Scatter‐hoarding rodents play important roles in plant regeneration and species coexistence in many forest ecosystems. Cache pilferage, the behavior of rodents seeking or relocating seeds cached by other individuals, is ubiquitous during the scatter‐hoarding process. The effects of canopy openness on cache pilferage have received considerable attention, most of which have focused on the comparison between full canopy cover and completely open areas, such as forest gaps. However, little attention has been given to whether the subtle variation in forest canopy openness affects cache pilferage, although subtle variation in light environments exists in many forests, especially tropical and subtropical forests, where the overall canopy is large and the forest window is relatively small. Here, we directly tested these questions by simulating 400 artificial caches, each containing one seed from four selected tree species, in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. The overall canopy openness of the forest was relatively small (with a mean value of 11.1%), but subtle spatial variation still existed (ranging from 5.7% to 19.5%). Overall, caches with lower canopy openness were more likely to be pilfered and removed faster, although not all species showed the same pattern. Our study highlights that subtle variation in forest canopy openness, even in a closed primary forest, has significant effects on cache pilferage by rodents, which may influence the following seed germination and forest regeneration processes. Additionally, seedling species composition may further be altered because the canopy effects on cache pilferage are species‐specific.
{"title":"Effects of subtle variation in forest canopy openness on cache pilferage and its implications for forest regeneration","authors":"Hongying WANG, Bo WANG, Wenwen CHEN","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12831","url":null,"abstract":"Scatter‐hoarding rodents play important roles in plant regeneration and species coexistence in many forest ecosystems. Cache pilferage, the behavior of rodents seeking or relocating seeds cached by other individuals, is ubiquitous during the scatter‐hoarding process. The effects of canopy openness on cache pilferage have received considerable attention, most of which have focused on the comparison between full canopy cover and completely open areas, such as forest gaps. However, little attention has been given to whether the subtle variation in forest canopy openness affects cache pilferage, although subtle variation in light environments exists in many forests, especially tropical and subtropical forests, where the overall canopy is large and the forest window is relatively small. Here, we directly tested these questions by simulating 400 artificial caches, each containing one seed from four selected tree species, in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. The overall canopy openness of the forest was relatively small (with a mean value of 11.1%), but subtle spatial variation still existed (ranging from 5.7% to 19.5%). Overall, caches with lower canopy openness were more likely to be pilfered and removed faster, although not all species showed the same pattern. Our study highlights that subtle variation in forest canopy openness, even in a closed primary forest, has significant effects on cache pilferage by rodents, which may influence the following seed germination and forest regeneration processes. Additionally, seedling species composition may further be altered because the canopy effects on cache pilferage are species‐specific.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":"148 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) are the dominant small ruminants in the Three‐River‐Source National Park (TRSNP). However, knowledge about the association between gut microbiota and host adaptability remains poorly understood. Herein, multi‐omics sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the gut microbiota‐mediated forage adaption in these ruminants. The results revealed that although wild ruminants (WR) of P. hodgsoni and P. nayaur were faced with severe foraging environments with significantly low vegetation coverage and nutrition, the apparent forage digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and acid detergent fiber was significantly higher than that of O. aries. The 16s rRNA sequencing showed that the gut microbiota in WR underwent convergent evolution, and alpha diversity in these two groups was significantly higher than that in O. aries. Moreover, indicator species, including Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, exhibited positive relationships with apparent forage digestibility, and their relative abundances were enriched in the gut of WR. Enterotype analysis further revealed that enterotype 1 belonged to WR, and the abundance of fatty acid synthesis metabolic pathway‐related enzyme genes was significantly higher than enterotype 2, represented by O. aries. Besides, the metagenomic analysis identified 14 pathogenic bacterial species, among which 10 potentially pathogenic bacteria were significantly enriched in the gut microbiota of O. aries. Furthermore, the cellulolytic strains and genes encoding cellulase and hemicellulase were significantly enriched in WR. In conclusion, our results provide new evidence of gut microbiota to facilitate wildlife adaption in severe foraging environments of the TRSNP, China.
