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García-Del Río M, Castaño-Vázquez F, Martínez J, Martínez-de la Puente J, Cantarero A, García-Velasco J, Merino Y, Merino S. Nestling sex and behaviour determine the host preference of insect vectors in avian nests. Mol Ecol 2024:e17517. [PMID: 39193885 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Sexual differences in pathogen prevalence in wildlife often arise from varying susceptibility influenced by factors such as sex hormones and exposure to pathogens. In the case of vector-borne pathogens, host selection by insect vectors determines the exposure of hosts to infections, largely affecting the transmission of these infectious diseases. We identify the blood-feeding patterns of insect vectors in Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings in a 3-year study. Blood from both nestlings and insect vectors (Culicoides spp. and Simuliidae) captured inside nest-boxes were used to molecularly determine the sex of the host. We then compared the sex-ratios of the nestlings that had been bitten and those of the complete brood in each nest. We found that males were bitten more frequently than females in 2021, when males weighed less in comparison to other years. Additionally, we molecularly identified bitten nestlings individually by genotyping the DNA of blood obtained from both, the vector's abdomen and nestlings of each brood in 2022. Nestlings more frequently bitten by vectors were males, weighed less and were closest to the nest entrance. To our knowledge this is the first study identifying the nestling selection by insect vectors in bird nests under natural conditions. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms of host selection by insect vectors, shedding light on pathogen transmission and offering insights into the observed sex-biased infections in wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina García-Del Río
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Javier Martínez
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology (Parasitology), Pharmacy School, Alcalá de Henares University, Madrid, Spain
| | - Josué Martínez-de la Puente
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Doñana Biological Station, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Cantarero
- Department of Physiology, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier García-Velasco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yago Merino
- Missouri Valley College, Marshall, Missouri, USA
| | - Santiago Merino
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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Xu JH, Xu XY, Huang XY, Chen KX, Wen H, Li M, Liu JS. Long-term fasting induced basal thermogenesis flexibility in female Japanese quails. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024; 292:111611. [PMID: 38432457 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Male Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) have been found to exhibit a three-phase metabolic change when subjected to prolonged fasting, during which basal thermogenesis is significantly reduced. A study had shown that there is a significant difference in the body temperature between male and female Japanese quails. However, whether female Japanese quails also show the same characteristic three-phase metabolic change during prolonged fasting and the underlying thermogenesis mechanisms associated with such changes are still unclear. In this study, female Japanese quails were subjected to prolonged starvation, and the body mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), body temperature, mass of tissues and organs, body fat content, the state-4 respiration (S4R) and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity in the muscle and liver of these birds were measured to determine the status of metabolic changes triggered by the starvation. In addition, the levels of glucose, triglyceride (TG) and uric acid, and thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) in the serum and the mRNA levels of myostatin (MSTN) and avian uncoupling protein (av-UCP) in the muscle were also measured. The results revealed the existence of a three-phase stage similar to that found in male Japanese quails undergoing prolonged starvation. Fasting resulted in significantly lower body mass, BMR, body temperature, tissues masses and most organs masses, as well as S4R and CCO activity in the muscle and liver. The mRNA level of av-UCP decreased during fasting, while that of MSTN increased but only during Phase I and II and decreased significantly during Phase III. Fasting also significantly lowered the T3 level and the ratio of T3/T4 in the serum. These results indicated that female Japanese quails showed an adaptive response in basal thermogenesis at multiple hierarchical levels, from organismal to biochemical, enzyme and cellular level, gene and endocrine levels and this integrated adjustment could be a part of the adaptation used by female quails to survive long-term fasting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Heng Xu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xin-Yu Xu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xing-Yu Huang
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ke-Xin Chen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - He Wen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
| | - Jin-Song Liu
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University Chashan University Town, Wenzhou 325035, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, China.
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The Effect of Housing System and Gender on Relative Brain Weight, Body Temperature, Hematological Traits, and Bone Quality in Muscovy Ducks. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12030370. [PMID: 35158693 PMCID: PMC8833475 DOI: 10.3390/ani12030370] [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] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The study was conducted during the summer season (June–August 2020). Two hundred sixty-four 5-week-old sexed Muscovy ducklings were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups by housing system and by gender. Each group had three replicates (22 birds/replicate) in a randomized design experiment. Regarding the hematological traits, the volume of leukocytes was higher in the D group (by 0.34 × 109/L; p < 0.05) than in the S group. Furthermore, body temperature was found to be higher in ducks (by 0.84 °C; p < 0.05) and in the D group (by 0.5 °C; p < 0.05) in comparison with drakes and birds from the S group. Considering relative brain weight, drakes had higher values than ducks (by 0.56 g; p < 0.05), and birds from the S group also manifested higher values (by 0.78 g; p < 0.05). In terms of bone quality, there were no differences in studied parameters of tibia and femur bones regarding housing systems. The results provide valuable evidence of differences in the fattening of intensively bred Muscovy ducks within the housing system but also regarding gender.
