Pub Date : 2023-10-13DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10115
Hayato Takada, Akiyoshi Sato, Setsuko Katsuta
Abstract Knowledge of diets is important for understanding species ecology and the mechanism of coexistence of multiple closely related species. Two rhinolophid bats, the greater Japanese horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus nippon ) and the little Japanese horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus cornutus ), occur in Japan, but little is known about their diets and interspecific interactions regarding food resources. In this study, we examined the fecal contents of these two species in the Southern Japanese Alps by microscopic analysis over multiple seasons. R. cornutus , which have more skillful flight, consumed nonvolant insects (caterpillars and spiders), whereas R. nippon did not; this indicates that R. cornutus can glean prey better than R. nippon . The larger-bodied R. nippon more frequently consumed hard-bodied beetles, whereas the smaller-bodied R. cornutus more frequently consumed soft-bodied dipterans and neuropterans. Body size differences influenced flight ability and bite force, which resulted in food resource partitioning and enabled multispecies coexistence of these closely related bats. A R. nippon nursery colony consumed a wider variety of insects, such as beetles, moths, and dipterans, during the pregnancy and lactation periods; however, after lactation, they showed a beetle-dependent diet, and before hibernation they again consumed various food resources. A R. cornutus non-nursery colony frequently consumed dipterans and moths in spring; dipterans, moths, and neuropterans in autumn; and moths and neuropterans in winter. These seasonal changes in diet seemed to be related to food supply or reproductive status.
{"title":"Seasonal diets of two rhinolophid bats, Rhinolophus nippon and Rhinolophus cornutus, in the southern Japanese Alps","authors":"Hayato Takada, Akiyoshi Sato, Setsuko Katsuta","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10115","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Knowledge of diets is important for understanding species ecology and the mechanism of coexistence of multiple closely related species. Two rhinolophid bats, the greater Japanese horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus nippon ) and the little Japanese horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus cornutus ), occur in Japan, but little is known about their diets and interspecific interactions regarding food resources. In this study, we examined the fecal contents of these two species in the Southern Japanese Alps by microscopic analysis over multiple seasons. R. cornutus , which have more skillful flight, consumed nonvolant insects (caterpillars and spiders), whereas R. nippon did not; this indicates that R. cornutus can glean prey better than R. nippon . The larger-bodied R. nippon more frequently consumed hard-bodied beetles, whereas the smaller-bodied R. cornutus more frequently consumed soft-bodied dipterans and neuropterans. Body size differences influenced flight ability and bite force, which resulted in food resource partitioning and enabled multispecies coexistence of these closely related bats. A R. nippon nursery colony consumed a wider variety of insects, such as beetles, moths, and dipterans, during the pregnancy and lactation periods; however, after lactation, they showed a beetle-dependent diet, and before hibernation they again consumed various food resources. A R. cornutus non-nursery colony frequently consumed dipterans and moths in spring; dipterans, moths, and neuropterans in autumn; and moths and neuropterans in winter. These seasonal changes in diet seemed to be related to food supply or reproductive status.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":"63 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135918646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-21DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10113
Kazuma Watanabe, Masayuki U. Saito
Abstract Interference competition, a category of interspecific competition, is a critical aspect of understanding the dynamics of carnivore communities, as it can result in a decline in the health and reduced opportunity for resource acquisition of one or both competing species. Heavy snowfall environments during winter are expected to exacerbate interference competition due to decreased food resources and limited foraging opportunities caused by snow cover. However, knowledge on interference competition in such environments is limited. Using camera traps with baits, we evaluated the interference competition among three sympatric medium-sized carnivores, red foxes, raccoon dogs, and Japanese martens, within a heavy snowfall region of northeastern Japan. As in previous studies, we hypothesized that body weight would serve as a determining factor for superiority in winter snow environments. Diel activity patterns using the visitation time to baits did not reveal any clear differences. Nevertheless, the daytime occurrence frequency of Japanese martens during the snowfall season was higher than that of the other two species, indicating inferiority to the other species. The analysis of time intervals between species visiting baits revealed no clear superiority among the target species. These findings suggest that the interspecific relationships among medium-sized carnivores in winter snowy environments are complex and not easily determined.
