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He F, Svenning JC, Chen X, Tockner K, Kuemmerle T, le Roux E, Moleón M, Gessner J, Jähnig SC. Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1141-1163. [PMID: 38411930 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Freshwater megafauna, such as sturgeons, giant catfishes, river dolphins, hippopotami, crocodylians, large turtles, and giant salamanders, have experienced severe population declines and range contractions worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of studies investigating the causes of megafauna losses in fresh waters, little attention has been paid to synthesising the impacts of megafauna on the abiotic environment and other organisms in freshwater ecosystems, and hence the consequences of losing these species. This limited understanding may impede the development of policies and actions for their conservation and restoration. In this review, we synthesise how megafauna shape ecological processes in freshwater ecosystems and discuss their potential for enhancing ecosystem restoration. Through activities such as movement, burrowing, and dam and nest building, megafauna have a profound influence on the extent of water bodies, flow dynamics, and the physical structure of shorelines and substrata, increasing habitat heterogeneity. They enhance nutrient cycling within fresh waters, and cross-ecosystem flows of material, through foraging and reproduction activities. Freshwater megafauna are highly connected to other freshwater organisms via direct consumption of species at different trophic levels, indirect trophic cascades, and through their influence on habitat structure. The literature documenting the ecological impacts of freshwater megafauna is not evenly distributed among species, regions, and types of ecological impacts, with a lack of quantitative evidence for large fish, crocodylians, and turtles in the Global South and their impacts on nutrient flows and food-web structure. In addition, population decline, range contraction, and the loss of large individuals have reduced the extent and magnitude of megafaunal impacts in freshwater ecosystems, rendering a posteriori evaluation more difficult. We propose that reinstating freshwater megafauna populations holds the potential for restoring key ecological processes such as disturbances, trophic cascades, and species dispersal, which will, in turn, promote overall biodiversity and enhance nature's contributions to people. Challenges for restoration actions include the shifting baseline syndrome, potential human-megafauna competition for habitats and resources, damage to property, and risk to human life. The current lack of historical baselines for natural distributions and population sizes of freshwater megafauna, their life history, trophic interactions with other freshwater species, and interactions with humans necessitates further investigation. Addressing these knowledge gaps will improve our understanding of the ecological roles of freshwater megafauna and support their full potential for facilitating the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies to achieve the coexistence of humans and megafauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhi He
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengbei Street 4888, Changchun, 130102, China
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Xing Chen
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Klement Tockner
- Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany
- Faculty for Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 9, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
| | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) and Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Marcos Moleón
- Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva S/N, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Jörn Gessner
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
| | - Sonja C Jähnig
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin, 10099, Germany
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Avedik A, Clauss M. Chewing, dentition and tooth wear in Hippopotamidae (Hippopotamus amphibius and Choeropsis liberiensis). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291825. [PMID: 37792716 PMCID: PMC10550173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, hippopotamids ('hippos') have been described as the species with the lowest chewing efficacy despite elaborate enamel folds on the occlusal surface or their cheek teeth, which was hypothesized to result from the lack of a grinding chewing motion. We investigated the chewing and dentition of the two extant hippo species, the common hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis), making (video) observations of live animals and gathering data on museum specimens (n = 86 H. amphibius and 26 C. liberiensis skulls). Hippos have a low degree of anisodonty (differences in width between maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth) and anisognathy (difference in width between the upper and the lower jaw), corresponding to a mainly orthal (up-and-down) chewing motion. The two hippo species differ slightly, but distinctively, in their anterior dental morphology and chewing mode. In both species, the canines do not completely prevent a lateral jaw movement but would, in theory, permit this movement until the mandibular canines get into contact with the maxillary protruding snout. This movement is only realized, to a small extent, in pygmy hippos, leaving distinct wear traces on their incisors and creating relatively wider wear facets on the maxillary canines. In common hippos, the interlocking upper and lower incisors prevent lateral jaw movement. Corresponding contact wear facets are evident on the medial aspect of the upper, and on the lateral aspect of the lower incisors-unless museal reconstructions mispositioned these