1
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Tidière M, Colchero F, Staerk J, Adkesson MJ, Andersen DH, Bland L, Böye M, Brando S, Clegg I, Cubaynes S, Cutting A, De Man D, Derocher AE, Dorsey C, Elgar W, Gaglione E, Anderson Hansen K, Jungheim A, Kok J, Laule G, Goya AL, Miller L, Monreal-Pawlowsky T, Mucha K, Owen MA, Petersen SD, Pilfold N, Richardson D, Richardson ES, Sabo D, Sato N, Shellabarger W, Skovlund CR, Tomisawa K, Trautwein SE, Van Bonn W, Van Elk C, Von Fersen L, Wahlberg M, Zhang P, Zhang X, Conde DA. Survival improvements of marine mammals in zoological institutions mirror historical advances in human longevity. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231895. [PMID: 37848064 PMCID: PMC10581765 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
An intense public debate has fuelled governmental bans on marine mammals held in zoological institutions. The debate rests on the assumption that survival in zoological institutions has been and remains lower than in the wild, albeit the scientific evidence in support of this notion is equivocal. Here, we used statistical methods previously applied to assess historical improvements in human lifespan and data on 8864 individuals of four marine mammal species (harbour seal, Phoca vitulina; California sea lion, Zalophus californianus; polar bear, Ursus maritimus; common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus) held in zoos from 1829 to 2020. We found that life expectancy increased up to 3.40 times, and first-year mortality declined up to 31%, during the last century in zoos. Moreover, the life expectancy of animals in zoos is currently 1.65-3.55 times longer than their wild counterparts. Like humans, these improvements have occurred concurrently with advances in management practices, crucial for population welfare. Science-based decisions will help effective legislative changes and ensure better implementation of animal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Tidière
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Conservation and Science Department, Species360, 7900 International Drive, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
| | - Fernando Colchero
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Pl. 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Johanna Staerk
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Conservation and Science Department, Species360, 7900 International Drive, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
| | | | - Ditte H. Andersen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
| | - Lucie Bland
- Conservation and Science Department, Species360, 7900 International Drive, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
- Eureka Publishing, Thornbury, Australia
| | - Martin Böye
- Centre de Recherche et d'Etude pour l'Animal Sauvage, Planète Sauvage, 44710 Port Saint Pere, France
| | - Sabrina Brando
- AnimalConcepts, PO Box 378, 03725 Teulada, Alicante, Spain
| | - Isabella Clegg
- Animal Welfare Expertise, The Knoll, Woodlands, Combe Martin, EX34 0ATLittleton Manor, Winchester SO22 6QU, UK
| | - Sarah Cubaynes
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Amy Cutting
- Polar Bear International, PO Box 3008, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Danny De Man
- European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), Plantage Middelaan 45, 1018-DC Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew E. Derocher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Candice Dorsey
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 8403 Colesville Road Ste 710, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - William Elgar
- Zoo Miami, 12400 SW 152 Street, Miami, FL 33177, USA
| | - Eric Gaglione
- Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
| | - Kirstin Anderson Hansen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Allison Jungheim
- Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Dr., Saint Paul, MN 55103, USA
| | - José Kok
- Ouwehands Zoo, Grebbeweg 111, 3911 AV Rhenen, The Netherlands
| | - Gail Laule
- Mandai Wildlife Group, 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
| | | | - Lance Miller
- Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL, USA
| | | | - Katelyn Mucha
- Conservation and Science Department, Species360, 7900 International Drive, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
| | - Megan A. Owen
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido, CA, USA
| | | | - Nicholas Pilfold
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Rd., Escondido, CA, USA
| | - Douglas Richardson
- Zoological Consultancy Ltd, Columba Cottage, Mill Rd, Kingussie PH21 1LF, UK
- EAZA Polar Bear EEP, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Evan S. Richardson
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Unit 150–234 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1M8, Canada
| | - Devon Sabo
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W. Powell Road, PO Box 400, Powell, OH 43065-0400, USA
| | - Nobutaka Sato
- Asahiyama Zoological Park, Kuranuma, Higasiasahikawacho, Asahikawa city, Japan
| | | | - Cecilie R. Skovlund
- Conservation, Copenhagen Zoo, Roskildevej 38, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Section of Animal Welfare and Disease Control, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 8, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Kanako Tomisawa
- Omuta City Zoo, 163 Showa-machi, Omuta, Fukuoka 836-0871, Japan
| | - Sandra E. Trautwein
- Conservation and Science Department, Species360, 7900 International Drive, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, USA
| | - William Van Bonn
- A. Watson Armour III, Center for Animal Health and Welfare, Animal Care and Science Division, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Cornelis Van Elk
- Independent practitioner, Arendsweg 98, Enschede 7544RM, The Netherlands
| | | | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
- Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianfeng Zhang
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Dalia A. Conde
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark
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2
