Summer time predation on the obligatory off-host stage of an invasive ectoparasite

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1960-1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIRPA KAUNISTO ◽  
ILKKA RAUNISMAA ◽  
RAINE KORTET ◽  
HANNU YLÖNEN
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Main Host ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common ◽  
Heath Forest ◽  
Summer Time ◽  
Deer Ked

SUMMARYPredation can regulate populations and strongly affect invasion success of novel prey. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi; Linnaeus 1758) is an invasive ectoparasite of cervids that spends a long period of its life cycle outside the host. Prior to this study, virtually nothing was known about natural summer time predation on the deer ked. We aimed to evaluate the magnitude of summer time predation onL. cervipupae in different habitats and to identify potential predators. We conducted a set of field experiments, where we exposedL. cervipupae to various ground-dwelling vertebrate and invertebrate predators. The loss of pupae was monitored for different predator guilds. Three habitats of the moose, the main host species, were studied: (1) moist heath forest; (2) dry, logged heath forest; and (3) moist meadow. The results indicate notable summer time predation onL. cervipupae, and the pupal predation varied within and between habitats, being lowest in the meadow habitat. We found a positive correlation between pupal loss and abundance of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), harvestmen (Opiliones), ground spiders (Gnaphosidae) and Formicinae-ants. We conclude that summer time predation during the pupal phase can have a notable local importance for theL. cerviabundance.

scholarly journals Chromosome-Level Assembly of the Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) Genome

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1953-1960
Author(s):  
Andrey A Yurchenko ◽  
Hans Recknagel ◽  
Kathryn R Elmer
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Map ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
High Coverage ◽  
Squamate Reptiles ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common ◽  
Chromosome Level

Abstract Squamate reptiles exhibit high variation in their phenotypic traits and geographical distributions and are therefore fascinating taxa for evolutionary and ecological research. However, genomic resources are very limited for this group of species, consequently inhibiting research efforts. To address this gap, we assembled a high-quality genome of the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara (Lacertidae), using a combination of high coverage Illumina (shotgun and mate-pair) and PacBio sequencing data, coupled with RNAseq data and genetic linkage map generation. The 1.46-Gb genome assembly has a scaffold N50 of 11.52 Mb with N50 contig size of 220.4 kb and only 2.96% gaps. A BUSCO analysis indicates that 97.7% of the single-copy Tetrapoda orthologs were recovered in the assembly. In total, 19,829 gene models were annotated to the genome using a combination of ab initio and homology-based methods. To improve the chromosome-level assembly, we generated a high-density linkage map from wild-caught families and developed a novel analytical pipeline to accommodate multiple paternity and unknown father genotypes. We successfully anchored and oriented almost 90% of the genome on 19 linkage groups. This annotated and oriented chromosome-level reference genome represents a valuable resource to facilitate evolutionary studies in squamate reptiles.

scholarly journals Environmental variation mediates the prevalence and co-occurrence of parasites in the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara

BMC Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Wu ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Alexis Rutschmann ◽  
Donald B. Miles ◽  
Jean Clobert
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common

Abstract Background Hosts and their parasites are under reciprocal selection, leading to coevolution. However, parasites depend not only on a host, but also on the host’s environment. In addition, a single host species is rarely infested by a single species of parasite and often supports multiple species (i.e., multi-infestation). Although the arms race between a parasite and its host has been well studied, few data are available on how environmental conditions may influence the process leading to multiple infestations. In this study, we examine whether: (1) environmental factors including altitude, temperature, vegetation cover, human disturbance, and grazing by livestock affect the prevalence of two types of ectoparasites, mites and ticks, on their host (the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara) and (2) competition is evident between mites and ticks. Results We found the probability of mite infestation increased with altitude and vegetation cover, but decreased with human disturbance and presence of livestock. In contrast, the probability of tick infestation was inversely associated with the same factors. Individuals with low body condition and males had higher mite loads. However, this pattern was not evident for tick loads. The results from a structural equation model revealed that mites and ticks indirectly and negatively affected each other’s infestation probability through an interaction involving the environmental context. We detected a direct negative association between mites and ticks only when considering estimates of parasite load. This suggests that both mites and ticks could attach to the same host, but once they start to accumulate, only one of them takes advantage. Conclusion The environment of hosts has a strong effect on infestation probabilities and parasite loads of mites and ticks. Autecological differences between mites and ticks, as indicated by their opposing patterns along environmental gradients, may explain the pattern of weak contemporary interspecific competition. Our findings emphasize the importance of including environmental factors and the natural history of each parasite species in studies of host–parasite coevolution.

