scholarly journals Morphological and molecular genetic analysis of Synhimantus (Synhimantus) laticeps (Rudolphi, 1819) (Nematoda, Acuariidae) from the barn owl (Tyto alba) and the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) in Austria

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ebmer ◽  
H.-P. Fuehrer ◽  
B. Eigner ◽  
H. Sattmann ◽  
A. Joachim

SummaryIn the framework of the biodiversity initiative and barcoding project “Austrian Barcode of Life” (ABOL) post mortem examinations of the gastro-intestinal tracts of different species of wild birds were carried out and several adult helminths were retrieved. In the gizzard of two barn owls (Tyto alba) and one common kestrel (Falco tinnuculus) acuariid nematodes belonging to the species Synhimantus (Synhimantus) laticeps (Rudolphi, 1819) were discovered. This report illustrates the identification of this parasitic nematode by morphometric comparison and scanning electron microscopic photographs. Furthermore, genetic identification of individual parasites based on a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA gene was carried out. This report constitutes the first COI-based DNA barcoding of S. (S.) laticeps and its first record in the barn owl (Tyto alba) in Austria.

Author(s):  
Vivien Cosandey ◽  
Robin Séchaud ◽  
Paul Béziers ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
...  

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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Á. Klein ◽  
Margit Kulcsár ◽  
Virág Krízsik ◽  
R. Mátics ◽  
P. Rudas ◽  
...  

The basic patterns of thyroid hormones [thyroxine (T4) and 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3)] and the T4 and T3 responses induced by thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) are reported in captive female barn owls (Tyto alba) during the non-breeding period. The main findings of the study, conducted on a total of 10 owls, are as follow: (1) The thyroid gland of barn owl can be stimulated by the classical TRH stimulation test. (2) T3 response was much more pronounced both under cold (around 10°C) and warm (around 20°C) conditions, whereas T4 response ranged so widely that we could not point out any significant change in it. (3) Basal T3 plasma level was significantly (p = 0.036) higher in birds exposed to cold temperature, and they responded to TRH treatment with a lower plasma T3 elevation than the birds kept in a warm chamber. This pattern, however, cannot be explained by increased food intake, but is in agreement with the fact that enhanced T3 level may account for higher avUCP mRNA expression, which results in higher heat production on the cell level. From the results it is concluded that altering T3 plasma level plays a significant role in cold-induced thermoregulation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongwei Ren ◽  
Qingrong Mo ◽  
Yuxu Wang ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Zuorong Nong ◽  
...  

Getah virus (GETV) has caused many outbreaks in animals in recent years. Monitoring of the virus and its related diseases is crucial to control the transmission of the virus. In the summer of 2018, we conducted routine tests on clinical samples from different pig farms in Guangxi province, South China, and isolated and characterized a GETV strain, named GX201808. Cytopathic effects were observed in BHK-21 cells inoculated with GX201808. The expression of E2 protein of GETV could be detected in virus-infected cells by indirect immunofluorescence assays. Electron microscopic analysis showed that the virus particles were spherical and ~70 nm in diameter with featured surface fibers. The multistep growth curves showed the virus propagated well in the BHK-21 cells. Molecular genetic analysis revealed that GX201808 belongs to Group 3, represented by Kochi-01-2005 isolated in Japan in 2005, and it clustered closely with the recently reported Chinese strains isolated from pigs, cattle, and foxes. A comparison of the identities of nucleotides and amino acids in the coding regions demonstrated that the GX201808 showed the highest amino acid identity (99.6%) with the HuN1 strain, a highly pathogenic isolate resulting in an outbreak of GETV infection in swine herds in Hunan province in 2017. In the present study, GETV was identified and isolated for the first time in Guangxi province of southern China, suggesting that future surveillance of this virus should be strengthened.


