scholarly journals Interface of Human/Wildlife Interactions: An Example of a Bold Coyote (Canis latrans) in Atlanta, GA, USA

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 372
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Mowry ◽  
Lawrence A. Wilson ◽  
Bridgett M. vonHoldt
Keyword(s):  
Coat Color ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Dominant Mutation ◽  
Participatory Science ◽  
Genome Wide

There is arguably no other North American species that better illustrates the complexities of the human-wildlife interface than the coyote. In this study, a melanistic coyote in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia was exhibiting unusually bold behaviors that included encounters with humans, domestic dogs, and attempts to enter homes. After tracking this coyote (nicknamed Carmine) across a highly urbanized landscape with participatory science, including at least 80 publicly reported sightings, he was captured and relocated to a wildlife sanctuary. Genome-wide analyses revealed 92.8% coyote ancestry, 1.7% gray wolf ancestry, and 5.5% domestic dog ancestry. The dog alleles in Carmine’s genome were estimated to have been acquired by his ancestors 14–29 years ago. Despite his bold behavior, Carmine did not carry any mutations known to shape hypersociability in canines. He did, however, carry a single copy of the dominant mutation responsible for his melanistic coat color. This detailed study of Carmine dispels common assumptions about the reticent coyote personality and the origins of behavior. His unusual bold behavior created a higher level of human-coyote interaction. He now serves as a public ambassador for human-wildlife coexistence, urging the global community to reconsider mythologies about wildlife and promote coexistence with them in landscapes significantly altered by human activity in our rapidly changing world.

scholarly journals EPAS1 variants in high altitude Tibetan wolves were selectively introgressed into highland dogs

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridgett vonHoldt ◽  
Zhenxin Fan ◽  
Diego Ortega-Del Vecchyo ◽  
Robert K. Wayne
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Coat Color ◽  
Small Region ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Chromosome 10 ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
History Of

Background Admixture can facilitate adaptation. For example, black wolves have obtained the variant causing black coat color through past hybridization with domestic dogs and have higher fitness than gray colored wolves. Another recent example of the transfer of adaptive variation between the two species has been suggested by the similarity between high altitude Tibetan mastiffs and wolves at the EPAS1 gene, a transcription factor induced in low oxygen environments. Methods Here, we investigate the directionality of admixture in EPAS1 between 28 reference highland gray wolves, 15 reference domestic dogs, and 21 putatively admixed highland wolves. This experimental design represents an expanded sample of Asian dogs and wolves from previous studies. Admixture was inferred using 17,709 publicly available SNP genotypes on canine chromosome 10. We additionally conducted a scan for positive selection in the highland dog genome. Results We find an excess of highland gray wolf ancestry at the EPAS1 locus in highland domestic dogs, suggesting adaptive introgression from wolves to dogs. The signal of admixture is limited in genomic extent to a small region on chromosome 10, indicating that it is the focus of selection in an oxygen-limited environment. Discussion Our results suggest that an adaptive variant of EPAS1 in highland wolves was transferred to highland dogs, carrying linked variants that potentially function in hypoxia response at high elevation. The intertwined history of dogs and wolves ensures a unique evolutionary dynamic where variants that have appeared in the history of either species can be tested for their effects on fitness under natural and artificial selection. Such coupled evolutionary histories may be key to the persistence of wild canines and their domesticated kin given the increasing anthropogenic modifications that characterize the future of both species.

