- Email: [email protected]
Feeding ecology of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in freshwater habitats: Preliminary results of a stable isotope approach
16
Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
Comparative anatomy of the osseous inner ear of dog breeds, dingoes and wolves. A study of intraspecific variation and domestication Anita V. Schweizer 1,∗ , Loic Costeur 2 , Renaud Lebrun 3 , Laura A.B. Wilson 4 , Thomas Schmelzle 1 , Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra 1 1 Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 2 Department of Geosciences, Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Basel, Switzerland 3 Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution (UMR-CNRS 5554), C.C. 64, Université Montpellier, France 4 School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A.V. Schweizer), [email protected] (L. Costeur), [email protected] (R. Lebrun), [email protected] (L.A.B. Wilson), [email protected] (T. Schmelzle), [email protected] (M.R. Sánchez-Villagra).
Characterizing the phenotype of wild versus domesticated forms is a fundamental step to understand how the domestication process has affected morphospace occupation. In the case of dogs the extent of divergence in different organs is a rich subject when considering the diversity of breeds. We present a comprehensive morphometric study of the osseous inner ear, considered a highly conserved structure in mammals. It houses the sense of balance in the vestibular organ, including the semicircular canals, and the cochlea, associated with the perception of sound waves. Three dimensional virtual endocasts obtained from high-resolution computed tomography scans were used to characterize the inner ear of 35 dogs of three ‘ancient’ (‘basal’) and 13 ‘modern’ breeds, 13 wolves, and six dingoes, which are feral dogs, using semilandmarks. In comparison to wolves, ‘modern’ dog breeds exhibit larger variation in the morphology of the inner ear. The structures of the inner ear of ‘ancient’ dog breeds also occupy a morphospace outside the range of the wolves. The number of turns of the cochlea is uniform in wolves whereas the range is extended in dogs. The domestication process and the selection of breeds have produced shapes outside the normal range of variation of the species, illustrating the plasticity of development of conserved structures. Zooarcheological studies could incorporate the study of petrosal bones in the identification of domesticated dogs. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.051 REM sleep as indicator for stress in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) Florian Sicks Tierpark Berlin, Am Tierpark 125, 10319 Berlin, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. Well balanced sleep is important for an animals’ well-being. Thus changes in the frequency or length of sleep could provide information about the ability of individuals to cope with changes in their environment. Especially the REM sleep pattern seems to be important here, since it has been demonstrated in humans that REM sleep increases at the beginning of infectious diseases or after traumatic events. Because of their peculiar sleeping position during the REM sleep phases giraffes are very well suited to analyze REM sleep patterns in a non-invasive way via video observations. It was being analyzed how the REM sleep pattern changes after stressful
situations. Therefore the sleeping behavior of giraffes was observed before and after their transport to another zoo. In order to validate this new method, faeces samples were analyzed with respect to the metabolite concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. This has been done by a well established enzyme immunoassay that was applied to giraffes for the first time. In sum, the time spent in REM sleep was influenced by all observed stress events (e.g., transport, malnutrition in newborns, changes in herd structure). Hence REM sleep is very well suited as a parameter to measure stress in giraffes. The continuous monitoring of REM sleep patterns allows detecting disturbances in the well-being of giraffes, such as malnutrition, injury or illness, at an early stage and thus allows for prompt intervention. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.052 Feeding ecology of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in freshwater habitats: Preliminary results of a stable isotope approach Marcia Sittenthaler 1,4,∗ , Wolfgang Wanek 2 , Andreas Zitek 3 , Thomas Prohaska 3 , Rosemarie Parz-Gollner 1 , Klaus Hackländer 1 1 Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria 2 Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna, Austria 3 Department of Chemistry, Division of Analytical Chemistry, VIRIS Laboratory, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria 4 Central Research Laboratories, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Sittenthaler), [email protected] (W. Wanek), [email protected] (A. Zitek), [email protected] (T. Prohaska), [email protected] (R. Parz-Gollner), [email protected] (K. Hackländer).
