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Fraixedas S, Riera A, Barriocanal C, Alorda-Montiel I, Quesada J, Rodellas V, Garcia-Orellana J. Concentrations and distribution of 210Pb in bird feathers and its potential for tracing age and flight times. J Environ Radioact 2024; 274:107397. [PMID: 38367584 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107397] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Bird feathers have been widely used as environmental indicators, providing key information on environmental pollution. However, there is little available information on the adsorption of natural radioactivity in bird feathers and consequently, its impact on the field of movement ecology is not yet known. This study investigates the concentration and distribution of 210Pb in wing- and tail-feathers of different bird species with contrasting migratory strategies, and discusses its potential use as a tracer of age and flight times. Adsorption of 210Pb in bird feathers is directly related to the interaction of feathers with air, therefore it is hypothesised that the presence of this radionuclide is proportional to the length of flight times, and is asymmetrically distributed in flight feathers. Consequently, a significant difference is expected between 210Pb concentrations in feathers of long-distance migrants when compared to sedentary species. For this purpose, a total of 45 samples from eight individuals of three bird species with distinct migratory strategies were analysed: a highly aerial and long-distance migratory species (Common swift Apus apus), and two largely sedentary species widely distributed across Europe (Great tit Parus major and Tawny owl Strix aluco). Novel findings show that the content of 210Pb in bird feathers of adult migratory birds is much higher than in sedentary birds or juvenile individuals, demonstrating this naturally occurring radionuclide can provide information about the contact time between feathers and air. Additionally, 210Pb adsorption was not evenly distributed in bird feathers. The findings provide a new method to trace age and flight time of birds using 210Pb in feathers, complementing conventional techniques in bird migration studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Fraixedas
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain; Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Alba Riera
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles Barriocanal
- Grup de Recerca Ambiental Mediterrània (GRAM), Departament de Geografia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Irene Alorda-Montiel
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
| | - Javier Quesada
- Departament de Vertebrats, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Valentí Rodellas
- Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Jordi Garcia-Orellana
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
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Vommaro ML, Donato S, Caputo S, Agostino RG, Montali A, Tettamanti G, Giglio A. Anatomical changes of Tenebrio molitor and Tribolium castaneum during complete metamorphosis. Cell Tissue Res 2024; 396:19-40. [PMID: 38409390 PMCID: PMC10997553 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-024-03877-8] [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: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
In holometabolous insects, extensive reorganisation of tissues and cells occurs at the pupal stage. The remodelling of the external exoskeleton and internal organs that intervenes during metamorphosis has been traditionally studied in many insect species based on histological or ultrastructural methods. This study demonstrates the use of synchrotron X-ray phase-contrast micro-computed tomography as a powerful, non-destructive tool for in situ morphological observation of anatomical structures at the pupal stage in two Tenebrionid beetles, i.e. Tribolium castaneum and Tenebrio molitor, known as important pests, as well as emerging and promising models in experimental biology. Virtual sections and three-dimensional reconstructions were performed on both males and females at early, intermediate, and late pupal stage. The dataset allowed us to observe the remodelling of the gut and nervous system as well as the shaping of the female and male reproductive system at different pupal ages in both mealworm and red flour beetles. Moreover, we observed that the timing and duration pattern of organ development varied between the species analysed, likely related to the species-specific adaptations of the pre-imaginal stages to environmental conditions, which ultimately affect their life cycle. This research provides new knowledge on the morphological modifications that occur during the pupal stage of holometabolous insects and provides a baseline set of information on beetle metamorphosis that may support future research in forensics, physiology, and ecology as well as an image atlas for educational purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luigia Vommaro
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy
| | - Sandro Donato
- University of Calabria, Department of Physics and STAR research infrastructure, Rende, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Division of Frascati, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Caputo
- University of Calabria, Department of Environmental Engineering, Rende, Italy
| | - Raffaele G Agostino
- University of Calabria, Department of Physics and STAR research infrastructure, Rende, Italy
| | - Aurora Montali
- University of Insubria, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Varese, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- University of Insubria, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Varese, Italy
- Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Anita Giglio
- University of Calabria, Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, Rende, Italy.
