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French SS, Webb AC, Wilcoxen TE, Iverson JB, DeNardo DF, Lewis EL, Knapp CR. Complex tourism and season interactions contribute to disparate physiologies in an endangered rock iguana. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac001. [PMID: 35492404 PMCID: PMC9040281 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
To promote survival and fitness, organisms use a suite of physiological systems to respond to both predictable and unpredictable changes in the environment. These physiological responses are also influenced by changes in life history state. The continued activation of physiological systems stemming from persistent environmental perturbations enable animals to cope with these challenges but may over time lead to significant effects on the health of wildlife. In the present study, we tested how varying environmental perturbations driven by tourism and associated supplemental feeding affects the energetics, corticosterone and immunity of six discrete populations of the northern Bahamian rock iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata and Cyclura cychlura figginsi). We studied populations within and outside the reproductive season and quantified tourist numbers during sample collection. Specifically, we measured clutch size, body condition, plasma energy metabolites, reactive oxygen species, baseline corticosterone concentrations and immune function of male and female iguanas from each population to address whether (i) disparate physiologies are emerging across a gradient of tourism and feeding, (ii) both subspecies respond similarly and (iii) responses vary with season/reproductive condition. We found significant effects of tourism level, season and their interaction on the physiology of both C. c. inornata and C. c. figginsi, supporting the idea that tourism is leading to the divergence of phenotypes. Specifically, we found elevated plasma energy metabolites, oxidative stress and a measure of innate immunity (bactericidal ability), but reduced corticosterone concentrations with increasing tourism in both subspecies of rock iguanas. These physiological metrics differ according to the level of tourism in both subspecies and persist across seasons despite variation with natural seasonal and reproductive changes. These findings suggest that anthropogenic disturbance results in disparate physiologies in northern Bahamian rock iguanas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA. Tel: (435)797-9175.
| | | | | | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Dale F DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
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Dantas-Torres F, Picelli AM, Sales KGDS, Sousa-Paula LCD, Mejia P, Kaefer IL, Viana LA, Pessoa FAC. Ticks on reptiles and amphibians in Central Amazonia, with notes on rickettsial infections. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2022; 86:129-144. [PMID: 34914021 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-021-00682-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Reptiles and amphibians are exceptional hosts for different ectoparasites, including mites and ticks. In this study, we investigated tick infestations on reptiles and amphibians trapped in Central Amazonia, and also assessed the presence of rickettsial infections in the collected ticks. From September 2016 to September 2019, 385 reptiles (350 lizards, 20 snakes, 12 tortoises, and three caimans) and 120 amphibians (119 anurans and one caecilian) were captured and examined for ectoparasites. Overall, 35 (10%) lizards, three (25%) tortoises and one (0.8%) toad were parasitized by ticks (124 larvae, 32 nymphs, and 22 adults). In lizards, tick infestation varied significantly according to landscape category and age group. Based on combined morphological and molecular analyses, these ticks were identified as Amblyomma humerale (14 larvae, 12 nymphs, 19 males, and one female), Amblyomma nodosum (three larvae, one nymph, and one female), and Amblyomma rotundatum (four larvae, three nymphs, and one female), and Amblyomma spp. (103 larvae and 16 nymphs). Our study presents the first records of A. nodosum in the Amazonas state and suggests that teiid lizards are important hosts for larvae and nymphs of A. humerale in Central Amazonia. Moreover, a nymph of A. humerale collected from a common tegu (Tupinambis teguixin) was found positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis, which agrees with previous reports, suggesting that the A. humerale-R. amblyommatis relationship may be more common than currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Recife, PE, Brazil.
