scholarly journals Anthropogenic food provisioning and immune phenotype: Association among supplemental food, body condition, and immunological parameters in urban environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 3037-3046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jusun Hwang ◽  
Yongbaek Kim ◽  
Sang-Won Lee ◽  
Na-Yon Kim ◽  
Myung-Sun Chun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Immunological Parameters ◽  
Immune Phenotype ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Food Body ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

scholarly journals An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Sugden ◽  
Dana Sanderson ◽  
Kyra Ford ◽  
Lisa Y. Stein ◽  
Colleen Cassady St. Clair
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Fecal Microbiome ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Anthropogenic Food ◽  
Urban Coyotes

AbstractGeneralist species able to exploit anthropogenic food sources are becoming increasingly common in urban environments. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are one such urban generalist that now resides in cities across North America, where diseased or unhealthy coyotes are frequently reported in cases of human-wildlife conflict. Coyote health and fitness may be related to habitat use and diet via the gut microbiome, which has far-reaching effects on animal nutrition and physiology. In this study, we used stomach contents, stable isotope analysis, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and measures of body condition to identify relationships among habitat use, diet, fecal microbiome composition, and health in urban and rural coyotes. Three distinct relationships emerged: (1) Urban coyotes consumed more anthropogenic food, which was associated with increased microbiome diversity, higher abundances of Streptococcus and Enterococcus, and poorer average body condition. (2) Conversely, rural coyotes harbored microbiomes rich in Fusobacteria, Sutterella, and Anaerobiospirillum, which were associated with protein-rich diets and improved body condition. (3) Diets rich in anthropogenic food were associated with increased abundances of Erysipelotrichiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Coriobacteriaceae, which correlated with larger spleens in urban coyotes. Urban coyotes also had an increased prevalence of the zoonotic parasite Echinococcus multilocularis, but there were no detectable connections between parasite infection and microbiome composition. Our results demonstrate how the consumption of carbohydrate-rich anthropogenic food by urban coyotes alters the microbiome to negatively affect body condition, with potential relationships to parasite susceptibility and conflict-prone behavior.

scholarly journals The common hamster as a synurbist: a history of settlement in european cities

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 116-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Yu. Feoktistova ◽  
Alexey V. Surov ◽  
Nikolay N. Tovpinetz ◽  
M.V. Kropotkina ◽  
Pavel L. Bogomolov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Neolithic Period ◽  
Supplemental Food ◽  
Common Hamster ◽  
European Cities ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

Abstract Following the expansion of agriculture in the Neolithic period, the common hamster has spread throughout Europe, and occurred abundantly until the recent past. However, in the last 45 years, populations declined markedly, partly attributable to urbanization and to major changes in agricultural practices. As a result, the species has been considered endangered at international levels as well as in most European countries. At the same time, the species has established populations in large Central and Eastern-European cities such as Vienna (Austria), Simferopol (Ukraine) and Nalchik (Russia), where it inhabits green spaces such as parks, gardens, embankments and buffer strips. In an attempt to reveal factors enabling hamsters to cope with urban environments, we reviewed historical data and habitat conditions of several urban hamster populations. We suggest that supplemental food resources and reduced predation pressure were the main factors promoting urban occurrence of common hamsters in the last 30 years. Its notable adaptability may be associated with higher stress resilience, ecological opportunism, polyphagy and higher fertility compared to species relying on non-urban habitats. The phenomenon of synurbization implies coexistence of wildlife and our urban civilization, but at the same time conflicting interests in conservation and urban development. Thus, the common hamster might serve as a model species for efficient mitigation and compensation concepts in urbanism and spatial planning.

scholarly journals American Robin (Turdus Migratorius) Blood Lead Levels May Reflect Elevated Soil Lead Levels: Further Consequences of the Flint Water Crisis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Louise Zahor ◽  
Kenneth Joseph Glynn ◽  
Jamie M. Cornelius
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Blood Lead ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Blood Lead Levels ◽  
Water Crisis ◽  
Turdus Migratorius ◽  
American Robin ◽  
Soil Lead ◽  
Lead Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract High levels of pollutants often occur in urban environments and can pose a threat to human residents as well as local wildlife. The Flint, Michigan water crisis was caused by the corrosion of pipe infrastructure, resulting in high levels of lead (Pb) leaching into the drinking water. Irrigation with contaminated water may have introduced lead into the soil causing another source of exposure to humans as well as wildlife. A widespread songbird species, the American robin (Turdus migratorius), feeds heavily on earthworms and ingests large amounts of soil during foraging. This study investigated the impact of the Flint water crisis on American robin blood lead levels (BLL) during the breeding season in southeast MI by comparing BLL of birds captured at irrigated sites of Flint to those captured at unirrigated sites in Flint, irrigated sites in a nearby city (Ypsilanti) and rural sites. Robins captured at irrigated Flint sites had nearly double BLL compared to unirrigated Flint sites and all other control sites. Body condition declined with increasing BLL at these irrigated sites of Flint, suggesting a measurable fitness impact of lead at these levels. Because BLL in American robins is known to reflect soil lead levels and soil lead is a known driver of BLL in children, robins may act as a bioindicator for urban communities. Further research should determine the efficacy of using robin BLL as a bioindicator of soil lead and how lead might be impacting body condition and other long-term fitness metrics in urban wildlife.