Eurasian otters are top predators in (semi-)aquatic systems, feeding mainly on fish and other aquatic species. Knowledge on foraging strategies and diet composition enables us to evaluate predator-prey-relationships and understand inter- and intraspecific factors affecting otter populations. Although feeding ecology of otters has been examined previously, issues like intraspecific variation in food use remain poorly addressed, mainly due to the lack of adequate methodology. Stable isotope analyses offer a useful proxy for dietary variation on individual and population level and overcome some of the limitations and biases of classical approaches (e.g. scat analysis) used in feeding ecology research. In a preliminary study we assessed the underlying isoscape by measuring natural abundance C and N signatures of potential prey categories in two different habitats (salmonid stream/pond area) located in Austria. Our first results show a large range in isotope values of prey taxa. Secondly, prey categories within one habitat differ significantly in their ␦13 C and ␦15 N values, meeting a necessary requirement to determine relative contributions from each source in a diet. Furthermore, we recorded C and N signatures of otter vibrissae segments. Using this continuous growing, metabolically inert tissue, changes in the consumer’s resource use can be studied throughout the timespan of tissue growth. Otter whisker segments
Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
within individual vibrissae showed high variability in isotopic composition: ␦15 N and ␦13 C values ranged from 10.47 to 16.02 and from −25.95 to −22.58, respectively. The preliminary data build the basis to study otter feeding ecology in freshwater habitats using stable isotope analysis and meet specific research questions not answered so far. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.053 Grinding away in feeding ecology: Exploring sexual and seasonal variation in chimpanzees Julia Stuhlträger 1,∗ , Kornelius Kupczik 1 , Roman Wittig 2,3 , Ellen Schulz-Kornas 1 1
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany 2 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Leipzig, Germany 3 Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire E-mail address: julia [email protected] (J. Stuhlträger). Previous dietary studies on primates focused on interspecific variation in the surface texture (ST) of teeth only, using dietary data from various published sources. In the present study we compiled feeding ecological data (1994–2005) of 17 Western Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus Schwarz, 1934) of the Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire) and matched them to 3D tooth wear data (ST) measured from molars (facets 3, 9) of the same individuals after natural death. For the first time teeth of a single population with known diets were analyzed to address potential dietary changes over time. These data could help to reconstruct the diets of extinct primates. We aimed to test for sexual and seasonal variation in wear signatures to quantify the intraspecific breadth of dietary adaptations. Males that consumed more fruits and meat had more heterogeneous STs with higher peaks and deeper furrows. Females that consumed more dicotyledonous plants and insects had more plateaus and smaller peaks on the facets. During the dry season, STs were flatter compared to the wet season which could be due to the harmattan wind carrying dust into the forest during the dry season. We suggest the dust removes features on wear facets, leading to seasonal variation in STs. Our findings show that intraspecific sexual dimorphism is visible in tooth wear, and both insect and meat consumption can be picked up by ST. Our data will be a useful reference dataset for reconstructing diets of fossil hominids in high detail and with respect to intraspecific sexual variation. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.054
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Pre- and postnatal growth rates of Phanourios minor from the Pleistocene of Cyprus Anneke H. Van Heteren 1,2,∗ , P. Martin Sander 2 1
Sektion Mammalogie, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, München, Germany 2 Steinmann Institut Bereich Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany E-mail address: [email protected] (A.H. Van Heteren). Fossil insular mammalian dwarfs have variably been reported to show rapid ontogenetic development, slow development, as well as truncation of growth. These three modes of dwarfing have different implications for the life history of the animals under consideration and their morphological plasticity. In the Pleistocene, Cyprus was extremely isolated from a geological and biogeographical point of view. Only two macromammals successfully colonised the island before the Holocene: Elephas cypriotes, approximately 1.4 m at the withers, and Phanourios minor. The latter is the smallest dwarfed hippo ever found; it stood 70 cm at the withers and weighed an estimated 200 kg, approximately 10% of its mainland ancestor’s weight. The main objective of this study was to determine the mode of dwarfing in hippopotami from Cyprus using bone histology. Bones of P. minor, and their normal sized relatives (Hippopotamus amphibius), were thin-sectioned and studied under an optical microscope. Type of bone matrix and counts of lines of arrested growth (LAGs) served as proxies for development rate and time. Histological analyses suggest that Cypriot dwarfed hippos had slower growth rates than their normal-sized relatives both pre- and postnatally. Normal prenatal mammalian bone histology typically indicates fast growth. The prenatal bone of the dwarfs, however, is indicative of much slower growth, exemplified by much lower vascularity. The observed prenatal growth pattern in the Cypriot dwarf has never been reported in any other mammal and could represent a previously unrecognized strategy to cope with changing environments, particularly when dealing with food stress during pregnancy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.055
Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
Comparative anatomy of the osseous inner ear of dog breeds, dingoes and wolves. A study of intraspecific variation and domestication Anita V. Schweizer 1,∗ , Loic Costeur 2 , Renaud Lebrun 3 , Laura A.B. Wilson 4 , Thomas Schmelzle 1 , Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra 1 1 Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 2 Department of Geosciences, Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Basel, Switzerland 3 Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution (UMR-CNRS 5554), C.C. 64, Université Montpellier, France 4 School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A.V. Schweizer), [email protected] (L. Costeur), [email protected] (R. Lebrun), [email protected] (L.A.B. Wilson), [email protected] (T. Schmelzle), [email protected] (M.R. Sánchez-Villagra).
