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Hull EA, Stiling RR, Barajas M, Neumann RB, Olden JD, Gawel JE. Littoral sediment arsenic concentrations predict arsenic trophic transfer and human health risk in contaminated lakes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293214. [PMID: 37856511 PMCID: PMC10586660 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Lake sediments store metal contaminants from historic pesticide and herbicide use and mining operations. Historical regional smelter operations in the Puget Sound lowlands have resulted in arsenic concentrations exceeding 200 μg As g-1 in urban lake sediments. Prior research has elucidated how sediment oxygen demand, warmer sediment temperatures, and alternating stratification and convective mixing in shallow lakes results in higher concentrations of arsenic in aquatic organisms when compared to deeper, seasonally stratified lakes with similar levels of arsenic pollution in profundal sediments. In this study we examine the trophic pathways for arsenic transfer through the aquatic food web of urban lakes in the Puget Sound lowlands, measuring C and N isotopes-to determine resource usage and trophic level-and total and inorganic arsenic in primary producers and primary and secondary consumers. Our results show higher levels of arsenic in periphyton than in other primary producers, and higher concentrations in snails than zooplankton or insect macroinvertebrates. In shallow lakes arsenic concentrations in littoral sediment are similar to deep profundal sediments due to arsenic remobilization, mixing, and redeposition, resulting in direct arsenic exposure to littoral benthic organisms such as periphyton and snails. The influence of littoral sediment on determining arsenic trophic transfer is evidenced by our results which show significant correlations between total arsenic in littoral sediment and total arsenic in periphyton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, snails, and fish across multiple lakes. We also found a consistent relationship between percent inorganic arsenic and trophic level (determined by δ15N) in lakes with different depths and mixing regimes. Cumulatively, these results combine to provide a strong empirical relationship between littoral sediment arsenic levels and inorganic arsenic in edible species that can be used to screen lakes for potential human health risk using an easy, inexpensive sampling and analysis method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin A. Hull
- Environmental Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rebekah R. Stiling
- Water and Land Resources Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Marco Barajas
- Environmental Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington, United States of America
| | - Rebecca B. Neumann
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Julian D. Olden
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - James E. Gawel
- Environmental Sciences, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington, United States of America
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2
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Wada T, Hinata A, Furuta Y, Sasaki K, Konoplev A, Nanba K. Factors affecting 137Cs radioactivity and water-to-body concentration ratios of fish in river and pond environments near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 258:107103. [PMID: 36599216 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate 137Cs contamination levels and mechanisms of fish inhabiting river and pond environments near the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, 137Cs activity concentrations in fish (15 species, n = 164) and water collected from Maeda River (3.3-8.9 km from the plant) and Shimofukazawa Pond (2.9 km) in 2017 were analyzed. Also, an 8-week rearing experiment using Japanese dace Pseudaspius hakonensis fed on non-contaminated pellets and the pond water (mean 137Cs concentration of 2.0 Bq/L) was conducted to evaluate 137Cs accumulation from water to fish. The 137Cs concentrations in Japanese dace, the only species collected throughout five sampling sites from estuarine to upstream areas in Maeda River, were found to be correlated with ambient air dose rates and fish size, exhibiting large variations (16.5-2.6×103 Bq/kg-wet). By contrast, dissolved 137Cs in river waters increased from the upper to lower course (0.025-0.28 Bq/L), which caused large variations of the water-to-body concentration ratio (CR) in Japanese dace (60.0-35700 L/kg-wet). These CRs (geometric mean of 3670 L/kg-wet) were much higher than the steady-state CR of reared fish (9.7 L/kg-wet), indicating that river fish uptake 137Cs mainly from prey items from aquatic and riparian zones, rather than from water. Statistically significant negative correlations between K+ concentrations in water and river fish CRs were detected, resulting in the decreasing trend of CRs from upstream to estuarine areas. These results suggest that the large heterogeneity of air dose rates, K+ concentration, and estuarine processes in brackish water habitats, in association with the feeding habit and size effect in fish, can engender wide variation of 137Cs concentrations and CRs of river fish along a river course. In contrast, 137Cs concentrations in pond fish (4.3-14.6 kBq/kg-wet) were higher than in river fish. The CRs of pond fish were constantly high but the range was smaller (1010-3440 L/kg-wet) with larger values in fish of higher trophic levels. These findings suggest that biomagnification within a pond was inferred as the main cause of 137Cs contamination of pond fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Wada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Akinori Hinata
- Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Yuma Furuta
- Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Keiichi Sasaki
- Fukushima Prefectural Inland Water Fisheries Experiment Station, Inawashiro, Fukushima, 969-3283, Japan