teeth. If these facets are interpreted as an indication for a relic of a lateral jaw movement that was probably more prominent in hippo ancestors, i.e. if we assume that hippos evolved orthal chewing secondarily, several other characteristics of hippos can be explained, such as a low degree of hypsodonty (in the absence of distinct attrition due to a grinding chewing movement), a secondary loss of complexity in their enamel schmelzmuster, a secondary evolution of a wide mouth gape, a reduction in anisodonty compared to their ancestors, and the evolution of a bilaterally symmetrical ('trifoliate') enamel folding pattern on the molar occlusal surface from an ancestral bunoselenodont condition. As an underlying driving force, selection for intraspecific combat with canines and incisors, necessitating a wide gape and a rigid jaw, has been suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Avedik
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Voysey MD, de Bruyn PJN, Davies AB. Are hippos Africa's most influential megaherbivore? A review of ecosystem engineering by the semi-aquatic common hippopotamus. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1509-1529. [PMID: 37095627 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Megaherbivores perform vital ecosystem engineering roles, and have their last remaining stronghold in Africa. Of Africa's remaining megaherbivores, the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) has received the least scientific and conservation attention, despite how influential their ecosystem engineering activities appear to be. Given the potentially crucial ecosystem engineering influence of hippos, as well as mounting conservation concerns threatening their long-term persistence, a review of the evidence for hippos being ecosystem engineers, and the effects of their engineering, is both timely and necessary. In this review, we assess, (i) aspects of hippo biology that underlie their unique ecosystem engineering potential; (ii) evaluate hippo ecological impacts in terrestrial and aquatic environments; (iii) compare the ecosystem engineering influence of hippos to other extant African megaherbivores; (iv) evaluate factors most critical to hippo conservation and ecosystem engineering; and (v) highlight future research directions and challenges that may yield new insights into the ecological role of hippos, and of megaherbivores more broadly. We find that a variety of key life-history traits determine the hippo's unique influence, including their semi-aquatic lifestyle, large body size, specialised gut anatomy, muzzle structure, small and partially webbed feet, and highly gregarious nature. On land, hippos create grazing lawns that contain distinct plant communities and alter fire spatial extent, which shapes woody plant demographics and might assist in maintaining fire-sensitive riverine vegetation. In water, hippos deposit nutrient-rich dung, stimulating aquatic food chains and altering water chemistry and quality, impacting a host of different organisms. Hippo trampling and wallowing alters geomorphological processes, widening riverbanks, creating new river channels, and forming gullies along well-utilised hippo paths. Taken together, we propose that these myriad impacts combine to make hippos Africa's most influential megaherbivore, specifically because of the high diversity and intensity of their ecological impacts compared with other megaherbivores, and because of their unique capacity to transfer nutrients across ecosystem boundaries, enriching both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Nonetheless, water pollution and extraction for agriculture and industry, erratic rainfall patterns and human-hippo conflict, threaten hippo ecosystem engineering and persistence. Therefore, we encourage greater consideration of the unique role of hippos as ecosystem engineers when considering the functional importance of megafauna in African ecosystems, and increased attention to declining hippo habitat and populations, which if unchecked could change the way in which many African ecosystems function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Voysey
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - P J Nico de Bruyn
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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Subalusky AL, Sethi SA, Anderson EP, Jiménez G, Echeverri-Lopez D, García-Restrepo S, Nova-León LJ, Reátiga-Parrish JF, Post DM, Rojas A. Rapid population growth and high management costs have created a narrow window for control of introduced hippos in Colombia. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6193. [PMID: 37062768 PMCID: PMC10106455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33028-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The introduction of hippos into the wild in Colombia has been marked by their rapid population growth and widespread dispersal on the landscape, high financial costs of management, and conflicting social perspectives on their management and fate. Here we use population projection models to investigate the effectiveness and cost of management options under consideration for controlling introduced hippos. We estimate there are 91 hippos in the middle Magdalena River basin, Colombia, and the hippo population is growing at an estimated rate of 9.6% per year. At this rate, there will be 230 hippos by 2032 and over 1,000 by 2050. Applying the population control methods currently under consideration will cost at least 1-2 million USD to sufficiently decrease hippo population growth to achieve long-term removal, and depending on the management strategy selected, there may still be hippos on the landscape for 50-100 years. Delaying management actions for a single decade will increase minimum costs by a factor of 2.5, and some methods may become infeasible. Our approach illustrates the trade-offs inherent between cost and effort in managing introduced species, as well as the importance of acting quickly, especially when dealing with species with rapid population growth rates and potential for significant ecological and social impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suresh A Sethi
