Leucocyte profiles and body condition in breeding brown boobies and red-tailed tropicbirds: effects of breeding stage and sex

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Dehnhard ◽  
Janos C. Hennicke
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Breeding Stage ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Investment In Reproduction ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Phaethon Rubricauda ◽  
Leucocyte Profiles

Foraging in a habitat with highly unpredictable availability of prey, breeding seabirds have to balance their investment in reproduction with their own energetic requirements, including their immune system. This study aimed to investigate the influence of breeding stage (incubation and chick rearing) and sex on body condition and leucocyte profiles in two sympatrically breeding tropical seabird species on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: the strongly size-dimorphic, inshore-foraging brown booby (Sula leucogaster) and the monomorphic offshore-foraging red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda). Brown booby males were in poorer body condition than females. Male brown boobies had a higher heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio (indicating higher stress levels), and higher eosinophil numbers (suggesting higher intestinal parasite loads) than females, and sex differences in H/L ratio and body condition were more pronounced during chick rearing. The results suggest that in brown boobies, incubation was energetically less demanding for males than chick rearing, but that the smaller males were energetically more challenged than females during both breeding stages. In the monomorphic red-tailed tropicbird, there were no differences in body condition between sexes and breeding stage, and there was no influence of sex or breeding stage on the leucocyte profiles. The results suggest that incubation and chick rearing are equally demanding for males and females, and that the increased energetic demands of chick rearing are likely to be buffered by a bimodal foraging strategy by both sexes. Our results show that breeding stage as well as sex- and species-specific foraging behaviour can affect leucocyte profiles and particularly the H/L ratio differentially in sympatrically breeding seabird species.

scholarly journals Sexual and developmental variations of ecto-parasitism in damselflies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shatabdi Paul ◽  
Md Kawsar Khan ◽  
Marie E. Herberstein
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Developmental Variations ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractThe prevalence and intensity of parasitism can have different fitness costs between sexes, and across species and developmental stages. This variation could arise because of species specific sexual and developmental differences in body condition, immunity, and resistance. Theory predicts that the prevalence of parasitism will be greater in individuals with poor body condition and the intensity of parasitism will be greater in individuals with larger body size. These predictions have been tested and verified in vertebrates. In insects, however, contradictory evidence has been found in different taxa. Here, we tested these predictions on two species of Agriocnemis (Agriocnemis femina and Agriocnemis pygmaea) damselflies, which are parasitized by Arrenurus water mite ectoparasites. We measured body weight, total body length, abdomen area and thorax area of non-parasitized damselflies and found body condition varied between males and females, between immature females and mature females and between A. femina and A. pygmaea. Then, we calculated the parasite prevalence, i.e., the frequency of parasitism and intensity, i.e., the number of parasites per infected damselfly in eleven natural populations of both species. In line to our predictions, we observed greater prevalence in immature females than mature females but found no difference in parasite prevalence between males and females. Furthermore, we found that parasite load was higher in females than males and in immature females than mature females. Our result also showed that the frequency and intensity of parasitism varied between the two studied species, being higher in A. pygmaea than A. femina. Our study provides evidence that parasitism impacts sexes, developmental stages and species differentially and suggests that variation may occur due to sex, developmental stage, and species-specific resistance and tolerance mechanism.

Captive husbandry and veterinary care of seabirds during the MV Rena oil spill response