| | - Alexei Konoplev
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan; Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
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3
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Strasburg M, Boone MD. Can predators stabilize host–parasite interactions? Changes in aquatic predator identity alter amphibian responses and parasite abundance across life stages. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9512. [PMID: 36407903 PMCID: PMC9666717 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of parasites can change depending on the food web community. Predators, for instance, can amplify or dilute parasite effects on their hosts. Likewise, exposure to parasites or predators at one life stage can have long‐term consequences on individual performance and survival, which can influence population and disease dynamics. To understand how predators affect amphibian parasite infections across life stages, we manipulated exposure of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) tadpoles to three predators (crayfish [Orconectes rusticus], bluegill [Lepomis macrochirus], or mosquitofish [Gambusia affinis]) and to trematode parasites (Echinostoma spp.) in mesocosms and followed juveniles in outdoor terrestrial enclosures through overwintering. Parasites and predators both had strong impacts on metamorphosis with bluegill and parasites individually reducing metamorph survival. However, when fish were present, the negative effects of parasites on survival was not apparent, likely because fish altered community composition via increased algal food resources. Bluegill also reduced snail abundance, which could explain reduced abundance of parasites in surviving metamorphs. Bluegill and parasite exposure increased mass at metamorphosis, which increased metamorph jumping, swimming, and feeding performance, suggesting that larger frogs would experience better terrestrial survival. Effects on size at metamorphosis persisted in the terrestrial environment but did not influence overwintering survival. Based on our results, we constructed stage‐structured population models to evaluate the lethal and sublethal effects of bluegill and parasites on population dynamics. Our models suggested that positive effects of bluegill and parasites on body size may have greater effects on population growth than the direct effects of mortality. This study illustrates how predators can alter the outcome of parasitic infections and highlights the need for long‐term experiments that investigate how changes in host–parasite systems alter population dynamics. We show that some predators reduce parasite effects and have indirect positive effects on surviving individuals potentially increasing host population persistence.
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Lazic T, Pierri C, Corriero G, Balech B, Cardone F, Deflorio M, Fosso B, Gissi C, Marzano M, Nonnis Marzano F, Pesole G, Santamaria M, Gristina M. Evaluating the Efficiency of DNA Metabarcoding to Analyze the Diet of Hippocampus guttulatus (Teleostea: Syngnathidae). Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11100998. [PMID: 34685370 PMCID: PMC8540156 DOI: 10.3390/life11100998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Seahorses are considered a flagship species for conservation efforts and due to their conservation status, improving knowledge on their dietary composition while applying a non-invasive approach, could be useful. Using Hippocampus guttulatus as a case study, the present study represents pioneering research into investigating the diet of seahorses by NGS-based DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples. The study developed and tested the protocol for fecal DNA metabarcoding during the feeding trials where captive seahorses were fed on a diet of known composition; the process was subsequently applied on fecal samples collected from wild individuals. The analysis of samples collected during the feeding trials indicated the reliability of the applied molecular approach by allowing the characterization of the effectively ingested prey. In the field study, among detected prey species, results revealed that the majority of the seahorse samples contained taxa such as Amphipoda, Decapoda, Isopoda, and Calanoida, while less common prey taxa were Gastropoda and Polyplacophora. As only a small amount of starting fecal material is needed and the sampling procedure is neither invasive nor lethal. The present study indicates DNA metabarcoding as useful for investigating seahorse diet and could help define management and conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Lazic
- Department of Biology, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy; (T.L.); (G.C.)
| | - Cataldo Pierri
- Department of Biology, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy; (T.L.); (G.C.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Giuseppe Corriero
- Department of Biology, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy; (T.L.); (G.C.)
| | - Bachir Balech
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
| | - Frine Cardone
- Department of Integrated Marine Ecology, Zoological Station Anton Dohrn, 80127 Naples, Italy;
| | - Michele Deflorio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy;
| | - Bruno Fosso
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
| | - Carmela Gissi
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Marinella Marzano
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
| | - Francesco Nonnis Marzano
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy;
| | - Graziano Pesole
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Monica Santamaria
- Institute of Biomembrane, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnology (IBIOM), National Council of Research (CNR), 70121 Bari, Italy; (B.B.); (B.F.); (C.G.); (M.M.); (G.P.); (M.S.)