- Fisheries, Aquatic Science, and Technology Laboratory, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Elizabeth P Anderson
- Department of Earth and Environment and Institute of Environment, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8Th St, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Germán Jiménez
- Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No. 43-82, Edificio Jesús Emilio Ramírez, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - David Echeverri-Lopez
- Corporación Autónoma Regional de Las Cuencas de los Ríos Negro Y Nare (CORNARE), Carrera 59 44-48, El Santuario, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Sebastián García-Restrepo
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18A-10, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Laura J Nova-León
- Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No. 43-82, Edificio Jesús Emilio Ramírez, Bogotá, Colombia
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Juan F Reátiga-Parrish
- Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No. 43-82, Edificio Jesús Emilio Ramírez, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - David M Post
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ana Rojas
- Department of Earth and Environment and Institute of Environment, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8Th St, Miami, FL, USA
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Nanopore metatranscriptomics reveals cryptic catfish species as potential Shigella flexneri vectors in Kenya. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13875. [PMID: 35974032 PMCID: PMC9380665 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17036-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria in the Shigella genus remain a major cause of dysentery in sub-Saharan Africa, and annually cause an estimated 600,000 deaths worldwide. Being spread by contaminated food and water, this study highlights how wild caught food, in the form of freshwater catfish, can act as vectors for Shigella flexneri in Southern Kenya. A metatranscriptomic approach was used to identify the presence of Shigella flexneri in the catfish which had been caught for consumption from the Galana river. The use of nanopore sequencing was shown to be a simple and effective method to highlight the presence of Shigella flexneri and could represent a potential new tool in the detection and prevention of this deadly pathogen. Rather than the presence/absence results of more traditional testing methods, the use of metatranscriptomics highlighted how primarily one SOS response gene was being transcribed, suggesting the bacteria may be dormant in the catfish. Additionally, COI sequencing of the vector catfish revealed they likely represent a cryptic species. Morphological assignment suggested the fish were widehead catfish Clarotes laticeps, which range across Africa, but the COI sequences from the Kenyan fish are distinctly different from C. laticeps sequenced in West Africa.
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Green J, Hankinson P, de Waal L, Coulthard E, Norrey J, Megson D, D’Cruze N. Wildlife Trade for Belief-Based Use: Insights From Traditional Healers in South Africa. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.906398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of animals and plants as traditional remedies for medical and magico-religious purposes has a long history of socio-cultural and economic importance in South Africa. Herein, we aim to characterize the social and economic value of wild animal species used in traditional, belief-based medicine within South Africa from traditional healers’ perspective and to explore healers’ knowledge of plant-based alternatives to wildlife-based derivatives for this type of trade. Through structured surveys with five traditional healers, we sought to gain insight into the range of wild animal species used, as well as the purpose, the perceived commercial value and the perceived availability of commonly used species. Particular focus was placed on exploring the socio-economic value of lions due to their prominence within the traditional medicine market, both in South Africa and internationally. Three of the respondents interviewed had been generating an income from traditional healing for between 30 and 50 years, and the overall monetary gain across all respondents was between ZAR 30,000 (1,800 USD) and 120,000 (7,200 USD) per annum. Our study confirms that a wide range of wild animal species are used in traditional healing practices in South Africa, for both medicinal and magico-religious purposes. The traditional healers we interviewed cited 20 common wild animals from a range of vertebrate classes including birds, reptiles, mammals, and one invertebrate. These included a number of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Traditional healers cited 32 different uses for wild animal parts, as well as 19 alternative plant-based preparations. For lions specifically, four out of five practitioners listed lions among their top three profitable derivatives and three practitioners reported that lion had become the most rare or unavailable species in the last 5 years. Although our study is based on a limited number of interview participants, we believe that our findings provide valuable initial insights into the socio-economic drivers of traditional healing practices in South Africa, and that further research quantifying medicinal and belief-based use of wild animal ingredients and their plant-based alternatives could help to inform approaches to managing related pressures exerted on wild populations in South Africa in the future.
