House Sparrows Rapid Evolution of Races in North America

Urban Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard F. Johnston ◽  
Robert K. Selander
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
House Sparrows

House Sparrows: Rapid Evolution of Races in North America

Science ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 144 (3618) ◽  
pp. 548-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Johnston ◽  
R. K. Selander
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
House Sparrows

scholarly journals A time series forecasting of the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 N501Y lineage in North America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Quinonez ◽  
Majid Vahed ◽  
Abdolrazagh Hashemi Shahraki ◽  
Mehdi Mirsaeidi
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
North America ◽  
South African ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Genomic Sequence ◽  
Natural Infection ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Time Series Forecasting ◽  
Global Database

Introduction: The outbreak of pneumonia known as SARS-COV-2 and newly-emerging South African (B.1.351), the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) and Brazil (P.1) variants have led to a more infectious virus and potentially more substantial loss of neutralizing activity by natural infection or vaccine-elicited antibodies. Methods: We identified prevalent mutations using the spike receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 deposited in the Nextstrain global database and comparing them to the Wuhan-Hu-1/2019 genomic sequence as a reference. Then we calculated the percentages of mutant genomes from the total regional subsample isolates from December 2019 to the end of January 2021. We developed two separate time series forecasting models for the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant. The computational model used the structure of the S-RBD to examine its interactions with the neutralizing antibody, named CV30 (isolated from a patient), and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE-2), based on a hybrid algorithm of template-based modeling to predict the affinity of S protein to the neutralizing antibodies and hACE-2 receptor. Results: The proportion of the B.1.1.7 strain in North America is growing fast. From these computations, it seems that the S-RBD and hACE-2 proteins are less favorable for the South African strain (K417N, E484K, and N501Y) as compared to the wild type structure and more favorable for B.1.1.7 and P.1 variants. In the present of crystallized CV30 neutralizing antibodies, docking scores suggest antibodies can be partially neutralize the B.1.1.7 variant, and, less efficiently, the B.1.351 and P.1 variants. Conclusion: The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to allow the newly-emerged B.1.351, and P.1 variants to escape from natural or vaccine-induced neutralizing immunity and viral spreading.

scholarly journals Recent Declines of House Sparrows, Passer domesticus, in Canada's Maritime Provinces

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Erskine
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Human Settlement ◽  
Maritime Provinces ◽  
House Sparrows

House Sparrows, Passer domesticus, were introduced to North America after 1850, increased and spread up to 1920, and stabilized or decreased thereafter until 1960. In the Maritimes (and perhaps some other areas), a further decline set in after 1970, continuing to the present. Now the species is rare to absent in much of the Maritimes, except around farms with livestock. Decline here since 1970 probably approaches 90 per cent in most other areas of human settlement except south of 45°N. Similar declines are known in the U.K., but seem poorly documented, if recognized, in North America outside of our region. Erratum included.

scholarly journals Evidence for Co-evolution of West Nile Virus and House Sparrows in North America

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e3262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha K. Duggal ◽  
Angela Bosco-Lauth ◽  
Richard A. Bowen ◽  
Sarah S. Wheeler ◽  
William K. Reisen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
North America ◽  
West Nile ◽  
House Sparrows

scholarly journals A new ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Montana, USA, based on an exceptional skeleton with soft tissue preservation

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 161086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria M. Arbour ◽  
David C. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
North America ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation ◽  
Judith River Formation ◽  
Stratigraphic Succession

The terrestrial Judith River Formation of northern Montana was deposited over an approximately 4 Myr interval during the Campanian (Late Cretaceous). Despite having been prospected and collected continuously by palaeontologists for over a century, few relatively complete dinosaur skeletons have been recovered from this unit to date. Here we describe a new genus and species of ankylosaurine dinosaur, Zuul crurivastator , from the Coal Ridge Member of the Judith River Formation, based on an exceptionally complete and well-preserved skeleton (ROM 75860). This is the first ankylosaurin skeleton known with a complete skull and tail club, and it is the most complete ankylosaurid ever found in North America. The presence of abundant soft tissue preservation across the skeleton, including in situ osteoderms, skin impressions and dark films that probably represent preserved keratin, make this exceptional skeleton an important reference for understanding the evolution of dermal and epidermal structures in this clade. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Zuul as an ankylosaurin ankylosaurid within a clade of Dyoplosaurus and Scolosaurus , with Euoplocephalus being more distantly related within Ankylosaurini. The occurrence of Z. crurivastator from the upper Judith River Formation fills a gap in the ankylosaurine stratigraphic and geographical record in North America, and further highlights that Campanian ankylosaurines were undergoing rapid evolution and stratigraphic succession of taxa as observed for Laramidian ceratopsids, hadrosaurids, pachycephalosaurids and tyrannosaurids.

West Nile Virus: Deaths of Crows and Humans

2020 ◽  
pp. 261-280
Author(s):  
Michael B. A. Oldstone
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
West Nile Virus ◽  
North America ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
The West ◽  
West Nile ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
House Finches ◽  
High Virus

This chapter addresses West Nile virus, the cause of a formerly unknown disease whose path through America was a trail of dead birds and dead people. West Nile virus is currently the most common and severe form of mosquito-borne encephalitis in North America. At present, West Nile virus has been isolated from over 300 species of birds. The infected birds fall into two major groups: those that carry the virus and are asymptomatic and those that develop an often fatal neurologic disease. Crows, jays, magpies, and house finches, upon infection, develop high virus loads and rapidly infect the mosquitoes that prey on them. House sparrows are also reservoirs for high titers of West Nile virus and play a role in the virus’ transmission in city areas. Humans are incidental/accidental hosts in the natural mosquito–bird cycle of this viral infection. Most humans who become infected have received bites from mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus. The viruses then replicate at the bite site and likely spread to specialized cells, dendritic cells, which act as processors of foreign antigens. Viruses may also travel directly from the bite site into and through the blood.

Symbiotic arthropods from the house sparrow (Passer domesticus, Aves: Passeridae) from two locations in Alberta, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 668-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaylee Byers ◽  
Heather Proctor
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
House Sparrow ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Striking Difference ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Feather Mite

AbstractHouse sparrows (Passer domesticus(Linnaeus), Aves: Passeridae) were introduced into eastern North America in the mid 1800s and have been expanding their range since then. We collected sparrows from two sites in Alberta, Canada (Edmonton: 58 birds; Onefour: 13 birds), and compared symbiont richness and prevalence between them and between Alberta and two states in the United States of America. We found 17 species of symbionts: 13 mites, three insects, and one trematode. Richness of symbionts in Alberta was very similar to that in the United States of America sites. The most striking difference was absence of the feather miteProctophyllodes troncatusRobin (Acari: Proctophyllodidae) on sampled hosts in Alberta.

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