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Hass JK, Henriquez MC, Churcher J, Hamou H, Morales SR, Melin AD. Assessing morphological preservation of gastrointestinal parasites from fecal samples of wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) stored in ethanol versus formalin. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3623. [PMID: 38351262 PMCID: PMC10864282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53915-2] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The copromicroscopic identification of gastrointestinal parasites is a common, cost-effective method vital to understanding host-parasite interactions. However, its efficacy depends on effective preservation of the samples. In this study, we compare the preservation of ethanol and formalin preserved gastrointestinal parasites collected from a wild population of Costa Rican capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator). Fecal samples were collected, halved, and stored in either 10% formalin or 96% ethanol at ambient temperature, then microscopically screened for the presence of parasites. Parasites were morphologically identified and rated based on their preservation using a newly developed rubric. We identified more parasitic morphotypes in formalin-preserved samples but found no difference in the number of parasites per fecal gram (PFG) between mediums. There was no difference in the PFG of two most prevalent parasite morphotypes, Filariopsis barretoi larvae and Strongyle-type eggs, and while Filariopsis larvae were better preserved in formalin, strongyle eggs showed no preservation difference between mediums. Our results support the suitability of both ethanol and formalin for morphological parasite identification in samples stored over 1 year, describe the morphological changes and challenges associated with parasite degradation, and highlight the potential for future studies to use both morphological and molecular methods in non-invasively collected samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle K Hass
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Host Parasite Interactions Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Megan C Henriquez
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Host Parasite Interactions Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY, USA.
| | - Jessica Churcher
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Host Parasite Interactions Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Hadjira Hamou
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Host Parasite Interactions Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Host Parasite Interactions Network, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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Casorso JG, DePasquale AN, Romero Morales S, Cheves Hernandez S, Lopez Navarro R, Hockings KJ, Carrigan MA, Melin AD. Seed dispersal syndrome predicts ethanol concentration of fruits in a tropical dry forest. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230804. [PMID: 37464751 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0804] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying fruit traits and their interactions with seed dispersers can improve how we interpret patterns of biodiversity, ecosystem function and evolution. Mounting evidence suggests that fruit ethanol is common and variable, and may exert selective pressures on seed dispersers. To test this, we comprehensively assess fruit ethanol content in a wild ecosystem and explore sources of variation. We hypothesize that both phylogeny and seed dispersal syndrome explain variation in ethanol levels, and we predict that fruits with mammalian dispersal traits will contain higher levels of ethanol than those with bird dispersal traits. We measured ripe fruit ethanol content in species with mammal- (n = 16), bird- (n = 14) or mixed-dispersal (n = 7) syndromes in a Costa Rican tropical dry forest. Seventy-eight per cent of fruit species yielded measurable ethanol concentrations. We detected a phylogenetic signal in maximum ethanol levels (Pagel's λ = 0.82). Controlling for phylogeny, we observed greater ethanol concentrations in mammal-dispersed fruits, indicating that dispersal syndrome helps explain variation in ethanol content, and that mammals may be more exposed to ethanol in their diets than birds. Our findings further our understanding of wild fruit ethanol and its potential role as a selective pressure on frugivore sensory systems and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia G Casorso
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Allegra N DePasquale
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Kulick NK, Cheves S, Chaves-Cordero C, Lopez R, Morales SR, Fedigan LM, Jack KM. Female-committed infanticide followed by juvenile-enacted cannibalism in wild white-faced capuchins. Primates 2021; 62:1037-1043. [PMID: 34626294 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00949-z] [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: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
On 5 February 2021, we observed the first instance of female-committed infanticide followed by cannibalism in a long-studied (> 35 years) population of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) in the Santa Rosa Sector of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The events leading up to and including the infanticide and cannibalism were observed and documented ad libitum, with segments digitally recorded, and a post-mortem necropsy performed. Here we detail our observations and evaluate the events within the framework of leading adaptive explanations. The infanticide may have been proximately motivated by resource competition or group instability. The circumstances of the observed infanticide provided support for the resource competition, adoption avoidance, and social status hypotheses of infanticide, but not for the exploitation hypothesis, as neither the perpetrator nor her kin consumed the deceased infant. The subsequent cannibalism was performed by juveniles who observed the infanticide and may have been stimulated by social facilitation and their prior experience of meat consumption as omnivores. To our knowledge, cannibalism has been documented only once before in C. imitator, in an adjacent study group, with the two cases sharing key similarities in the context of occurrence and manner of consumption. These observations add to our growing knowledge of the evolutionary significance of infanticide and its importance as a reproductive strategy in nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelle K Kulick
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Saul Cheves
- Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | - Catalina Chaves-Cordero
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Ronald Lopez
- Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | | | - Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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