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Bakhteeva I, Timofeev V. Some Peculiarities of Anthrax Epidemiology in Herbivorous and Carnivorous Animals. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12060870. [PMID: 35743901 PMCID: PMC9224990 DOI: 10.3390/life12060870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Anthrax is an especially dangerous zooanthroponosis caused by the Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. A notable feature of this disease is the difference in susceptibility to it among different groups of animals. Anthrax primarily affects herbivorous ungulate mammals; they are easily infected, and their disease often leads to rapid, even sudden, death. However, predators and scavengers are extremely resistant to anthrax, and if they become infected, they usually become mildly ill. As the result of the increased sensitivity of ungulates to anthrax and the possibility of disease transmission from them to humans, most studies of anthrax have focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infection in farm animals and humans. The issues of anthrax in other animals, such as predators, and the peculiarities of anthrax epidemiology in wild ungulates have not been sufficiently detailed in the literature. In this article, we provide a review of literature sources that describe the differential susceptibility to infection of various groups of animals to anthrax and some epidemiological features of anthrax in animals that are not the main hosts of B. anthracis.
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Wenting E, Rinzema SCY, van Langevelde F. Functional differences in scavenger communities and the speed of carcass decomposition. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8576. [PMID: 35228859 PMCID: PMC8861590 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Carcass decomposition largely depends on vertebrate scavengers. However, how behavioral differences between vertebrate scavenger species, the dominance of certain species, and the diversity of the vertebrate scavenger community affect the speed of carcass decomposition is poorly understood. As scavenging is an overlooked trophic interaction, studying the different functional roles of vertebrate species in the scavenging process increases our understanding about the effect of the vertebrate scavenger community on carcass decomposition. We used motion-triggered infrared camera trap footages to profile the behavior and activity of vertebrate scavengers visiting carcasses in Dutch nature areas. We grouped vertebrate scavengers with similar functional roles. We found a clear distinction between occasional scavengers and more specialized scavengers, and we found wild boar (Sus scrofa) to be the dominant scavenger species in our study system. We showed that these groups are functionally different within the scavenger community. We found that overall vertebrate scavenger diversity was positively correlated with carcass decomposition speed. With these findings, our study contributes to the understanding about the different functional roles scavengers can have in ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Wenting
- Department of Environmental SciencesWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Animal Ecology and PhysiologyInstitute for Water and Wetland ResearchRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Salomé C. Y. Rinzema
- Department of Environmental SciencesWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Department of Environmental SciencesWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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9
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Dutton CL, Subalusky AL, Sanchez A, Estrela S, Lu N, Hamilton SK, Njoroge L, Rosi EJ, Post DM. The meta-gut: community coalescence of animal gut and environmental microbiomes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23117. [PMID: 34848778 PMCID: PMC8633035 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02349-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
All animals carry specialized microbiomes, and their gut microbiota are continuously released into the environment through excretion of waste. Here we propose the meta-gut as a novel conceptual framework that addresses the ability of the gut microbiome released from an animal to function outside the host and alter biogeochemical processes mediated by microbes. We demonstrate this dynamic in the hippopotamus (hippo) and the pools they inhabit. We used natural field gradients and experimental approaches to examine fecal and pool water microbial communities and aquatic biogeochemistry across a range of hippo inputs. Sequencing using 16S RNA methods revealed community coalescence between hippo gut microbiomes and the active microbial communities in hippo pools that received high inputs of hippo feces. The shared microbiome between the hippo gut and the waters into which they excrete constitutes a meta-gut system that could influence the biogeochemistry of recipient ecosystems and provide a reservoir of gut microbiomes that could influence other hosts. We propose that meta-gut dynamics may also occur where other animal species congregate in high densities, particularly in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L Dutton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Alvaro Sanchez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sylvie Estrela
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nanxi Lu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Stephen K Hamilton
