity rate in the European badger (Meles meles). J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2191-203. [PMID: 25234113 PMCID: PMC4283041 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Extra-group paternity (EGP) occurs commonly among group-living mammals and plays an important role in mating systems and the dynamics of sexual selection; however, socio-ecological and genetic correlates of EGP have been underexplored. We use 23 years of demographic and genetic data from a high-density European badger (Meles meles) population, to investigate the relationship between the rate of EGP in litters and mate availability, mate incompatibility and mate quality (heterozygosity). Relatedness between within-group assigned mothers and candidate fathers had a negative quadratic effect on EGP, whereas the number of neighbouring-group candidate fathers had a linear positive effect. We detected no effect of mean or maximum heterozygosity of within-group candidate fathers on EGP. Consequently, EGP was associated primarily with mate availability, subject to within-group genetic effects, potentially to mitigate mate incompatibility and inbreeding. In badgers, cryptic female choice, facilitated by superfecundation, superfoetation and delayed implantation, prevents males from monopolizing within-group females. This resonates with a meta-analysis in group-living mammals, which proposed that higher rates of EGP occur when within-group males cannot monopolize within-group females. In contrast to the positive meta-analytic association, however, we found that EGP associated negatively with the number of within-group assigned mothers and the number of within-group candidate fathers; potentially a strategy to counter within-group males committing infanticide. The relationship between the rate of EGP and socio-ecological or genetic factors can therefore be intricate, and the potential for cryptic female choice must be accounted for in comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Annavi
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Putra MalaysiaSelangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - C Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - H L Dugdale
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Theoretical Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of GroningenGroningen, The Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of GroningenGroningen, The Netherlands
| | - C D Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Y W Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, USA
| | - T Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - D W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of OxfordTubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
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Young A, Márquez-Grant N, Stillman R, Smith MJ, Korstjens AH. An investigation of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Eurasian badger (Meles meles) scavenging, scattering, and removal of deer remains: forensic implications and applications. J Forensic Sci 2014; 60 Suppl 1:S39-55. [PMID: 25065997 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Revised: 07/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Within northwest Europe, especially the United Kingdom, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) are the largest wild scavengers capable of modifying a set of remains through scavenging. Knowledge of region-specific and species-typical scavenging behaviors of scavengers within the crime scene area and surroundings can aid in more efficient and accurate interpretations. The scavenging behaviors of captive and wild foxes and badgers were recorded and compared through actualistic methods and direct observation. The scavenging by wild foxes and badgers of surface-deposited baits and whole deer (Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) in a woodland was observed and analyzed. Wild foxes were found to scavenge deer more frequently than badgers. The scavenging of deer remains by foxes was also compared with forensic cases. The scavenging pattern and recovery distances of deer and human remains scavenged by foxes were similar but were potentially affected by the condition and deposition of a body, and the presence of clothing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Young
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, U.K, BH12 5BB
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28
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Kaneko Y, Kanda E, Tashima S, Masuda R, Newman C, Macdonald DW. The socio-spatial dynamics of the Japanese badger (Meles anakuma). J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/12-mamm-a-158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Bilham K, Sin YW, Newman C, Buesching CD, Macdonald DW. An example of life history antecedence in the European badger (Meles meles): rapid development of juvenile antioxidant capacity, from plasma vitamin E analogue. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2013.767861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Obidziński A, Pabjanek P, Mędrzycki P. Determinants of badgerMeles melessett location in Białowieża Primeval Forest, northeastern Poland. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.2981/11-074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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31
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Weber N, Bearhop S, Dall SRX, Delahay RJ, McDonald RA, Carter SP. Denning behaviour of the European badger ( Meles meles) correlates with bovine tuberculosis infection status. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012; 67:471-479. [PMID: 32214614 PMCID: PMC7080146 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1467-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Revised: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Heterogeneities in behaviours of individuals may underpin important processes in evolutionary biology and ecology, including the spread of disease. Modelling approaches can sometimes fail to predict disease spread, which may partly be due to the number of unknown sources of variation in host behaviour. The European badger is a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Britain and Ireland, and individual behaviour has been demonstrated to be an important factor in the spread of bTB among badgers and to cattle. Radio-telemetry devices were deployed on 40 badgers from eight groups to investigate patterns of den (sett) use in a high-density population, where each group had one or two main and three to eight outlier setts in their territory. Badgers were located at their setts for 28 days per season for 1 year to investigate how patterns differed between individuals. Denning behaviour may have a strong influence on contact patterns and the transmission of disease. We found significant heterogeneity, influenced by season, sex and age. Also, when controlling for these, bTB infection status interacting with season was highly correlated with sett use. Test-positive badgers spent more time away from their main sett than those that tested negative. We speculate that wider-ranging behaviour of test-positive animals may result in them contacting sources of infection more frequently and/or that their behaviour may be influenced by their disease status. Measures to control infectious diseases might be improved by targeting functional groups, specific areas or times of year that may contribute disproportionately to disease spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Weber