scholarly journals Understanding foraging flexibility in urban vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, for the benefit of human-wildlife coexistence

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1349-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet R. Thatcher ◽  
Colleen T. Downs ◽  
Nicola F. Koyama
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Chlorocebus Pygerythrus ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

Abstract Generalist wildlife species often thrive in urban environments because of increased anthropogenic resources. However, human-wildlife interactions, especially if negative, raise concerns for urban wildlife management. An enhanced understanding of wildlife behavioural flexibility has been suggested to be a key tool to provide educated and effective management strategies. We therefore investigated how availability of semi-naturally occurring food affected behavioural foraging patterns of urban vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), a generalist primate commonly found in urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Over one year, we conducted 20 min. focal animal observations recording foraging behaviour and food consumption. We used a combination of a generalised linear model and descriptive statistics to examine the relationship between anthropogenic food consumption and semi-natural food availability. Our analyses showed that anthropogenic food consumption decreased as semi-natural food availability increased. We also showed that increased aggression from humans towards vervet monkeys decreased time spent foraging on anthropogenic food. Our study highlights how vervet monkeys have adapted to their urban landscape, showing foraging flexibility in response to available food resources and the frequency of human interactions. We suggest how our results can be applied for management recommendations, particularly controlling anthropogenic food availability and decreasing negative human-wildlife interactions.

scholarly journals Regulation of food provisioning in the Antarctic petrel; the importance of parental body condition and chick body mass

1998 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torkild Tveraa ◽  
Bernt‐Erik Sether ◽  
Ronny Aanes ◽  
Kjell Einar Erikstad
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Petrel

Supersize Me: Does Anthropogenic Food Change the Body Condition of Silver Gulls? A Comparison Between Urbanized and Remote, Non-urbanized Areas

Waterbirds ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi J. Auman ◽  
Catherine E. Meathrel ◽  
Alastair Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Urbanized Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

scholarly journals Anthropogenic food provisioning and cat-keeping practices of urban households in Yucatán, Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Oseguera Montiel ◽  
Eliza Ruiz Izaguiire
Keyword(s):  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Urban Households ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

scholarly journals Effects of age and short-term body condition of chicks on food provisioning in Streaked Shearwaters

2009 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Inoue ◽  
Tomohiro Deguchi ◽  
Daisuke Ochi ◽  
Yutaka Watanuki ◽  
Nariko Oka
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Short Term

scholarly journals Negative effects of agricultural intensification on energetic gain rates of a declining aerial insectivore

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Garrett ◽  
Fanie Pelletier ◽  
Dany Garant ◽  
Marc Bélisle
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Food Provisioning ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Aerial Insectivore ◽  
Provisioning Behavior ◽  
Breeding Grounds

AbstractThe historical rise of intensive agricultural practices is hypothesized to be related to declines of grassland and aerial insectivorous birds. Drivers of declines may also influence the overall abundance and spatial distribution of insects within agricultural landscapes. Subsequently, average energetic gain rates of birds breeding within more agro-intensive landscapes may be impacted. Lower energetic gain rates in agro-intensive landscapes may lead to reduced growth rate, body condition or fledging success of nestlings but also to diminished body condition of food provisioning adults. In this study, we assessed if energetic gain of nestlings and food provisioning behavior of adults varied across a gradient of agricultural intensification in a declining aerial insectivore, the Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor). We found that hourly gain rate was lower in agro-intensive landscapes, and yet travel distances were longest within less agro-intensive landscapes. Our results highlight that, in order to maximize long term average gain rates, Tree swallows breeding within agro-intensive landscapes must forage with greater intensity, perhaps at a cost to themselves, or else costs will transfer to growing broods. Our work provides further evidence that agricultural intensification on the breeding grounds can contribute to the declines of aerial insectivores in part through a trophic pathway.

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