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Kailing MJ, Hoyt JR, White JP, Kaarakka HM, Redell JA, Leon AE, Rocke TE, DePue JE, Scullon WH, Parise KL, Foster JT, Kilpatrick AM, Langwig KE. Sex-biased infections scale to population impacts for an emerging wildlife disease. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230040. [PMID: 36946110 PMCID: PMC10031401 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Demographic factors are fundamental in shaping infectious disease dynamics. Aspects of populations that create structure, like age and sex, can affect patterns of transmission, infection intensity and population outcomes. However, studies rarely link these processes from individual to population-scale effects. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying demographic differences in disease are frequently unclear. Here, we explore sex-biased infections for a multi-host fungal disease of bats, white-nose syndrome, and link disease-associated mortality between sexes, the distortion of sex ratios and the potential mechanisms underlying sex differences in infection. We collected data on host traits, infection intensity and survival of five bat species at 42 sites across seven years. We found females were more infected than males for all five species. Females also had lower apparent survival over winter and accounted for a smaller proportion of populations over time. Notably, female-biased infections were evident by early hibernation and likely driven by sex-based differences in autumn mating behaviour. Male bats were more active during autumn which likely reduced replication of the cool-growing fungus. Higher disease impacts in female bats may have cascading effects on bat populations beyond the hibernation season by limiting recruitment and increasing the risk of Allee effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macy J Kailing
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Joseph R Hoyt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - J Paul White
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI 53707, USA
| | | | | | - Ariel E Leon
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Tonie E Rocke
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - John E DePue
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Baraga, MI 49908, USA
| | | | - Katy L Parise
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Kate E Langwig
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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3
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Bruns EB, Hood ME, Antonovics J, Ballister IH, Troy SE, Cho J. Can disease resistance evolve independently at different ages? Genetic variation in age-dependent resistance to disease in three wild plant species. THE JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2022; 110:2046-2061. [PMID: 36250132 PMCID: PMC9541240 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Juveniles are typically less resistant (more susceptible) to infectious disease than adults, and this difference in susceptibility can help fuel the spread of pathogens in age-structured populations. However, evolutionary explanations for this variation in resistance across age remain to be tested.One hypothesis is that natural selection has optimized resistance to peak at ages where disease exposure is greatest. A central assumption of this hypothesis is that hosts have the capacity to evolve resistance independently at different ages. This would mean that host populations have (a) standing genetic variation in resistance at both juvenile and adult stages, and (b) that this variation is not strongly correlated between age classes so that selection acting at one age does not produce a correlated response at the other age.Here we evaluated the capacity of three wild plant species (Silene latifolia, S. vulgaris and Dianthus pavonius) to evolve resistance to their anther-smut pathogens (Microbotryum fungi), independently at different ages. The pathogen is pollinator transmitted, and thus exposure risk is considered to be highest at the adult flowering stage.Within each species we grew families to different ages, inoculated individuals with anther smut, and evaluated the effects of age, family and their interaction on infection.In two of the plant species, S. latifolia and D. pavonius, resistance to smut at the juvenile stage was not correlated with resistance to smut at the adult stage. In all three species, we show there are significant age × family interaction effects, indicating that age specificity of resistance varies among the plant families. Synthesis. These results indicate that different mechanisms likely underlie resistance at juvenile and adult stages and support the hypothesis that resistance can evolve independently in response to differing selection pressures as hosts age. Taken together our results provide new insight into the structure of genetic variation in age-dependent resistance in three well-studied wild host-pathogen systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B. Bruns
- BiologyUniversity of Maryland at College ParkCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | | | | | | | - Sarah E. Troy
- BiologyUniversity of North Carolina SystemChapel HillNorth CarolinaUSA
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4
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Infantes E, Carroll D, Silva WTAF, Härkönen T, Edwards SV, Harding KC. An automated work-flow for pinniped surveys: A new tool for monitoring population dynamics. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.905309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Detecting changes in population trends depends on the accuracy of estimated mean population growth rates and thus the quality of input data. However, monitoring wildlife populations poses economic and logistic challenges especially in complex and remote habitats. Declines in wildlife populations can remain undetected for years unless effective monitoring techniques are developed, guiding appropriate management actions. We developed an automated survey workflow using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to quantify the number and size of individual animals, using the well-studied Scandinavian harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) as a model species. We compared ground-based counts using telescopes with manual flights, using a zoom photo/video, and pre-programmed flights producing orthomosaic photo maps. We used machine learning to identify and count both pups and older seals and we present a new method for measuring body size automatically. We evaluate the population’s reproductive success using drone data, historical counts and predictions from a Leslie matrix population model. The most accurate and time-efficient results were achieved by performing pre-programmed flights where individual seals are identified by machine learning and their body sizes are measured automatically. The accuracy of the machine learning detector was 95–97% and the classification error was 4.6 ± 2.9 for pups and 3.1 ± 2.1 for older seals during good light conditions. There was a clear distinction between the body sizes of pups and older seals during breeding time. We estimated 320 pups in the breeding season 2021 with the drone, which is well beyond the expected number, based on historical data on pup production. The new high quality data from the drone survey confirms earlier indications of a deteriorating reproductive rate in this important harbour seal colony. We show that aerial drones and machine learning are powerful tools for monitoring wildlife in inaccessible areas which can be used to assess annual recruitment and seasonal variations in body condition.