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Van den Brande S, Gijbels M, Wynant N, Peeters P, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Santos D, Vanden Broeck J. Identification and profiling of stable microRNAs in hemolymph of young and old Locusta migratoria fifth instars. Curr Res Insect Sci 2022; 2:100041. [PMID: 36003267 PMCID: PMC9387440 DOI: 10.1016/j.cris.2022.100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the discovery of the first microRNA (miRNA) in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, numerous novel miRNAs have been identified which can regulate presumably every biological process in a wide range of metazoan species. In accordance, several insect miRNAs have been identified and functionally characterized. While regulatory RNA pathways are traditionally described at an intracellular level, studies reporting on the presence and potential role of extracellular (small) sRNAs have been emerging in the last decade, mainly in mammalian systems. Interestingly, evidence in several species indicates the functional transfer of extracellular RNAs between donor and recipient cells, illustrating RNA-based intercellular communication. In insects, however, reports on extracellular small RNAs are emerging but the number of detailed studies is still very limited. Here, we demonstrate the presence of stable sRNAs in the hemolymph of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. Moreover, the levels of several extracellular miRNAs (ex-miRNAs) present in locust hemolymph differed significantly between young and old fifth nymphal instars. In addition, we performed a 'proof of principle' experiment which suggested that extracellularly delivered miRNA molecules are capable of affecting the locusts' development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stijn Van den Brande
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marijke Gijbels
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niels Wynant
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paulien Peeters
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yannick Gansemans
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dulce Santos
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Research group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, Zoological Institute, Naamsestraat 59 box 2465, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Zhou Z, Eichner C, Nilsen F, Jonassen I, Dondrup M. A novel approach to co-expression network analysis identifies modules and genes relevant for moulting and development in the Atlantic salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). BMC Genomics 2021; 22:832. [PMID: 34789144 PMCID: PMC8600823 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08054-7] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is an obligate ectoparasitic copepod living on Atlantic salmon and other salmonids in the marine environment. Salmon lice cause a number of environmental problems and lead to large economical losses in aquaculture every year. In order to develop novel parasite control strategies, a better understanding of the mechanisms of moulting and development of the salmon louse at the transcriptional level is required. Methods Three weighted gene co-expression networks were constructed based on the pairwise correlations of salmon louse gene expression profiles at different life stages. Network-based approaches and gene annotation information were applied to identify genes that might be important for the moulting and development of the salmon louse. RNA interference was performed for validation. Regulatory impact factors were calculated for all the transcription factor genes by examining the changes in co-expression patterns between transcription factor genes and deferentially expressed genes in middle stages and moulting stages. Results Eight gene modules were predicted as important, and 10 genes from six of the eight modules have been found to show observable phenotypes in RNA interference experiments. We knocked down five hub genes from three modules and observed phenotypic consequences in all experiments. In the infection trial, no copepodids with a RAB1A-like gene knocked down were found on fish, while control samples developed to chalimus-1 larvae. Also, a FOXO-like transcription factor obtained highest scores in the regulatory impact factor calculation. Conclusions We propose a gene co-expression network-based approach to identify genes playing an important role in the moulting and development of salmon louse. The RNA interference experiments confirm the effectiveness of our approach and demonstrated the indispensable role of a RAB1A-like gene in the development of the salmon louse. We propose that our approach could be generalized to identify important genes associated with a phenotype of interest in other organisms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1186/s12864-021-08054-7).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoran Zhou
- Department of Informatics & Sea Lice Research Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen, 5008, Norway
| | - Christiane Eichner
- Department of Biological Sciences & Sea Lice Research Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen, 5008, Norway
| | - Frank Nilsen
- Department of Biological Sciences & Sea Lice Research Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen, 5008, Norway
| | - Inge Jonassen
- Department of Informatics & Sea Lice Research Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen, 5008, Norway
| | - Michael Dondrup
- Department of Informatics & Sea Lice Research Centre, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgate 55, Bergen, 5008, Norway.
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Jarrett C, Powell LL, Claire TTR, Tchoumbou M, Helm B. Moult of overwintering Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix in an annual-cycle perspective. J Ornithol 2021; 162:645-653. [PMID: 34722109 PMCID: PMC8550331 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-021-01859-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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Wood Warblers, an Afro-Palearctic migrant species, are declining steadily in Europe likely due to mortality outside their breeding grounds. However, little is known about their overwintering, and records about the sensitive life-cycle stage of moult in Africa are practically absent. To fill this gap, we report on moult of Wood Warblers captured over two winters (January-February) in 2019-2020 in Cameroon. We caught 14 individuals, of which 12 were monitored for flight feather moult. All inspected individuals showed advanced stages of flight feather renewal. Despite low sample sizes, Underhill-Zucchini moult models aptly explained variation in primary and