Characterizing the phenotype of wild versus domesticated forms is a fundamental step to understand how the domestication process has affected morphospace occupation. In the case of dogs the extent of divergence in different organs is a rich subject when considering the diversity of breeds. We present a comprehensive morphometric study of the osseous inner ear, considered a highly conserved structure in mammals. It houses the sense of balance in the vestibular organ, including the semicircular canals, and the cochlea, associated with the perception of sound waves. Three dimensional virtual endocasts obtained from high-resolution computed tomography scans were used to characterize the inner ear of 35 dogs of three ‘ancient’ (‘basal’) and 13 ‘modern’ breeds, 13 wolves, and six dingoes, which are feral dogs, using semilandmarks. In comparison to wolves, ‘modern’ dog breeds exhibit larger variation in the morphology of the inner ear. The structures of the inner ear of ‘ancient’ dog breeds also occupy a morphospace outside the range of the wolves. The number of turns of the cochlea is uniform in wolves whereas the range is extended in dogs. The domestication process and the selection of breeds have produced shapes outside the normal range of variation of the species, illustrating the plasticity of development of conserved structures. Zooarcheological studies could incorporate the study of petrosal bones in the identification of domesticated dogs. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.051 REM sleep as indicator for stress in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) Florian Sicks Tierpark Berlin, Am Tierpark 125, 10319 Berlin, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. Well balanced sleep is important for an animals’ well-being. Thus changes in the frequency or length of sleep could provide information about the ability of individuals to cope with changes in their environment. Especially the REM sleep pattern seems to be important here, since it has been demonstrated in humans that REM sleep increases at the beginning of infectious diseases or after traumatic events. Because of their peculiar sleeping position during the REM sleep phases giraffes are very well suited to analyze REM sleep patterns in a non-invasive way via video observations. It was being analyzed how the REM sleep pattern changes after stressful
situations. Therefore the sleeping behavior of giraffes was observed before and after their transport to another zoo. In order to validate this new method, faeces samples were analyzed with respect to the metabolite concentration of the stress hormone cortisol. This has been done by a well established enzyme immunoassay that was applied to giraffes for the first time. In sum, the time spent in REM sleep was influenced by all observed stress events (e.g., transport, malnutrition in newborns, changes in herd structure). Hence REM sleep is very well suited as a parameter to measure stress in giraffes. The continuous monitoring of REM sleep patterns allows detecting disturbances in the well-being of giraffes, such as malnutrition, injury or illness, at an early stage and thus allows for prompt intervention. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.052 Feeding ecology of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in freshwater habitats: Preliminary results of a stable isotope approach Marcia Sittenthaler 1,4,∗ , Wolfgang Wanek 2 , Andreas Zitek 3 , Thomas Prohaska 3 , Rosemarie Parz-Gollner 1 , Klaus Hackländer 1 1 Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria 2 Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna, Austria 3 Department of Chemistry, Division of Analytical Chemistry, VIRIS Laboratory, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria 4 Central Research Laboratories, Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Sittenthaler), [email protected] (W. Wanek), [email protected] (A. Zitek), [email protected] (T. Prohaska), [email protected] (R. Parz-Gollner), [email protected] (K. Hackländer).
