Female Intrasexual Territoriality and its Potential Adaptive Significance: The Pampean Grassland Mouse as an Ecological Model Species

Ethology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florencia Bonatto ◽  
José Priotto ◽  
José Coda ◽  
Andrea R. Steinmann
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Model ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Model Species

scholarly journals Roundup causes embryonic development failure and alters metabolic pathways and gut microbiota functionality in non-target species

Microbiome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Suppa ◽  
Jouni Kvist ◽  
Xiaojing Li ◽  
Vignesh Dhandapani ◽  
Hanan Almulla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Development Failure ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Research around the weedkiller Roundup is among the most contentious of the twenty-first century. Scientists have provided inconclusive evidence that the weedkiller causes cancer and other life-threatening diseases, while industry-paid research reports that the weedkiller has no adverse effect on humans or animals. Much of the controversial evidence on Roundup is rooted in the approach used to determine safe use of chemicals, defined by outdated toxicity tests. We apply a system biology approach to the biomedical and ecological model species Daphnia to quantify the impact of glyphosate and of its commercial formula, Roundup, on fitness, genome-wide transcription and gut microbiota, taking full advantage of clonal reproduction in Daphnia. We then apply machine learning-based statistical analysis to identify and prioritize correlations between genome-wide transcriptional and microbiota changes. Results We demonstrate that chronic exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of glyphosate and Roundup at the approved regulatory threshold for drinking water in the US induce embryonic developmental failure, induce significant DNA damage (genotoxicity), and interfere with signaling. Furthermore, chronic exposure to the weedkiller alters the gut microbiota functionality and composition interfering with carbon and fat metabolism, as well as homeostasis. Using the “Reactome,” we identify conserved pathways across the Tree of Life, which are potential targets for Roundup in other species, including liver metabolism, inflammation pathways, and collagen degradation, responsible for the repair of wounds and tissue remodeling. Conclusions Our results show that chronic exposure to concentrations of Roundup and glyphosate at the approved regulatory threshold for drinking water causes embryonic development failure and alteration of key metabolic functions via direct effect on the host molecular processes and indirect effect on the gut microbiota. The ecological model species Daphnia occupies a central position in the food web of aquatic ecosystems, being the preferred food of small vertebrates and invertebrates as well as a grazer of algae and bacteria. The impact of the weedkiller on this keystone species has cascading effects on aquatic food webs, affecting their ability to deliver critical ecosystem services.

The plover neurotranscriptome assembly: transcriptomic analysis in an ecological model species without a reference genome

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman K. Moghadam ◽  
Peter W. Harrison ◽  
Gergely Zachar ◽  
Tamás Székely ◽  
Judith E. Mank
Keyword(s):  
Reference Genome ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Transcriptomic Analysis ◽  
Model Species

scholarly journals Sperm Morphology and Male Age in Black-Throated Blue Warblers, an Ecological Model System

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1175
Author(s):  
Emily Cramer ◽  
Nicole Krauss ◽  
Tricia Rowlison ◽  
Pierre Comizzoli
Keyword(s):  
Sperm Morphology ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Male Age ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity ◽  
Male Phenotype ◽  
Status Signal ◽  
Paternity Success ◽  
Ecological Model System ◽  
Older Males

Extra-pair paternity may drive selection on spermatozoa and ejaculate characteristics through sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Here, we examine sperm morphology in the black-throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens), an ecological model species where extra-pair paternity is frequent and is linked with male age. We test whether sperm morphology relates to several aspects of male phenotype known or suspected to affect extra-pair paternity success. Sperm morphology did not correlate with the size of the white wing spot, a social status signal, nor with the volume of the cloacal protuberance. However, older males tended to have longer sperm cells. Although the sample size was limited, this pattern is intriguing, as longer cells may be advantageous in post-copulatory sexual selection and older males have larger testes and higher extra-pair paternity success in this species. Changes in sperm morphology with age are not observed in other birds, though they have been observed in insects and fishes. More research on sperm morphology is needed to clarify its role in extra-pair fertilizations in this well-studied species.

Military service member and veteran reintegration: A critical review and adapted ecological model.

2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Elnitsky ◽  
Cara L. Blevins ◽  
Michael P. Fisher ◽  
Kathryn Magruder
Keyword(s):  
Critical Review ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Service Member ◽  
Military Service Member
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