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Lott MJ, Wright BR, Neaves LE, Frankham GJ, Dennison S, Eldridge MDB, Potter S, Alquezar-Planas DE, Hogg CJ, Belov K, Johnson RN. Future-proofing the koala: synergising genomic and environmental data for effective species management. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3035-3055. [PMID: 35344635 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Climatic and evolutionary processes are inextricably linked to conservation. Avoiding extinction in rapidly changing environments often depends upon a species' capacity to adapt in the face of extreme selective pressures. Here, we employed exon capture and high-throughput next-generation sequencing to investigate the mechanisms underlying population structure and adaptive genetic variation in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), an iconic Australian marsupial that represents a unique conservation challenge because it is not uniformly threatened across its range. An examination of 250 specimens representing 91 wild source locations revealed that five major genetic clusters currently exist on a continental scale. The initial divergence of these clusters appears to have been concordant with the Mid-Brunhes Transition (∼ 430-300 kya), a major climatic reorganization that increased the amplitude of Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. While signatures of polygenic selection and environmental adaptation were detected, strong evidence for repeated, climate-associated range contractions and demographic bottleneck events suggests that geographically isolated refugia may have played a more significant role in the survival of the koala through the Pleistocene glaciation than in situ adaptation. Consequently, the conservation of genome-wide genetic variation must be aligned with the protection of core koala habitat to increase the resilience of threatened populations to accelerating anthropogenic threats. Finally, we propose that the five major genetic clusters identified in this study should be accounted for in future koala conservation efforts (e.g. guiding translocations), as existing management divisions in the states of Queensland and New South Wales do not reflect historic or contemporary population structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Lott
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Belinda R Wright
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, the University of Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia.,Sydney School of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science, the University of Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Linda E Neaves
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia.,Fenner School of Environment and Society, the Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2600, Australia
| | - Greta J Frankham
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Siobhan Dennison
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark D B Eldridge
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sally Potter
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia.,Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, the Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, 2600, Australia
| | - David E Alquezar-Planas
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, the University of Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katherine Belov
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, the University of Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rebecca N Johnson
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, 2010, New South Wales, Australia.,National Museum of Natural History, District of Columbia, Washington, 20560, United States
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Lott
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian Museum 1 William Street Sydney New South Wales 2010 Australia
| | - Belinda R. Wright
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of Sydney Camperdown 2006 New South Wales Australia
| | - Leah F. Kemp
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy 5/280 Hay Street Subiaco 6008 Western Australia Australia
| | - Rebecca N. Johnson
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian Museum 1 William Street Sydney New South Wales 2010 Australia
| | - Carolyn J. Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of Sydney Camperdown 2006 New South Wales Australia
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Hose GC, Symington K, Lott MJ, Lategan MJ. The toxicity of arsenic(III), chromium(VI) and zinc to groundwater copepods. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2016; 23:18704-18713. [PMID: 27312899 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7046-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater ecosystems globally are threatened by anthropogenic contamination, yet there are few ecotoxicological data using obligate groundwater biota on which to base risk assessments. Copepods are found inhabiting aquifers of different geologies around the world and so are a useful taxon for use in ecotoxicological studies of groundwater. The aim of this study was to test the sensitivity of obligate groundwater copepods to metal contaminants (arsenic(III), chromium(VI) and zinc) in groundwater in static 96 h, 14 days and 28 days exposure tests. The copepods were variably sensitive to As, Cr and Zn, with Cr being the most toxic across all taxa. No taxon was consistently most sensitive and there was no apparent relationship between the hardness, pH and organic carbon concentration of the diluent water and the sensitivity of biota. As expected, toxicity increased with exposure period and we encourage the use of longer exposure periods in future toxicity tests with groundwater organisms to reflect the greater exposure periods likely to be associated with groundwater contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- G C Hose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Sydney, 2109, Australia.
- Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), Callaghan, Australia.