scholarly journals Warmer temperatures attenuate the classic offspring number and reproductive investment trade-off in the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 20160101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Rutschmann ◽  
Donald B. Miles ◽  
Jean Clobert ◽  
Murielle Richard
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Offspring Number ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common

Life-history traits involved in trade-offs are known to vary with environmental conditions. Here, we evaluate the response of the trade-off between ‘offspring number’ versus ‘energy invested per offspring’ to ambient temperature in 11 natural populations of the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara . We provide evidence at both the intra- and interpopulation levels that the trade-off is reduced with an increase in air temperature. If this effect enhances current individual fitness, it may lead to an accelerated pace of life in warmer environments and could ultimately increase adult mortality. In the context of global warming, our results advocate the need for more studies in natural populations to explore interactions between life-history traits' trade-offs and environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Male Reproductive Cycle in a Population of the Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara (Squamata, Lacertidae) from Southeast of Western Siberia

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 56-67
Author(s):  
Vadim V. Yartsev ◽  
◽  
Valentina N. Kuranova ◽  
Ekaterina N. Absalyamova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Chromosome-level assembly of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) genome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey A. Yurchenko ◽  
Hans Recknagel ◽  
Kathryn R. Elmer
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Coverage ◽  
Squamate Reptiles ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common ◽  
Chromosome Level

ABSTRACTSquamate reptiles exhibit high variation in their traits and geographical distribution and are therefore fascinating taxa for evolutionary and ecological research. However, high-quality genomic recourses are very limited for this group of species, which inhibits some research efforts. To address this gap, we assembled a high-quality genome of the common lizard Zootoca vivipara (Lacertidae) using a combination of high coverage Illumina (shotgun and mate-pair) and PacBio sequence data, with RNAseq data and genetic linkage maps. The 1.46 Gbp genome assembly has scaffold N50 of 11.52 Mbp with N50 contig size of 220.4 Kbp and only 2.96% gaps. A BUSCO analysis indicates that 97.7% of the single-copy Tetrapoda orthologs were recovered in the assembly. In total 19,829 gene models were annotated in the genome using a combination of three ab initio and homology-based methods. To improve the chromosome-level assembly, we generated a high-density linkage map from wild-caught families and developed a novel analytical pipeline to accommodate multiple paternity and unknown father genotypes. We successfully anchored and oriented almost 90% of the genome on 19 linkage groups. This annotated and oriented chromosome-level reference genome represents a valuable resource to facilitate evolutionary studies in squamate reptiles.

Reproduction and Morphology of the Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) from Montane Populations in Slovakia

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terézia Horváthová ◽  
Michal Baláž ◽  
David Jandzik
Keyword(s):  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common

Isolation and Characterization of Interspersed Repeated Sequences in the Common Lizard, Zootoca vivipara, and Their Conservation in Squamata

2019 ◽  
Vol 157 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnese Petraccioli ◽  
Fabio M. Guarino ◽  
Larissa Kupriyanova ◽  
Marcello Mezzasalma ◽  
Gaetano Odierna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Disjunct Distribution ◽  
Significant Similarity ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Common Lizard ◽  
Zootoca Vivipara ◽  
The Common ◽  
Almost All

The common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) displays characteristic cytogenetic, reproductive, molecular, and biogeographic variability. This species comprises oviparous and viviparous populations with disjunct distribution and sex chromosome polymorphisms, from simple ZZ/ZW to complex Z1Z1Z2Z2/Z1Z2W systems with different morphologies of the W chromosome. In this study, we used the primers SINE A and SINE B and a newly designed primer pair to (1) obtain information on the presence and distribution of transposable elements (TEs) in 8 squamate families and (2) assess the chromosomal location of SINE Squam elements in Z. vivipara. PCR amplification with SINE A and SINE B produced single or multiple products in different Z. vivipara populations, subsequently used to design the SINE-Zv primers. Using the newly designed SINE-Zv primers, we identified 2 sequences of about 700 and 300 bp (SINE-Zv 700 and SINE-Zv 300) in all the investigated populations of Z. vivipara. Fluorescence in situ hybridizations showed a preferential localization of SINE-Zv sequences in the peritelomeric regions of almost all chromosomes, with the exception of the W. Both sequences contained a distinct segment of SINE Squam2. SINE-Zv 700 appeared to be restricted to Z. vivipara, while SINE-Zv 300 contained a partial Gypsy sequence that is highly conserved among Squamata and showed high identity values (72-93%) with several transcripts from different species. Using the same primers, we also highlighted the presence of another highly conserved Gypsy-like fragment in snakes which displayed significant similarity with the stomatin-like protein 2 of colubrids. Our results suggest that SINEs and the Gypsy-like elements are widely distributed among squamates and may have played an active role in their genomic evolution and differentiation.

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