Eurasian otters are top predators in (semi-)aquatic systems, feeding mainly on fish and other aquatic species. Knowledge on foraging strategies and diet composition enables us to evaluate predator-prey-relationships and understand inter- and intraspecific factors affecting otter populations. Although feeding ecology of otters has been examined previously, issues like intraspecific variation in food use remain poorly addressed, mainly due to the lack of adequate methodology. Stable isotope analyses offer a useful proxy for dietary variation on individual and population level and overcome some of the limitations and biases of classical approaches (e.g. scat analysis) used in feeding ecology research. In a preliminary study we assessed the underlying isoscape by measuring natural abundance C and N signatures of potential prey categories in two different habitats (salmonid stream/pond area) located in Austria. Our first results show a large range in isotope values of prey taxa. Secondly, prey categories within one habitat differ significantly in their ␦13 C and ␦15 N values, meeting a necessary requirement to determine relative contributions from each source in a diet. Furthermore, we recorded C and N signatures of otter vibrissae segments. Using this continuous growing, metabolically inert tissue, changes in the consumer’s resource use can be studied throughout the timespan of tissue growth. Otter whisker segments
Abstracts / Mammalian Biology 81S (2016) 3–18
within individual vibrissae showed high variability in isotopic composition: ␦15 N and ␦13 C values ranged from 10.47 to 16.02 and from −25.95 to −22.58, respectively. The preliminary data build the basis to study otter feeding ecology in freshwater habitats using stable isotope analysis and meet specific research questions not answered so far. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.053 Grinding away in feeding ecology: Exploring sexual and seasonal variation in chimpanzees Julia Stuhlträger 1,∗ , Kornelius Kupczik 1 , Roman Wittig 2,3 , Ellen Schulz-Kornas 1 1
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany 2 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Leipzig, Germany 3 Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire E-mail address: julia [email protected] (J. Stuhlträger). Previous dietary studies on primates focused on interspecific variation in the surface texture (ST) of teeth only, using dietary data from various published sources. In the present study we compiled feeding ecological data (1994–2005) of 17 Western Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus Schwarz, 1934) of the Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire) and matched them to 3D tooth wear data (ST) measured from molars (facets 3, 9) of the same individuals after natural death. For the first time teeth of a single population with known diets were analyzed to address potential dietary changes over time. These data could help to reconstruct the diets of extinct primates. We aimed to test for sexual and seasonal variation in wear signatures to quantify the intraspecific breadth of dietary adaptations. Males that consumed more fruits and meat had more heterogeneous STs with higher peaks and deeper furrows. Females that consumed more dicotyledonous plants and insects had more plateaus and smaller peaks on the facets. During the dry season, STs were flatter compared to the wet season which could be due to the harmattan wind carrying dust into the forest during the dry season. We suggest the dust removes features on wear facets, leading to seasonal variation in STs. Our findings show that intraspecific sexual dimorphism is visible in tooth wear, and both insect and meat consumption can be picked up by ST. Our data will be a useful reference dataset for reconstructing diets of fossil hominids in high detail and with respect to intraspecific sexual variation. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.054
17
Pre- and postnatal growth rates of Phanourios minor from the Pleistocene of Cyprus Anneke H. Van Heteren 1,2,∗ , P. Martin Sander 2 1
Sektion Mammalogie, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, München, Germany 2 Steinmann Institut Bereich Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany E-mail address: [email protected] (A.H. Van Heteren). Fossil insular mammalian dwarfs have variably been reported to show rapid ontogenetic development, slow development, as well as truncation of growth. These three modes of dwarfing have different implications for the life history of the animals under consideration and their morphological plasticity. In the Pleistocene, Cyprus was extremely isolated from a geological and biogeographical point of view. Only two macromammals successfully colonised the island before the Holocene: Elephas cypriotes, approximately 1.4 m at the withers, and Phanourios minor. The latter is the smallest dwarfed hippo ever found; it stood 70 cm at the withers and weighed an estimated 200 kg, approximately 10% of its mainland ancestor’s weight. The main objective of this study was to determine the mode of dwarfing in hippopotami from Cyprus using bone histology. Bones of P. minor, and their normal sized relatives (Hippopotamus amphibius), were thin-sectioned and studied under an optical microscope. Type of bone matrix and counts of lines of arrested growth (LAGs) served as proxies for development rate and time. Histological analyses suggest that Cypriot dwarfed hippos had slower growth rates than their normal-sized relatives both pre- and postnatally. Normal prenatal mammalian bone histology typically indicates fast growth. The prenatal bone of the dwarfs, however, is indicative of much slower growth, exemplified by much lower vascularity. The observed prenatal growth pattern in the Cypriot dwarf has never been reported in any other mammal and could represent a previously unrecognized strategy to cope with changing environments, particularly when dealing with food stress during pregnancy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.07.055