{"title":"Unclear relationships in interference competition among three sympatric medium-sized carnivores in a heavy snowy environment","authors":"Kazuma Watanabe, Masayuki U. Saito","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10113","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Interference competition, a category of interspecific competition, is a critical aspect of understanding the dynamics of carnivore communities, as it can result in a decline in the health and reduced opportunity for resource acquisition of one or both competing species. Heavy snowfall environments during winter are expected to exacerbate interference competition due to decreased food resources and limited foraging opportunities caused by snow cover. However, knowledge on interference competition in such environments is limited. Using camera traps with baits, we evaluated the interference competition among three sympatric medium-sized carnivores, red foxes, raccoon dogs, and Japanese martens, within a heavy snowfall region of northeastern Japan. As in previous studies, we hypothesized that body weight would serve as a determining factor for superiority in winter snow environments. Diel activity patterns using the visitation time to baits did not reveal any clear differences. Nevertheless, the daytime occurrence frequency of Japanese martens during the snowfall season was higher than that of the other two species, indicating inferiority to the other species. The analysis of time intervals between species visiting baits revealed no clear superiority among the target species. These findings suggest that the interspecific relationships among medium-sized carnivores in winter snowy environments are complex and not easily determined.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136235435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-25DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10111
Sisiria Akoth, R. Kityo, P. Akite, M. Behangana, Joseph Insingoma, S. W. Babyesiza, E. Sande, L. Luiselli
Agricultural intensification has increasingly destroyed natural habitats, resulting in species declines. Insights into the effects of landscape structure on species’ diversity and distribution are needed to effectively conserve biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The influence of land use practices on amphibian species diversity was investigated in areas of intensive and subsistence agriculture in Namulonge (Uganda, East Africa) using visual encounter surveys while environmental parameters were also recorded. A total of 19 amphibian species were recorded. Species richness varied minimally between intensive and subsistence agriculture plots. However, there was a significant variation in species’ abundance between the two land use areas and the species diversity was reduced in the intensive-agriculture area. The relationship between habitat characteristics and species distribution was statistically significant: in areas with relatively intact natural vegetation cover more species occurred. Such pockets of vegetation provide microhabitat conditions suitable for foraging, breeding and cover. Therefore, the abovementioned observation suggests that there is value at the landscape level to preserve natural/seminatural pockets of vegetation to enhance biodiversity in any agricultural environment.
{"title":"Comparison of amphibian diversity in areas under intensive versus subsistence agriculture in Uganda","authors":"Sisiria Akoth, R. Kityo, P. Akite, M. Behangana, Joseph Insingoma, S. W. Babyesiza, E. Sande, L. Luiselli","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10111","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Agricultural intensification has increasingly destroyed natural habitats, resulting in species declines. Insights into the effects of landscape structure on species’ diversity and distribution are needed to effectively conserve biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The influence of land use practices on amphibian species diversity was investigated in areas of intensive and subsistence agriculture in Namulonge (Uganda, East Africa) using visual encounter surveys while environmental parameters were also recorded. A total of 19 amphibian species were recorded. Species richness varied minimally between intensive and subsistence agriculture plots. However, there was a significant variation in species’ abundance between the two land use areas and the species diversity was reduced in the intensive-agriculture area. The relationship between habitat characteristics and species distribution was statistically significant: in areas with relatively intact natural vegetation cover more species occurred. Such pockets of vegetation provide microhabitat conditions suitable for foraging, breeding and cover. Therefore, the abovementioned observation suggests that there is value at the landscape level to preserve natural/seminatural pockets of vegetation to enhance biodiversity in any agricultural environment.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47350237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Knowledge of life history is important for understanding population ecology. The genus Diploderma is one of the most diverse genera in the family Agamidae, and no data on the life history traits of Diploderma species have been reported to date. Here, the age and growth of a population of D. micangshanense were revealed using skeletochronology for the first time. Females have greater snout-vent length (SVL) than males, but the mean SVL did not significantly differ between the sexes. Age ranged from one to four years in both sexes, and mean ages were 2.24 ± 0.10 years for males and 2.28 ± 0.12 years for females. No significant sexual differences were detected in either age structure or mean age. Age and body size were significantly positively correlated in both sexes. The growth coefficient k (males: 0.510; females: 0.441) and growth rate (males: 4.33 ± 0.38; females: 4.91 ± 0.39) were similar in both sexes. These results have implications for the population dynamics and management of this species.
