Major Regularities of Transformation of the Small Mammal Ovaries in Unfavourable Environmental Conditions: Ecological and Morphological Aspects

The aim of the study was to determine the patterns of structural and functional organization of the ovaries of female small mammals inhabiting technogenically altered ecosystems.Material and methods. We studied the ovaries of small mammal species belonging to the insectivore and rodent families (common shrew, field and pygmy wood mice, common and bank voles, mole vole, steppe pied) that live in anthropogenically altered ecosystems (zones of influence of ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, as well as gas processing factory). The resulting material was processed using observational histological, histochemical, immunohistochemical and morphometric tests.Results. The results obtained demonstrated that in technogenically altered ecosystems the intensified reproduction results in a complex of morphofunctional reactive and adaptive changes in the ovaries of females of the studied species. The size of the ovaries was reduced; the area of the cortical substance was reduced. In the cortex, there was revealed a decrease in the number of follicles varying over a wide range - from a moderate decrease to their almost complete absence. There was found a decrease in the area of the vessels of the microvasculature; this was one of the major reasons for the increased follicular atresia. In follicles of various types, there was an increase in the proportion of cells expressing the proapoptotic protein P53. A decrease in the number of follicles resulted in the connective tissue overgrowth. The presence of cysts lined with epithelium of various heights was revealed in the cortex and medulla. Conclusion. The results obtained evidence that in technogenically altered ecosystems a decreased ovarian reserve is observed in the ovaries of female small mammals; it is associated with a more rapid depletion of the follicle reserve in the cortex due to both - intensification of reproduction and more rapid death of follicles in unfavourable environmental conditions.

Unexpected involvement of a second rodent species makes impacts of introduced rats more difficult to detect

Rodent predators are implicated in declines of seabird populations, and removing introduced rats, often, but not always, results in the expected conservation gains. Here we investigated the relationship between small mammal (Norway rat, wood mouse and pygmy shrew) abundance and Manx shearwater breeding success on the island of Rum, Scotland, and tested whether localised rodenticide treatments (to control introduced Norway rats) increased Manx shearwater breeding success. We found that Manx shearwater breeding success was negatively correlated with late summer indices of abundance for rats and mice, but not shrews. On its own, rat activity was a poor predictor of Manx shearwater breeding success. Rat activity increased during the shearwater breeding season in untreated areas but was supressed in areas treated with rodenticides. Levels of mouse (and shrew) activity increased in areas treated with rodenticides (likely in response to lower levels of rat activity) and Manx shearwater breeding success was unchanged in treated areas (p < 0.1). The results suggest that, unexpectedly, negative effects from wood mice can substitute those of Norway rats and that both species contributed to negative impacts on Manx shearwaters. Impacts were intermittent however, and further research is needed to characterise rodent population trends and assess the long-term risks to this seabird colony. The results have implications for conservation practitioners planning rat control programmes on islands where multiple rodent species are present.

Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals

The ecology of the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) is poorly understood, partly because it is a difficult species to monitor. It is commonly associated with reedbeds, where evidence suggests that it experiences strong seasonal fluctuations in abundance. However, it is unknown whether these fluctuations are caused by real changes in population size, or by movement between habitats. This study investigated seasonal changes in population size and habitat use by harvest mice, and other small mammal species, by trapping the reedbed and three associated habitat types: woodland, pasture and arable land. A sampling effort of 9887 trap bouts across nine months, resulted in 70 captures of harvest mice, as well as wood mice (N = 1022), bank voles (N = 252), field voles (N = 9), common shrews (N = 86) and pygmy shrews (N = 7). The reedbed was the habitat with the most captures and highest diversity. Harvest mice were caught exclusively in the reedbed at the beginning of autumn. Wood mice and bank voles experienced fluctuations in population numbers and wood mice also showed seasonal variation in habitat use. Our study supports the idea that harvest mice undergo extreme seasonal fluctuations in abundance in reedbeds, but these do not appear to be related to changes in habitat use.