secondary moult (R 2 = 0.61). Estimated moult onset date was 26 December, completion date was 25 February, and moult duration was 61 days. These findings fit well with experimental data on the annual cycle and the timing of recently published migration tracks of Wood Warblers. Jointly, the data suggest that moult timing is set by an internal programme, which enables Wood Warblers to organise their multi-stage migration such that they reach suitable moulting habitat in time, and can depart in time with a fresh plumage for the breeding grounds. In our study, moult occurred during the peak of the dry season, which in Cameroon nonetheless shows high relative humidity. During our mist-netting on 28 cocoa plantations of varying shade cover, Wood Warblers were caught on 6 farms whose canopies were comparatively open. These data suggest that the birds encounter in Cameroon relatively stable climatic conditions for moult, and do not measurably prefer closed-canopy forests. Our findings are important, because successful moult increases survival prospects and because moult needs to be safely embedded in a migratory life cycle. Hence, information on moult timing and location is essential for identifying year-round vulnerabilities of Wood Warblers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crinan Jarrett
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
- Biodiversity Initiative, Houghton, MI 49913 USA
| | - Luke L. Powell
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
- Biodiversity Initiative, Houghton, MI 49913 USA
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH13LE UK
| | - Tabe T. Regine Claire
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
- Biodiversity Initiative, Houghton, MI 49913 USA
| | - Melanie Tchoumbou
- Department of Animal Biology, Vector Borne Diseases Laboratory of the Applied Biology and Ecology Research Unit (VBID-RUBEA), University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon
- Biodiversity Initiative, Houghton, MI 49913 USA
| | - Barbara Helm
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ UK
- GELIFES, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Renedo M, Pedrero Z, Amouroux D, Cherel Y, Bustamante P. Mercury isotopes of key tissues document mercury metabolic processes in seabirds. Chemosphere 2021; 263:127777. [PMID: 32828051 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [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: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds accumulate significant amounts of mercury (Hg) due to their long-life span together with their medium to high trophic position in marine food webs. Hg speciation and Hg isotopic analyses of total Hg in different tissues (pectoral muscles, liver, brain, kidneys, blood and feathers) were assessed to investigate their detoxification mechanisms. Three species with contrasted ecological characteristics were studied: the Antarctic prion (zooplankton feeder), the white-chinned petrel (pelagic generalist consumer) and the southern giant petrel (scavenger on seabirds and marine mammals). The difference of mass-dependent fractionation (MDF, δ202Hg) values between liver and muscles (up to 0.94 ‰) in all three seabirds strongly suggests hepatic demethylation of the isotopically lighter methylmercury (MeHg) and subsequent redistribution of the isotopically heavier fraction of MeHg towards the muscles. Similarly, higher δ202Hg values in feathers (up to 1.88 ‰) relative to muscles and higher proportion of MeHg in feathers (94-97%) than muscles (30-70%) likely indicate potential MeHg demethylation in muscle and preferential excretion of MeHg (isotopically heavier) in the growing feathers during moult. The extents of these key detoxification processes were strongly dependent on the species-specific detoxification strategies and levels of dietary MeHg exposure. We also found higher mass-independent fractionation (MIF, Δ199Hg) values in feathers relative to internal tissues, possibly due to different integration times of Hg exposure between permanently active organs and inert tissues as feathers. Hg isotope variations reported in this study show evidence of detoxification processes in seabirds and propose a powerful approach for deep investigation of the Hg metabolic processes in seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Renedo
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS- La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour L'Environnement et Les Matériaux, Pau, France.
| | - Zoyne Pedrero
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour L'Environnement et Les Matériaux, Pau, France.
| | - David Amouroux
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-chimie pour L'Environnement et Les Matériaux, Pau, France
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 Du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS- La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 Rue Descartes, 75005, Paris, France
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St. John Glew K, Wanless S, Harris MP, Daunt F, Erikstad KE, Strøm H, Speakman JR, Kürten B, Trueman CN. Sympatric Atlantic puffins and razorbills show contrasting responses to adverse marine conditions during winter foraging within the North Sea. Mov Ecol 2019; 7:33. [PMID: 31695919 PMCID: PMC6824136 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0174-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural environments are dynamic systems with conditions varying across years. Higher trophic level consumers may respond to changes in the distribution and quality of available prey by moving to locate new resources or by switching diets. In order to persist, sympatric species with similar ecological niches may show contrasting foraging responses to changes in environmental conditions. However, in marine environments this assertion remains largely untested for highly mobile predators outside the breeding season because of the challenges of quantifying foraging location and trophic position under contrasting conditions. METHOD Differences in overwinter survival rates of two populations of North Sea seabirds (Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) and razorbills (Alca torda)) indicated that environmental conditions differed between 2007/08 (low survival and thus poor conditions) and 2014/15 (higher survival, favourable conditions). We used a combination of bird-borne data loggers and stable isotope analyses to test 1) whether these sympatric species showed consistent responses with respect to foraging location and trophic position to these contrasting winter conditions during periods when body and cheek feathers were being grown (moult) and 2) whether any observed changes in moult locations and diet could be related to the abundance and distribution of potential prey species of