scholarly journals Developmental cannabidiol exposure increases anxiety and modifies genome-wide brain DNA methylation in adult female mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Wanner ◽  
Mathia Colwell ◽  
Chelsea Drown ◽  
Christopher Faulk
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Coat Color ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Nulliparous Female ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Use of cannabidiol (CBD), the primary non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis, has recently risen dramatically, while relatively little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms of its effects. Previous work indicates that direct CBD exposure strongly impacts the brain, with anxiolytic, antidepressant, antipsychotic, and other effects being observed in animal and human studies. The epigenome, particularly DNA methylation, is responsive to environmental input and can direct persistent patterns of gene regulation impacting phenotype. Epigenetic perturbation is particularly impactful during embryogenesis, when exogenous exposures can disrupt critical resetting of epigenetic marks and impart phenotypic effects lasting into adulthood. The impact of prenatal CBD exposure has not been evaluated; however, studies using the psychomimetic cannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have identified detrimental effects on psychological outcomes in developmentally exposed adult offspring. We hypothesized that developmental CBD exposure would have similar negative effects on behavior mediated in part by the epigenome. Nulliparous female wild-type Agouti viable yellow (Avy) mice were exposed to 20 mg/kg CBD or vehicle daily from two weeks prior to mating through gestation and lactation. Coat color shifts, a readout of DNA methylation at the Agouti locus in this strain, were measured in F1 Avy/a offspring. Young adult F1 a/a offspring were then subjected to tests of working spatial memory and anxiety/compulsive behavior. Reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing was performed on both F0 and F1 cerebral cortex and F1 hippocampus to identify genome-wide changes in DNA methylation for direct and developmental exposure, respectively. Results F1 offspring exposed to CBD during development exhibited increased anxiety and improved memory behavior in a sex-specific manner. Further, while no significant coat color shift was observed in Avy/a offspring, thousands of differentially methylated loci (DMLs) were identified in both brain regions with functional enrichment for neurogenesis, substance use phenotypes, and other psychologically relevant terms. Conclusions These findings demonstrate for the first time that despite positive effects of direct exposure, developmental CBD is associated with mixed behavioral outcomes and perturbation of the brain epigenome.

Successful cloning of coyotes through interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer using domestic dog oocytes

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Insung Hwang ◽  
Yeon Woo Jeong ◽  
Joung Joo Kim ◽  
Hyo Jeong Lee ◽  
Mina Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer ◽  
Nuclear Transfer ◽  
Fusion Rate ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Cloning Efficiency ◽  
Donor Cells

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) is an emerging assisted reproductive technology (ART) for preserving Nature’s diversity. The scarcity of oocytes from some species makes utilisation of readily available oocytes inevitable. In the present study, we describe the successful cloning of coyotes (Canis latrans) through iSCNT using oocytes from domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris or dingo). Transfer of 320 interspecies-reconstructed embryos into 22 domestic dog recipients resulted in six pregnancies, from which eight viable offspring were delivered. Fusion rate and cloning efficiency during iSCNT cloning of coyotes were not significantly different from those observed during intraspecies cloning of domestic dogs. Using neonatal fibroblasts as donor cells significantly improved the cloning efficiency compared with cloning using adult fibroblast donor cells (P < 0.05). The use of domestic dog oocytes in the cloning of coyotes in the present study holds promise for cloning other endangered species in the Canidae family using similar techniques. However, there are still limitations of the iSCNT technology, as demonstrated by births of morphologically abnormal coyotes and the clones’ inheritance of maternal domestic dog mitochondrial DNA.

Comparison of immunohistochemical profiles of ovarian germ cells in dysgerminomas of a captive maned wolf and domestic dogs

2021 ◽  
pp. 104063872110199
Author(s):  
Rafael B. Rosa ◽  
Matheus V. Bianchi ◽  
Paula R. Ribeiro ◽  
Fernando F. Argenta ◽  
Andréia Vielmo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Placental Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Immunohistochemical Expression ◽  
Cytoplasmic Expression ◽  
Maned Wolf

We characterized the immunohistochemical expression profiles of dysgerminomas from a 16-y-old maned wolf and 13 domestic dogs using the following biomarkers: Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4), octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (OCT3/4), placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), c-kit, and vimentin. The maned wolf had nonspecific and long-standing clinical signs of lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss, and was euthanized because of poor prognosis. At autopsy, the left ovary was effaced by a 12 × 8 × 6 cm mass, comprised of anaplastic cells with a mitotic count of 20 mitoses in 10 high power fields. Dysgerminomas from 7 of 13 domestic dogs had nuclear expression of SALL4. Dysgerminomas from the maned wolf and 2 domestic dogs had both nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of SALL4. Cytoplasmic expression of PLAP and OCT3/4 was present in dysgerminomas from the maned wolf and 3 (PLAP) or 4 (OCT3/4) domestic dogs. All dysgerminomas expressed vimentin. Membranous c-kit expression was rare in the dysgerminoma from the maned wolf, and variable in dysgerminomas from 4 domestic dogs. A dysgerminoma from a domestic dog had cytoplasmic expression of c-kit. SALL4 is a useful marker to confirm germ cell origin of dysgerminoma in canids.