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5
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Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3722. [PMID: 33580121 PMCID: PMC7881161 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81192-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of many pathogens varies in a predictable manner with latitude, with infections decreasing from the equator towards the poles. We investigated the geographic trends of pathogens infecting a widely distributed carnivore: the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Specifically, we investigated which variables best explain and predict geographic trends in seroprevalence across North American wolf populations and the implications of the underlying mechanisms. We compiled a large serological dataset of nearly 2000 wolves from 17 study areas, spanning 80° longitude and 50° latitude. Generalized linear mixed models were constructed to predict the probability of seropositivity of four important pathogens: canine adenovirus, herpesvirus, parvovirus, and distemper virus-and two parasites: Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. Canine adenovirus and herpesvirus were the most widely distributed pathogens, whereas N. caninum was relatively uncommon. Canine parvovirus and distemper had high annual variation, with western populations experiencing more frequent outbreaks than eastern populations. Seroprevalence of all infections increased as wolves aged, and denser wolf populations had a greater risk of exposure. Probability of exposure was positively correlated with human density, suggesting that dogs and synanthropic animals may be important pathogen reservoirs. Pathogen exposure did not appear to follow a latitudinal gradient, with the exception of N. caninum. Instead, clustered study areas were more similar: wolves from the Great Lakes region had lower odds of exposure to the viruses, but higher odds of exposure to N. caninum and T. gondii; the opposite was true for wolves from the central Rocky Mountains. Overall, mechanistic predictors were more informative of seroprevalence trends than latitude and longitude. Individual host characteristics as well as inherent features of ecosystems determined pathogen exposure risk on a large scale. This work emphasizes the importance of biogeographic wildlife surveillance, and we expound upon avenues of future research of cross-species transmission, spillover, and spatial variation in pathogen infection.
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6
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Silva WTAF, Bottagisio E, Härkönen T, Galatius A, Olsen MT, Harding KC. Risk for overexploiting a seemingly stable seal population: influence of multiple stressors and hunting. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Willian T. A. F. Silva
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Elio Bottagisio
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | | | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde4000Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Karin C. Harding
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
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7
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Silva WTAF, Harding KC, Marques GM, Bäcklin BM, Sonne C, Dietz R, Kauhala K, Desforges JP. Life cycle bioenergetics of the gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) in the Baltic Sea: Population response to environmental stress. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 145:106145. [PMID: 33038624 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106145] [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: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife population dynamics are shaped by multiple natural and anthropogenic factors, including predation, competition, stressful life history events, and external environmental stressors such as diseases and pollution. Marine mammals such as gray seals rely on extensive blubber layers for insulation and energy storage, making this tissue critical for survival and reproduction. This lipid rich blubber layer also accumulates hazardous fat soluble pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), that can directly impact adipose function or be mobilized during periods of negative energy balance or transferred to offspring to exert further impacts on target tissues or vulnerable life stages. To predict how marine mammals will respond to ecological and anthropogenic stressors, it is necessary to use process-based modelling approaches that integrate environmental inputs, full species life history, and stressor impacts with individual dynamics of energy intake, storage, and utilization. The purpose of this study was to develop a full lifecycle dynamic energy budget and individual based model (DEB-IBM) that captured Baltic gray seal physiology and life history, and showcase potential applications of the model to predict population responses to select stressors known to threaten gray seals and other marine mammals around the world. We explore variations of three ecologically important stressors using phenomenological simulations: food limitation, endocrine disrupting chemicals that reduce fertility, and infectious disease. Using our calibrated DEB-IBM for Baltic gray seals, we found that continuous incremental food limitation can be more detrimental to population size than short random events of starvation, and further, that the effect of endocrine disruptors on population growth and structure is delayed due to bioaccumulation, and that communicable diseases significantly decrease population growth even when spillover events are relatively less frequent. One important finding is the delayed effect on population growth rate from some stressors, several years after the exposure period, resulting from a decline in somatic growth, increased age at maturation and decreased fecundity. Such delayed responses are ignored in current models of population viability and can be important in the correct assessment of population extinction risks. The model presented here provides a test bed on which effects of new hazardous substances and different scenarios of future environmental change affecting food availability and/or seal energetic demands can be investigated. Thus, the framework provides a tool for better understanding how diverse environmental stressors affect marine mammal populations and can be used to guide scientifically based management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willian T A F Silva
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Karin C Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gonçalo M Marques
- Marine, Environment & Technology Center (MARETEC), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kaarina Kauhala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Itäinen Pitkäkatu, Turku, Finland
| | - Jean-Pierre Desforges
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada.