| | - Amanda Maria Picelli
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Experimental, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
| | | | | | - Paulo Mejia
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, AP, Brazil
| | - Igor Luis Kaefer
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Lucio André Viana
- Laboratório de Estudos Morfofisiológicos e Parasitários, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, AP, Brazil
| | - Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Doenças Transmissíveis na Amazônia, Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manaus, AM, Brazil
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Colosimo G, Jackson AC, Benton A, Varela-Stokes A, Iverson J, Knapp CR, Welch M. Correlated population genetic structure in a three-tiered host-parasite system. The potential for coevolution and adaptive divergence. J Hered 2021; 112:590-601. [PMID: 34612500 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Three subspecies of Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas, Cyclura cychlura, are currently recognized: C. c. cychlura, restricted to Andros Island, and C. c. figginsi and C. c. inornata, native to the Exuma Island chain. Populations on Andros are genetically distinct from Exuma Island populations, yet genetic divergence among populations in the Exumas is inconsistent with the two currently recognized subspecies from those islands. The potential consequences of this discrepancy might include the recognition of a single subspecies throughout the Exumas rather than two. That inference also ignores evidence that populations of C. cychlura are potentially adaptively divergent. We compared patterns of population relatedness in a three-tiered host-parasite system: C. cychlura iguanas, their ticks (genus Amblyomma, preferentially parasitizing these reptiles), and Rickettsia spp. endosymbionts (within tick ectoparasites). Our results indicate that while C. c. cychlura on Andros is consistently supported as a separate clade, patterns of relatedness among populations of C. c. figginsi and C. c. inornata within the Exuma Island chain are more complex. The distribution of the hosts, different tick species, and Rickettsia spp., supports the evolutionary independence of C. c. inornata. Further, these patterns are also consistent with two independent evolutionarily significant units within C. c. figginsi. Our findings suggest coevolutionary relationships between the reptile hosts, their ectoparasites, and rickettsial organisms, suggesting local adaptation. This work also speaks to the limitations of using neutral molecular markers from a single focal taxon as the sole currency for recognizing evolutionary novelty in populations of endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Colosimo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA.,San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, California, USA
| | - Anna C Jackson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Amanda Benton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Andrea Varela-Stokes
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - John Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, USA
| | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerter Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark Welch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
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Knapp CR, Perez‐Heydrich C, Zachariah TT, Jollay J, Schnelle AN, Buckner SD, Lattin CR, Romero LM. Host sex, size, and hemoparasite infection influence the effects of ectoparasitic burdens on free-ranging iguanas. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1946-1956. [PMID: 30847084 PMCID: PMC6392384 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigations focusing on host-ectoparasite interactions in animals have revealed asymptomatic to severe health and fitness consequences suggesting that species mobilize different interspecific response mechanisms. Fewer studies, however, have examined intraspecific responses to ectoparasitic burdens. In this study, we analyzed host health and fitness responses to increasing ectoparasite burdens along with the presence/absence of hemoparasites of free-ranging insular rock iguanas (Cyclura cychlura) in The Bahamas. Using hematology, plasma biochemistry, as well as body condition and growth rate comparisons, we failed to find significant associations of tick burdens with annual growth rate, corticosterone, packed cell volume, total white blood cell, and heterophil, monocyte, eosinophil or hemoglobin measures. We did, however, find mixed and significant associations of tick burdens with lymphocyte and basophil counts, heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, and body condition indices. These associations varied by sex, size, and hemoparasite infection status suggesting that different life stages of iguanas may invest differently in immune responses, and impacts may be modulated based on size and sex of hosts, and coinfection status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R. Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and ResearchJohn G. Shedd AquariumChicagoIllinois
| | | | | | - Jill Jollay
- International Iguana FoundationFort WorthTexas
| | - Amy N. Schnelle
- Veterinary Diagnostic LaboratoryUniversity of IllinoisUrbana‐ChampaignIllinois
| | | | - Christine R. Lattin
- Department of BiologyTufts UniversityMedfordMassachusetts
- Present address:
Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisiana
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Infestation by Chiggers ( Hannemania sp.) of Miranda's White-lipped Frog ( Leptodactylus macrosternum) from a Semiarid, Neotropic Region of Brazil. J Wildl Dis 2017; 54:397-399. [PMID: 29261445 DOI: 10.7589/2017-01-008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We identified Miranda's white-lipped frog ( Leptodactylus macrosternum) as a new host for chiggers ( Hannemania sp.). A total of 57 larvae of Hannemania sp. were found on 31 frogs examined from a semiarid region of northeastern Brazil.
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