differing energetic quality. RESULTS Puffins and razorbills showed divergent foraging responses to contrasting winter conditions. Puffins foraging in the North Sea used broadly similar foraging locations during moult in both winters. However, puffin diet significantly differed, with a lower average trophic position in the winter characterised by lower survival rates. By contrast, razorbills' trophic position increased in the poor survival winter and the population foraged in more distant southerly waters of the North Sea. CONCLUSIONS Populations of North Sea puffins and razorbills showed contrasting foraging responses when environmental conditions, as indicated by overwinter survival differed. Conservation of mobile predators, many of which are in sharp decline, may benefit from dynamic spatial based management approaches focusing on behavioural changes in response to changing environmental conditions, particularly during life history stages associated with increased mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie St. John Glew
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO143ZH UK
| | - Sarah Wanless
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | | | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB UK
| | - Kjell Einar Erikstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian University of Science &Technology (NTNU), Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Postbox 6606, Langnes, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - John R. Speakman
- Institute of Genetics and developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Benjamin Kürten
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU UK
- Present address: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Clive N. Trueman
- Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO143ZH UK
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Tomotani BM, de la Hera I, Lange CYMJG, van Lith B, Meddle SL, Both C, Visser ME. Timing manipulations reveal the lack of a causal link across timing of annual-cycle stages in a long-distance migrant. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.201467. [PMID: 31413104 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.201467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Organisms need to time their annual-cycle stages, like breeding and migration, to occur at the right time of the year. Climate change has shifted the timing of annual-cycle stages at different rates, thereby tightening or lifting time constraints of these annual-cycle stages, a rarely studied consequence of climate change. The degree to which these constraints are affected by climate change depends on whether consecutive stages are causally linked (scenario I) or whether the timing of each stage is independent of other stages (scenario II). Under scenario I, a change in timing in one stage has knock-on timing effects on subsequent stages, whereas under scenario II, a shift in the timing of one stage affects the degree of overlap with previous and subsequent stages. To test this, we combined field manipulations, captivity measurements and geolocation data. We advanced and delayed hatching dates in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) and measured how the timing of subsequent stages (male moult and migration) were affected. There was no causal effect of manipulated hatching dates on the onset of moult and departure to Africa. Thus, advancing hatching dates reduced the male moult-breeding overlap with no effect on the moult-migration interval. Interestingly, the wintering location of delayed males was more westwards, suggesting that delaying the termination of breeding carries over to winter location. Because we found no causal linkage of the timing of annual-cycle stages, climate change could shift these stages at different rates, with the risk that the time available for some becomes so short that this will have major fitness consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara M Tomotani
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands .,Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
| | - Iván de la Hera
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.,School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland T23XA50
| | - Cynthia Y M J G Lange
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bart van Lith
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Christiaan Both
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Menu-Courey K, Noisette F, Piedalue S, Daoud D, Blair T, Blier PU, Azetsu-Scott K, Calosi P. Energy metabolism and survival of the juvenile recruits of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) exposed to a gradient of elevated seawater pCO 2. Mar Environ Res 2019; 143:111-123. [PMID: 30477878 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The transition from the last pelagic larval stage to the first benthic juvenile stage in the complex life cycle of marine invertebrates, such as the American lobster Homarus americanus, a species of high economic importance, represents a delicate phase in these species development. Under future elevated pCO2 conditions, ocean acidification and other elevated pCO2 events can negatively affect crustaceans. This said their effects on the benthic settlement phase are virtually unknown. This study aimed to identify the effects of elevated seawater pCO2 on stage V American lobsters exposed to seven pCO2 levels. The survival, development time, metabolic and feeding rates, carapace composition, and energy metabolism enzyme function were investigated. Results suggested an increase in mortality, slower development and an increase in aerobic capacity with increasing pCO2. Our study points to potential reduction in juvenile recruitment success as seawater pCO2 increases, thus foreshadowing important socio-economic repercussions for the lobster fisheries and industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Menu-Courey
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Fanny Noisette
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada; Institut des Sciences de la Mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Sarah Piedalue
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Dounia Daoud
- Homarus Inc, 408 Rue Main, Shediac, NB, E4P 2G1, Canada; EcoNov Inc, 540 Ch. Gorge Road, Moncton, NB, E1G 3H8, Canada
| | - Tammy Blair
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Saint Andrews Biological Station, 125 Marine Science Dr, Saint Andrews, NB, E5B 0E4, Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada
| | - Pierre U Blier
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada
| | - Kumiko Azetsu-Scott
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada
| | - Piero Calosi
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada.