- 1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ UK.,2The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton York, YO41 1LZ UK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- 1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ UK
| | - Sasha R X Dall
- 1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ UK
| | - Richard J Delahay
- 2The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton York, YO41 1LZ UK
| | - Robbie A McDonald
- 3Environment and Sustainability Institute, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9EZ UK
| | - Stephen P Carter
- 2The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton York, YO41 1LZ UK
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Sin YW, Dugdale HL, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Burke T. Evolution of MHC class I genes in the European badger (Meles meles). Ecol Evol 2012; 2:1644-62. [PMID: 22957169 PMCID: PMC3434948 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a central role in the adaptive immune system and provides a good model with which to understand the evolutionary processes underlying functional genes. Trans-species polymorphism and orthology are both commonly found in MHC genes; however, mammalian MHC class I genes tend to cluster by species. Concerted evolution has the potential to homogenize different loci, whereas birth-and-death evolution can lead to the loss of orthologs; both processes result in monophyletic groups within species. Studies investigating the evolution of MHC class I genes have been biased toward a few particular taxa and model species. We present the first study of MHC class I genes in a species from the superfamily Musteloidea. The European badger (Meles meles) exhibits moderate variation in MHC class I sequences when compared to other carnivores. We identified seven putatively functional sequences and nine pseudogenes from genomic (gDNA) and complementary (cDNA) DNA, signifying at least two functional class I loci. We found evidence for separate evolutionary histories of the α1 and α2/α3 domains. In the α1 domain, several sequences from different species were more closely related to each other than to sequences from the same species, resembling orthology or trans-species polymorphism. Balancing selection and probable recombination maintain genetic diversity in the α1 domain, evidenced by the detection of positive selection and a recombination event. By comparison, two recombination breakpoints indicate that the α2/α3 domains have most likely undergone concerted evolution, where recombination has homogenized the α2/α3 domains between genes, leading to species-specific clusters of sequences. Our findings highlight the importance of analyzing MHC domains separately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung Wa Sin
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, University of GroningenP.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology, University of GroningenP.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan CentreTubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of SheffieldWestern Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
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Newman C, Zhou YB, Buesching CD, Kaneko Y, Macdonald DW. Contrasting Sociality in Two Widespread, Generalist, Mustelid Genera,MelesandMartes. MAMMAL STUDY 2011. [DOI: 10.3106/041.036.0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Sin YW, Dugdale HL, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Burke T. MHC class II genes in the European badger (Meles meles): characterization, patterns of variation, and transcription analysis. Immunogenetics 2011; 64:313-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00251-011-0578-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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DUGDALE HANNAHL, POPE LISAC, NEWMAN CHRIS, MACDONALD DAVIDW, BURKE TERRY. Age-specific breeding success in a wild mammalian population: selection, constraint, restraint and senescence. Mol Ecol 2011; 20:3261-74. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Variations in Badger (Meles meles) Sett Microclimate: Differential Cub Survival between Main and Subsidiary Setts, with Implications for Artificial Sett Construction. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1155/2010/859586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Maintaining homeothermy is essential for mammals, but has considerable energetic costs. In this study, we monitored the internal conditions of setts within five European badger (Meles meles) social groups during the cub-rearing season, that is, February to July, in 2004. Sett temperature showed substantial and significant variation over this period, while relative humidity remained stable throughout. Microclimate was least stable during the period for which cubs remain entirely below ground between February and April; however here the instrumented main sett demonstrated a much warmer and more stable temperature regime than did nearby subsidiary outliers. We thus postulate that the energy budget of reproducing females could be affected by even small temperature fluctuations, militating for optimal sett choice. For comparison we also report microclimatic data from two artificial setts and found them to be markedly inferior in terms of thermal insulative properties, suggesting that man-made setts may need more careful consideration in both thermal and spatial setts network in each territory to adequately compensate the loss (e.g., destruction due to development) of a natural sett, especially as a breeding den.