| | - Michele Gristina
- Institute of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in Marine Environment (IAS), National Council of Research (CNR), 90100 Palermo, Italy;
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Pagliaro MD, Knouft JH. Differential effects of the urban heat island on thermal responses of freshwater fishes from unmanaged and managed systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 723:138084. [PMID: 32224401 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A lack of understanding exists regarding how freshwater species will respond to increases in temperature associated with ongoing changes in climate. Non-urban to urban thermal gradients generated by urban heat islands can serve as models to characterize the effects of relatively consistent increases in temperature on freshwater ecosystems over several decades. This study investigates the apparent responses of two freshwater fish species, Campostoma anomalum (Central Stoneroller) and Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill), to directional changes in temperature over the past century across the non-urban to urban gradient in the Saint Louis, Missouri region in the central United States. Differences in air temperature across this gradient have increased by approximately 3 °C since 1920. Critical thermal maximum (CTMax) assays were conducted on individuals from fish populations across this gradient from either streams (C. anomalum) or ponds (L. macrochirus) to assess whether thermal tolerance is associated with water temperature among sites. According to expectations based on the effect of an urban heat island, maximum water temperature at stream sites was positively correlated with percent urban landcover around the sites. Moreover, CTMax among populations of C. anomalum was positively correlated with maximum water temperature at each site, suggesting that this species has likely responded to increases in temperature over the past several decades. There was no relationship between percent urban landcover and maximum water temperature in the pond systems. There was also no relationship between CTMax and maximum water temperature among L. macrochirus populations. The pond systems and populations of L. macrochirus are highly managed, which may limit local physical and biological responses to increases in air temperature. Results suggest that freshwater habitats in urban environments and the species inhabiting these areas are responding differently to recent increases in air temperature, highlighting the complexity of the physical and biological components of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Pagliaro
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Jason H Knouft
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
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6
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Cuthbert RN, Wasserman RJ, Dalu T, Kaiser H, Weyl OLF, Dick JTA, Sentis A, McCoy MW, Alexander ME. Influence of intra- and interspecific variation in predator-prey body size ratios on trophic interaction strengths. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5946-5962. [PMID: 32607203 PMCID: PMC7319243 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Predation is a pervasive force that structures food webs and directly influences ecosystem functioning. The relative body sizes of predators and prey may be an important determinant of interaction strengths. However, studies quantifying the combined influence of intra- and interspecific variation in predator-prey body size ratios are lacking.We use a comparative functional response approach to examine interaction strengths between three size classes of invasive bluegill and largemouth bass toward three scaled size classes of their tilapia prey. We then quantify the influence of intra- and interspecific predator-prey body mass ratios on the scaling of attack rates and handling times.Type II functional responses were displayed by both predators across all predator and prey size classes. Largemouth bass consumed more than bluegill at small and intermediate predator size classes, while large predators of both species were more similar. Small prey were most vulnerable overall; however, differential attack rates among prey were emergent across predator sizes. For both bluegill and largemouth bass, small predators exhibited higher attack rates toward small and intermediate prey sizes, while larger predators exhibited greater attack rates toward large prey. Conversely, handling times increased with prey size, with small bluegill exhibiting particularly low feeding rates toward medium-large prey types. Attack rates for both predators peaked unimodally at intermediate predator-prey body mass ratios, while handling times generally shortened across increasing body mass ratios.We thus demonstrate effects of body size ratios on predator-prey interaction strengths between key fish species, with attack rates and handling times dependent on the relative sizes of predator-prey participants.Considerations for intra- and interspecific body size ratio effects are critical for predicting the strengths of interactions within ecosystems and may drive differential ecological impacts among invasive species as size ratios shift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross N. Cuthbert
- GEOMARHelmholtz‐Zentrum für Ozeanforschung KielKielGermany
- Institute for Global Food SecuritySchool of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
- South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | - Ryan J. Wasserman
- South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMakhandaSouth Africa
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyRhodes UniversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | - Tatenda Dalu
- South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMakhandaSouth Africa
- Department of Ecology and Resource ManagementUniversity of VendaThohoyandouSouth Africa
| | - Horst Kaiser
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries ScienceRhodes UniversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | - Olaf L. F. Weyl
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries ScienceRhodes UniversityMakhandaSouth Africa
