- Email: [email protected]
Body weight variation in Cape hares (Lepus capensis) from Kenya
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Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
Viral and bacterial agents in Norway rat populations from zoological gardens in Germany Stefan Fischer 1,5 , Elisa Heuser 1,5 , René Ryll 1 , Anne Mayer-Scholl 2 , Donata Hoffmann 1 , Carina Spahr 2 , Sandra Essbauer 3 , Karsten Nöckler 2 , Rainer G. Ulrich 1,4,∗ 1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany 2 Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany 3 Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany 4 German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Germany E-mail address: rainer.ulrich@fli.bund.de (R.G. Ulrich).
The Norway rat Rattus norvegicus is involved in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans, but represents also a sentinel for other zoonotic pathogens without transmitting them to humans. In addition, Norway rats harbor agents of unknown zoonotic potential. We collected 126 Norway rats from six zoological gardens and tested blood and different tissue samples for four viral and bacterial agents. Leptospira DNA was detected in rats from four of six zoological gardens with prevalences of 12.5–25.7%. Rickettsia DNA was found in three of 99 samples; the positive samples originated from two zoological gardens. DNA of the recently discovered rat polyomavirus was detected in 29 of 126 animals. The positive samples originated from three zoological gardens with prevalences of 22.2–44.4%. PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay analyses did not detect orthopoxvirus-specific DNA and antibodies in any of the investigated animals. Future studies will have to analyse the temporal variation of the prevalence within the rat populations and to evaluate the potential transmission of these agents to zoo animals. 5
These authors contributed equally.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.016 Body weight variation in Cape hares (Lepus capensis) from Kenya John E.C. Flux 1 , Meg. M. Flux 1 , Felix Knauer 2 , Franz Suchentrunk 2,∗ 1
Lower Hutt, New Zealand Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria E-mail address: [email protected] (F. Suchentrunk). 2
Body weight (BW) results from various genetic and ecological causes, and studies of natural and experimental populations are usually necessary to understand its underlying biological mechanisms. We examined BW variation of 202 adult cape hares (Lepus capensis) from three natural populations in the Rift Valley in Kenya (Magadi, n = 64, hot/dry climate, 600 m a.s.l.; Akira, n = 65, wetter/cooler climate, 1800 m a.s.l.; Olorgesaille, n = 73, intermediate climate, 1200 m a.s.l.), collected between August 1967 and July 1968. We used general linear models to examine BW variation in relation to individual age class, as estimated by dry eye lens weights, sex, monthly rainfall, and population. Unexpectedly, rainfall did not affect BW. But there was a sex/population-interaction
effect, indicating higher BW of females. The sex-specific difference was highest in Magadi, intermediate in Olorgesaillie, and lowest in Akira, seemingly an effect of relatively small males in Magadi, but less due to female BW variation. Independent population- and sex-effects were observed when only BW of females without visible embryos was considered. Higher BW in females might increase their reproductive capacity, whereas males might experience selection for lower BW under hot and dry climate, as particularly indicated by the lighter males from Magadi, and as generally known from hares dwelling in arid environments. Surprisingly, during months with high rainfall (good food availability) did not result in increased BW. Overall, our results suggest different adjustments of BW in male and female cape hares from East Africa under different environmental contexts, and only a tentative correspondence to expectations under Bergman’s rule for males. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.017 Pelvis and femur of caviomorph rodents: A functional morphological analysis Flavia Gavrilei 1,2,∗ , John A. Nyakatura 2 1
Institut für spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany 2 AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Bild Wissen Gestaltung, Ein interdisziplinäres Labor, Exzellenzcluster der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany E-mail address: fl[email protected] (F. Gavrilei). Caviomorph rodents show great diversity in ecology and morphology, including ambulatory, scansorial, cursorial, ricochetal, fossorial, and swimming forms with the majority of these locomotor modes present in all major groups of the clade. Previous studies showed a correlation of specific locomotor adaptations and the morphology of the caviomorph forelimb. Here, it is tested whether the different locomotor modes are reflected in the threedimensional (3D) shape of the pelvis and femur, i.e. the hind limb element whose motion has the biggest impact on propulsion during horizontal locomotion. The pelves and femora of 24 species representing all four major caviomorph groups are examined. Geometric morphometric techniques are used to analyze the complex bone shape of the specimens mainly housed in the collections of the Naturkundemuseum in Berlin, Germany, and the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. To obtain precise 3D digital models of each analyzed skeletal element, they are digitalized using either a surface-laser-scanner or CT. Landmarks for analysis are defined to capture the shape of the entire bone, but with a focus on functionally relevant areas like joint surfaces and muscle attachment sites. For this purpose, curve as well as surface semi-landmarks are used resulting in a more fine-grained representation of the complex bone shape for the statistical analysis. A principal component analysis is used to statistically evaluate the dataset. Analyses are still ongoing, but preliminary results already suggest that proximal hind limb bone shape correlates with the diverse locomotor adaptations. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.018
Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
Viral and bacterial agents in Norway rat populations from zoological gardens in Germany Stefan Fischer 1,5 , Elisa Heuser 1,5 , René Ryll 1 , Anne Mayer-Scholl 2 , Donata Hoffmann 1 , Carina Spahr 2 , Sandra Essbauer 3 , Karsten Nöckler 2 , Rainer G. Ulrich 1,4,∗ 1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany 2 Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany 3 Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany 4 German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Germany E-mail address: rainer.ulrich@fli.bund.de (R.G. Ulrich).