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8
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Russell RE, DiRenzo GV, Szymanski JA, Alger KE, Grant EHC. Principles and Mechanisms of Wildlife Population Persistence in the Face of Disease. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.569016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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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Stokes HS, Martens JM, Jelocnik M, Walder K, Segal Y, Berg ML, Bennett ATD. Chlamydial diversity and predictors of infection in a wild Australian parrot, the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans). Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:487-498. [PMID: 32603529 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Members of the Chlamydia genus are known to cause disease in both humans and animals. A variety of other species in the order Chlamydiales are increasingly being discovered and emerging as potential pathogens, yet there are scarce data on the diversity, prevalence and impacts of these pathogens in wild birds. To address this gap, we investigated which Chlamydiales species are present in a wild population of a common Australian parrot, the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans). We collected cloacal swabs and serum from 136 individuals in south-eastern Australia, over two years, and tested several predictors of prevalence: age, sex, season and breeding status. We used multiple PCR assays to determine bacterial prevalence in cloacal swabs and a solid-phase ELISA to determine seroprevalence. We found Chlamydiales PCR prevalence of 27.7% (95% CI 20.2, 36.2) and identified at least two families (Chlamydiaceae and Parachlamydiaceae). Regarding known chlamydial avian pathogens, we found C. psittaci at 6.2% (95% CI 2.7, 11.8) and C. gallinacea at 4.6% (95% CI 1.7, 9.8) prevalence. We also identified at least two potentially novel Chlamydiales species, of unknown pathogenicity. Sex and breeding status predicted Chlamydiales PCR prevalence, with females more likely to be infected than males, and non-breeding birds more likely to be infected than breeding birds. Seroprevalence was 16% (95% CI 8.8, 25.9). Season and breeding status were strong predictors of seroprevalence, with highest seroprevalence in autumn and in non-breeding birds. Our results reveal a diversity of Chlamydiales species in this abundant wild host, and indicate that host-specific and temporal factors are associated with infection risk. Our findings suggest that wild parrots are a reservoir of both known and novel Chlamydiales lineages, of zoonotic and pathogenic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena S Stokes
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Johanne M Martens
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Martina Jelocnik
- Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Ken Walder
- Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Yonatan Segal
- Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Attwood, VIC, Australia
| | - Mathew L Berg
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew T D Bennett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia
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10
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Ashby B, Bruns E. The evolution of juvenile susceptibility to infectious disease. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180844. [PMID: 29925619 PMCID: PMC6030539 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection prior to reproduction usually carries greater fitness costs for hosts than infection later in life, suggesting selection should tend to favour juvenile resistance. Yet, juveniles are generally more susceptible than adults across a wide spectrum of host taxa. While physiological constraints and a lack of prior exposure can explain some of this pattern, studies in plants and insects suggest that hosts may trade off juvenile susceptibility against other life-history traits. However, it is unclear precisely how trade-offs shape the evolution of juvenile susceptibility. Here, we theoretically explore the evolution of juvenile susceptibility subject to trade-offs with maturation or reproduction, which could realistically occur due to resource allocation during development (e.g. prioritizing growth over immune defence). We show how host lifespan, the probability of maturation (i.e. of reaching the adult stage) and transmission mode affect the results. Our key finding is that elevated juvenile susceptibility is expected to evolve over a wide range of conditions, but should be lowest when hosts have moderate lifespans and an intermediate probability of reaching the adult stage. Our results elucidate how interactions between trade-offs and the epidemiological-demographic structure of the population can lead to the evolution of elevated juvenile susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Ashby
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Emily Bruns
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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11
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Harding KC, Salmon M, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Harkonen T. Population Wide Decline in Somatic Growth in Harbor Seals—Early Signs of Density Dependence. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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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12
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Brasseur SMJM, Reijnders PJH, Cremer J, Meesters E, Kirkwood R, Jensen LF, Jeβ A, Galatius A, Teilmann J, Aarts G. Echoes from the past: Regional variations in recovery within a harbour seal population. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0189674. [PMID: 29298310 PMCID: PMC5751996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial and marine wildlife populations have been severely reduced by hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, especially in the last centuries. Although management regulations have led to the recovery of some populations, the underlying processes are not always well understood. This study uses a 40-year time series of counts of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea to study these processes, and demonstrates the influence of historical regional differences in management regimes on the recovery of this population. While the Wadden Sea is considered one ecologically coupled zone, with a distinct harbour seal population, the area is divided into four geo-political regions i.e. the Netherlands, Lower Saxony including Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Gradually, seal hunting was banned between 1962 and 1977 in the different regions. Counts of moulting harbour seals and pup counts, obtained during aerial surveys between 1974 and 2014, show a population growth from approximately 4500 to 39,000 individuals. Population growth models were developed to assess if population growth differed between regions, taking into account two Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) epizootics, in 1988 and 2002 which seriously affected the population. After a slow start prior to the first epizootic, the overall population grew exponentially at rates close to assumed maximum rates of increase in a harbour seal population. Recently, growth slowed down, potentially indicative of approaching carrying capacity. Regional differences in growth rates were demonstrated, with the highest recovery in Netherlands after the first PDV epizootic (i.e. 17.9%), suggesting that growth was fuelled by migration from the other regions, where growth remained at or below the intrinsic growth rate (13%). The seals' distribution changed, and although the proportion of seals counted in the German regions declined, they remained by far the most important pupping region, with approximately 70% of all pups being born there. It is hypothesised that differences in hunting regime, preceding the protection in the 1960's and 1970's, created unbalance in the distribution of breeding females throughout the Wadden Sea, which prevailed for decades. Breeding site fidelity promoted the growth in pup numbers at less affected breeding sites, while recolonisation of new breeding areas would be suppressed by the philopatry displayed by the animals born there. This study shows that for long-lived species, variable management regimes in this case hunting regulations, across a species' range can drive population dynamics for several generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie M. J. M. Brasseur