The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Roulin

Abstract In double-brooded species, the sex that contributes less to breeding success may desert offspring before the end of the rearing period to start a new breeding attempt with another partner. I evaluated that prediction in the Barn Owl (Tyto alba), a species in which the male feeds the brood on average twice as often as the female. Among birds that produced a second brood, 46% of females and 4% of males deserted their offspring before completion of parental duties to remate with another partner at a distance of 1 to 10 km. Offspring desertion did not appear to incur a reproductive cost to the deserter, because deserting females at the first nest produced a similar number of offspring as nondeserting ones. In most cases, the new mate of deserting females had not been previously captured in the study area, and hence had probably not previously bred that season. Although the second clutch of deserting females was larger and produced two weeks earlier than that of nondeserting females, their nesting success did not differ.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 454-461
Author(s):  
Салахутдинов ◽  
I. Salakhutdinov ◽  
Рузиев ◽  
B. Ruziev ◽  
Каримова ◽  
...  

Objective of research: conducting morphological and molecular-genetic identification and studying phylogenetic relations between protostrongylids. Materials and methods: helminthological material was collected from wild (Capra sibirica, C. falconeri, Ovis vignei and O. ammon) and domestic hollow horned ruminants (C. hircus and O. aries), and land mollusks of the family Xeropicta in the piedmont and mountain area of Uzbekisan. The morphology of protostrongylids was studied using the methods of Boev (1975) and Anderson (1978). To identify the nematode type we used temporary preparations treated with glycerol. The first-stage larvae were investigated by examination of fecal samples from animals taking into account the length, tail form and body size. To study the morphology of the third-stage protostrongylid larvae the feet of infected mollusks Xeropicta candaсharica were separated and placed into the artificial gastric juice where the cap was destroyed and the infected larvae were eliminated. After determination of species belonging of mature and larval nematodes the material was stored in separate test-tubes with distilled water under the low temperature (- 20 ºС) or in 70 % Ethanol for the molecular analysis. We used microscopes ML 2000 with a digital camera and Olympus CX3. DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing were performed with an automated sequencer. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the software Clustal X 2.0. Phylogenetic trees were created by the Neighbor–Joining method. Nucleotide sequences ITS-2 regions of species Protostrongylus rufescens (EU018485), P. shiozawai (AB478249), Ortostrongylus macrotis (EU018483), Cystocaulus ocreatus (EU018481) and Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis (AY648409) received from the NCBI GenBank were used in phylogenetic analysis. Results and discussion: Four species of adult protostrongylid nematodes: Protostrongylus rufescens, P. hobmaieri, Spiculocaulus leuckarti and Cystocaulus ocreatus were determined. DNA from four species of mature protostrongylids and larvae was amplified by using ITS-2 regions. Amplificate dimension of nematodes P. rufescens and P. hobmaieri was 380 base pairs (b.p.), S. leuckarti – 388, C. ocreatus – 399 b.p. According to the results of phylogenetic analysis and comparison of nucleotide sequences, five protostrongylid species were found in animals of the Caprinae subfamily: P. rufescens, P. hobmaieri, Protostrongylus sp., S. leuckarti and C. ocreatus. The morphological and molecular-genetic analysis of detected nematodes enables the precise identification.


Author(s):  
A. I. Kologorov ◽  
O. V. Kedrova ◽  
D. A. Pakhomov ◽  
N. V. Piskunova ◽  
A. I. Kovtunov ◽  
...  

Retrospective analysis of cholera spread in the early period of the seventh pandemic in Russia (1970-1973) has been carried out. It was elucidated that importation and further spread of cholera in the Astrakhan region in 1970 had been realized through the water way. The development of a large cholera focus in the territory of this region determined the unfavorable situation as regards this infection in the whole country in the period of 1970-1972. Water transport was shown to play the main role in cholera spread. The risk cohorts were the population of the Astrakhan region, shipboard personnel of the Volga steamship company, fishermen, persons without permanent residence. Molecular-genetic analysis of cholera agent strains isolated from the patients (vibriocarriers) and the environment showed that they belonged to one clone, thus the common origin of cholera cases in the basin of the Volga was confirmed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girgina Daskalova ◽  
Peter Shurulinkov ◽  
Georgi Popgeorgiev