The Norway rat Rattus norvegicus is involved in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans, but represents also a sentinel for other zoonotic pathogens without transmitting them to humans. In addition, Norway rats harbor agents of unknown zoonotic potential. We collected 126 Norway rats from six zoological gardens and tested blood and different tissue samples for four viral and bacterial agents. Leptospira DNA was detected in rats from four of six zoological gardens with prevalences of 12.5–25.7%. Rickettsia DNA was found in three of 99 samples; the positive samples originated from two zoological gardens. DNA of the recently discovered rat polyomavirus was detected in 29 of 126 animals. The positive samples originated from three zoological gardens with prevalences of 22.2–44.4%. PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay analyses did not detect orthopoxvirus-specific DNA and antibodies in any of the investigated animals. Future studies will have to analyse the temporal variation of the prevalence within the rat populations and to evaluate the potential transmission of these agents to zoo animals. 5
These authors contributed equally.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.016 Body weight variation in Cape hares (Lepus capensis) from Kenya John E.C. Flux 1 , Meg. M. Flux 1 , Felix Knauer 2 , Franz Suchentrunk 2,∗ 1
Lower Hutt, New Zealand Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria E-mail address: [email protected] (F. Suchentrunk). 2
Body weight (BW) results from various genetic and ecological causes, and studies of natural and experimental populations are usually necessary to understand its underlying biological mechanisms. We examined BW variation of 202 adult cape hares (Lepus capensis) from three natural populations in the Rift Valley in Kenya (Magadi, n = 64, hot/dry climate, 600 m a.s.l.; Akira, n = 65, wetter/cooler climate, 1800 m a.s.l.; Olorgesaille, n = 73, intermediate climate, 1200 m a.s.l.), collected between August 1967 and July 1968. We used general linear models to examine BW variation in relation to individual age class, as estimated by dry eye lens weights, sex, monthly rainfall, and population. Unexpectedly, rainfall did not affect BW. But there was a sex/population-interaction
effect, indicating higher BW of females. The sex-specific difference was highest in Magadi, intermediate in Olorgesaillie, and lowest in Akira, seemingly an effect of relatively small males in Magadi, but less due to female BW variation. Independent population- and sex-effects were observed when only BW of females without visible embryos was considered. Higher BW in females might increase their reproductive capacity, whereas males might experience selection for lower BW under hot and dry climate, as particularly indicated by the lighter males from Magadi, and as generally known from hares dwelling in arid environments. Surprisingly, during months with high rainfall (good food availability) did not result in increased BW. Overall, our results suggest different adjustments of BW in male and female cape hares from East Africa under different environmental contexts, and only a tentative correspondence to expectations under Bergman’s rule for males. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.017 Pelvis and femur of caviomorph rodents: A functional morphological analysis Flavia Gavrilei 1,2,∗ , John A. Nyakatura 2 1
Institut für spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany 2 AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Bild Wissen Gestaltung, Ein interdisziplinäres Labor, Exzellenzcluster der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany E-mail address: fl[email protected] (F. Gavrilei). Caviomorph rodents show great diversity in ecology and morphology, including ambulatory, scansorial, cursorial, ricochetal, fossorial, and swimming forms with the majority of these locomotor modes present in all major groups of the clade. Previous studies showed a correlation of specific locomotor adaptations and the morphology of the caviomorph forelimb. Here, it is tested whether the different locomotor modes are reflected in the threedimensional (3D) shape of the pelvis and femur, i.e. the hind limb element whose motion has the biggest impact on propulsion during horizontal locomotion. The pelves and femora of 24 species representing all four major caviomorph groups are examined. Geometric morphometric techniques are used to analyze the complex bone shape of the specimens mainly housed in the collections of the Naturkundemuseum in Berlin, Germany, and the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. To obtain precise 3D digital models of each analyzed skeletal element, they are digitalized using either a surface-laser-scanner or CT. Landmarks for analysis are defined to capture the shape of the entire bone, but with a focus on functionally relevant areas like joint surfaces and muscle attachment sites. For this purpose, curve as well as surface semi-landmarks are used resulting in a more fine-grained representation of the complex bone shape for the statistical analysis. A principal component analysis is used to statistically evaluate the dataset. Analyses are still ongoing, but preliminary results already suggest that proximal hind limb bone shape correlates with the diverse locomotor adaptations. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.018