scholarly journals Non-breeding feather concentrations of testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol are associated with subsequent survival in wild house sparrows

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1733) ◽  
pp. 1560-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Koren ◽  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Terry Burke ◽  
Kiran K. Soma ◽  
Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Darwinian Fitness ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Subject ◽  
As Stress

Potential mechanistic mediators of Darwinian fitness, such as stress hormones or sex hormones, have been the focus of many studies. An inverse relationship between fitness and stress or sex hormone concentrations has been widely assumed, although empirical evidence is scarce. Feathers gradually accumulate hormones during their growth and provide a novel way to measure hormone concentrations integrated over time. Using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, we measured testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol in the feathers of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) in a wild population which is the subject of a long-term study. Although corticosterone is considered the dominant avian glucocorticoid, we unambiguously identified cortisol in feathers. In addition, we found that feathers grown during the post-nuptial moult in autumn contained testosterone, corticosterone and cortisol levels that were significantly higher in birds that subsequently died over the following winter than in birds that survived. Thus, feather steroids are candidate prospective biomarkers to predict the future survival of individuals in the wild.

Senescence in the wild: Insights from a long-term study on Seychelles warblers

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Hammers ◽  
Sjouke A. Kingma ◽  
Kat Bebbington ◽  
Janske van de Crommenacker ◽  
Lewis G. Spurgin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
In The Wild

Haemoproteusinfected birds have increased lifetime reproductive success

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 142 (8) ◽  
pp. 1033-1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. ZYLBERBERG ◽  
E. P. DERRYBERRY ◽  
C. W. BREUNER ◽  
E. A. MACDOUGALL-SHACKLETON ◽  
J. M. CORNELIUS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Host Fitness ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

SUMMARYThe impact of haematozoan infection on host fitness has received substantial attention since Hamilton and Zuk posited that parasites are important drivers of sexual selection. However, short-term studies testing the assumption that these parasites consistently reduce host fitness in the wild have produced contradictory results. To address this complex issue, we conducted a long-term study examining the relationship between naturally occurring infection withHaemoproteusandPlasmodium, and lifetime reproductive success and survival of Mountain White-crowned Sparrows. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that birds infected with haematozoan parasites have reduced survival (as determined by overwinter return rates) and reproductive success. Contrary to expectation, there was no relationship betweenHaemoproteusandPlasmodiuminfection and reproduction or survival in males, nor was there a relationship betweenPlasmodiuminfection and reproduction in females. Interestingly,Haemoproteus-infected females had significantly higher overwinter return rates and these females fledged more than twice as many chicks during their lifetimes as did uninfected females. We discuss the impact of parasitic infections on host fitness in light of these findings and suggest that, in the case of less virulent pathogens, investment in excessive immune defence may decrease lifetime reproduction.

Trade-offs between molt and immune activity in two populations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 780-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn B Martin II
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Immune Defense ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Immune Activity ◽  
Feather Growth ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
Two Populations

Molt and immune defense are critical activities in which all birds must invest. Because each is costly, wild passerines may have to decrease their investment in one activity if they are to increase investments to others. Here, I studied such molt–immune trade-offs in one neotropical and one north-temperate population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus (L., 1758)). I included two populations in my study to investigate if molt–immune trade-offs in this species are phenotypically plastic or fixed. I expected that if they were fixed, then immune activity, molt, and immune–molt trade-offs would be distinct between populations after they were kept in captivity for 1 year under similar conditions. I found evidence for molt–immune trade-offs in house sparrows. Feather growth was inversely related to cutaneous immune activity to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Furthermore, feather growth 3 weeks post immune challenge was lower in immune-challenged birds relative to saline-injected controls. However, there was no effect of population of origin on these patterns, or the rate of molt or PHA response at this time of year in each population. Thus, while house sparrows probably do face trade-offs between molt and immune activity in the wild, any variation in these trade-offs between populations are likely plastic responses to different environments.

scholarly journals Differential selection according to the degree of cheating in a status signal

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichi Nakagawa ◽  
Jin-Won Lee ◽  
Beth K Woodward ◽  
Ben J Hatchwell ◽  
Terry Burke
Keyword(s):  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Differential Selection ◽  
Status Signal ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Male House ◽  
Badge Size

The maintenance of honesty in a badge-of-status system is not fully understood, despite numerous empirical and theoretical studies. Our experiment examined the relationship between a status signal and winter survival, and the long-term costs of cheating, by manipulating badge size in male house sparrows, Passer domesticus . The effect of badge-size manipulation on survival was complex owing to the significant interactions between the treatments and original (natural) badge size, and between the treatments and age classes (yearlings and older birds). Nevertheless, in the experimental (badge-enlargement) group, males with originally large badges had increased winter survival, while males with originally small badges had decreased survival. This indicates that differential selection can act on a trait according to the degree of cheating.

RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM IN WILD AND CULTIVATED TETRAPLOID WHEAT

1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Huang ◽  
Eitan Millet ◽  
Junkang Rong ◽  
Jonathan F. Wendel ◽  
Yehoshua Anikster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Triticum Turgidum ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Tetraploid Wheat ◽  
Nuclear Genome ◽  
Wild Emmer ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
In The Wild

RFLP diversity in the nuclear genome was estimated within and among Israeli populations of wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidumvar.dicoccoides) from a long-term study site at Ammiad (NE Israel), and from several other geographical locations. Using 55 enzyme-probe combinations, high levels of genetic diversity were revealed in wild emmer in general and within the Ammiad site. In spite of high diversity, observed heterozygosity was low and populations consisted of a patchwork of alternate multilocus homozygotes, consistent with the reproductive biology of a predominant self-fertilizing species. Retention of genetic diversity in wild emmer may be promoted by large population sizes, microhabitat diversity, and occasional gene flow through both pollen and seed. Population genetic structure in wild emmer appears to have been influenced by historical founder events as well as selective factors. Multivariate analyses indicated that individuals tend to cluster together according to their population of origin, and that there is little geographical differentiation among populations. Sampling of 12 domesticated land-races and both primitive and modern cultivars ofT. turgidumrevealed high levels of diversity and a large number of alleles that were not detected in the wild emmer populations. This may reflect a long-term domestication process in which wild, semi-domesticated, and domesticated types grew sympatrically, continuing introgression from wild populations, and perhaps also gene flow from trans-specific sources.

scholarly journals Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Galápagos tortoise

2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (40) ◽  
pp. 15464-15469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Poulakakis ◽  
Scott Glaberman ◽  
Michael Russello ◽  
Luciano B. Beheregaray ◽  
Claudio Ciofi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Museum Specimens ◽  
Galapagos Archipelago ◽  
Captive Breeding Program ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
In The Wild

Giant tortoises, a prominent symbol of the Galápagos archipelago, illustrate the influence of geological history and natural selection on the diversification of organisms. Because of heavy human exploitation, 4 of the 15 known species (Geochelone spp.) have disappeared. Charles Darwin himself detailed the intense harvesting of one species, G. elephantopus, which once was endemic to the island of Floreana. This species was believed to have been exterminated within 15 years of Darwin's historic visit to the Galápagos in 1835. The application of modern DNA techniques to museum specimens combined with long-term study of a system creates new opportunities for identifying the living remnants of extinct taxa in the wild. Here, we use mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite data obtained from museum specimens to show that the population on Floreana was evolutionarily distinct from all other Galápagos tortoise populations. It was demonstrated that some living individuals on the nearby island of Isabela are genetically distinct from the rest of the island's inhabitants. Surprisingly, we found that these “non-native” tortoises from Isabela are of recent Floreana ancestry and closely match the genetic data provided by the museum specimens. Thus, we show that the genetic line of G. elephantopus has not been completely extinguished and still exists in an intermixed population on Isabela. With enough individuals to commence a serious captive breeding program, this finding may help reestablish a species that was thought to have gone extinct more than a century ago and illustrates the power of long-term genetic analysis and the critical role of museum specimens in conservation biology.

Canary Pox in Sparrows and Canaries (Fringillidae) and in Weavers (Ploceidae); Pathology and Host Specificity of the Virus

1971 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Giddens ◽  
L. J. Swango ◽  
J. D. Henderson ◽  
R. A. Lewis ◽  
D. S. Farner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Zonotrichia Leucophrys ◽  
Cytoplasmic Inclusions ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cutaneous Reactions ◽  
Mycotic Infections