- DSI/NRF Research Chair in Inland Fisheries and Freshwater EcologySouth African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMakhandaSouth Africa
| | - Jaimie T. A. Dick
- Institute for Global Food SecuritySchool of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | - Arnaud Sentis
- INRAEAix Marseille UniversityUMR RECOVERAix‐en‐ProvenceFrance
| | | | - Mhairi E. Alexander
- South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversityMakhandaSouth Africa
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health ResearchSchool of Health and Life SciencesUniversity of the West of ScotlandPaisleyUK
- Department of Botany and ZoologyCentre for Invasion BiologyStellenbosch UniversityMatielandSouth Africa
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7
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Identification and comparative analysis of the miRNA expression profiles from four tissues of Micropterus salmoides using deep sequencing. Genomics 2018; 110:414-422. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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8
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Bonato KO, Silva PC, Malabarba LR. Unrevealing Parasitic Trophic Interactions—A Molecular Approach for Fluid-Feeding Fishes. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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Guillerault N, Bouletreau S, Iribar A, Valentini A, Santoul F. Application of DNA metabarcoding on faeces to identify European catfish Silurus glanis diet. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2017; 90:2214-2219. [PMID: 28345142 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the results of conventional stomach-content analysis are compared with the recent DNA metabarcoding approach on faeces to identify fish species consumed by non-native European catfish Silurus glanis in the Garonne River (south-western France), with a special emphasis on anadromous prey. Fourteen prey species were identified in the stomach contents or faeces, including four anadromous fish species. Despite higher intestine than stomach emptiness, more species were identified through faecal analysis (11 of 14) than through stomach-content analysis (five of 14) suggesting that DNA metabarcoding on faeces is an efficient, non-intrusive technique to study the diet of predatory fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Guillerault
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France
- Station d'Ecologie Expérimental du CNRS à Moulis, Lab. USR 2936, 09 100, Moulis, France
| | - S Bouletreau
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - A Iribar
- CNRS, UPS, ENFA, UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique), 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - A Valentini
- SPYGEN, Savoie Technolac-Bât. Koala, 17, Rue du Lac Saint-André-BP 274, 73375, Le Bourget-du-Lac Cedex, France
| | - F Santoul
- EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France
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10
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De la Cadena G, Papadopoulou A, Maes JM, Gómez-Zurita J. Evaluation of bias on the assessment of diet breadth of herbivorous insects using molecular methods. INSECT SCIENCE 2017; 24:194-209. [PMID: 26663763 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between herbivores and their host plants play a key role in ecological processes. Understanding the width and nature of these interactions is fundamental to ecology and conservation. Recent research on DNA-based inference of trophic associations suggests that the host range of phytophagous insects in the tropics may be wider than previously thought based on traditional observation. However, the reliability of molecular inference of ecological associations, still strongly dependent on PCR and thus exposed to the risk of contamination with environmental DNA, is under debate. Here, we explored alternative procedures to reduce the chance of amplification of external, nondiet DNA, including surface decontamination and analysis of mid/hind guts, comparing the results with those obtained using the standard protocol. We studied 261 specimens in eight species of Neotropical Chrysomelidae that yielded 316 psbA-trnH intergenic spacer sequences (cpDNA marker of putative diets) from unique and multiple-band PCR results. The taxonomic identity of these sequences was inferred using the automated pipeline BAGpipe, yielding results consistent with 31 plant families. Regardless of the protocol used, a wide taxonomic spectrum of food was inferred for all chrysomelid species. Canonical Correspondence Analysis using these data revealed significant differences attributed mainly to species (expectedly, since they represent different ecologies), but also to treatment (untreated vs. cleaned/gut samples) and PCR results (single vs. multiple bands). Molecular identification of diets is not straightforward and, regardless of the species' niche breadth, combining approaches that reduce external contamination and studying multiple individuals per species may help increasing confidence in results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gissela De la Cadena
- Animal Biodiversity and Evolution, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Papadopoulou
- Animal Biodiversity and Evolution, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | - Jesús Gómez-Zurita
- Animal Biodiversity and Evolution, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
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11
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Wasserman RJ, Alexander ME, Dalu T, Ellender BR, Kaiser H, Weyl OLF. Using functional responses to quantify interaction effects among predators. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Wasserman
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Mhairi E. Alexander
- Centre for Invasion Biology South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research (IBEHR) School of Science and Sport University of the West of Scotland Paisley PA1 2BE ScotlandUK
- Department of Botany and Zoology Centre for Invasion Biology Stellenbosch University Matieland 7602 South Africa