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 610 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Gartrell ◽  
P. F. Battley ◽  
C. Clumpner ◽  
W. Dwyer ◽  
S. Hunter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Heavy Fuel Oil ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Rehabilitation Protocols ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract ContextSeabirds were the most common taxa captured alive as part of the oiled wildlife response to the grounding of the container vessel MV Rena in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. AimsTo describe the management of seabirds during the spill response, to outline the common problems encountered and to make recommendations for future responses. MethodsSeabirds were collected from 7 October 2011 to 14 January 2012. They were stabilised and underwent pretreatment, washing and rinsing procedures to remove oil, followed by swimming physiotherapy to restore waterproofing and long-term housing in outdoor aviaries. The birds were released in batches close to the original sites of capture once the wild habitat was cleaned. Key results428 live seabirds were admitted. There were two temporal peaks in admissions associated with the ship grounding and when the ship broke up. The majority of live birds were little penguins (Eudyptula minor; 394/428, 92%). Most seabirds admitted (393/428, 91.8%) were contaminated with heavy fuel oil, with the remainder (35/428, 8.2%) found unoiled but starving and/or exhausted or with injuries. Little penguins had lower mortality during rehabilitation (28/394, 7.1%) than other seabird species combined (27/34, 79.4%). Seabirds in poorer body condition on arrival had higher mortality, and unoiled birds were also more likely to die than oiled birds. In oiled little penguins, the degree of oiling on the plumage ranged from 1 to 100%, but mortality was not significantly associated with the degree of oiling (P=0.887). Pododermatitis affected 66% of little penguins. The most common causes of death (n=45) included weakness, anaemia and hypothermia in oiled seabirds (16/45, 35.6%), and starvation and weakness in unoiled seabirds (14/45, 31.1%). ConclusionsTotal survival to release was 87.1%, primarily influenced by the species involved and the body condition of the birds on arrival. Unoiled seabirds had higher mortality rates than oiled seabirds. ImplicationsOiled wildlife can be rehabilitated with good success, even when heavily oiled, or to a lesser extent, when found in poor body condition. More work is needed to refine species-specific rehabilitation protocols for seabirds, especially for those being admitted in emaciated body condition.

Seabird and dolphin associations: do seabirds benefit from feeding in association with dusky dolphins in Patagonia?

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1147-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Degrati ◽  
Silvana L. Dans ◽  
Griselda V. Garaffo ◽  
Enrique A. Crespo
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Research Vessel ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Magellanic Penguins ◽  
Dusky Dolphins ◽  
Dusky Dolphin ◽  
Mixed Groups

The objective of this study was to describe associations between several species of seabirds and dusky dolphins. We investigated during what dolphin activities seabirds were most commonly associated, and the size of flock in relation to the number of dolphins in a group. Since both seabirds and dolphins may display different feeding strategies, we also investigated if benefits differed among seabird species. Data were collected in Golfo Nuevo (42°20′S65°00′W) on-board a research vessel between 2001 and 2008. A total of 224 mixed groups of seabirds were encountered during this study. The seabird–dolphin associations were mainly observed during dusky dolphin surface feeding. Shearwaters and kelp gulls were mainly observed in flocks that were associated with dolphins, while Magellanic penguins and cormorants were mainly observed without dolphins. Seabirds may be conditioned to the foraging strategy of dolphins, since birds are associated with dolphins only during dolphin surface feeding. This association probably helped seabirds to find prey, but there were no obvious benefits to dolphins.

Sex-biased parental-care allocation in three tern species (Laridae, Aves)

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1461-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Fasola ◽  
Nicola Saino
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Agonistic Behavior ◽  
Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Sandwich Tern ◽  
Parental Expenditure ◽  
Care Allocation

We studied parental-care allocation by males and females in three tern species. Female Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and Little Terns (S. albifrons) performed more incubation and brooding than males, whereas in the Sandwich Tern (S. sandvicensis) the sexes shared these duties equally. In all three species, agonistic behaviors were performed equally by females and males. Prey types brought by males and females of each species were similar, but males tended to bring larger prey and had higher delivery rates than females. Information on parental-care allocation by female and male seabirds of various species, 5 gulls, 6 terns, and 1 skimmer, indicates that females perform most of the incubation and brooding in both gulls and terns, whereas males perform most territory attendance and agonistic behavior (gulls) and more prey provisioning (terns). These patterns are qualitatively consistent with the explanation that the differences between gulls and terns in sex-biased parental care are related to the fact that gulls exhibit sexual size dimorphism but terns do not. Contrary to theoretical predictions that in monogamous birds, females contribute more reproductive effort than males, in all the seabird species studied so far the total parental expenditure by males seems to equal or outweigh that by females.