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10
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Arce-Funck J, Crenier C, Danger M, Billoir E, Usseglio-Polatera P, Felten V. High stoichiometric food quality increases moulting organism vulnerability to pollutant impacts: An experimental test with Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Sci Total Environ 2018; 645:1484-1495. [PMID: 30248870 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Headwater organisms are most often simultaneously faced with multiple stressors such as low resource quality and pollutants. Higher food quality has been hypothesized to enhance the tolerance of organisms to pollutants, but the interactive effects of food quality and pollutants on species and ecosystems remain poorly studied. To better understand these interactive effects, we experimentally manipulated the phosphorus (P) content of two leaf litters with contrasted carbon quality (alder and maple). During four weeks, individuals of the detritivorous crustacean Gammarus fossarum were exposed to low levels of cadmium ([Cd] = 0, 0.35 or 0.70 μg L-1) while being fed with one of the leaf P treatments. When organisms were not exposed to Cd, their high survival rate was more driven by the carbon quality of the resource (litter species) than by its stoichiometric quality. In contrast, their number of moults and growth rates were primarily increased by the P content of resources. When exposed to Cd, G. fossarum survival rate was reduced, but this effect was largely magnified by a higher P level in resources. Our results showed that despite positive effects of resource stoichiometric quality on organism life history traits (growth, survival), a resource of high stoichiometric quality might be detrimental for organisms exposed to low and environmentally realistic levels of pollutants. Two non-exclusive hypotheses are proposed to explain these results. First, organisms fed on the highest quality resource exhibited the highest moulting frequencies (moults being the most critical life cycle step of arthropods), which could have rendered them more sensitive to pollutants. Secondly, the metabolism of organisms fed on higher quality resources was potentially enhanced, increasing the uptake of dissolved Cd by gammarids. This study suggests that species sensitivity to pollutants might be underestimated in ecosystems facing both nutrient constraint and pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Arce-Funck
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Clément Crenier
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Michael Danger
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Elise Billoir
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Philippe Usseglio-Polatera
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Vincent Felten
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LIEC, F-57000 Metz, France; LTSER France, Zone Atelier du Bassin de la Moselle, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
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11
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Cherel Y, Barbraud C, Lahournat M, Jaeger A, Jaquemet S, Wanless RM, Phillips RA, Thompson DR, Bustamante P. Accumulate or eliminate? Seasonal mercury dynamics in albatrosses, the most contaminated family of birds. Environ Pollut 2018; 241:124-135. [PMID: 29803026 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [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: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are iconic pelagic seabirds whose life-history traits (longevity, high trophic position) put them at risk of high levels of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), a powerful neurotoxin that threatens humans and wildlife. Here, we report total Hg (THg) concentrations in body feathers from 516 individual albatrosses from 35 populations, including all 20 taxa breeding in the Southern Ocean. Our key finding is that albatrosses constitute the family of birds with the highest levels of contamination by Hg, with mean feather THg concentrations in different populations ranging from moderate (3.8 μg/g) to exceptionally high (34.6 μg/g). Phylogeny had a significant effect on feather THg concentrations, with the mean decreasing in the order Diomedea > Phoebetria > Thalassarche. Unexpectedly, moulting habitats (reflected in feather δ13C values) was the main driver of feather THg concentrations, indicating increasing MeHg exposure with decreasing latitude, from Antarctic to subtropical waters. The role of moulting habitat suggests that the majority of MeHg eliminated into feathers by albatrosses is from recent food intake (income strategy). They thus differ from species that depurate MeHg into feathers that has been accumulated in internal tissues between two successive moults (capital strategy). Since albatrosses are amongst the most threatened families of birds, it is noteworthy that two albatrosses listed as Critical by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) that moult and breed in temperate waters are the most Hg-contaminated species (the Amsterdam and Tristan albatrosses). These data emphasize the urgent need for robust assessment of the impact of Hg contamination on the biology of albatrosses and they document the high MeHg level exposure of wildlife living in the most remote marine areas on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Maxime Lahournat
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 du CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Audrey Jaeger
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Laboratoire ENTROPIE, UMR 9220 du CNRS- IRD-Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, BP 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Sébastien Jaquemet
- Laboratoire ENTROPIE, UMR 9220 du CNRS- IRD-Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, BP 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Ross M Wanless
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - David R Thompson
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 du CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
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12