{"title":"Age and growth of the mountain dragon, Diploderma micangshanense (Squamata: Lacertilia: Agamidae)","authors":"Xiuying Liu, Guanglu Li, Changxiu Liu, Jianli Xiong","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10112","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Knowledge of life history is important for understanding population ecology. The genus Diploderma is one of the most diverse genera in the family Agamidae, and no data on the life history traits of Diploderma species have been reported to date. Here, the age and growth of a population of D. micangshanense were revealed using skeletochronology for the first time. Females have greater snout-vent length (SVL) than males, but the mean SVL did not significantly differ between the sexes. Age ranged from one to four years in both sexes, and mean ages were 2.24 ± 0.10 years for males and 2.28 ± 0.12 years for females. No significant sexual differences were detected in either age structure or mean age. Age and body size were significantly positively correlated in both sexes. The growth coefficient k (males: 0.510; females: 0.441) and growth rate (males: 4.33 ± 0.38; females: 4.91 ± 0.39) were similar in both sexes. These results have implications for the population dynamics and management of this species.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43143899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-17DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10110
M. Iranmanesh, M. Askari Hesni, M. Lashkari
The challenges fish face in intraspecific communication has resulted in adaptation in different parts of their sensory system, including the auditory system. Evidence suggests that the sensory capability is specific for each species. The otolith is a part of the auditory system of teleost fish, and plays an important role in maintaining balance and in hearing. According to previous research, the morphological variation of otoliths is a result of a synergy between genetic and environmental factors such as depth, diet, swimming, and substrates. In this research we focused to explain (1) morphological variations of the otolith of gobiid fish as an animal inhabiting both aquatic and terrestrial environments; (2) the use of this morphological variations for distinguishing gobiid fish; and (3) how communication systems adapt to the local environment. The sagittal otoliths of six species of gobiid fish were extracted and described. In the next step, we studied the sagittal otoliths using the geometric morphometrics method and shape indices. The most common characteristics of the sagitta in the studied gobies fish were the median and mesial sulcus and the absence of a clear rostrum and antirostrum. A comparison between the examined methods showed that the geometric morphometric approach was able to detect the subtle differences between gobies species. Moreover, it seems that lifestyle and vision could affect the efficiency of the auditory system, in particular the otolith shape. For example, it seems the specific otolith shape of Periophthalmus waltoni (a species that unlike other fish spends most of its time out of the water) perhaps is a result of adaptation to land and water.
{"title":"Morphological surveys of the sagittal otolith of marine gobiid fish (Teleostei: Gobioidei)","authors":"M. Iranmanesh, M. Askari Hesni, M. Lashkari","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10110","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000The challenges fish face in intraspecific communication has resulted in adaptation in different parts of their sensory system, including the auditory system. Evidence suggests that the sensory capability is specific for each species. The otolith is a part of the auditory system of teleost fish, and plays an important role in maintaining balance and in hearing. According to previous research, the morphological variation of otoliths is a result of a synergy between genetic and environmental factors such as depth, diet, swimming, and substrates. In this research we focused to explain (1) morphological variations of the otolith of gobiid fish as an animal inhabiting both aquatic and terrestrial environments; (2) the use of this morphological variations for distinguishing gobiid fish; and (3) how communication systems adapt to the local environment. The sagittal otoliths of six species of gobiid fish were extracted and described. In the next step, we studied the sagittal otoliths using the geometric morphometrics method and shape indices. The most common characteristics of the sagitta in the studied gobies fish were the median and mesial sulcus and the absence of a clear rostrum and antirostrum. A comparison between the examined methods showed that the geometric morphometric approach was able to detect the subtle differences between gobies species. Moreover, it seems that lifestyle and vision could affect the efficiency of the auditory system, in particular the otolith shape. For example, it seems the specific otolith shape of Periophthalmus waltoni (a species that unlike other fish spends most of its time out of the water) perhaps is a result of adaptation to land and water.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46553240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Understanding the habitat selection patterns of animals is important for developing land-use plans for species conservation. The death of endangered Amami rabbits ( Pentalagus furnessi ), which are found only on two islands in Japan, due to vehicle collisions is a serious problem. To reduce the incidence of road kill and conserve the population of Amami rabbits, factors that contribute to the species’ proximity to roads need to be examined. We examined the habitat selection of Amami rabbits by counting their fecal pellet groups on roads on Tokuno-Shima Island, Japan. We obtained 101 presence observations, which revealed that Amami rabbits select areas close to natural forests, farmlands, and rivers and areas with steeper slopes. The selection by the species of natural forest and farmland is likely due to the availability of herbaceous and shrub plants at forest edges and crops and weeds in farmland for foraging. The high utilization of steep-sloping terrain could help Amami rabbits minimize predation risk from the native habu pit viper ( Protobothrops flavoviridis ). The frequent utilization of forest edges and farmland by Amami rabbits increases their risk of becoming road kill and the risk of crop damage, which are serious problems on the island. To prevent Amami rabbits from crossing roads and reduce crop damage, fences should be constructed particularly in high-rabbit-density areas, and should not facilitate population fragmentation of the species.