{"title":"Multi‐omics reveal the gut microbiota‐mediated severe foraging environment adaption of small wild ruminants in the Three‐River‐Source National Park, China","authors":"Hongjin LIU, Xinquan ZHAO, Shixiao XU, Liang ZHAO, Xueping HAN, Xianli XU, Na ZHAO, Linyong HU, Chongliang LUO, Xungang WANG, Qian ZHANG, Tongqing GUO","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12830","url":null,"abstract":"The Tibetan antelope (<jats:italic>Pantholops hodgsonii</jats:italic>), blue sheep (<jats:italic>Pseudois nayaur)</jats:italic>, and Tibetan sheep (<jats:italic>Ovis aries</jats:italic>) are the dominant small ruminants in the Three‐River‐Source National Park (TRSNP). However, knowledge about the association between gut microbiota and host adaptability remains poorly understood. Herein, multi‐omics sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the gut microbiota‐mediated forage adaption in these ruminants. The results revealed that although wild ruminants (WR) of <jats:italic>P</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>hodgsoni</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>P. nayaur</jats:italic> were faced with severe foraging environments with significantly low vegetation coverage and nutrition, the apparent forage digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and acid detergent fiber was significantly higher than that of <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. The 16s rRNA sequencing showed that the gut microbiota in WR underwent convergent evolution, and alpha diversity in these two groups was significantly higher than that in <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Moreover, indicator species, including Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, exhibited positive relationships with apparent forage digestibility, and their relative abundances were enriched in the gut of WR. Enterotype analysis further revealed that enterotype 1 belonged to WR, and the abundance of fatty acid synthesis metabolic pathway‐related enzyme genes was significantly higher than enterotype 2, represented by <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Besides, the metagenomic analysis identified 14 pathogenic bacterial species, among which 10 potentially pathogenic bacteria were significantly enriched in the gut microbiota of <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Furthermore, the cellulolytic strains and genes encoding cellulase and hemicellulase were significantly enriched in WR. In conclusion, our results provide new evidence of gut microbiota to facilitate wildlife adaption in severe foraging environments of the TRSNP, China.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Plague, a lethal zoonotic disease, primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas. In Iran, the widely distributed jird, Meriones persicus, serves as the principal reservoir for plague, with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country. However, these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome b sub‐lineages (IA, IB, IIA, IIB). This discrepancy, combined with the presence of an unnamed sub‐lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification, has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub‐lineages and nominal subspecies. In this study, we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cytb gene across populations sampled throughout Iran, focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran. While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran, we raise questions about M. p. baptistae, emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan. Two main lineages of M. persicus (I and II) exhibit geographical isolation, with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts., where three subspecies (M. p. ambrosius, M. p. rossicus, and M. p. persicus) coexist. Superimposing infected rodents' geographic coordinates onto updated sub‐lineages' distribution revealed a potential association between sub‐lineage IA (M. p. rossicus) and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023. M. persicus rossicus extends into the Caucasus (where plague infections are common), Eastern Turkey, and Iraq. Consequently, interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution.
鼠疫是一种致命的人畜共患病,主要在啮齿动物种群及其跳蚤中传播。在伊朗,广泛分布的啮齿类动物 Meriones persicus 是鼠疫的主要传播媒介,人们认为伊朗境内存在其六个公认亚种中的五个亚种。然而,这些亚种被分为四个线粒体细胞色素 b 亚系(IA、IB、IIA、IIB)。这一差异,再加上伊朗中部还有一个未命名的亚系等待分类学的澄清,使得种内分类学尚未定论,也模糊了 mtDNA 亚系与标称亚种之间的真正一致性。在这项研究中,我们调查了在伊朗各地采样的种群中 cytb 基因的种内变异,重点是扎格罗斯山脉和阿尔伯兹山脉与伊朗中部之间未充分开发的地区。虽然我们的遗传数据总体上支持所报告的伊朗亚种的有效性,但我们对 M. p. baptistae 提出了疑问,强调需要从其模式地区巴基斯坦获得更多数据。M.persicus的两个主要品系(I和II)表现出地理隔离,在扎格罗斯山脉中部有有限的重叠,那里有三个亚种(M. p. ambrosius、M. p. rossicus和M. p. persicus)共存。将受感染啮齿动物的地理坐标叠加到更新的亚系分布上,发现亚系IA(M. p. rossicus)与1946年至2023年的所有鼠疫流行病例之间存在潜在联系。M. persicus rossicus延伸至高加索地区(鼠疫感染常见地区)、土耳其东部和伊拉克。因此,在伊朗和邻近地区鼠疫监测的背景下解释这一发现需要谨慎。
{"title":"Intraspecific diversity of Meriones persicus (Rodentia; Gerbillinae), the main plague reservoir in Iran, and its connection to enzootic plague in Iran","authors":"Ahmad MAHMOUDI, Ehsan MOSTAFAVI, Boris KRYŠTUFEK","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12835","url":null,"abstract":"Plague, a lethal zoonotic disease, primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas. In Iran, the widely distributed jird, <jats:italic>Meriones persicus</jats:italic>, serves as the principal reservoir for plague, with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country. However, these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome <jats:italic>b</jats:italic> sub‐lineages (IA, IB, IIA, IIB). This discrepancy, combined with the presence of an unnamed sub‐lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification, has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub‐lineages and nominal subspecies. In this study, we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cyt<jats:italic>b</jats:italic> gene across populations sampled throughout