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Salleh Hudin N, Teyssier A, Aerts J, Fairhurst GD, Strubbe D, White J, De Neve L, Lens L. Do wild-caught urban house sparrows show desensitized stress responses to a novel stressor? Biol Open 2018; 7:bio.031849. [PMID: 29632231 PMCID: PMC6031342 DOI: 10.1242/bio.031849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While urbanization exposes individuals to novel challenges, urban areas may also constitute stable environments in which seasonal fluctuations are buffered. Baseline and stress-induced plasma corticosterone (cort) levels are often found to be similar in urban and rural populations. Here we aimed to disentangle two possible mechanisms underlying such pattern: (i) urban environments are no more stressful or urban birds have a better ability to habituate to stressors; or (ii) urban birds developed desensitized stress responses. We exposed wild-caught urban and rural house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to combined captivity and diet treatments (urban versus rural diet) and measured corticosterone levels both in natural tail feathers and in regrown homologous ones (cortf). Urban and rural house sparrows showed similar cortf levels in the wild and in response to novel stressors caused by the experiment, supporting the growing notion that urban environments are no more stressful during the non-breeding season than are rural ones. Still, juveniles and males originating from urban populations showed the highest cortf levels in regrown feathers. We did not find evidence that cortf was consistent within individuals across moults. Our study stresses the need for incorporating both intrinsic and environmental factors for the interpretation of variation in cortf between populations. Summary: Corticosterone in natural and regrown feathers was similar between urban and rural birds. Sex and age related to corticosterone in regrown feathers. Feather corticosterone was not consistent across different moults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noraine Salleh Hudin
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science & Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900 Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Aimeric Teyssier
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Johan Aerts
- Stress Physiology Research Group, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Wetenschapspark 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium.,Stress Physiology Research Group, Animal Sciences Unit, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Wetenschapspark 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium
| | - Graham D Fairhurst
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2 Canada
| | - Diederik Strubbe
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joël White
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 CNRS-Université Paul Sabatier-IRD-ENSFEA, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Liesbeth De Neve
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
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13
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Campos B, Fletcher D, Piña B, Tauler R, Barata C. Differential gene transcription across the life cycle in Daphnia magna using a new all genome custom-made microarray. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:370. [PMID: 29776339 PMCID: PMC5960145 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4725-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Unravelling the link between genes and environment across the life cycle is a challenging goal that requires model organisms with well-characterized life-cycles, ecological interactions in nature, tractability in the laboratory, and available genomic tools. Very few well-studied invertebrate model species meet these requirements, being the waterflea Daphnia magna one of them. Here we report a full genome transcription profiling of D. magna during its life-cycle. The study was performed using a new microarray platform designed from the complete set of gene models representing the whole transcribed genome of D. magna. Results Up to 93% of the existing 41,317 D. magna gene models showed differential transcription patterns across the developmental stages of D. magna, 59% of which were functionally annotated. Embryos showed the highest number of unique transcribed genes, mainly related to DNA, RNA, and ribosome biogenesis, likely related to cellular proliferation and morphogenesis of the several body organs. Adult females showed an enrichment of transcripts for genes involved in reproductive processes. These female-specific transcripts were essentially absent in males, whose transcriptome was enriched in specific genes of male sexual differentiation genes, like doublesex. Conclusion Our results define major characteristics of transcriptional programs involved in the life-cycle, differentiate males and females, and show that large scale gene-transcription data collected in whole animals can be used to identify genes involved in specific biological and biochemical processes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4725-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Campos
- IDAEA-CSIC: Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Research, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | - Benjamín Piña
- IDAEA-CSIC: Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Research, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Romà Tauler
- IDAEA-CSIC: Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Research, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Barata
- IDAEA-CSIC: Institute of Environmental Diagnosis and Water Research, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
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14
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Agarwal N, Mishra I, Komal R, Rani S, Kumar V. Circannual testis and moult cycles persist under photoperiods that disrupt circadian activity and clock gene cycles in spotted munia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:4162-4168. [PMID: 28916681 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.167809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [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: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We investigated whether circannual rhythms underlying annual testis maturation and moult cycles are independent of duration and frequency of the light period and circadian clock control in non-photoperiodic spotted munia. Birds were subjected to an aberrant light-dark (LD) cycle (3.5 h L:3.5 h D; T7, where T is the period length of the LD cycle) and continuous light (LL, 24 h L:0 h D), with controls on 12 h L:12 h D (T24, 24 h LD cycle). We measured the behavioural activity pattern of the birds and 24 h mRNA oscillations of circadian clock genes (bmal1, clock, per2, cry1, cry2) in the hypothalamus, the putative site of seasonal timing. Diurnal munia were rhythmic in behaviour with the period of the activity-rest cycle matched to T7 and T24, and became behaviourally arrhythmic with activity scattered throughout 24 h under LL. Similarly, exposure to 3.5 h L:3.5 h D and LL caused arrhythmicity in 24 h clock gene expression, suggesting disruption of internal circadian timing at the transcriptional level; a significant rhythm was found under 12 h L:12 h D. During an exposure of 80 weeks, munia showed two to three cycles of testis maturation and wing primaries moult under all photoperiods, although with a longer period under 12L:12D. Thus, the frequency of light period under 3.5 h L:3.5 h D or LL disrupted circadian clock gene cycles, but did not affect the generation of circannual testis and moult cycles. We conclude that the prevailing light environment and hypothalamic circadian gene cycles do not exert direct control on the timing of the annual reproductive cycle in spotted munia, suggesting independent generation of the circadian and circannual rhythms in seasonally breeding species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Agarwal