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | | | - Emma J Rosi
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | - David M Post
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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10
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Stears K, Schmitt MH, Turner WC, McCauley DJ, Muse EA, Kiwango H, Mathayo D, Mutayoba BM. Hippopotamus movements structure the spatiotemporal dynamics of an active anthrax outbreak. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Keenan Stears
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology & Marine Science Institute University of California Santa Barbara California93106USA
- South African Environmental Observation Network Ndlovu Node Phalaborwa1390South Africa
| | - Melissa H. Schmitt
- South African Environmental Observation Network Ndlovu Node Phalaborwa1390South Africa
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology University of California Santa Barbara California93106USA
| | - Wendy C. Turner
- U.S. Geological Survey Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin53706USA
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology & Marine Science Institute University of California Santa Barbara California93106USA
| | - Epaphras A. Muse
- Tanzania National Parks Authority Ruaha National Park P.O. Box 369 Iringa Tanzania
| | - Halima Kiwango
- Tanzania National Parks Authority Ruaha National Park P.O. Box 369 Iringa Tanzania
| | - Daniel Mathayo
- Tanzania National Parks Authority Ruaha National Park P.O. Box 369 Iringa Tanzania
| | - Benezeth M. Mutayoba
- Department of Veterinary Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Sokoine University of Agriculture P.O. Box 3017 Morogoro Tanzania
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11
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Pringle RM, Hutchinson MC. Resolving Food-Web Structure. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-024908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Food webs are a major focus and organizing theme of ecology, but the data used to assemble them are deficient. Early debates over food-web data focused on taxonomic resolution and completeness, lack of which had produced spurious inferences. Recent data are widely believed to be much better and are used extensively in theoretical and meta-analytic research on network ecology. Confidence in these data rests on the assumptions ( a) that empiricists correctly identified consumers and their foods and ( b) that sampling methods were adequate to detect a near-comprehensive fraction of the trophic interactions between species. Abundant evidence indicates that these assumptions are often invalid, suggesting that most topological food-web data may remain unreliable for inferences about network structure and underlying ecological and evolutionary processes. Morphologically cryptic species are ubiquitous across taxa and regions, and many trophic interactions routinely evade detection by conventional methods. Molecular methods have diagnosed the severity of these problems and are a necessary part of the cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Matthew C. Hutchinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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12
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Utete B. A review of some aspects of the ecology, population trends, threats and conservation strategies for the common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius L, in Zimbabwe. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2020.1779613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Beaven Utete
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
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13
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Terry JCD, Lewis OT. Finding missing links in interaction networks. Ecology 2020; 101:e03047. [PMID: 32219855 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Documenting which species interact within ecological communities is challenging and labor intensive. As a result, many interactions remain unrecorded, potentially distorting our understanding of network structure and dynamics. We test the utility of four structural models and a new coverage-deficit model for predicting missing links in both simulated and empirical bipartite networks. We find they can perform well, although the predictive power of structural models varies with the underlying network structure. The accuracy of predictions can be improved by ensembling multiple models. Augmenting observed networks with most-likely missing links improves estimates of qualitative network metrics. Tools to identify likely missing links can be simple to implement, allowing the prioritization of research effort and more robust assessment of network properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Owen T Lewis
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, United Kingdom
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14
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Leggett KEA, Stubbs-Oliver A, Brun ML, Dawson TJ. Carnivory in euros, inland wallaroos (Macropus robustus erubescens). AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/am19055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports on an observation of carnivorous scavenging by euros (inland wallaroos) (Macropus robustus erubescens) at Fowlers Gap in western New South Wales. We believe this to be the first sighting of a euro feeding on another macropod.