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Macdonald DW, Newman C, Nouvellet PM, Buesching CD. An Analysis of Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) Population Dynamics: Implications for Regulatory Mechanisms. J Mammal 2009. [DOI: 10.1644/08-mamm-a-356r1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Markov NI. Spatial distribution and structure of badger (Meles leucurus Hodgson, 1847) setts in islands of the Ob River floodplain. RUSS J ECOL+ 2009. [DOI: 10.1134/s1067413609060083] [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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39
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Kilshaw K, Newman C, Buesching C, Bunyan J, Macdonald D. Coordinated Latrine Use by European Badgers,Meles meles: Potential Consequences for Territory Defense. J Mammal 2009. [DOI: 10.1644/08-mamm-a-200.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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40
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Macdonald DW, Newman C, Buesching CD, Johnson PJ. Male-biased Movement in a High-density Population of the Eurasian Badger (Meles meles). J Mammal 2008. [DOI: 10.1644/07-mamm-a-185.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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41
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Huck M, Davison J, Roper TJ. Predicting European badger Meles meles sett distribution in urban environments. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2008. [DOI: 10.2981/0909-6396(2008)14[188:pebmms]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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42
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DUGDALE HANNAHL, MACDONALD DAVIDW, POPE LISAC, JOHNSON PAULJ, BURKE TERRY. Reproductive skew and relatedness in social groups of European badgers,Meles meles. Mol Ecol 2008; 17:1815-27. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.03708.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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43
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Loureiro F, Rosalino LM, Macdonald DW, Santos-Reis M. Use of multiple den sites by Eurasian badgers, Meles meles, in a Mediterranean habitat. Zoolog Sci 2008; 24:978-85. [PMID: 18088174 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.24.978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2007] [Accepted: 06/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Den sites are a conspicuous feature of Eurasian badgers, Meles meles, and in many environments include large communal burrows used by several group members. In Serra de Grândola, southwest Portugal, nine badgers from three social groups were captured and radio collared from 2000 to 2004. A total of 1,787 locations of badgers in their resting sites were registered along with a brief description of the type of site and weather conditions. Resting sites were grouped according to structure (burrows, shrubs, rocks, hollow trees and man-made structures) and function (main, secondary and occasional). Although main setts were the most frequently used shelter (62.25%), an average of 14 (SD 7.55) resting sites were used in each territory. The pattern of use varied seasonally, showing differences according to sex and social group. Overall, females used more than twice as many occasional resting sites as did males. Generally burrows, predominantly main setts, were most frequently used during winter and autumn, whilst non-burrow shelters were preferred during spring and summer, when the weather was hot, dry and not windy. Proximity to food patches had no apparent influence on the location of resting sites. Our results offered no support for the foraging-related hypotheses that multiple resting sites are a means of conserving energy or of maintaining proximity to rich food patches. We suggest that other factors such as thermoregulation needs, disturbance, and reproductive status, could be influencing the observed pattern of resting-site use by badgers in Serra de Grândola.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa Loureiro
- Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Biologia Ambiental/Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Campo Grande, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Franks N, Dornhaus A, Hitchcock G, Guillem R, Hooper J, Webb C. Avoidance of conspecific colonies during nest choice by ants. Anim Behav 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Do Linh San E, Ferrari N, Weber JM. Spatio-temporal ecology and density of badgers Meles meles in the Swiss Jura Mountains. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-006-0085-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Spatial organization and behaviour of badgers (Meles meles) in a moderate-density population. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-006-0268-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Delahay R, Walker N, Forrester G, Harmsen B, Riordan P, Macdonald D, Newman C, Cheeseman C. Demographic correlates of bite wounding in Eurasian badgers, Meles meles L., in stable and perturbed populations. Anim Behav 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Rosalino LM, Macdonald DW, Santos-Reis M. Resource dispersion and badger population density in Mediterranean woodlands: is food, water or geology the limiting factor? OIKOS 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13755.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Rosalino LM, Macdonald DW, Santos-Reis M. Spatial structure and land-cover use in a low-density Mediterranean population of Eurasian badgers. CAN J ZOOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/z04-130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Eurasian badgers, Meles meles (L., 1758), have an extensive geographic range throughout which their social organization varies. Their capacity for intraspecific variation can now best be understood by studying them in landscapes that differ from the lush, lowland farmland where their tendency to form large groups has been most intensively investigated. Badgers in cork oak (Quercus suber L.) woodland are thus a priority for study, as this Mediterranean landscape provides an extreme contrast to those studied elsewhere. In this habitat in Portugal, we found 0.36–0.48 badgers/km2, one of the lowest population densities recorded in Western Europe. Here, individuals used seasonally stable home ranges that averaged 4.46 km2 and that were occupied by 3–4 adults plus 3–4 cubs of the year. In this landscape, badgers selectively used cork oak woodland with understory and riparian vegetation. As predicted by the resource dispersion hypothesis, home-range size was positively correlated with food-patch dispersion. In southwestern Portugal, badgers depend upon an environmental mosaic such as olive groves and orchards and vegetable gardens for food and cork oak woodlands for shelter and protection.
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