An epornitie of canary pox occurred in white-crowned sparrows ( Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelli), golden-crowned sparrows ( Zonotrichia atricapilla), and house sparrows ( Passer domesticus), which had been caught in the wild and were being studied in laboratories. Of 900 exposed birds, 100 died naturally with the disease and 200 with clinical signs, and their 600 cage mates were killed. The earliest lesion was proliferative dermatitis around the eyes and beak. Next, severe ulcerative dermatitis, often with secondary bacterial and mycotic infections, developed under the wing; rhinitis, pneumonia, pleuritis, and peritonitis occurred in advanced cases. Histologically, there were eosinophilic, sudanophilic, cytoplasmic inclusions in epithelial cells and in subepidermal lymphoreticular cells. The isolated virus produced 100% mortality when inoculated into white-crowned sparrows, house sparrows, and canaries but only local cutaneous reactions in pigeons, turkeys, and chickens.

scholarly journals Energy Monitoring in the Wild: Platform Development and Lessons Learned from a Real-World Demonstrator

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5786
Author(s):  
Filipe Quintal ◽  
Daniel Garigali ◽  
Dino Vasconcelos ◽  
Jonathan Cavaleiro ◽  
Wilson Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Consumption Data ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Platform Development ◽  
A Site

This paper presents the development and evaluation of EnnerSpectrum, a platform for electricity monitoring. The development was motivated by a gap between academic, fully custom-made monitoring solutions and commercial proprietary monitoring approaches. EnnerSpectrum is composed of two main entities, the back end, and the Gateway. The back end is a server comprised of flexible entities that can be configured to different monitoring scenarios. The Gateway interacts with equipment at a site that cannot interact directly with the back end. The paper presents the architecture and configuration of EnnerSpectrum for a long-term case study with 13 prosumers of electricity for approximately 36 months. During this period, the proposed system was able to adapt to several building and monitoring conditions while acquiring 95% of all the available consumption data. To finalize, the paper presents a set of lessons learned from running such a long-term study in the real world.

scholarly journals Kontrowersje wokół długoterminowych badań Gillesa-Erica Séraliniego nad bezpieczeństwem zdrowotnym kukurydzy GMO

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-54
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Lisowska ◽  
Alexander Cortez
Keyword(s):  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Experimental Animals ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Chemical Toxicology ◽  
The Subject ◽  
One Year

At the end of the year 2012, Food and Chemical Toxicology published a long-term study by Seralini et al., describing the safety evaluation of genetically modified NK603 maize and Roundup herbicide. Contrary to previous, short-term studies, this experiment revealed some negative effects of these substances on the health of experimental animals. GM feeds and Roundup generate revenue worth millions of dollars. This may be the reason why Seralini’s paper has became the subject of much heated criticism, mainly from parties linked to business and agro-biotechnology. After one year of debate, the editors of Food Chem Toxicol. decided to retract the paper, an unprecedented event given that the published article was peer-reviewed and there was no evidence of plagiarism or fraud. Here, we stress the results of Seralini’s study, discuss the methodological hints of that work and cite the commentaries on the whole situation.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics in Natural Butterfly Populations (2015 Field Season)

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  
Zachariah Gompert ◽  
Lauren Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Long Term Studies

The study of evolution in natural populations has advanced our understanding of the origin and maintenance of biological diversity. For example, long term studies of wild populations indicate that natural selection can cause rapid and dramatic changes in traits, but that in some cases these evolutionary changes are quickly reversed when periodic variation in weather patterns or the biotic environment cause the optimal trait value to change (e.g., Reznick et al. 1997, Grant and Grant 2002). In fact, spatial and temporal variation in the strength and nature of natural selection could explain the high levels of genetic variation found in many natural populations (Gillespie 1994, Siepielski et al. 2009). Long term studies of evolution in the wild could also be informative for biodiversity conservation and resource management, because, for example, data on short term evolutionary responses to annual fluctuations in temperature or rainfall could be used to predict longer term evolution in response to directional climate change. Most previous research on evolution in the wild has considered one or a few observable traits or genes (e.g., Kapan 2001, Grant and Grant 2002, Barrett et al. 2008). We believe that more general conclusions regarding the rate and causes of evolutionary change in the wild and selection’s contribution to the maintenance of genetic variation could be obtained by studying genome-wide molecular evolution in a suite of natural populations. Thus, in 2012 we began a long term study of genome-wide molecular evolution in a series of natural butterfly populations in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). This study will allow us to quantify the contribution of environment-dependent natural selection to evolution in these butterfly populations and determine whether selection consistently favors the same alleles across space and through time.

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