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Peter J. H. Reijnders
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jenny Cremer
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | - Erik Meesters
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | - Roger Kirkwood
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
| | | | - Armin Jeβ
- Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-Holstein Nationalparkverwaltung, Tönning, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
| | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Geert Aarts
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands
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13
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Scheele BC, Hunter DA, Banks SC, Pierson JC, Skerratt LF, Webb R, Driscoll DA. High adult mortality in disease‐challenged frog populations increases vulnerability to drought. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1453-1460. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ben C. Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society College of Medicine Biology and Environment Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
- One Health Research Group College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences James Cook University 1 James Cook Drive Townsville City QLD 4811 Australia
| | - David A. Hunter
- NSW Office of Environment and Heritage PO Box 544 Albury NSW 2640 Australia
| | - Sam C. Banks
- Fenner School of Environment and Society College of Medicine Biology and Environment Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Jennifer C. Pierson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society College of Medicine Biology and Environment Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
| | - Lee F. Skerratt
- One Health Research Group College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences James Cook University 1 James Cook Drive Townsville City QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Rebecca Webb
- One Health Research Group College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences James Cook University 1 James Cook Drive Townsville City QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Don A. Driscoll
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Burwood Vic 3125 Australia
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14
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Bogomolni A, Frasca S, Levin M, Matassa K, Nielsen O, Waring G, De Guise S. In Vitro Exposure of Harbor Seal Immune Cells to Aroclor 1260 Alters Phocine Distemper Virus Replication. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2016; 70:121-132. [PMID: 26142119 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-015-0178-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In the last 30 years, several large-scale marine mammal mortality events have occurred, often in close association with highly polluted regions, leading to suspicions that contaminant-induced immunosuppression contributed to these epizootics. Some of these recent events also identified morbillivirus as a cause of or contributor to death. The role of contaminant exposures regarding morbillivirus mortality is still unclear. The results of this study aimed to address the potential for a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), specifically Aroclor 1260, to alter harbor seal T-lymphocyte proliferation and to assess if exposure resulted in increased likelihood of phocine distemper virus (PDV USA 2006) to infect susceptible seals in an in vitro system. Exposure of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to Aroclor 1260 did not significantly alter lymphocyte proliferation (1, 5, 10, and 20 ppm). However, using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), lymphocytes exposed to 20 ppm Aroclor 1260 exhibited a significant decrease in PDV replication at day 7 and a significant increase at day 11 compared with unexposed control cells. Similar and significant differences were apparent on exposure to Aroclor 1260 in monocytes and supernatant. The results here indicate that in harbor seals, Aroclor 1260 exposure results in a decrease in virus early during infection and an increase during late infection. The consequences of this contaminant-induced infection pattern in a highly susceptible host could result in a greater potential for systemic infection with greater viral load, which could explain the correlative findings seen in wild populations exposed to a range of persistent contaminants that suffer from morbillivirus epizootics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bogomolni
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT, 06268, USA.
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole, Rd. #MS 50, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.
| | - Salvatore Frasca
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT, 06268, USA
| | - Milton Levin
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT, 06268, USA
| | - Keith Matassa
- Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 20612 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651, USA
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Gordon Waring
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT, 06268, USA
- Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, 1080 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT, 06340, USA
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15