Supplemented nutrition decreases helminth burden and increases drug efficacy in a natural host–helminth system

Gastrointestinal (GI) helminths are common parasites of humans, wildlife, and livestock, causing chronic infections. In humans and wildlife, poor nutrition or limited resources can compromise an individual's immune response, predisposing them to higher helminth burdens. This relationship has been tested in laboratory models by investigating infection outcomes following reductions of specific nutrients. However, much less is known about how diet supplementation can impact susceptibility to infection, acquisition of immunity, and drug efficacy in natural host–helminth systems. We experimentally supplemented the diet of wood mice ( Apodemus sylvaticus ) with high-quality nutrition and measured resistance to the common GI nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus . To test whether diet can enhance immunity to reinfection, we also administered anthelmintic treatment in both natural and captive populations. Supplemented wood mice were more resistant to H. polygyrus infection, cleared worms more efficiently after treatment, avoided a post-treatment infection rebound, produced stronger general and parasite-specific antibody responses, and maintained better body condition. In addition, when applied in conjunction with anthelmintic treatment, supplemented nutrition significantly reduced H. polygyrus transmission potential. These results show the rapid and extensive benefits of a well-balanced diet and have important implications for both disease control and wildlife health under changing environmental conditions.

Spatial interactions between two nematode species along the intestine of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus from woodland and grassland sites in southern England

The distributions of the nematode parasites Heligmosomoides polygyrus and Syphacia stroma were quantified in three equal-length sections along the intestine of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) trapped in three different locations in the south of England. The distribution of H. polygyrus did not change in the presence of S. stroma, this species being largely confined to the anterior third of the intestine, whether S. stroma was or was not present. However, while in single infections with S. stroma, worms were equally distributed in the anterior and middle sections of the intestine, in the presence of H. polygyrus, a higher percentage of worms was located in the middle section. This was a dose-dependent response by S. stroma to increasing worm burdens with H. polygyrus, and even relatively low intensities of infection with H. polygyrus (e.g. ≤10 worms) were sufficient to cause a posterior redistribution of S. stroma into the middle section. A similar posterior shift in the percentage distribution of S. stroma in the intestine was evident in juvenile and mature mice of both sexes, and in mice from all three study sites. The ecological significance of these results is discussed.

Anoplura (lice) infestation of the herb wood mouse Sylvaemus uralensis Pallas, 1811 in the Trans-Urals forest-steppe

The herb wood mouse is parasitized by Hoplopleura affinis Burmeister, 1839. For this research, the authors examined a total number of 408 herb wood mice for the presence of permanent ectoparasites (lice). The authors considered changes in the infestation rate in connection with the periods of the rodent’s life, the age and gender composition of the lice, the biotopic confinement peculiarities of the parasite in the conditions of the Trans-Urals forest steppe (Kurgan region). H. affinis is noted to be found on mammals in contact with the herb wood mouse.

Long-term trends in helminth infections of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) from the vicinity of Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, England

Helminth infections in wood mice (n = 483), trapped over a period of 26 years in the woods surrounding Malham Tarn in North Yorkshire, were analysed. Although 10 species of helminths were identified, the overall mean species richness was 1.01 species/mouse indicating that the helminth community was relatively depauperate in this wood mouse population. The dominant species was Heligmosomoides polygyrus, the prevalence (64.6%) and abundance (10.4 worms/mouse) of which declined significantly over the study period. Because of the dominance of this species, analyses of higher taxa (combined helminths and combined nematodes) also revealed significantly declining values for prevalence, although not abundance. Helminth species richness (HSR) and Brillouin's index of diversity (BID) did not show covariance with year, neither did those remaining species whose overall prevalence exceeded 5% (Syphacia stroma, Aonchotheca murissylvatici and Plagiorchis muris). Significant age effects were detected for the prevalence and abundance of all higher taxa, H. polygyrus and P. muris, and for HSR and BID, reflecting the accumulation of helminths with increasing host age. Only two cases of sex bias were found; male bias in abundance of P. muris and combined Digenea. We discuss the significance of these results and hypothesize about the underlying causes.