Iran, focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran. While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran, we raise questions about <jats:italic>M. p. baptistae</jats:italic>, emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan. Two main lineages of <jats:italic>M. persicus</jats:italic> (I and II) exhibit geographical isolation, with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts., where three subspecies (<jats:italic>M. p. ambrosius</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>M. p. rossicus</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>M. p. persicus</jats:italic>) coexist. Superimposing infected rodents' geographic coordinates onto updated sub‐lineages' distribution revealed a potential association between sub‐lineage IA (<jats:italic>M. p. rossicus</jats:italic>) and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023. <jats:italic>M. persicus rossicus</jats:italic> extends into the Caucasus (where plague infections are common), Eastern Turkey, and Iraq. Consequently, interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":"155 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Musk secreted by male forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) musk glands is an invaluable component of medicine and perfume. Musk secretion depends on musk gland maturation; however, the mechanism of its development remains elusive. Herein, using single cell multiome ATAC + gene expression coupled with several bioinformatic analyses, a dynamic transcriptional cell atlas of musk gland development was revealed, and key genes and transcription factors affecting its development were determined. Twelve cell types, including two different types of acinar cells (Clusters 0 and 10) were identified. Single-nucleus RNA and single-nucleus ATAC sequencing analyses revealed that seven core target genes associated with musk secretion (Hsd17b2, Acacb, Lss, Vapa, Aldh16a1, Aldh7a1, and Sqle) were regulated by 12 core transcription factors (FOXO1, CUX2, RORA, RUNX1, KLF6, MGA, NFIC, FOXO3, ETV5, NR3C1, HSF4, and MITF) during the development of Cluster 0 acinar cells. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment showed significant changes in the pathways associated with musk secretion during acinar cell development. Gene set variation analysis also revealed that certain pathways associated with musk secretion were enriched in 6-year-old acinar cells. A gene co-expression network was constructed during acinar cell development to provide a precise understanding of the connections between transcription factors, genes, and pathways. Finally, intercellular communication analysis showed that intercellular communication is involved in musk gland development. This study provides crucial insights into the changes and key factors underlying musk gland development, which serve as valuable resources for studying musk secretion mechanisms and promoting the protection of this endangered species.
{"title":"Single-nucleus transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility analysis of musk gland development in Chinese forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii)","authors":"Chenmiao LIU, Tingting HONG, Chengcheng ZHAO, Tao XUE, Shuhui WANG, Zhanjun REN","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12823","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1749-4877.12823","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Musk secreted by male forest musk deer (<i>Moschus berezovskii</i>) musk glands is an invaluable component of medicine and perfume. Musk secretion depends on musk gland maturation; however, the mechanism of its development remains elusive. Herein, using single cell multiome ATAC + gene expression coupled with several bioinformatic analyses, a dynamic transcriptional cell atlas of musk gland development was revealed, and key genes and transcription factors affecting its development were determined. Twelve cell types, including two different types of acinar cells (Clusters 0 and 10) were identified. Single-nucleus RNA and single-nucleus ATAC sequencing analyses revealed that seven core target genes associated with musk secretion (<i>Hsd17b2</i>, <i>Acacb</i>, <i>Lss</i>, <i>Vapa</i>, <i>Aldh16a1</i>, <i>Aldh7a1</i>, and <i>Sqle</i>) were regulated by 12 core transcription factors (FOXO1, CUX2, RORA, RUNX1, KLF6, MGA, NFIC, FOXO3, ETV5, NR3C1, HSF4, and MITF) during the development of Cluster 0 acinar cells. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment showed significant changes in the pathways associated with musk secretion during acinar cell development. Gene set variation analysis also revealed that certain pathways associated with musk secretion were enriched in 6-year-old acinar cells. A gene co-expression network was constructed during acinar cell development to provide a precise understanding of the connections between transcription factors, genes, and pathways. Finally, intercellular communication analysis showed that intercellular communication is involved in musk gland development. This study provides crucial insights into the changes and key factors underlying musk gland development, which serve as valuable resources for studying musk secretion mechanisms and promoting the protection of this endangered species.</p>","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":"19 5","pages":"955-974"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1749-4877.12823","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140678546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In significant conservation domains, rejecting papers to prioritize novelty, may impede scientific and social progress as these studies carry crucial policy and practical implications. The research's rigor (rather than novelty) should be the primary criterion for evaluating the works’ robustness and suitability for publication. Innovation is essential, but science requires a balanced approach, encompassing both conceptual innovation and practical research.