scholarly journals Performance of detection dogs and visual searches for scat detection and discrimination amongst related species with identical diets

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 81-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth ◽  
Aleksandra Zarzycka ◽  
Teresa Nitz ◽  
Lisa Heynig ◽  
Nadine Weissheimer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Related Species ◽  
American Mink ◽  
Species Discrimination ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Visual Searches ◽  
Species Specific

Ecology often faces the problem that many threatened species are highly elusive but also conflict-laden. Thus, proper monitoring data are inevitable for their conservation and management. Indirect monitoring through scats is frequently used for such species, but scats of related species or species with similar diet are often visually indistinguishable. Since genetic methods for species identification are time-consuming and cost-intensive, a verification of the target species beforehand would be extremely beneficial in reducing effort to the analysis of the target species only. Such species discrimination could be provided through species-specific scat detection dogs. Therefore, we evaluated the reliability of species-specific scat detection dogs for two mustelid species feeding on identical diets: the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) and the American mink (Neovison vison), both of which are conflict-laden and increasing their populations and distribution ranges in central Europe. Their scats resemble each other in morphology and odour, exacerbating the differentiation even for experts. To evaluate whether detection dogs can reliably discriminate between related species feeding on similar diets and if their use would be beneficial, we tested their abilities against those of humans. We first proved that scat characteristics are not statistically different between species. Likewise, visual species identification through people with different experience levels was only partly successful. Experts showed higher average accuracy (0.89) than non-experts (0.72 and below), but detection dogs (4 dogs) were able to discriminate otter and mink scats under laboratory conditions with an accuracy of 0.95. Moreover, otter scat detection dogs found up to four times more scat samples in the field, were twice as fast as human searchers and found an almost equal number of scats with different characteristics, while humans mostly found older and larger scats placed on hotspots. We conclude that using detection dogs for species identity will allow subsequent laboratory analyses to be species-specific and avoid spending time and money on laboratory work of the wrong species. It also provides more precise and unbiased information about the target species.

scholarly journals Identification of CITES-Listed Euphorbia royleana through DNA Barcoding Technology: A New Facet in Wildlife Forensics

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-272
Author(s):  
Mukesh Thakar ◽  
Tina Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Distance ◽  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Species Discrimination ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Wildlife Forensics ◽  
Interspecific Genetic Distance ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Endangered Status ◽  
Discrimination Method

Disorganized and chaotic collection of the Euphorbia plant species from the wild is one of the major reasons for its endangered status. According to CITES, the trade in Euphorbia royleana species is prohibited under Appendix II. However, the trade continues unabated as current identification methods do not discriminate between closely related species.  In the present study, a DNA barcoding method has been used to establish inter- and intra-specific divergences of both matK and rbcL regions by using pairwise genetic distance measurement methods for evaluating the maximum barcoding gap. The matk and rbcL yielded a 100% amplification and sequencing success rate to distinguish closely related species of Euphorbia royleana unambiguously. The matk and rbcL showed average interspecific genetic distance divergence values of 0.031and 0.015, respectively. The maximum number of species-specific SNPs was observed in matK sequences at seven consecutive sites, which could distinguish Euphorbia royleana from closely related species.  The best candidate barcoding region to identify Euphorbia royleana was found to be matK with a single-locus barcoding approach. Furthermore, the species discrimination method was developed with the help of species-specific SNPs derived from the matK barcoding region to accurately authenticate Euphorbia royleana, and it provided 100% species resolution

scholarly journals Evolutionary dynamics of circular RNAs in primates

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Santos-Rodriguez ◽  
Irina Voineagu ◽  
Robert James Weatheritt
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Primate Evolution ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Organ Type ◽  
Species Specific

Many primate genes produce circular RNAs (circRNAs). However, the extent of circRNA conservation between closely related species remains unclear. By comparing tissue-specific transcriptomes across over 70 million years of primate evolution, we identify that within 3 million years circRNA expression profiles diverged such that they are more related to species identity than organ type. However, our analysis also revealed a subset of circRNAs with conserved neural expression across tens of millions of years of evolution. By comparing to species-specific circRNAs, we identified that the downstream intron of the conserved circRNAs display a dramatic lengthening during evolution due to the insertion of novel retrotransposons. Our work provides comparative analyses of the mechanisms promoting circRNAs to generate increased transcriptomic complexity in primates.