{"title":"Habitat selection of endangered Amami rabbits on Tokuno-Shima Island in Japan as assessed by counting fecal pellet groups on roads","authors":"Yoshikazu Seki, Katsumi Nakashima, Atsushi Nakashima","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10109","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Understanding the habitat selection patterns of animals is important for developing land-use plans for species conservation. The death of endangered Amami rabbits ( Pentalagus furnessi ), which are found only on two islands in Japan, due to vehicle collisions is a serious problem. To reduce the incidence of road kill and conserve the population of Amami rabbits, factors that contribute to the species’ proximity to roads need to be examined. We examined the habitat selection of Amami rabbits by counting their fecal pellet groups on roads on Tokuno-Shima Island, Japan. We obtained 101 presence observations, which revealed that Amami rabbits select areas close to natural forests, farmlands, and rivers and areas with steeper slopes. The selection by the species of natural forest and farmland is likely due to the availability of herbaceous and shrub plants at forest edges and crops and weeds in farmland for foraging. The high utilization of steep-sloping terrain could help Amami rabbits minimize predation risk from the native habu pit viper ( Protobothrops flavoviridis ). The frequent utilization of forest edges and farmland by Amami rabbits increases their risk of becoming road kill and the risk of crop damage, which are serious problems on the island. To prevent Amami rabbits from crossing roads and reduce crop damage, fences should be constructed particularly in high-rabbit-density areas, and should not facilitate population fragmentation of the species.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136084417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10108
Yuchen Zheng, Yu Zeng, Jin Li, Jianhan Gong, Zhenyu Lv
Boldness is closely related to fish species’ adaptative strategies and invasiveness and has become the focus of fish personality research. However, due to the lack of studies on behavioral stages, the ecological functions of certain behaviors remain unclear. To better understand the link between boldness and invasiveness in stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva), an invasive Asian fish species, we exposed the fish to an open-field environment for 60 min and assessed their behavioral patterns, profiles, and stages. The results show that the boldness behavior of stone moroko was characterized by high activity, low average velocity, and diverse swimming postures. Five behavioral stages with significant differences were revealed: outbreak, inhibition, slow swimming, exploration, and adaptation. These observations suggest that stone moroko can quickly habituate to new environments. In addition, stone moroko spent more energy on exploring the living area and less on environmental risk assessment, as revealed by an analysis of their energy trade-off strategy. The behavioral strategies of stone moroko may explain their extremely high environmental adaptability and ability to invade multiple environments.
{"title":"Boldness behavior and ecological adaptability of stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva) in open-field testing","authors":"Yuchen Zheng, Yu Zeng, Jin Li, Jianhan Gong, Zhenyu Lv","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10108","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Boldness is closely related to fish species’ adaptative strategies and invasiveness and has become the focus of fish personality research. However, due to the lack of studies on behavioral stages, the ecological functions of certain behaviors remain unclear. To better understand the link between boldness and invasiveness in stone moroko (Pseudorasbora parva), an invasive Asian fish species, we exposed the fish to an open-field environment for 60 min and assessed their behavioral patterns, profiles, and stages. The results show that the boldness behavior of stone moroko was characterized by high activity, low average velocity, and diverse swimming postures. Five behavioral stages with significant differences were revealed: outbreak, inhibition, slow swimming, exploration, and adaptation. These observations suggest that stone moroko can quickly habituate to new environments. In addition, stone moroko spent more energy on exploring the living area and less on environmental risk assessment, as revealed by an analysis of their energy trade-off strategy. The behavioral strategies of stone moroko may explain their extremely high environmental adaptability and ability to invade multiple environments.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47376940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10107
Siyao Li, Jianxun Liao, Xiaodan Liu, Lihuan Zhang, Z. Luo, Huixiang Zhang, Xue Cao
Dolphins are marine mammals with unique anatomical structures in their airways. These particular respiratory structures make dolphins very sensitive to microorganisms in the air, and the habitats of dolphins in captivity and in the wild are quite different. This causes captive dolphins to suffer from illnesses, especially respiratory diseases. Previous studies have shown that the respiratory flora plays an essential role in the health of humans and animals. Therefore, by comparative analysis of the respiratory flora of wild dolphins and dolphins in captivity, we want to find the flora related to dolphins’ respiratory diseases, and try to improve dolphin health through flora homeostasis. For this purpose, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and analyses. We found that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Campilobacterota, Paracoccus, and other flora differed between wild and healthy and sub-healthy captive dolphins. Some of them are the dominant flora for promoting health, and the others may be essential pathogenic bacteria in the sub-healthy state of dolphins in captivity.
