When the barn-owl feasted on bats, an approach to taphonomic analysis

Small vertebrates are a key proxy for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstruction, but a previous taphonomic analysis of the paleontological assemblage is needed before facing this kind of approach. Works concerning taphonomy of preyed small vertebrates are abundant in the literature, but chiropters are not usually included as they are only rarely predated. Here we analysed the content of two barn-owl (Tyto alba) pellets that exclusively contained bat remains. Our aim is to assess the effects of digestion inflicted by this predator on certain bat skeletal elements, specifically mandibles and lower teeth. All bat remains were assigned to Pipistrellus sp. They mostly presented slight alteration of the mandible and non-altered enamel, which is an expected result based on previous literature concerning this type of predator. Nevertheless, a few specific specimens showed much more intense alteration. This is most probably due to predator-related factors, although a higher degree of age-related tooth-wear in a specific bat cannot be dismissed.

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Prey groups in the pellets of the barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli) in the Nigerian savanna

African Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2028.2001.00274.x ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 38-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

L. M. Lekunze ◽

A. U. Ezealor ◽

T. Aken'ova

Keyword(s):

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Nigerian Savanna

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Homing Instinct of a Female Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Journal of Raptor Research ◽

10.3356/jrr-18-78 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

pp. 343 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Safwan Saufi ◽

Shakinah Ravindran ◽

Hasber Salim

Keyword(s):

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba

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Perceptual grouping by motion in the barn owl (Tyto alba) - Behavioral and Neural Study

10.26226/morressier.5b31ec772afeeb001345bc10 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tidhar LevAri

Keyword(s):

Perceptual Grouping ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba

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The relationship between weather and reproduction of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in a semi-arid agricultural landscape in Israel_esi

Avian Biology Research ◽

10.3184/175815617x15084089966922 ◽

2017 ◽

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

The Relationship ◽

Semi Arid

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Blinding in electric current stimulation in subacute neglect patients with current densities of 0.8 A/m2: a cross-over pilot study

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-020-05421-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anna Gorsler ◽

Ulrike Grittner ◽

Nadine Külzow ◽

Torsten Rackoll

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Electric Fields ◽

Standard Care ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Related Factors ◽

Attentional Deficits ◽

Age Related ◽

Current Densities ◽

Improve Standard

Abstract Objective Neglect after stroke is a disabling disorder and its rehabilitation is a major challenge. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) seems to be a promising adjuvant technique to improve standard care neglect therapy. Since electric fields are influenced by age-related factors, higher current densities are probably needed for effective treatment in aged stroke patients. Validation of treatment efficacy requires sham-controlled experiments, but increased current densities might comprise blinding. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to test sham adequacy when using current density of 0.8 A/m2. Whether especially neglect patients who mainly suffer from perceptual and attentional deficits are able to differentiate beyond chance active from sham tDCS was investigated in a randomized cross-over design (active/sham stimulation) in 12 early subacute patients with left-sided hemineglect. Stimulation (0.8 A/m2) was performed simultaneous to standard care neglect therapy. Results Odds ratio of correct guessing an atDCS condition compared to wrongly judge an atDCS condition as sham was 10.00 (95%CI 0.65–154.40, p = 0.099). However, given the small sample size and high OR, although likely somewhat overestimated, results require careful interpretation and blinding success in neglect studies with current densities of 0.8 A/m2 should be further confirmed.

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Nidicolous beetle species richness is driven by Barn Owl’s nests occupancy and landscape structure

Journal of Ornithology ◽

10.1007/s10336-021-01875-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vivien Cosandey ◽

Robin Séchaud ◽

Paul Béziers ◽

Yannick Chittaro ◽

Andreas Sanchez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Landscape Structure ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Arthropod Community ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Nest Material ◽

Crop Fields ◽

Nest Boxes ◽

Bird Droppings ◽

Barn Owls

AbstractBird nests are specialized habitats because of their particular composition including nest detritus and bird droppings. In consequence, they attract a specialized arthropod community considered as nidicolous, which includes species only found in bird nests (strictly nidicolous) or sometimes found in bird nests (facultatively nidicolous). Because the factors influencing the entomofauna in bird nests are poorly understood, in autumn 2019, we collected nest material in 86 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) nest boxes. We investigated whether the invertebrate species richness was related to Barn Owl nest box occupancy, the density of available nest boxes and the landscape structure. We found 3,321 nidicolous beetle specimens belonging to 24 species. Species richness of strictly nidicolous beetles was 2.7 times higher in nest boxes occupied by a family of Barn Owls the previous spring compared to unoccupied nest boxes. It was also higher in sites that were more often occupied by Barn Owls in the five previous years and in areas surrounded by a higher proportion of crop fields. For facultatively nidicolous beetles, the density of Barn Owl nest boxes enhanced the species richness. In conclusion, our study suggests that the strictly nidicolous beetles benefit from occupied nest boxes of Barn Owls, whereas facultatively nidicolous beetles look for nest boxes independently of whether Barn Owls occupy them. Our study highlights the importance of bird nests for a suite of invertebrates.

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Vertebrate Remains in Pellets of the Barn Owl, Tyto Alba, From Planet Downs Station, South-Western Queensland.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9810181 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 181 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A Valente

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Prey Item ◽

Barn Owl ◽

Tyto Alba ◽

Sminthopsis Macroura

Vertebrate remains in a collection of barn owl (Tyto alba) pellets from south-western Queensland were largely those of mammals, including Rattus villosissimus, Mus musculus, Leggadina forresti, Planigale tenuirostris, Sminthopsis macroura and S. crassicaudata. R. villosissimus was the most common prey item. P. tenuirostris had not been recorded previously from the area. Other vertebrate remains included those of birds, lizards and frogs. Some insects were also found in the pellets.

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment and Increased Hippocampal Astrocytes in a Mouse Model of Gulf War Illness

Neuroscience Insights ◽

10.1177/26331055211018456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 263310552110184

Author(s):

Lavanya Venkatasamy ◽

Damir Nizamutdinov ◽

Jaclyn Jenkins ◽

Lee A Shapiro

Keyword(s):

Vagus Nerve ◽

Nerve Stimulation ◽

Vagus Nerve Stimulation ◽

Gulf War ◽

Gulf War Illness ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cytokines And Chemokines ◽

Age Related ◽

Hippocampal Astrocytes ◽

Emotional Deficits

Gulf war illness (GWI), is a chronic multi-symptom illness that has impacted approximately one-third of the veterans who served in the 1990 to 1991 Gulf War. GWI symptoms include cognitive impairments (eg, memory and concentration problems), headaches, migraines, fatigue, gastrointestinal and respiratory issues, as well as emotional deficits. The exposure to neurological chemicals such as the anti-nerve gas drug, pyridostigmine bromide (PB), and the insecticide permethrin (PER), may contribute to the etiologically related factors of GWI. Various studies utilizing mouse models of GWI have reported the interplay of these chemical agents in increasing neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction. Astrocytes are involved in the secretion of neuroinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in pathological conditions and have been implicated in GWI symptomology. We hypothesized that exposure to PB and PER causes lasting changes to hippocampal astrocytes, concurrent with chronic cognitive deficits that can be reversed by cervical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). GWI was induced in CD1 mice by injecting the mixture of PER (200 mg/kg) and PB (2 mg/kg), i.p. for 10 consecutive days. VNS stimulators were implanted at 33 weeks after GWI induction. The results show age-related cognitive alterations at approximately 9 months after exposure to PB and PER. The results also showed an increased number of GFAP-labeled astrocytes in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus that was ameliorated by VNS.

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