Species identity matters: Functional responses to warming in congeneric turfs differ from those of a canopy algae but are species-specific

2021 ◽  
pp. 107396
Author(s):  
Isabella Provera ◽  
Cristina Piñeiro-Corbeira ◽  
Rodolfo Barreiro ◽  
Laura Díaz-Acosta ◽  
Pilar Díaz-Tapia
Keyword(s):  
Functional Responses ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Canopy Algae

Numerical electrophoretic analysis and the behavior of larval proteins among Aedes mosquitoes

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 979-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Igbokwe
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Electrophoretic Analysis ◽  
Behavioral Profile ◽  
Aedes Mosquitoes ◽  
Molecular Behavior ◽  
Interspecific Divergence ◽  
Molecular Divergence ◽  
Species Specific

Species-specific patterns of larval protein electrophoregrams obtained among three species of Aedes mosquitoes were analyzed numerically. A behavioral profile was derived and illustrated for the larval protein complex of each species. Patterns of interspecific divergence in molecular behavior not detectable otherwise from the electrophoregrams were evident in the behavioral profiles of the proteins. The degree of electrophoretic correspondence obtained from the number of shared fractions among the species differs from that derived from the collective behavior of proteins. The numerical and graphic approach to the interpretation of protein electrophoregrams offers another parameter for gauging molecular divergence among related species of insects.

Species identification of four economically important Pangasiid catfishes and closely related species using SSCP markers

Aquaculture ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 308 ◽  
pp. S47-S50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kednapat Sriphairoj ◽  
Sirawut Klinbu-nga ◽  
Wongpathom Kamonrat ◽  
Uthairat Na-Nakorn
Keyword(s):  
Species Identification ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Closely Related Species

Quantitative Detection of Species-Specific DNA in Feedstuffs and Fish Meals

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1217-1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAVEL KRCMAR ◽  
EVA RENCOVA
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Absolute Quantification ◽  
Quantitative Detection ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Species Specific

A sensitive and rapid method for the quantitative detection of bovine-, ovine-, swine-, and chicken-specific mitochondrial DNA sequences based on real-time PCR has been developed. The specificity of the primers and probes for real-time PCR has been tested using DNA samples of other vertebrate species that may also be present in rendered products. The quantitative detection was performed with dual-labeled probes (TaqMan) using absolute quantification with external standards of single species meat-and-bone meals. This method facilitates the detection of 0.01% of the target species–derived material in concentrate feed mixtures and fish meals.

scholarly journals DNA-based species detection capabilities using laser transmission spectroscopy

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (78) ◽  
pp. 20120637 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Mahon ◽  
M. A. Barnes ◽  
F. Li ◽  
S. P. Egan ◽  
C. E. Tanner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Dna Detection ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Oligonucleotide Probes ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Dreissena Bugensis ◽  
Species Detection ◽  
Transmission Spectroscopy ◽  
Species Specific

Early detection of invasive species is critical for effective biocontrol to mitigate potential ecological and economic damage. Laser transmission spectroscopy (LTS) is a powerful solution offering real-time, DNA-based species detection in the field. LTS can measure the size, shape and number of nanoparticles in a solution and was used here to detect size shifts resulting from hybridization of the polymerase chain reaction product to nanoparticles functionalized with species-specific oligonucleotide probes or with the species-specific oligonucleotide probes alone. We carried out a series of DNA detection experiments using the invasive freshwater quagga mussel ( Dreissena bugensis ) to evaluate the capability of the LTS platform for invasive species detection. Specifically, we tested LTS sensitivity to (i) DNA concentrations of a single target species, (ii) the presence of a target species within a mixed sample of other closely related species, (iii) species-specific functionalized nanoparticles versus species-specific oligonucleotide probes alone, and (iv) amplified DNA fragments versus unamplified genomic DNA. We demonstrate that LTS is a highly sensitive technique for rapid target species detection, with detection limits in the picomolar range, capable of successful identification in multispecies samples containing target and non-target species DNA. These results indicate that the LTS DNA detection platform will be useful for field application of target species. Additionally, we find that LTS detection is effective with species-specific oligonucleotide tags alone or when they are attached to polystyrene nanobeads and with both amplified and unamplified DNA, indicating that the technique may also have versatility for broader applications.