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Court L, Balthazart J, Ball GF, Cornil CA. Effect of chronic intracerebroventricular administration of an aromatase inhibitor on the expression of socio-sexual behaviors in male Japanese quail. Behav Brain Res 2021; 410:113315. [PMID: 33901434 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aromatase converts androgens into estrogens in the brain of vertebrates including humans. This enzyme is also expressed in other tissues where its action may result in negative effects on human health (e.g., promotion of tumor growth). To prevent these effects, aromatase inhibitors were developed and are currently used to block human estrogen-dependent tumors. In vertebrates including quail, aromatase is expressed in a highly conserved set of interconnected brain nuclei known as the social behavior network. This network is directly implicated in the expression of a large range of social behaviors. The primary goal of this study was to characterize in Japanese quail the potential impact of brain aromatase on sexual behavior, aggressiveness and social motivation (i.e., tendency to approach and stay close to conspecifics). An additional goal was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of long-term delivery of an aromatase inhibitor directly into the third ventricle via Alzet™ osmotic minipumps using male sexual behavior as the aromatase dependent measure. We demonstrate that this mode of administration results in the strongest inhibition of both copulatory behavior and sexual motivation ever observed in this species, while other social behaviors were variably affected. Sexual motivation and the tendency to approach a group of conspecifics including females clearly seem to depend on brain aromatase, but the effects of central estrogen production on aggressive behavior and on the motivation to approach males remain less clear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Court
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, B-4000, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Cozzarolo CS, Sironi N, Glaizot O, Pigeault R, Christe P. Sex-biased parasitism in vector-borne disease: Vector preference? PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216360. [PMID: 31048933 PMCID: PMC6497283 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex-biased infections are a recurrent observation in vertebrates. In many species, males are more parasitized than females. Two potentially complementary mechanisms are often suggested to explain this pattern: sexual differences in susceptibility mainly caused by the effect of sex hormones on immunity and differential exposure to parasites. Exposure is mostly a consequence of host behavioural traits, but vector-borne parasitic infections involve another degree of complexity due to the active role of vectors in transmission. Blood-sucking insects may make choices based on cues produced by hosts. Regarding malaria, several studies highlighted a male-biased infection by Plasmodium sp in great tits (Parus major). We hypothesize that the mosquito vector, Culex pipiens, might at least partially cause this bias by being more attracted to male birds. Intrinsic variation associated to bird sex would explain a preference of mosquitoes for males. To test this hypothesis, we provide uninfected mosquitoes with a choice between uninfected male and female nestlings. Mosquito choice is assessed by sex typing of the ingested blood. We did not observe any preference for a given sex. This result does not support our prediction of a preference of mosquitoes for male great tits during the nestling period. In conclusion, mosquitoes do not seem to have an intrinsic preference for male nestlings. However, sexually divergent traits (e.g. behaviour, odour, metabolic rate) present in adults may play a role in the attraction of mosquitoes and should be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolas Sironi
- Département d’Ecologie & Evolution, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Suisse
| | - Olivier Glaizot
- Département d’Ecologie & Evolution, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Suisse
- Musée cantonal de zoologie, Lausanne, Suisse
| | - Romain Pigeault
- Département d’Ecologie & Evolution, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Suisse
| | - Philippe Christe
- Département d’Ecologie & Evolution, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Suisse
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Stress-induced core temperature changes in pigeons (Columba livia). Physiol Behav 2015; 139:449-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Adam K. Human body temperature is inversely correlated with body mass. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY AND OCCUPATIONAL PHYSIOLOGY 1989; 58:471-5. [PMID: 2759072 DOI: 10.1007/bf02330699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Forty-two women and 18 men of mean age 54 years had their sub-lingual oral temperature measured hourly from 0700 h to 2300 h. Mean oral temperature (averaged over the 17 readings) was inversely correlated with body mass in the group as a whole (r = -0.44, df = 58, p = 0.0003). The women had significantly higher mean oral temperatures than the men, but the inverse relationship between mean oral temperature and body mass was still significant when the data from the women were analyzed separately (r = -0.37, df = 40, p = 0.013). The results suggest that in humans, mean body temperature is inversely related to body mass, irrespective of gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Adam
- University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Scotland
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The effects of the male sex-hormone testosterone on body temperature and energy metabolism in male japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1981. [DOI: 10.1016/0300-9629(81)91454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Hänssler I, Prinzinger R. The influence of the sex-hormone testosterone on body temperature and metabolism of the male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). EXPERIENTIA 1979; 35:509-10. [PMID: 437037 DOI: 10.1007/bf01922736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone causes a significant body temperature decrease in male quails. Oxygen consumption/g b. wt remains the same, however.
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Kovach JK. The behaviour of Japanese quail: Review of literature from a bioethological perspective. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1974. [DOI: 10.1016/0304-3762(74)90010-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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