scholarly journals Large-scale molecular diet analysis in a generalist marine mammal reveals male preference for prey of conservation concern

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (19) ◽  
pp. 9889-9905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietmar Schwarz ◽  
Sara M. Spitzer ◽  
Austen C. Thomas ◽  
Christa M. Kohnert ◽  
Theresa R. Keates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Molecular Diet Analysis ◽  
Conservation Concern

scholarly journals Fast surveys and molecular diet analysis of carnivores based on fecal DNA and metabarcoding

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 543-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao Xinning ◽  
◽  
Song Dazhao ◽  
Huang Qiaowen ◽  
Li Sheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Fecal Dna ◽  
Molecular Diet Analysis

scholarly journals Molecular diet analysis of Anguilliformes leptocephalus larvae collected in the western North Pacific

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. e0225610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seinen Chow ◽  
Nobuharu Inaba ◽  
Satoshi Nagai ◽  
Hiroaki Kurogi ◽  
Yoji Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Leptocephalus Larvae ◽  
Molecular Diet Analysis

scholarly journals Molecular diet analysis finds an insectivorous desert bat community dominated by resource sharing despite diverse echolocation and foraging strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 3117-3129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rowena Gordon ◽  
Sally Ivens ◽  
Loren K. Ammerman ◽  
M. Brock Fenton ◽  
Joanne E. Littlefair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Molecular Diet Analysis

scholarly journals Using molecular diet analysis to inform invasive species management: A case study of introduced rats consuming endemic New Zealand frogs

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 5032-5048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastian Egeter ◽  
Cailín Roe ◽  
Sara Peixoto ◽  
Pamela Puppo ◽  
Luke J. Easton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Invasive Species Management ◽  
Species Management ◽  
Molecular Diet Analysis

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal distribution of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus bieti, indices

Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-109
Author(s):  
Rong Fu ◽  
Li Li ◽  
ZhongHua Yu ◽  
Eve Afonso ◽  
Patrick Giraudoux
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Elusive Species ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Group Distribution

Abstract Studying elusive species of conservation concern might be difficult for technical and ethical reasons. However, censuses can be based on the observation of activity indices. When coupled to non-invasive genetic methods this approach can provide extremely precise information about population size, individual movements and diseases. However, the design of optimal sampling is dependent on a knowledge on group distribution and possible variations of detectability of index targets. The aim of this study was to document the distribution of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey indices in space and time in that perspective. Based on transects carried out across the range of a fed population and on counts along the trail across the range of a wild group, we show that 2–3 day stays of a group in a place of some hectares were sufficient to get an homogeneous distribution of indices. Furthermore, the number of indices found were dependent on both pig presence and season. On the other hand, on a large scale of 100 km2 indices were spatially distributed as nested clusters. Indices distribution indicated a strong preference towards southern slopes and altitudes ranging between 2900 and 3400 m. Those observations pinpoint the importance of considering spatial scale to organise sampling designed to estimate population distribution.

Environmental pollutants and marine mammal health: The potential impact of hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons on immune system dysfunction

2020 ◽  
pp. 223-248
Author(s):  
David Busbee ◽  
Ian Tizard ◽  
Jeffrey Sroit ◽  
Davide Ferrirc ◽  
Ellen Orr-reeves
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Halogenated Hydrocarbons ◽  
Mechanisms Of Toxicity ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Immune System Dysfunction

This paper provides a detailed review of the immunotoxicological effects of environmental pollutants on the health of marine mammals, particularly in relation to their impact on the immune system and mechanisms of toxicity. Environmental pollutants are increasingly implicated (both directly and indirectly) with the onset of infectious disease and related mortality incidents in marine mammals,. The release of chemicals into the marine environment and the subsequent bioaccumulation up the food chain may pose a serious threat to marine mammals inhabiting contaminated areas; this has been documented in various studies of pollutant concentrations in tissue samples and large scale mass mortalities. Data correlating pollutant residues with altered reproductive/developmental states, and immune system dysfunction in particular, are reported for terrestrial mammals and suggest a similar association in marine mammals. Immunology is emphasised as a tool for assessing marine mammal health using quantitative and qualitative techniques to establish the effects of chemical pollutants. This has become increasingly important in relation to the subsequent dangers that may be posed to humans through any indirect exposure via the food chain.

scholarly journals Molecular diet analysis in zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena spp.) and an assessment of the utility of aquatic filter feeders as biological eDNA filters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Weber ◽  
Lukas Brink ◽  
Manuel Wörner ◽  
Sven Künzel ◽  
Michael Veith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Diet Analysis ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Dietary Analysis ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Invasive Bivalves ◽  
Primer Sets

AbstractMolecular gut content analysis is a popular tool to study food web interactions and was recently also suggested as an alternative source for DNA based biomonitoring. However, the overabundant consumer’s DNA often outcompetes that of its diet during PCR. Blocking approaches are an efficient means to reduce consumer amplification while retaining broad specificity for dietary taxa. We here designed an assay to monitor the eukaryotic diet of mussels and test their utility as biological eDNA filters to monitor planktonic communities. We designed several rDNA primer sets with a broad taxonomic suitability for eukaryotes, which suppress the amplification of mussels. The primers were tested using mussel DNA extracts and the results were compared to eDNA water samples collected next to the mussel colonies. Taxonomic recovery, as well as patterns of alpha and beta diversity, were compared between mussels and water samples. In addition, we analyzed time series samples of mussel samples from different German rivers. Our primer sets efficiently block the amplification of various mussel genera. The recovered DNA reflects a broad dietary preference across the eukaryotic tree of life and considerable taxonomic overlap with filtered water samples. We also recover various taxa of possible commensals and parasites, associated with the mussels. Our protocol will enable large scale dietary analysis in mussels, facilitate aquatic food web analysis, elucidate the ecological impact of invasive bivalves and the rapid survey of mussel aquacultures for pathogens. Moreover, we show that mussels could serve as an interesting complementary DNA source for biomonitoring.

scholarly journals Repeated mass strandings of Miocene marine mammals from Atacama Region of Chile point to sudden death at sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1781) ◽  
pp. 20133316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Pyenson ◽  
Carolina S. Gutstein ◽  
James F. Parham ◽  
Jacobus P. Le Roux ◽  
Catalina Carreño Chavarría ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Harmful Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Algal Toxins ◽  
Accumulation Mechanism ◽  
Taphonomic Analysis ◽  
Spatial Focusing

Marine mammal mass strandings have occurred for millions of years, but their origins defy singular explanations. Beyond human causes, mass strandings have been attributed to herding behaviour, large-scale oceanographic fronts and harmful algal blooms (HABs). Because algal toxins cause organ failure in marine mammals, HABs are the most common mass stranding agent with broad geographical and widespread taxonomic impact. Toxin-mediated mortalities in marine food webs have the potential to occur over geological timescales, but direct evidence for their antiquity has been lacking. Here, we describe an unusually dense accumulation of fossil marine vertebrates from Cerro Ballena, a Late Miocene locality in Atacama Region of Chile, preserving over 40 skeletons of rorqual whales, sperm whales, seals, aquatic sloths, walrus-whales and predatory bony fish. Marine mammal skeletons are distributed in four discrete horizons at the site, representing a recurring accumulation mechanism. Taphonomic analysis points to strong spatial focusing with a rapid death mechanism at sea, before being buried on a barrier-protected supratidal flat. In modern settings, HABs are the only known natural cause for such repeated, multispecies accumulations. This proposed agent suggests that upwelling zones elsewhere in the world should preserve fossil marine vertebrate accumulations in similar modes and densities.

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