scholarly journals Spatial expansions and travelling waves of rabies in vampire bats

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1832) ◽  
pp. 20160328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio A. Benavides ◽  
William Valderrama ◽  
Daniel G. Streicker
Keyword(s):  
Travelling Waves ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Zoonotic Diseases ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Heterogeneous Landscapes ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Viral Emergence ◽  
Vampire Bat

A major obstacle to anticipating the cross-species transmission of zoonotic diseases and developing novel strategies for their control is the scarcity of data informing how these pathogens circulate within natural reservoir populations. Vampire bats are the primary reservoir of rabies in Latin America, where the disease remains among the most important viral zoonoses affecting humans and livestock. Unpredictable spatiotemporal dynamics of rabies within bat populations have precluded anticipation of outbreaks and undermined widespread bat culling programs. By analysing 1146 vampire bat-transmitted rabies (VBR) outbreaks in livestock across 12 years in Peru, we demonstrate that viral expansions into historically uninfected zones have doubled the recent burden of VBR. Viral expansions are geographically widespread, but severely constrained by high elevation peaks in the Andes mountains. Within Andean valleys, invasions form wavefronts that are advancing towards large, unvaccinated livestock populations that are heavily bitten by bats, which together will fuel high transmission and mortality. Using spatial models, we forecast the pathways of ongoing VBR epizootics across heterogeneous landscapes. These results directly inform vaccination strategies to mitigate impending viral emergence, reveal VBR as an emerging rather than an enzootic disease and create opportunities to test novel interventions to manage viruses in bat reservoirs.

scholarly journals Vampire bats exhibit evolutionary reduction of bitter taste receptor genes common to other bats

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1788) ◽  
pp. 20141079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Hong ◽  
Huabin Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Bitter Taste ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Taste Receptor ◽  
Selective Constraint ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Bitter Taste Receptor ◽  
Pathway Gene ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Vampire Bat ◽  
Strong Functional Constraint

The bitter taste serves as an important natural defence against the ingestion of poisonous foods and is thus believed to be indispensable in animals. However, vampire bats are obligate blood feeders that show a reduced behavioural response towards bitter-tasting compounds. To test whether bitter taste receptor genes ( T2R s) have been relaxed from selective constraint in vampire bats, we sampled all three vampire bat species and 11 non-vampire bats, and sequenced nine one-to-one orthologous T2R s that are assumed to be functionally conserved in all bats. We generated 85 T2R sequences and found that vampire bats have a significantly greater percentage of pseudogenes than other bats. These results strongly suggest a relaxation of selective constraint and a reduction of bitter taste function in vampire bats. We also found that vampire bats retain many intact T2R s, and that the taste signalling pathway gene Calhm1 remains complete and intact with strong functional constraint. These results suggest the presence of some bitter taste function in vampire bats, although it is not likely to play a major role in food selection. Together, our study suggests that the evolutionary reduction of bitter taste function in animals is more pervasive than previously believed, and highlights the importance of extra-oral functions of taste receptor genes.

Population biology of the unusual thermoconforming lizards of the Andes Mountains of Peru (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany M. Doan ◽  
Sara A. Sheffer ◽  
Nicholas R. Warmington ◽  
Eliot E. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Population Biology ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
The Andes

scholarly journals Geographical variability of bacterial communities of cryoconite holes of Andean glaciers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Pittino ◽  
Michael Seeger ◽  
Roberto Azzoni ◽  
Roberto Ambrosini ◽  
Andrea Franzetti
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Organic Matter Production ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
O2 Concentration ◽  
The World ◽  
Water Ph ◽  
Andean Glaciers

AbstractCryoconite holes, ponds full of melting water with a sediment on the bottom, are hotspot of biodiversity of glacier surface. They host a metabolically active bacterial community that is involved in different dynamics concerning glacier ecosystems. Indeed, they are responsible of organic matter production and with other microorganisms establish a real microecosystem. Cryoconite holes have been described in different areas of the world (e.g., Arctic, Antarctic, Alps, Himalaya), and with this study we will provide the first description of bacterial communities of cryoconite holes of the Andes in South America. We collected samples on three high elevation glaciers of the Andes (Iver, Iver East and Morado glaciers) and two Patagonian glaciers located at sea level (Exploradores glacier and Perito Moreno). Results show that the most abundant orders are Burkholderiales, Cytophagales, Sphingobacteriales, Actinomycetales, Pseudomonadales, Rhodospiarillales, Rhizobiales, Sphingomonadales and Bacteroidales, which have been reported on glaciers of other areas of the world, Bacterial communities change from one glacier to another and both water pH and O2 concentration affect bacterial communities composition.