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Aalderink MT, Nguyen HP, Kass PH, Arzi B, Verstraete FJM. Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology of the Eastern Pacific Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina richardii). J Comp Pathol 2015; 152:335-44. [PMID: 25824118 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2015.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Skulls from 214 Eastern Pacific harbour seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria. The museum specimens were acquired from strandings along the west coast of the USA between 1909 and 2014. Ninety-eight skulls (45.8%) were from male animals, 108 (50.5%) from female animals and eight (3.7%) from animals of unknown sex. Their age varied from neonate to adult, with 101 adult animals (47.2%), 93 juvenile animals (43.5%) and 20 neonatal animals (9.3%). The majority of teeth were available for examination (90.0%); 7.5% of teeth were absent artefactually, 2.3% were deemed absent due to acquired tooth loss and 0.2% were absent congenitally. Males were no more likely than females to have either acquired tooth loss (P = 0.492) or congenitally absent teeth (P = 0.494). Adults had significantly more acquired tooth loss than juveniles (P <0.0001). All teeth were normal in morphology, except for four teeth from one skull that exhibited macrodontia. An unusual number of roots were found in most maxillary molar teeth; three roots were counted on six maxillary molar teeth and almost all other maxillary molar teeth available for examination had a fused root. Only 26 maxillary molar teeth exhibited two roots. Supernumerary teeth were associated with 13 normal teeth in nine specimens. The most common sites associated with supernumerary teeth were the left and right mandibular first premolar teeth (53.9% of all supernumerary teeth). No persistent deciduous teeth were found in any of the juvenile or adult specimens. Of the total number of teeth available for examination, 22.1% were abraded; six adult specimens showed attrition/abrasion on all of their teeth present. Adults were found to have a greater prevalence of abraded teeth than juveniles (P <0.0001). No significant difference was found in the appearance of attrition/abrasion between males and females (P = 0.518). Tooth fractures were uncommon, affecting 11 teeth (0.2%) in seven animals. Periapical lesions were found in four skulls (2.1% of the total number of specimens). None of the specimens showed signs of enamel hypoplasia. More than half (55.6%) of alveoli, either with or without teeth, showed signs of alveolar bony changes consistent with periodontitis. A total of 178 specimens (91.8%) had at least one tooth associated with mild periodontitis. Lesions consistent with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) were found in 67 specimens (34.5%). The most common articular surface to be affected was the left mandibular fossa of the temporal bone, with lesions in 44 cases (32.8% of all lesions). In 13 specimens (6.7%) all articular surfaces were affected. Both periodontal disease and TMJ-OA were significantly more common in adults than in juveniles (P <0.0001). Although the significance of the high incidence of periodontitis and TMJ-OA in the Eastern Pacific harbor seal remains unknown, the occurrence and severity of these diseases as found in this study may play an important role in the morbidity and mortality of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M T Aalderink
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - H P Nguyen
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - P H Kass
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - B Arzi
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - F J M Verstraete
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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16
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Duignan PJ, Van Bressem MF, Baker JD, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, de Swart RL, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Duprex WP, Early G, Fauquier D, Goldstein T, Goodman SJ, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Hall A, Jensen BA, Lamy K, Matassa K, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Rotstein D, Rowles TK, Saliki JT, Siebert U, Waltzek T, Wellehan JF. Phocine distemper virus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5093-134. [PMID: 25533658 PMCID: PMC4276944 DOI: 10.3390/v6125093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) was first recognized in 1988 following a massive epidemic in harbor and grey seals in north-western Europe. Since then, the epidemiology of infection in North Atlantic and Arctic pinnipeds has been investigated. In the western North Atlantic endemic infection in harp and grey seals predates the European epidemic, with relatively small, localized mortality events occurring primarily in harbor seals. By contrast, PDV seems not to have become established in European harbor seals following the 1988 epidemic and a second event of similar magnitude and extent occurred in 2002. PDV is a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus with minor sequence variation between outbreaks over time. There is now mounting evidence of PDV-like viruses in the North Pacific/Western Arctic with serological and molecular evidence of infection in pinnipeds and sea otters. However, despite the absence of associated mortality in the region, there is concern that the virus may infect the large Pacific harbor seal and northern elephant seal populations or the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on PDV with particular focus on developments in diagnostics, pathogenesis, immune response, vaccine development, phylogenetics and modeling over the past 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru; E-Mail:
| | - Jason D. Baker
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Kathleen M. Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Maywood, IL 60153, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Rik L. de Swart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 CN Rotterdam, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - W. Paul Duprex
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University, 620 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Greg Early
- Greg Early, Integrated Statistics, 87 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Simon J. Goodman
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2220, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, Brazil; E-Mail:
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Brenda A. Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Karina Lamy
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Keith Matassa
- Keith Matassa, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro Padua, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E. Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - David Rotstein
- David Rotstein, Marine Mammal Pathology Services, 19117 Bloomfield Road, Olney, MD 20832, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K. Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy T. Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover 30173, Germany; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James F.X. Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32610, USA; E-Mail:
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17