Association of an Agouti allele with fawn or sable coat color in domestic dogs

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom G. Berryere ◽  
Julie A. Kerns ◽  
Gregory S. Barsh ◽  
Sheila M. Schmutz
Keyword(s):  
Coat Color ◽  
Domestic Dogs

scholarly journals Modelling the influence of naturally acquired immunity from subclinical infection on outbreak dynamics and persistence of rabies in domestic dogs

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. e0009581
Author(s):  
Susannah Gold ◽  
Christl A. Donnelly ◽  
Rosie Woodroffe ◽  
Pierre Nouvellet
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Acquired Immunity ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
Canine Rabies ◽  
Low Levels

A number of mathematical models have been developed for canine rabies to explore dynamics and inform control strategies. A common assumption of these models is that naturally acquired immunity plays no role in rabies dynamics. However, empirical studies have detected rabies-specific antibodies in healthy, unvaccinated domestic dogs, potentially due to immunizing, non-lethal exposure. We developed a stochastic model for canine rabies, parameterised for Laikipia County, Kenya, to explore the implications of different scenarios for naturally acquired immunity to rabies in domestic dogs. Simulating these scenarios using a non-spatial model indicated that low levels of immunity can act to limit rabies incidence and prevent depletion of the domestic dog population, increasing the probability of disease persistence. However, incorporating spatial structure and human response to high rabies incidence allowed the virus to persist in the absence of immunity. While low levels of immunity therefore had limited influence under a more realistic approximation of rabies dynamics, high rates of exposure leading to immunizing non-lethal exposure were required to produce population-level seroprevalences comparable with those reported in empirical studies. False positives and/or spatial variation may contribute to high empirical seroprevalences. However, if high seroprevalences are related to high exposure rates, these findings support the need for high vaccination coverage to effectively control this disease.

Isotope recycling in lactating dogs (Canis familiaris)

2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (3) ◽  
pp. R669-R676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Scantlebury ◽  
Waring Hynds ◽  
Derek Booles ◽  
John R. Speakman
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Peak Lactation

Isotope-based techniques for the measurement of water turnover, energy expenditure, and milk intake often assume that there is no recycling of isotopes once they have left the labeled animal. In experiments involving lactating females or their suckling offspring, there are several possible routes of isotope recycling. These include the consumption of labeled milk by offspring, the ingestion of labeled excreta, and the rebreathing of exhaled labeled CO2 or water vapor by both mother and offspring. Isotope recycling might be especially important during lactation because the offspring are in close contact with each other and their mother for prolonged periods. We show here in 24- to 30-day-old domestic dog Canis familiarispuppies that there was no detectable transfer of 18O or2H from labeled to unlabeled pups in two litters (16 pups, 8 labeled, 8 unlabeled) that were weaned early and independent of their mother. However, there was a significant transfer of both isotopes from labeled to unlabeled pups and from labeled pups to their mothers in nine equivalent nursing litters of the same age (27 labeled, 26 unlabeled pups). The increases in enrichment of isotopes in unlabeled offspring were greater than the increases in enrichment of the mothers. This indicates that maternal ingestion of offspring excreta and subsequent transfer of isotope in milk is not the sole pathway of recycling. Additional routes must also be important, such as exchange of isotope between pups on saliva-coated nipples and perhaps direct ingestion of excreta by unweaned young. Recycling is unlikely to be an important factor when determining maternal metabolic rate during peak lactation in domestic dogs. However, experiments that are designed to assess the energy demands of pups and isotope-based estimates of water turnover in offspring may need to take into account any effects of isotope recycling. In a theoretical example, removing the effects of recycling increased the measured energy expenditure in pups by up to 7% and increased the calculated elimination rates of both isotopes by up to 11.1% in 18oxygen and 10.9% in2hydrogen.

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