{"title":"Difference analysis of respiratory pore flora between dolphins in the wild and in captivity","authors":"Siyao Li, Jianxun Liao, Xiaodan Liu, Lihuan Zhang, Z. Luo, Huixiang Zhang, Xue Cao","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10107","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Dolphins are marine mammals with unique anatomical structures in their airways. These particular respiratory structures make dolphins very sensitive to microorganisms in the air, and the habitats of dolphins in captivity and in the wild are quite different. This causes captive dolphins to suffer from illnesses, especially respiratory diseases. Previous studies have shown that the respiratory flora plays an essential role in the health of humans and animals. Therefore, by comparative analysis of the respiratory flora of wild dolphins and dolphins in captivity, we want to find the flora related to dolphins’ respiratory diseases, and try to improve dolphin health through flora homeostasis. For this purpose, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and analyses. We found that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Campilobacterota, Paracoccus, and other flora differed between wild and healthy and sub-healthy captive dolphins. Some of them are the dominant flora for promoting health, and the others may be essential pathogenic bacteria in the sub-healthy state of dolphins in captivity.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47206457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-28DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10106
Serkan Gül, Cantekin Dursun, Bilal Kutrup, N. Üzüm, N. Özdemir
Understanding climatic variables to determine the ecological niche is crucial to explaining species distributions and revealing how sister species coexist within a geographic area. Here, we used ecological niche modeling to determine the ecological niche patterns of two toad species in Türkiye: Bufo bufo and Bufo verrucosissimus. Thus, we tested the ecological niche divergence and similarity between these species. In our results, the potential distribution of B. verrucosissimus showed high suitability throughout all Caucasus hotspots, and this suitability has been found even along the middle and western coast of Türkiye, but suitability was found to be very weak in the southern part of Türkiye. For B. bufo, the distribution pattern indicated high suitability along the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts of Türkiye, but this suitability was low throughout Caucasus hotspots. Furthermore, we found that among B. bufo and B. verrucosissimus, the niches are not identical, but this situation is different in the background test. Therefore, we suggested that although there is niche conservatism between the two sister species, this pattern is caused by geographic barriers, not climatic parameters.
{"title":"Comparison of the ecological niche of two closely related toads (Bufo bufo and Bufo verrucosissimus)","authors":"Serkan Gül, Cantekin Dursun, Bilal Kutrup, N. Üzüm, N. Özdemir","doi":"10.1163/15707563-bja10106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/15707563-bja10106","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Understanding climatic variables to determine the ecological niche is crucial to explaining species distributions and revealing how sister species coexist within a geographic area. Here, we used ecological niche modeling to determine the ecological niche patterns of two toad species in Türkiye: Bufo bufo and Bufo verrucosissimus. Thus, we tested the ecological niche divergence and similarity between these species. In our results, the potential distribution of B. verrucosissimus showed high suitability throughout all Caucasus hotspots, and this suitability has been found even along the middle and western coast of Türkiye, but suitability was found to be very weak in the southern part of Türkiye. For B. bufo, the distribution pattern indicated high suitability along the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts of Türkiye, but this suitability was low throughout Caucasus hotspots. Furthermore, we found that among B. bufo and B. verrucosissimus, the niches are not identical, but this situation is different in the background test. Therefore, we suggested that although there is niche conservatism between the two sister species, this pattern is caused by geographic barriers, not climatic parameters.","PeriodicalId":7876,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42494878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-29DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10105
J. Verocai, A. Lombarte, W. Norbis
The otoliths of teleosts are part of the inner ear. They are related to the balance system and are also mechanical components of sound transmission, responsible for hearing in fish. Their morphology is determined by the function they perform and is also influenced by environmental factors. In this context, our goal was to: analyse the possible morphological changes of sagitta otoliths of Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) during its ontogeny, based on six biometric indexes. We analysed 162 sagittae otoliths of Micropogonias furnieri collected in the Rio de la Plata estuary. The variation of the indexes was associated with the different size groups. Rectangularity and aspect ratio [otolith length/total fish length (OL/TL) and sulcus area/otolith area (SA/OA)] were the indexes that contributed the most to the discriminant function. Biometric index differences were related to diverse juvenile environments. The observed shift in the SA/OA relationship could be attributable to a need to respond to a change in the perception of sound (pulse and frequency) experienced by individuals larger than 20 cm that begin to frequent the same areas as spawning adults. In this sense, the ontogenetic morphological change of sagitta otoliths plays an important role in perception and acoustic communication for this species.
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