- IndoUS Center for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India.,Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Ila Mishra
- IndoUS Center for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
| | - Ruchi Komal
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Sangeeta Rani
- Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- IndoUS Center for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
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15
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Harris CM, Madliger CL, Love OP. An evaluation of feather corticosterone as a biomarker of fitness and an ecologically relevant stressor during breeding in the wild. Oecologia 2017; 183:987-996. [PMID: 28214946 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3836-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Feather corticosterone (CORT) levels are increasingly employed as biomarkers of environmental stress. However, it is unclear if feather CORT levels reflect stress and/or workload in the wild. We investigated whether feather CORT represents a biomarker of environmental stress and reproductive effort in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Specifically, we examined whether individual state and investment during reproduction could predict feather CORT levels in subsequently moulted feathers and whether those levels could predict future survival and reproductive success. Through a manipulation of flight cost during breeding, we also investigated whether an increase in stress level would be reflected in subsequently grown feathers, and whether those levels could predict future success. We found that CORT levels of feathers grown during moult did not (1) reflect past breeding experience (n = 29), (2) predict reproductive output (n = 18), or (3) respond to a manipulation of flight effort during reproduction (10 experimental, 14 control females). While higher feather CORT levels predicted higher return rate (a proxy for survival), they did so only in the manipulated group (n = 36), and this relationship was opposite to expected. Overall, our results add to the mixed literature reporting that feather CORT levels can be positively, negatively, or not related to proxies of within-season and longer-term fitness (i.e., carryover effects). In addition, our results indicate that CORT levels or disturbances experienced during one time (e.g., breeding) may not carry over to subsequent stages (e.g., moult). We, therefore, petition for directed research investigating whether feather CORT represents exposure to chronic stress in feathers grown during moult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
| | - Christine L Madliger
- Department of Biological Sciences and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Oliver P Love
- Department of Biological Sciences and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
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16
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Ziegler A, Neues F, Janáček J, Beckmann F, Epple M. Mineral in skeletal elements of the terrestrial crustacean Porcellio scaber: SRμCT of function related distribution and changes during the moult cycle. Arthropod Struct Dev 2017; 46:63-76. [PMID: 27288588 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial isopods moult first the posterior and then the anterior half of the body, allowing for storage and recycling of CaCO3. We used synchrotron-radiation microtomography to estimate mineral content within skeletal segments in sequential moulting stages of Porcellio scaber. The results suggest that all examined cuticular segments contribute to storage and recycling, however, to varying extents. The mineral within the hepatopancreas after moult suggests an uptake of mineral from the ingested exuviae. The total maximum loss of mineral was 46% for the anterior and 43% for the posterior cuticle. The time course of resorption of mineral and mineralisation of the new cuticle suggests storage and recycling of mineral in the posterior and anterior cuticle. The mineral in the anterior pereiopods decreases by 25% only. P. scaber has long legs and can run fast; therefore, a less mineralised and thus lightweight cuticle in pereiopods likely serves to lower energy consumption during escape behaviour. Differential demineralisation occurs in the head cuticle, in which the cornea of the complex eyes remains completely mineralised. The partes incisivae of the mandibles are mineralised before the old cuticle is demineralised and shed. Probably, this enables the animal to ingest the old exuviae after each half moult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Ziegler
- Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Frank Neues
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5-7, 45117, Essen, Germany
| | - Jiří Janáček
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Felix Beckmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute of Materials Research, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany
| | - Matthias Epple
- Inorganic Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CeNIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5-7, 45117, Essen, Germany
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17
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Ganendran LB, Sidhu LA, Catchpole EA, Chambers LE, Dann P. Effects of ambient air temperature, humidity and rainfall on annual survival of adult little penguins Eudyptula minor in southeastern Australia. Int J Biometeorol 2016; 60:1237-1245. [PMID: 26698160 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-015-1119-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds are subject to the influences of local climate variables during periods of land-based activities such as breeding and, for some species, moult; particularly if they undergo a catastrophic moult (complete simultaneous moult) as do penguins. We investigated potential relationships between adult penguin survival and land-based climate variables (ambient air temperature, humidity and rainfall) using 46 years of mark-recapture data of little penguins Eudyptula minor gathered at a breeding colony on Phillip Island in southeastern Australia. Our results showed that adult penguin survival had a stronger association with land-based climate variables during the moult period, when birds were unable to go to sea for up to 3 weeks, than during the breeding period, when birds could sacrifice breeding success in favour of survival. Annual adult survival probability was positively associated with humidity during moult and negatively associated with rainfall during moult. Prolonged heat during breeding and moult had a negative association with annual adult survival. Local climate projections suggest increasing days of high temperatures, fewer days of rainfall which will result in more droughts (and by implication, lower humidity) and more extreme rainfall events. All of these predicted climate changes are expected to have a negative impact on adult penguin survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- L B Ganendran
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia
| | - L A Sidhu
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia.