10. Mercury Biomagnification in the Food Web of Tropical Andean Stream

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sae Yun Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Fish Mucus ◽  
13C Isotopes ◽  
Natural Emission ◽  
Aquatic Food

Increasing release of mercury (Hg) through gold amalgamation, and deforestation have been major concerns in South America. Volcanic sources have also contributed to the natural emission of Hg from the Andes Mountains. Hg not only exhibits biomagnification through aquatic food webs, but it is also neurotoxic and impacts the reproductive capacity of fish. Many studies have assessed Hg biomagnification from areas of gold mining and erosion, but ours is one of the first to examine Hg contamination in a relatively undisturbed area. We used stable nitrogen () and carbon (13C) isotopes to characterize the food web of Río Las Marías, Venezuela, and examine Hg biomagnification trends. Representative fish species from Río Las Marías were collected during January‐February 2004, including detritivores, herbivores, invertivores, parasites, piscivores, and carnivores. Nitrogen isotope results indicate that parasitic catfish (Ochmancanthus alternus) ( = 12.2‰), carnivorous stingrays (Potamotrygon orbignyi) ( =11.4‰) and piscivorous redeye piranhas (Serrasalmus rhombeus) ( =10.9‰) act as top consumers in the web. Detritivorous characins (Steindachnerina argentae) (=6.8‰), and invertivorous knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) ( =7.9‰) were located at the bottom of the food web. Although the highest value was observed from Ochmancanthus alternus due to its unusual diet of fish mucus, we predict that piscivorous species will exhibit higher Hg concentrations by consuming the muscle tissue where Hg is stored. Our assessment of Hg patterns in Río Las Marías will clarify the extent of Hg contamination in undisturbed areas, and will offer a valuable comparison to rivers that are influenced by gold mining activities.3

Black carbon transport between Santiago de Chile and glaciers in the Andes Mountains

2020 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 117546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Gramsch ◽  
Alicia Muñoz ◽  
Joakim Langner ◽  
Luis Morales ◽  
Cristian Soto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Carbon ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Santiago De Chile ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Carbon Transport

Altavelia, a new genus of Neotropical Veliinae (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae), with a key to species and descriptions of four new species from Colombia

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4585 (2) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAN A. POLHEMUS ◽  
FREDY MOLANO ◽  
IRINA MORALES ◽  
FELIPE FERRAZ FIGUEIREDO MOREIRA ◽  
CARLA FERNANDA BURGUEZ FLORIANO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Antennal Segment ◽  
Andes Mountains ◽  
Key To Species ◽  
The Andes ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Female Abdomen

The new genus Altavelia Polhemus & Moreira (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae) includes seven species previously contained in the inveruglas group of Paravelia Breddin, 1898 and four new species from Colombia: A. altoandina Molano & Morales, A. antioquia Molano & Morales, A. montana Molano & Morales, and A. quindiana Molano & Morales. Additionally, A. amoena (Drake, 1957) is synonymized with A. flavomarginata (Hungerford, 1930). The genus is characterized by prominent setal tufts or sclerotized wing-like processes on the male proctiger; elongate body shape with long, slender legs; uniformly blackish forewings; antennal segment I longest; and the female abdomen with tergum VIII deflexed. Species in this genus occur at high elevations in the Andes Mountains with records from 1500 to 3600 m. A key is provided to all 11 species in the genus and new distributional records are presented for A. boliviana (Breddin, 1898), A. columbiensis (Hungerford, 1930), and A. flavomarginata.  

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