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Wilson SC, Eybatov TM, Amano M, Jepson PD, Goodman SJ. The role of canine distemper virus and persistent organic pollutants in mortality patterns of Caspian seals (Pusa caspica). PLoS One 2014; 9:e99265. [PMID: 24987857 PMCID: PMC4079250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants are a concern for species occupying high trophic levels since they can cause immunosuppression and impair reproduction. Mass mortalities due to canine distemper virus (CDV) occurred in Caspian seals (Pusa caspica), in spring of 1997, 2000 and 2001, but the potential role of organochlorine exposure in these epizootics remains undetermined. Here we integrate Caspian seal mortality data spanning 1971–2008, with data on age, body condition, pathology and blubber organochlorine concentration for carcases stranded between 1997 and 2002. We test the hypothesis that summed PCB and DDT concentrations contributed to CDV associated mortality during epizootics. We show that age is the primary factor explaining variation in blubber organochlorine concentrations, and that organochlorine burden, age, sex, and body condition do not account for CDV infection status (positive/negative) of animals dying in epizootics. Most animals (57%, n = 67) had PCB concentrations below proposed thresholds for toxic effects in marine mammals (17 µg/g lipid weight), and only 3 of 67 animals had predicted TEQ values exceeding levels seen to be associated with immune suppression in harbour seals (200 pg/g lipid weight). Mean organonchlorine levels were higher in CDV-negative animals indicating that organochlorines did not contribute significantly to CDV mortality in epizootics. Mortality monitoring in Azerbaijan 1971–2008 revealed bi-annual stranding peaks in late spring, following the annual moult and during autumn migrations northwards. Mortality peaks comparable to epizootic years were also recorded in the 1970s–1980s, consistent with previous undocumented CDV outbreaks. Gompertz growth curves show that Caspian seals achieve an asymptotic standard body length of 126–129 cm (n = 111). Males may continue to grow slowly throughout life. Mortality during epizootics may exceed the potential biological removal level (PBR) for the population, but the low frequency of epizootics suggest they are of secondary importance compared to anthropogenic sources of mortality such as fishing by-catch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan C. Wilson
- Tara Seal Research Centre, Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (SCW); (SJG)
| | | | - Masao Amano
- Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Paul D. Jepson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J. Goodman
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (SCW); (SJG)
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18
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Olsen MT, Andersen LW, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Härkönen T, Siegismund HR. Integrating genetic data and population viability analyses for the identification of harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) populations and management units. Mol Ecol 2014; 23:815-31. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/13/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morten T. Olsen
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
- Department of Biology; University of Copenhagen; Ole Maaløes Vej 5 Copenhagen N DK-2200 Denmark
- Centre for Geogenetics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; Øster Voldgade 5-7 Copenhagen K 1350 Denmark
| | | | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde DK-4000 Denmark
| | - Tero Härkönen
- Swedish Museum of Natural History; Box 50007 Stockholm S-10405 Sweden
| | - Hans R. Siegismund
- Department of Biology; University of Copenhagen; Ole Maaløes Vej 5 Copenhagen N DK-2200 Denmark
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Garnier R, Gandon S, Harding KC, Boulinier T. Length of intervals between epidemics: evaluating the influence of maternal transfer of immunity. Ecol Evol 2014; 4:568-75. [PMID: 25035798 PMCID: PMC4098137 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Revised: 12/05/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The length of intervals between epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases is critical in epidemiology. In several species of marine mammals and birds, it is pivotal to also consider the life history of the species of concern, as the contact rate between individuals can have a seasonal flux, for example, due to aggregations during the breeding season. Recently, particular interest has been given to the role of the dynamics of immunity in determining the intervals between epidemics in wild animal populations. One potentially powerful, but often neglected, process in this context is the maternal transfer of immunity. Here, we explore theoretically how the transfer of maternal antibodies can delay the recurrence of epidemics using Phocine Distemper in harbor seals as an example of a system in which epidemic outbreaks are followed by pathogen extinction. We show that the presence of temporarily protected newborns can significantly increase the predicted interval between epidemics, and this effect is strongly dependent on the degree of synchrony in the breeding season. Furthermore, we found that stochasticity in the onset of epidemics in combination with maternally acquired immunity increases the predicted intervals between epidemics even more. These effects arise because newborns with maternal antibodies temporarily boost population level immunity above the threshold of herd immunity, particularly when breeding is synchronous. Overall, our results show that maternal antibodies can have a profound influence on the dynamics of wildlife epidemics, notably in gregarious species such as many marine mammals and seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Garnier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), CNRS-UMR 5175 Montpellier Cedex 5, F 34293, France ; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey, 08544
| | - Sylvain Gandon
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), CNRS-UMR 5175 Montpellier Cedex 5, F 34293, France
| | - Karin C Harding
- Department of Marine Ecology, Gothenburg University Box 461, Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Thierry Boulinier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), CNRS-UMR 5175 Montpellier Cedex 5, F 34293, France
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20
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Hanson N, Thompson D, Duck C, Moss S, Lonergan M. Pup mortality in a rapidly declining harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) population. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80727. [PMID: 24312239 PMCID: PMC3842331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The harbour seal population in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, has reduced by 65% between 2001 and 2010. The cause(s) of this decline are unknown but must affect the demographic parameters of the population. Here, satellite telemetry data were used to test the hypothesis that increased pup mortality could be a primary driver of the decline in Orkney. Pup mortality and tag failure parameters were estimated from the duration of operation of satellite tags deployed on harbour seal pups from the Orkney population (n = 24) and from another population on the west coast of Scotland (n = 24) where abundance was stable. Survival probabilities from both populations were best represented by a common gamma distribution and were not different from one another, suggesting that increased pup mortality is unlikely to be the primary agent in the Orkney population decline. The estimated probability of surviving to 6 months was 0.390 (95% CI 0.297 – 0.648) and tag failure was represented by a Gaussian distribution, with estimated mean 270 (95% CI = 198 – 288) and s.d. 21 (95% CI = 1 – 66) days. These results suggest that adult survival is the most likely proximate cause of the decline. They also demonstrate a novel technique for attaining age-specific mortality rates from telemetry data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Hanson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Dave Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Callan Duck
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Moss
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Lonergan
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