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15
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Herrera J, Nunn CL. Behavioural ecology and infectious disease: implications for conservation of biodiversity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180054. [PMID: 31352881 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Behaviour underpins interactions among conspecifics and between species, with consequences for the transmission of disease-causing parasites. Because many parasites lead to declines in population size and increased risk of extinction for threatened species, understanding the link between host behaviour and disease transmission is particularly important for conservation management. Here, we consider the intersection of behaviour, ecology and parasite transmission, broadly encompassing micro- and macroparasites. We focus on behaviours that have direct impacts on transmission, as well as the behaviours that result from infection. Given the important role of parasites in host survival and reproduction, the effects of behaviour on parasitism can scale up to population-level processes, thus affecting species conservation. Understanding how conservation and infectious disease control strategies actually affect transmission potential can therefore often only be understood through a behavioural lens. We highlight how behavioural perspectives of disease ecology apply to conservation by reviewing the different ways that behavioural ecology influences parasite transmission and conservation goals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Linking behaviour to dynamics of populations and communities: application of novel approaches in behavioural ecology to conservation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Herrera
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 103 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 103 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27705, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, 103 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27705, USA
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16
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Rico-Guevara A, Hurme KJ. Intrasexually selected weapons. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:60-101. [PMID: 29924496 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We propose a practical concept that distinguishes the particular kind of weaponry that has evolved to be used in combat between individuals of the same species and sex, which we term intrasexually selected weapons (ISWs). We present a treatise of ISWs in nature, aiming to understand their distinction and evolution from other secondary sex traits, including from 'sexually selected weapons', and from sexually dimorphic and monomorphic weaponry. We focus on the subset of secondary sex traits that are the result of same-sex combat, defined here as ISWs, provide not previously reported evolutionary patterns, and offer hypotheses to answer questions such as: why have only some species evolved weapons to fight for the opposite sex or breeding resources? We examined traits that seem to have evolved as ISWs in the entire animal phylogeny, restricting the classification of ISW to traits that are only present or enlarged in adults of one of the sexes, and are used as weapons during intrasexual fights. Because of the absence of behavioural data and, in many cases, lack of sexually discriminated series from juveniles to adults, we exclude the fossil record from this review. We merge morphological, ontogenetic, and behavioural information, and for the first time thoroughly review the tree of life to identify separate evolution of ISWs. We found that ISWs are only found in bilateral animals, appearing independently in nematodes, various groups of arthropods, and vertebrates. Our review sets a reference point to explore other taxa that we identify with potential ISWs for which behavioural or morphological studies are warranted. We establish that most ISWs come in pairs, are located in or near the head, are endo- or exoskeletal modifications, are overdeveloped structures compared with those found in females, are modified feeding structures and/or locomotor appendages, are most common in terrestrial taxa, are frequently used to guard females, territories, or both, and are also used in signalling displays to deter rivals and/or attract females. We also found that most taxa lack ISWs, that females of only a few species possess better-developed weapons than males, that the cases of independent evolution of ISWs are not evenly distributed across the phylogeny, and that animals possessing the most developed ISWs have non-hunting habits (e.g. herbivores) or are faunivores that prey on very small prey relative to their body size (e.g. insectivores). Bringing together perspectives from studies on a variety of taxa, we conceptualize that there are five ways in which a sexually dimorphic trait, apart from the primary sex traits, can be fixed: sexual selection, fecundity selection, parental role division, differential niche occupation between the sexes, and interference competition. We discuss these trends and the factors involved in the evolution of intrasexually selected weaponry in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Rico-Guevara
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A.,Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Código Postal 11001, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Kristiina J Hurme
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A
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17