scholarly journals The helminth community of a population ofRattus norvegicusfrom an urban Brazilian slum and the threat of zoonotic diseases

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (6) ◽  
pp. 797-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ticiana Carvalho-Pereira ◽  
Fábio N. Souza ◽  
Luana R. N. Santos ◽  
Ruth Walker ◽  
Arsinoê C. Pertile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Urban Slum ◽  
Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis ◽  
Helminth Community ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Eleven Species

AbstractUrban slums provide suitable conditions for infestation by rats, which harbour and shed a wide diversity of zoonotic pathogens including helminths. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with the probability and intensity of infection of helminths of the digestive tract in an urban slum population ofRattus norvegicus. Among 299 rats, eleven species/groups of helminths were identified, of whichStrongyloidessp.,Nippostrongylus brasiliensisand, the human pathogen,Angiostrongylus cantonensiswere the most frequent (97, 41 and 39%, respectively). Sex interactions highlighted behavioural differences between males and females, as eg males were more likely to be infected withN. brasiliensiswhere rat signs were present, and males presented more intense infections ofStrongyloidessp. Moreover, rats in poor body condition had higher intensities ofN. brasiliensis. We describe a high global richness of parasites inR. norvegicus, including five species known to cause disease in humans. Among these,A. cantonensiswas found in high prevalence and it was ubiquitous in the study area – knowledge which is of public health importance. A variety of environmental, demographic and body condition variables were associated with helminth species infection of rats, suggesting a comparable variety of risk factors for humans.

scholarly journals Variable Rates of Simple Satellite Gains across the Drosophila Phylogeny

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 925-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin H -C Wei ◽  
Sarah E Lower ◽  
Ian V Caldas ◽  
Trevor J S Sless ◽  
Daniel A Barbash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Single Mutation ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Limited Sampling ◽  
Drosophila Phylogeny ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Turn Over

Abstract Simple satellites are tandemly repeating short DNA motifs that can span megabases in eukaryotic genomes. Because they can cause genomic instability through nonallelic homologous exchange, they are primarily found in the repressive heterochromatin near centromeres and telomeres where recombination is minimal, and on the Y chromosome, where they accumulate as the chromosome degenerates. Interestingly, the types and abundances of simple satellites often vary dramatically between closely related species, suggesting that they turn over rapidly. However, limited sampling has prevented detailed understanding of their evolutionary dynamics. Here, we characterize simple satellites from whole-genome sequences generated from males and females of nine Drosophila species, spanning 40 Ma of evolution. We show that PCR-free library preparation and postsequencing GC-correction better capture satellite quantities than conventional methods. We find that over half of the 207 simple satellites identified are species-specific, consistent with previous descriptions of their rapid evolution. Based on a maximum parsimony framework, we determined that most interspecific differences are due to lineage-specific gains. Simple satellites gained within a species are typically a single mutation away from abundant existing satellites, suggesting that they likely emerge from existing satellites, especially in the genomes of satellite-rich species. Interestingly, unlike most of the other lineages which experience various degrees of gains, the lineage leading up to the satellite-poor D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis appears to be recalcitrant to gains, providing a counterpoint to the notion that simple satellites are universally rapidly evolving.