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Dugal CJ, van Beest FM, Vander Wal E, Brook RK. Targeting hunter distribution based on host resource selection and kill sites to manage disease risk. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:4265-77. [PMID: 24324876 PMCID: PMC3853570 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Endemic and emerging diseases are rarely uniform in their spatial distribution or prevalence among cohorts of wildlife. Spatial models that quantify risk-driven differences in resource selection and hunter mortality of animals at fine spatial scales can assist disease management by identifying high-risk areas and individuals. We used resource selection functions (RSFs) and selection ratios (SRs) to quantify sex- and age-specific resource selection patterns of collared (n = 67) and hunter-killed (n = 796) nonmigratory elk (Cervus canadensis manitobensis) during the hunting season between 2002 and 2012, in southwestern Manitoba, Canada. Distance to protected area was the most important covariate influencing resource selection and hunter-kill sites of elk (AICw = 1.00). Collared adult males (which are most likely to be infected with bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) and chronic wasting disease) rarely selected for sites outside of parks during the hunting season in contrast to adult females and juvenile males. The RSFs showed selection by adult females and juvenile males to be negatively associated with landscape-level forest cover, high road density, and water cover, whereas hunter-kill sites of these cohorts were positively associated with landscape-level forest cover and increasing distance to streams and negatively associated with high road density. Local-level forest was positively associated with collared animal locations and hunter-kill sites; however, selection was stronger for collared juvenile males and hunter-killed adult females. In instances where disease infects a metapopulation and eradication is infeasible, a principle goal of management is to limit the spread of disease among infected animals. We map high-risk areas that are regularly used by potentially infectious hosts but currently underrepresented in the distribution of kill sites. We present a novel application of widely available data to target hunter distribution based on host resource selection and kill sites as a promising tool for applying selective hunting to the management of transmissible diseases in a game species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie J Dugal
- Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
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Hammond JA, Guethlein LA, Norman PJ, Parham P. Natural selection on marine carnivores elaborated a diverse family of classical MHC class I genes exhibiting haplotypic gene content variation and allelic polymorphism. Immunogenetics 2012; 64:915-33. [PMID: 23001684 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-012-0651-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 09/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Pinnipeds, marine carnivores, diverged from terrestrial carnivores ~45 million years ago, before their adaptation to marine environments. This lifestyle change exposed pinnipeds to different microbiota and pathogens, with probable impact on their MHC class I genes. Investigating this question, genomic sequences were determined for 71 MHC class I variants: 27 from harbor seal and 44 from gray seal. These variants form three MHC class I gene lineages, one comprising a pseudogene. The second, a candidate nonclassical MHC class I gene, comprises a nonpolymorphic transcribed gene related to dog DLA-79 and giant panda Aime-1906. The third is the diversity lineage, which includes 62 of the 71 seal MHC class I variants. All are transcribed, and they minimally represent six harbor and 12 gray seal MHC class I genes. Besides species-specific differences in gene number, seal MHC class I haplotypes exhibit gene content variation and allelic polymorphism. Patterns of sequence variation, and of positions for positively selected sites, indicate the diversity lineage genes are the seals' classical MHC class I genes. Evidence that expansion of diversity lineage genes began before gray and harbor seals diverged is the presence in both species of two distinctive sublineages of diversity lineage genes. Pointing to further expansion following the divergence are the presence of species-specific genes and greater MHC class I diversity in gray seals than harbor seals. The elaboration of a complex variable family of classical MHC class I genes in pinnipeds contrasts with the single, highly polymorphic classical MHC class I gene of dog and giant panda, terrestrial carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Hammond
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Fairchild D-159 299 Campus Drive West, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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McCarthy AJ, Shaw MA, Jepson PD, Brasseur SMJM, Reijnders PJH, Goodman SJ. Variation in European harbour seal immune response genes and susceptibility to phocine distemper virus (PDV). INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 11:1616-23. [PMID: 21712101 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2011] [Revised: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 06/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) has caused two mass mortalities of European harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in recent decades. Levels of mortality varied considerably among European populations in both the 1988 and 2002 epidemics, with higher mortality in continental European populations in comparison to UK populations. High levels of genetic differentiation at neutral makers among seal populations allow for the possibility that there could be potential genetic differences at functional loci that may account for some of the variation in mortality. Recent genome sequencing of carnivore species and development of genomic tools have now made it possible to explore the possible contribution of variation in candidate genes from harbour seals in relation to the differential mortality patterns. We assessed variation in eight genes (CD46, IFNG, IL4, IL8, IL10, RARa, SLAM and TLR2) encoding key proteins involved in host cellular interactions with Morbilliviruses and the relationship of variants to disease status. This work constitutes the first genetic association study for Morbillivirus disease susceptibility in a non-model organism, and for a natural mortality event. We found no variation in harbour seals from across Europe in the protein coding domains of the viral receptors SLAM and CD46, but SNPs were present in SLAM intron 2. SNPs were also present in IL8 p2 and RARa exon 1. There was no significant association of SLAM or RARa polymorphisms with disease status implying no role of these genes in determining resistance to PDV induced mortality, that could be detected with the available samples and the small number of polymorphisms indentified. However there was significant differentiation of allele frequencies among populations. PDV and other morbilliviruses are important models for wildlife epidemiology, host switches and viral evolution. Despite a negative result in this case, full sequencing of pinniped and other 'non-model' carnivore genomes will help in refining understanding the role of host genetics in disease susceptibility for these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J McCarthy
- Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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