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba Gould, 1837) is a rare and endangered species in Bulgaria, included in the Red Data Book (Golemansky 2015) as “Vulnerable”, with national population estimated at 200–700 pairs. Barn Owl presence was surveyed using sound provocation during the night at 161 points in 52 small to medium-sized settlements in Sliven and Yambol districts (Thracian plain, SE Bulgaria). The studied territory was about 1190 km2. The habitats presented in a 3-km radius around the presence and potential absence points were statistically analysed. The species was found to be a quite common breeding species in the study area – a total of 56 Barn Owls were registered, at 50 points (31.1%), in 31 settlements (62% of all studied). Clear defensive behavior was observed against the source of the sound in many occasions. The average density of the population was 4.2 occupied territories / 100 km2. The occupied locations were situated mostly in settlements laying in deforested lowland areas (far from large forest patches), with flat or hilly relief, covered by agricultural lands, pastures and steppes. The number of presences was found to be scarce in villages along heavily used motorways. Traffic-caused mortality of Barn Owls is commented as a probable explanation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
László Bank ◽  
László Haraszthy ◽  
Adrienn Horváth ◽  
Győző F. Horváth

Abstract In this study, the results of a long-term nest box installation program of the Common Barn-owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) in Southern Hungary were evaluated, which program was conducted during a 24-year period (1995–2018). The percentages of occupied nest boxes ranged from 9.72 to 73.44% in the first breeding periods while this varied between 0 and 41.46% in the case of repeated clutches in the same nest boxes with second broods. A total of 1,265 breeding attempts were recorded including 1,020 (80.63%) in the first and 245 (19.36%) in the second breeding periods, from which a total of 210 (16.6%) clutches did not produce any fledglings. The modal clutch size was 7 eggs in both first and second annual clutches. However, the value of productivity was higher in the case of larger clutch sizes and we found significant linear relationship between initial clutch size and fledgling production per nesting attempt in both breeding periods. Significant variation of reproductive parameters was observed among the years. The proportion of egg loss showed significant decline, while the change of hatching success and the variation of annual productivity showed significant slight positive linear trend during the 24 years. Our results suggested that despite the outlier values of reproduction characteristics in the extreme years with negative effect, a relatively stable Common Barn-owl population can be maintained by the placement of nest boxes in the investigated region.


Author(s):  
L. Кotliarenko ◽  
А. Коfanov ◽  
O. Коfаnоvа ◽  
V. Zherebak

In forensic practice, biological traces of a person are very often used as material evidence - blood, hair, saliva, semen, urine, sweat, as well as parts of organs and tissues. Establishing the origin of these traces from a specific person is very important for the investigation of criminal offenses. The current level of development of molecular genetic research indicates the need to use DNA analysis in the detection and investigation of criminal offenses against a person. Today, molecular genetic identification reveal reliable prospects for solving identification problems in the criminal proceedings and developing the evidence base, and also has a number of advantages over traditional serological methods for studying human biological traces. It should be noted that along with the traditional method of nuclear DNA research, mitochondrial DNA research is also being carried out, which allows solving the problem of molecular genetic examination to establish biological affinity. The value of this method lies in its effectiveness in the study of a small amount of degraded DNA, secretions and heavily damaged objects, the study of which is impossible by traditional methods. When performing a forensic molecular genetic examination for the full identification of the detected traces when examining the places of committed criminal offenses, comparative samples are important, as well as the selection of appropriate biological samples to establish paternity and family ties. Molecular genetic analysis of DNA is only one of the stages of identification, and in order to arrive at the final result, a statistical analysis of the data obtained is necessary, which is especially important when the genotypes of the criminal and the suspect in mixed tracks coincide. For a probable-statistical assessment of the results of the identification significance of the set of established genetic traits, the frequencies of the distribution of the studied alleles in the population are required. Today, the DNA analysis method has become one of the most demanded directions in the development of forensic examinations, and its results are quite reliable evidence of the involvement of a specific person in a crime. Due to its unique capabilities, molecular genetic analysis of DNA is a powerful tool in the investigation of criminal proceedings.


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