scholarly journals Rapid Species Identification of Cooked Poisonous Mushrooms by Using Real-Time PCR

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 3306-3309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuhiko Maeta ◽  
Tomoya Ochi ◽  
Keisuke Tokimoto ◽  
Norihiro Shimomura ◽  
Nitaro Maekawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Species Identification ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Specific Identification ◽  
Specific Fluorescence ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Poisonous Mushrooms

ABSTRACT Species-specific identification of the major cooked and fresh poisonous mushrooms in Japan was performed using a real-time PCR system. Specific fluorescence signals were detected, and no nonspecific signals were detected. Therefore, we succeeded in developing a species-specific test for the identification of poisonous mushrooms within 1.5 h.

scholarly journals Species-specific audio detection: A comparison of three template-based classification algorithms using random forests

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos J Corrada Bravo ◽  
Rafael Álvarez Berríos ◽  
T. Mitchell Aide
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Random Forests ◽  
Random Forest Classifier ◽  
Classification Algorithms ◽  
Statistical Features ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Web Based System

We developed a web-based cloud-hosted system that allow users to archive, listen, visualize, and annotate recordings. The system also provides tools to convert these annotations into datasets that can be used to train a computer to detect the presence or absence of a species. The algorithm used by the system was selected after comparing the accuracy and efficiency of three variants of a template-based classification. The algorithm computes a similarity vector by comparing a template of a species call with time increments across the spectrogram. Statistical features are extracted from this vector and used as input for a Random Forest classifier that predicts presence or absence of the species in the recording. The fastest algorithm variant had the highest average accuracy and specificity; therefore, it was implemented in the ARBIMON web-based system.

scholarly journals Repeated evolution of asymmetric genitalia and right-sided mating behavior in theDrosophila nannopteraspecies group

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Acurio ◽  
Flor T. Rhebergen ◽  
Sarah Paulus ◽  
Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo ◽  
Michael Lang
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Current Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Genital Morphology ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Outgroup Species ◽  
Repeated Evolution ◽  
Drosophila Pachea ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Group Species

AbstractBackgroundMale genitals have repeatedly evolved left-right asymmetries, and the causes of such evolution remain unclear. TheDrosophila nannopteragroup contains four species, among which three exhibit left-right asymmetries of distinct genital organs. In the most studied species,Drosophila pachea, males display asymmetric genital lobes and they mate right-sided on top of the female. Copulation position of the other species is unknown.ResultsTo assess whether the evolution of genital asymmetry could be linked to the evolution of one-sided mating, we examined phallus morphology and copulation position inD. pacheaand closely related species. The phallus was found to be symmetric in all investigated species exceptD. pachea, which display an asymmetric phallus with a right-sided gonopore, andD. acanthoptera, which harbor an asymmetrically bent phallus. In all examined species, males were found to position themselves symmetrically on top of the female, except inD. pacheaandD. nannoptera, where males mated right-sided, in distinctive, species-specific positions. In addition, the copulation duration was found to be increased innannopteragroup species compared to closely related outgroup species.ConclusionOur study shows that gains, and possibly losses, of asymmetry in genital morphology and mating position have evolved repeatedly in thenannopteragroup. Current data does not allow us to conclude whether genital asymmetry has evolved in response to changes in mating position, or vice versa.

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