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Kohl KD, Brun A, Magallanes M, Brinkerhoff J, Laspiur A, Acosta JC, Caviedes-Vidal E, Bordenstein SR. Gut microbial ecology of lizards: insights into diversity in the wild, effects of captivity, variation across gut regions and transmission. Mol Ecol 2016; 26:1175-1189. [PMID: 27862531 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Animals maintain complex associations with a diverse microbiota living in their guts. Our understanding of the ecology of these associations is extremely limited in reptiles. Here, we report an in-depth study into the microbial ecology of gut communities in three syntopic and viviparous lizard species (two omnivores: Liolaemus parvus and Liolaemus ruibali and an herbivore: Phymaturus williamsi). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to inventory various bacterial communities, we elucidate four major findings: (i) closely related lizard species harbour distinct gut bacterial microbiota that remain distinguishable in captivity; a considerable portion of gut bacterial diversity (39.1%) in nature overlap with that found on plant material, (ii) captivity changes bacterial community composition, although host-specific communities are retained, (iii) faecal samples are largely representative of the hindgut bacterial community and thus represent acceptable sources for nondestructive sampling, and (iv) lizards born in captivity and separated from their mothers within 24 h shared 34.3% of their gut bacterial diversity with their mothers, suggestive of maternal or environmental transmission. Each of these findings represents the first time such a topic has been investigated in lizard hosts. Taken together, our findings provide a foundation for comparative analyses of the faecal and gastrointestinal microbiota of reptile hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Kohl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.,Laboratorio de Biología Integrativa, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Luis, 5700, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco 917, San Luis, 5700, Argentina
| | - Antonio Brun
- Laboratorio de Biología Integrativa, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Luis, 5700, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco 917, San Luis, 5700, Argentina
| | - Melisa Magallanes
- Laboratorio de Biología Integrativa, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Luis, 5700, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco 917, San Luis, 5700, Argentina
| | - Joshua Brinkerhoff
- Laboratorio de Biología Integrativa, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Luis, 5700, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco 917, San Luis, 5700, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Laspiur
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geósfera y la Biósfera (CIGEOBIO-CONICET) - Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av. José I. de la Roza 590 Oeste, J5402DCS, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Juan Carlos Acosta
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geósfera y la Biósfera (CIGEOBIO-CONICET) - Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av. José I. de la Roza 590 Oeste, J5402DCS, San Juan, Argentina
| | - Enrique Caviedes-Vidal
- Laboratorio de Biología Integrativa, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Luis, 5700, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Chacabuco 917, San Luis, 5700, Argentina
| | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
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18
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Turner WC, Kausrud KL, Beyer W, Easterday WR, Barandongo ZR, Blaschke E, Cloete CC, Lazak J, Van Ert MN, Ganz HH, Turnbull PCB, Stenseth NC, Getz WM. Lethal exposure: An integrated approach to pathogen transmission via environmental reservoirs. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27311. [PMID: 27265371 PMCID: PMC4893621 DOI: 10.1038/srep27311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
To mitigate the effects of zoonotic diseases on human and animal populations, it is critical to understand what factors alter transmission dynamics. Here we assess the risk of exposure to lethal concentrations of the anthrax bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, for grazing animals in a natural system over time through different transmission mechanisms. We follow pathogen concentrations at anthrax carcass sites and waterholes for five years and estimate infection risk as a function of grass, soil or water intake, age of carcass sites, and the exposure required for a lethal infection. Grazing, not drinking, seems the dominant transmission route, and transmission is more probable from grazing at carcass sites 1-2 years of age. Unlike most studies of virulent pathogens that are conducted under controlled conditions for extrapolation to real situations, we evaluate exposure risk under field conditions to estimate the probability of a lethal dose, showing that not all reservoirs with detectable pathogens are significant transmission pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy C Turner
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway.,Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222, USA.,Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3112, USA
| | - Kyrre L Kausrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway
| | - Wolfgang Beyer
- Institute of Animal Sciences, Department of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Hohenheim, Germany
| | - W Ryan Easterday
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway
| | - Zoë R Barandongo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Elisabeth Blaschke
- Institute of Animal Sciences, Department of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Hohenheim, Germany
| | - Claudine C Cloete
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.,Etosha Ecological Institute, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Etosha National Park, PO Box 6, Okaukuejo, Namibia
| | - Judith Lazak
- Institute of Animal Sciences, Department of Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Hohenheim, Germany.,Institute of International Animal Health, Free University of Berlin, Königsweg 67, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew N Van Ert
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Holly H Ganz
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3112, USA.,Genome Center and Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Nils Chr Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway
| | - Wayne M Getz
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 137 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3112, USA.,School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
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19
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Clauss M, Lischke A, Botha H, Hatt JM. Carcass consumption by domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-015-0980-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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