| | - Tatenda Dalu
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Bruce R. Ellender
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Horst Kaiser
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Olaf L. F. Weyl
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) P. Bag 1015 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
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12
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Oehm J, Thalinger B, Mayr H, Traugott M. Maximizing dietary information retrievable from carcasses of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo using a combined morphological and molecular analytical approach. THE IBIS 2016; 158:51-60. [PMID: 26877544 PMCID: PMC4739555 DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Avian carcasses can provide important information on the trophic ecology of birds. Usually, the number of carcasses available for examination is limited and therefore it is important to gain as much dietary information per specimen as possible. In piscivorous birds and raptors, the stomach has been the primary source of dietary information, whereas the gut (intestine) has so far been neglected as it usually contains only a few morphologically identifiable hard parts of prey. Molecular approaches have the potential to retrieve dietary information from the gut, although this has not yet been verified. As well as identifying the prey, it is important to estimate any secondary predation to avoid food web errors in dietary analyses. The assignment of accidentally consumed prey is notoriously difficult regardless of the prey identification approach used. In the present study, morphological and molecular analyses were, for the first time, combined to maximize the dietary information retrievable from the complete digestive tract of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis. Moreover, a novel approach based on predator-prey size ratios was applied to these piscivorous birds to minimize the number of samples that might contain secondarily predated prey. The stomach contents of the examined birds were found to provide the most dietary information when morphological and molecular analyses were used in combination. However, compared with the morphological approach, the molecular analysis increased the number of fish species detected by 39%. The molecular approach also permitted the identification of fish DNA in the Cormorant guts. Predator-prey size ratios derived from morphological analysis of fish hard parts can reduce the incidence of potential confounding influence of secondarily predated prey by 80%. Our findings demonstrate that a combination of morphological and molecular approaches maximizes the trophic information retrievable from bird carcasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Oehm
- Institute of Ecology University of Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Bettina Thalinger
- Institute of Ecology University of Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Hannes Mayr
- Institute of Ecology University of Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25 6020 Innsbruck Austria
| | - Michael Traugott
- Institute of Ecology University of Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25 6020 Innsbruck Austria
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Strauss BB, Yab TC, O'Connor HM, Taylor WR, Mahoney DW, Simonson JA, Christensen J, Chari ST, Ahlquist DA. Fecal Recovery of Ingested Cellular DNA: Implications for Noninvasive Detection of Upper Gastrointestinal Neoplasms. Dig Dis Sci 2016; 61:117-25. [PMID: 26297132 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-015-3845-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stool DNA testing represents a potential noninvasive approach to detect upper gastrointestinal (UGI) neoplasms. However, little is known about fecal recovery efficiency of DNA exfoliated from UGI tumors. AIMS The purpose of this study was to establish a human ingestion model that quantitatively approximates daily cellular shedding from UGI neoplasms and to estimate fecal DNA marker recovery rates. METHODS Healthy volunteers (n = 10) ingested two scheduled doses of raw salmon, 0.3 and 30 g, simulating the mass exfoliated daily from 1 to 4.5 cm lesions. To approach a steady-state, each dose was ingested over three consecutive days in randomized order. Following defecation of an indicator dye ingested with test meals, stools were collected over 48 h. Ingested salmon DNA was captured from stools using probes targeting pathognomonic Salmonidae sequences (SlmII). Captured DNA was quantified using PCR primers to generate 178, 138, 88 and 55 bp amplicons. RESULTS SlmII sequences were recovered from all stools following salmon ingestion; recovery was proportional to amount ingested (p = 0.004). Fecal recovery of ingested salmon varied inversely with amplicon size targeted; mean recovery rates of SlmII were 0.49, 0.91, 3.63, and 7.31 copies per 100,000 copies ingested for 178, 134, 88, and 55 bp amplicons, respectively (p < 0.0001). Longer oro-anal transit was associated with reduced recovery. CONCLUSIONS While recovery efficiencies are low, ingested cellular DNA simulating daily amounts shed from UGI tumors can readily be detected in stool. Assay of shorter-fragment analyte increases recovery. This ingestion model has potential value in studying the effects of perturbations relevant to the fecal recovery of DNA exfoliated from UGI tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin B Strauss
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - Tracy C Yab
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - Helen M O'Connor
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - William R Taylor
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - Douglas W Mahoney
- Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Julie A Simonson
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - John Christensen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA
| | - Suresh T Chari
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
| | - David A Ahlquist
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55901, USA.
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