| | - E A Catchpole
- , 8 Bondfield Street, Gungahlin, ACT, 2912, Australia
| | - L E Chambers
- Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - P Dann
- School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, Australian Defence Force Academy, University of New South Wales Canberra, PO Box 7916, Canberra, BC, 2610, Australia
- Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Parks, PO Box 97, Cowes, VIC, 3922, Australia
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18
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Buttemer WA, Addison BA, Astheimer LB. Lack of seasonal and moult-related stress modulation in an opportunistically breeding bird: The white-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus penicillatus). Horm Behav 2015; 76:34-40. [PMID: 25701624 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Revised: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "SBN 2014". In most vertebrate species, glucocorticoid levels and stress sensitivity vary in relation to season and life-history stage. In birds, baseline corticosterone (CORT) and stress sensitivity are typically highest while breeding and decrease substantially during moult. Because elevated CORT adversely affects protein synthesis, moult-related CORT suppression is thought to be necessary for forming high-quality feathers. Surprisingly, some passerine species lack moult-related CORT suppression, but these are distinguished by having slow rates of moult and being opportunistic breeders. We examined baseline and stress-induced CORT levels in an opportunistically breeding Australian passerine, the white-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus penicillatus). Although this species has a slower moult rate than high-latitude breeders, it differs little from north-temperate passerines. Neither baseline nor stress-induced CORT levels varied with season (winter, spring or summer), sex or moult status in adult birds. While breeding tended to be highest in early spring through late summer, laparotomies revealed only limited reduction in testicular size in males the year round. In all but one sampling period, at least some females displayed follicular hierarchy. Breeding usually coincides with outbreaks of phytophagous insects, which can happen at any time of the year. This results in moult/breeding overlap when infestations occur in late spring or summer. The ability of this species to moult and breed at the same time while having breeding-levels of CORT demonstrates that CORT suppression is not a prerequisite for synthesis of high-quality feathers. An experimental design incorporating moulting and non-moulting phenotypes is suggested to test the functional significance of CORT suppression in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Buttemer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
| | - BriAnne A Addison
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lee B Astheimer
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
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Gutowsky SE, Gutowsky LFG, Jonsen ID, Leonard ML, Naughton MB, Romano MD, Shaffer SA. Daily activity budgets reveal a quasi-flightless stage during non-breeding in Hawaiian albatrosses. Mov Ecol 2014; 2:23. [PMID: 25709832 PMCID: PMC4337467 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-014-0023-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animals adjust activity budgets as competing demands for limited time and energy shift across life history phases. For far-ranging migrants and especially pelagic seabirds, activity during breeding and migration are generally well studied but the "overwinter" phase of non-breeding has received less attention. Yet this is a critical time for recovery from breeding, plumage replacement and gaining energy stores for return migration and the next breeding attempt. We aimed to identify patterns in daily activity budgets (i.e. time in flight, floating on the water's surface and active foraging) and associated spatial distributions during overwinter for the laysan Phoebastria immutabilis and black-footed P. nigripes albatrosses using state-space models and generalized additive mixed-effects models (GAMMs). We applied these models to time-series of positional and immersion-state data from small light- and conductivity-based data loggers. RESULTS During overwinter, both species exhibited a consistent 'quasi-flightless' stage beginning c. 30 days after initiating migration and lasting c. 40 days, characterized by frequent long bouts of floating, very little sustained flight, and infrequent active foraging. Minimal daily movements were made within localized areas during this time; individual laysan albatross concentrated into the northwest corner of the Pacific while black-footed albatross spread widely across the North Pacific Ocean basin. Activity gradually shifted toward increased time in flight and active foraging, less time floating, and greater daily travel distances until colony return c. 155 days after initial departure. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that these species make parallel adjustments to activity budgets at a daily time-scale within the overwinter phase of non-breeding despite different at-sea distributions and phenologies. The 'quasi-flightless' stage likely reflects compromised flight from active wing moult while the subsequent increase in activity may occur as priorities shift toward mass gain for breeding. The novel application of a GAMM-based approach used in this study offers the possibility of identifying population-level patterns in shifting activity budgets over extended periods while allowing for individual-level variation in the timing of events. The information gained can also help to elucidate the whereabouts of areas important at different times across life history phases for far-ranging migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lee FG Gutowsky
- />Fish Ecology & Conservation Physiology Lab, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Ian D Jonsen
- />Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Marty L Leonard
- />Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS Canada
| | - Maura B Naughton
- />USFWS, Pacific Region, Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs, Portland, OR USA
| | - Marc D Romano
- />USFWS, Pacific Region, Migratory Birds and Habitat Programs, Portland, OR USA
| | - Scott A Shaffer
- />Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA USA
- />Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA USA
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Gismondi E, Thomé JP. Effects of two PBDE congeners on the moulting enzymes of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex. Environ Pollut 2014; 191:119-125. [PMID: 24832922 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2014.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [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: 01/04/2014] [Revised: 04/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are abundant in aquatic environment. However, only few studies have investigated their impacts on freshwater invertebrates. This work aimed to study the effects of BDE-47 and BDE-99 congeners on the chitobiase and chitinolytic enzymes activities of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex, according to gender, PBDE concentration and time of exposure. In addition, the bioaccumulation of BDE-47 and BDE-99 were measured. Results revealed that females have bioaccumulated more PBDE than males, and BDE-99 was more accumulated than BDE-47. PBDE exposures for 96 h have caused chitobiase and chitinolytic enzymes inhibition. This study not only indicate the importance of taking into account various confounding factors (gender, congeners, concentration) to understand PBDE effects, but underline also disruptions of molting enzymes activities. These disturbances suggest effects on the gammarid development and reproduction, and consequently effects on the gammarid population, and on a larger scale, a dysfunction of the ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Gismondi
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Animale et d'Ecotoxicologie (LEAE), Institue de Chimie, Bât. B6C, 15 allée du 6 Août, Sart-Tilman, Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
| | - Jean-Pierre Thomé
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie Animale et d'Ecotoxicologie (LEAE), Institue de Chimie, Bât. B6C, 15 allée du 6 Août, Sart-Tilman, Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
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