Plastic ingestion risk is related to the anthropogenic activity and breeding stage in an Antarctic top predator seabird species

2020 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 111351 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.E. Ibañez ◽  
L.M. Morales ◽  
D.S. Torres ◽  
P. Borghello ◽  
N.S. Haidr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Breeding Stage

scholarly journals Auditory experience controls the maturation of song discrimination and sexual response in Drosophila

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Li ◽  
Hiroshi Ishimoto ◽  
Azusa Kamikouchi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Song Perception ◽  
Auditory Experience ◽  
Song Discrimination ◽  
Integration Node ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Acoustic Exposure ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Molecular Nature

In birds and higher mammals, auditory experience during development is critical to discriminate sound patterns in adulthood. However, the neural and molecular nature of this acquired ability remains elusive. In fruit flies, acoustic perception has been thought to be innate. Here we report, surprisingly, that auditory experience of a species-specific courtship song in developing Drosophila shapes adult song perception and resultant sexual behavior. Preferences in the song-response behaviors of both males and females were tuned by social acoustic exposure during development. We examined the molecular and cellular determinants of this social acoustic learning and found that GABA signaling acting on the GABAA receptor Rdl in the pC1 neurons, the integration node for courtship stimuli, regulated auditory tuning and sexual behavior. These findings demonstrate that maturation of auditory perception in flies is unexpectedly plastic and is acquired socially, providing a model to investigate how song learning regulates mating preference in insects.

scholarly journals Cuticular hydrocarbons for identifying Sarcophagidae (Diptera)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah E. Moore ◽  
Martin J. R. Hall ◽  
Falko P. Drijfhout ◽  
Robert B. Cody ◽  
Daniel Whitmore
Keyword(s):  
Cuticular Hydrocarbons ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Flesh Flies ◽  
Eleven Species

AbstractThe composition and quantity of insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) can be species-specific as well as sexually dimorphic within species. CHC analysis has been previously used for identification and ageing purposes for several insect orders including true flies (Diptera). Here, we analysed the CHC chemical profiles of adult males and females of eleven species of flesh flies belonging to the genus Sarcophaga Meigen (Sarcophagidae), namely Sarcophaga africa (Wiedemann), S. agnata Rondani, S. argyrostoma Robineau-Desvoidy, S. carnaria (Linnaeus), S. crassipalpis Macquart, S. melanura Meigen, S. pumila Meigen, S. teretirostris Pandellé, S. subvicina Rohdendorf, S. vagans Meigen and S. variegata (Scopoli). Cuticular hydrocarbons extracted from pinned specimens from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London using a customised extraction technique were analysed using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry. Time of preservation prior to extraction ranged between a few weeks to over one hundred years. CHC profiles (1) allowed reliable identification of a large majority of specimens, (2) differed between males and females of the same species, (3) reliably associated males and females of the same species, provided sufficient replicates (up to 10) of each sex were analysed, and (4) identified specimens preserved for up to over one hundred years prior to extraction.

Some like it hot? Developmental differences in Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata) tadpoles from geographically close but different habitats

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Dittrich ◽  
S. Drakulić ◽  
M. Schellenberg ◽  
J. Thein ◽  
M.-O. Rödel
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Species Population ◽  
Bombina Variegata ◽  
Species Specific

The key for the long-term survival of species is their potential to respond to changing conditions. These reactions are usually species-specific and may vary between populations. The Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata (L., 1758)) occurs in forested and open areas. We wanted to know whether tadpoles react plastically to different environmental conditions, and if so, whether reaction norms are species, population, or season specific. In a common garden experiment, we compared developmental traits (developmental time, size, body condition) of metamorphs from different habitats (forest vs. quarry) in close geographic proximity. Tadpoles from both habitats grew up under shaded and sunny conditions. The experiments were run during early and late breeding season. We detected different developmental strategies between populations, concerning treatments and season on a microgeographic scale. Tadpoles with quarry origin developed faster and reached larger body sizes, at the expense of lower body condition. Major risks affecting tadpole’s survival in the open habitat are high temperatures and high desiccation. Forest tadpoles were comparatively smaller in size, but showed higher plasticity and higher body condition. Under changing climatic conditions, quarry population may reach temperatures above their thermal limits. In contrast, forest conditions may mitigate increasing temperatures. Forest populations could be better adapted to future climate change.

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