| | - K Symington
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Sydney, 2109, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), Callaghan, Australia
| | - M J Lott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Sydney, 2109, Australia
| | - M J Lategan
- Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), Callaghan, Australia
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Sydney, 2109, Australia
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Vermeulen ET, Lott MJ, Eldridge MDB, Power ML. Evaluation of next generation sequencing for the analysis of Eimeria communities in wildlife. J Microbiol Methods 2016; 124:1-9. [PMID: 26944624 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques are well-established for studying bacterial communities but not yet for microbial eukaryotes. Parasite communities remain poorly studied, due in part to the lack of reliable and accessible molecular methods to analyse eukaryotic communities. We aimed to develop and evaluate a methodology to analyse communities of the protozoan parasite Eimeria from populations of the Australian marsupial Petrogale penicillata (brush-tailed rock-wallaby) using NGS. An oocyst purification method for small sample sizes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the 18S rRNA locus targeting Eimeria was developed and optimised prior to sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A data analysis approach was developed by modifying methods from bacterial metagenomics and utilising existing Eimeria sequences in GenBank. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) assignment at a high similarity threshold (97%) was more accurate at assigning Eimeria contigs into Eimeria OTUs but at a lower threshold (95%) there was greater resolution between OTU consensus sequences. The assessment of two amplification PCR methods prior to Illumina MiSeq, single and nested PCR, determined that single PCR was more sensitive to Eimeria as more Eimeria OTUs were detected in single amplicons. We have developed a simple and cost-effective approach to a data analysis pipeline for community analysis of eukaryotic organisms using Eimeria communities as a model. The pipeline provides a basis for evaluation using other eukaryotic organisms and potential for diverse community analysis studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke T Vermeulen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Matthew J Lott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Mark D B Eldridge
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia; Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
| | - Michelle L Power
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
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Lott MJ, Hose GC, Power ML. Parasitic nematode communities of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus: richness and structuring in captive systems. Parasitol Res 2015; 114:2925-32. [PMID: 25916465 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-015-4494-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Captive management practices have the potential to drastically alter pre-existing host-parasite relationships. This can have profound implications for the health and productivity of threatened species in captivity, even in the absence of clinical symptoms of disease. Maximising the success of captive breeding programmes requires a detailed knowledge of anthropogenic influences on the structure of parasite assemblages in captive systems. In this study, we employed two high-throughput molecular techniques to characterise the parasitic nematode (suborder Strongylida) communities of the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus, across seven captive sites. The first was terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of a region of rDNA encompassing the internal transcribed spacers 1 (ITS1), the 5.8S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). The second was Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing of the ITS2 region. The prevalence, intensity of infection, taxonomic composition and comparative structure of strongylid nematode assemblages was assessed at each location. Prevalence (P = <0.001) and mean infection intensity (df = 6, F = 17.494, P = <0.001) differed significantly between the seven captive sites. Significant levels of parasite community structure were observed (ANOSIM, P = 0.01), with most of the variation being distributed within, rather than between, captive sites. The range of nematode taxa that occurred in captive red kangaroos appeared to differ from that of wild conspecifics, with representatives of the genus Cloacina, a dominant nematode parasite of the macropodid forestomach, being detected at only two of the seven study sites. This study also provides the first evidence for the presence of the genus Trichostrongylus in a macropodid marsupial. Our results demonstrate that contemporary species management practices may exert a profound influence on the structure of parasite communities in captive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Lott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia,
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Lott MJ, Hose GC, Isberg SR, Power ML. Genetics and infection dynamics of Paratrichosoma sp in farmed saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). Parasitol Res 2014; 114:727-35. [PMID: 25416333 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-014-4240-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Paratrichosoma-associated helminthiasis has been identified in saltwater crocodiles under intensive farming conditions. The development of sustainable integrated management practices is dependent on a detailed understanding of Paratrichosoma population genetics and infection dynamics. This study investigated the genetic relationships of Paratrichosoma sp in a population of commercially farmed saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus, in northern Australia. 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequence data were obtained from Paratrichosoma sp eggs present in the epidermis of infected animals. A high level of genetic diversity was distributed within the Paratrichosoma sp population (241 variable positions in the 1094 bp alignment), indicating an accelerated rate of nucleotide base-pair substitutions in this genus of nematodes. Several possible environmental correlates of the incidence and intensity of helminthiasis, including season, rainfall, and mean monthly temperature, were investigated by visual inspection of crocodile skins. Stepwise logistic regression revealed a significant negative linear relationship (P = 0.011, R (2) = 32.69 %) between mean monthly rainfall and the incidence of monthly Paratrichosoma-associated helminthiasis. Variation in the severity of Paratrichosoma-associated helminthiasis could not be explained by any of the independent environmental variables included within an ordinal regression analysis. The large genetic diversity in these nematodes indicates a high probability of anthelmintic resistant alleles occurring in the population. We discuss how the spread of these alleles may be mitigated by adopting targeted treatment protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Lott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia,
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Lott MJ, Hose GC, Power ML. Towards the molecular characterisation of parasitic nematode assemblages: an evaluation of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. Exp Parasitol 2014; 144:76-83. [PMID: 24971699 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Identifying factors which regulate temporal and regional structuring within parasite assemblages requires the development of non-invasive techniques which facilitate both the rapid discrimination of individual parasites and the capacity to monitor entire parasite communities across time and space. To this end, we have developed and evaluated a rapid fluorescence-based method, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, for the characterisation of parasitic nematode assemblages in macropodid marsupials. The accuracy with which T-RFLP was capable of distinguishing between the constituent taxa of a parasite community was assessed by comparing sequence data from two loci (the ITS+ region of nuclear ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial CO1) across ∼20 species of nematodes (suborder Strongylida). Our results demonstrate that with fluorescent labelling of the forward and reverse terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) of the ITS+ region, the restriction enzyme Hinf1 was capable of generating species specific T-RFLP profiles. A notable exception was within the genus Cloacina, in which closely related species often shared identical T-RFs. This may be a consequence of the group's comparatively recent evolutionary radiation. While the CO1 displayed higher sequence diversity than the ITS+, the subsequent T-RFLP profiles were taxonomically inconsistent and could not be used to further differentiate species within Cloacina. Additionally, several of the ITS+ derived T-RFLP profiles exhibited unexpected secondary peaks, possibly as a consequence of the restriction enzymes inability to cleave partially single stranded amplicons. These data suggest that the question of T-RFLPs utility in monitoring parasite communities cannot be addressed without considering the ecology and unique evolutionary history of the constituent taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Lott
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
| | - G C Hose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - M L Power
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Ehleringer
- Stable Isotope Ratio Facility for Environmental Research, Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112-0840, USA.
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