Acute stress and restricted diet reduce bill-mediated heat dissipation in the song sparrow (Melospiza melodia): implications for optimal thermoregulation.

We used thermal imaging to show that two environmental factors - acute stress and diet - influence thermoregulatory performance of a known thermal window, the avian bill. The bill plays important roles in thermoregulation and water balance. Given that heat loss through the bill is adjustable through vasoconstriction and vasodilation, and acute stress can cause vasoconstriction in peripheral body surfaces, we hypothesized that stress may influence the bill's role as a thermal window.

Whole genome analysis of clouded leopard species reveals an ancient divergence and distinct demographic histories.

Similar to other apex predator species, populations of mainland () and Sunda () clouded leopards are declining. Understanding their patterns of genetic variation can provide critical insights on past genetic erosion and a baseline for understanding their long-term conservation needs. As a step toward this goal, we present draft genome assemblies for the two clouded leopard species to quantify their phylogenetic divergence, genome-wide diversity, and historical population trends.

Microbial rewilding in the gut microbiomes of captive ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in Madagascar.

Microbial rewilding, whereby exposure to naturalistic environments can modulate or augment gut microbiomes and improve host-microbe symbiosis, is being harnessed as an innovative approach to human health, one that may also have significant value to animal care and conservation. To test for microbial rewilding in animal microbiomes, we used a unique population of wild-born ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) that were initially held as illegal pets in unnatural settings and, subsequently, relocated to a rescue center in Madagascar where they live in naturalistic environments. Using amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing of lemur and environmental microbiomes, we found multiple lines of evidence for microbial rewilding in lemurs that were transitioned from unnatural to naturalistic environments: A lemur's duration of exposure to naturalistic settings significantly correlated with (a) increased compositional similarly to the gut communities of wild lemurs, (b) decreased proportions of antibiotic resistance genes that were likely acquired via human contact during pethood, and (c) greater covariation with soil microbiomes from natural habitats.

Microbiomes associated with avian malaria survival differ between susceptible Hawaiian honeycreepers and sympatric malaria-resistant introduced birds.

Of the estimated 55 Hawaiian honeycreepers (subfamily Carduelinae) only 17 species remain, nine of which the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers endangered. Among the most pressing threats to honeycreeper survival is avian malaria, caused by the introduced blood parasite Plasmodium relictum, which is increasing in distribution in Hawai'i as a result of climate change. Preventing further honeycreeper decline will require innovative conservation strategies that confront malaria from multiple angles.

Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data.

Aim: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence.

Value Ranges and Clinical Comparisons of Serum DHEA-S, IL-6, and TNF-α in Western Lowland Gorillas.

Physiological data can provide valuable information about the health and welfare of animals. Unfortunately, few validated assays and a lack of information on species-typical levels of circulating biomarkers for wildlife make the measurement, interpretation, and practical application of such data difficult. We validated commercially available kits and calculated reference intervals (herein called "value ranges") for dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in a sample of zoo-housed western lowland gorillas due to the roles these biomarkers play in stress and immune responses.

Contrasting levels of hybridization across the two contact zones between two hedgehog species revealed by genome-wide SNP data.

Hybridization and introgression have played important roles in the history of various species, including lineage diversification and the evolution of adaptive traits. Hybridization can accelerate the development of reproductive isolation between diverging species, and thus valuable insight into the evolution of reproductive barrier formation may be gained by studying secondary contact zones. Hedgehogs of the genus Erinaceus, which are insectivores sensitive to changes in climate, are a pioneer model in Pleistocene phylogeography.

Wildfires disproportionately affected jaguars in the Pantanal.

The Pantanal wetland harbours the second largest population of jaguars in the world. Alongside climate and land-use changes, the recent mega-fires in the Pantanal may pose a threat to the jaguars' long-term survival. To put these growing threats into perspective, we addressed the reach and intensity of fires that have affected jaguar conservation in the Pantanal ecoregion over the last 16 years.

Physiological impacts of temperature variability and climate warming in hellbenders ().

Cold-adapted hellbender salamanders that inhabit cool mountain streams are expected to fare poorly under warmer projected climate scenarios. This study investigated the physiological consequences of long-term, naturalistic temperature variation on juvenile hellbenders under simulated current and warmer (+1.6 C) climates vs.

Effects of the insecticide β-endosulfan on tadpoles of Isthmohyla pseudopuma (Anura: Hylidae).

Conventional agriculture uses pesticides intensively. Once pesticides are released into the environment, they can be toxic to non-target organisms. Exposure of amphibians to pesticides can be lethal and affect their growth, development and behavior.

Cascading effects of habitat loss on ectoparasite-associated bacterial microbiomes.

Suitable habitat fragment size, isolation, and distance from a source are important variables influencing community composition of plants and animals, but the role of these environmental factors in determining composition and variation of host-associated microbial communities is poorly known. In parasite-associated microbial communities, it is hypothesized that evolution and ecology of an arthropod parasite will influence its microbiome more than broader environmental factors, but this hypothesis has not been extensively tested. To examine the influence of the broader environment on the parasite microbiome, we applied high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of 16S rRNA to characterize the microbiome of 222 obligate ectoparasitic bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) collected from 155 bats (representing six species) from ten habitat fragments in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

Laying low: Rugged lowland rainforest preferred by feral cats in the Australian Wet Tropics.

Invasive mesopredators are responsible for the decline of many species of native mammals worldwide. Feral cats have been causally linked to multiple extinctions of Australian mammals since European colonization. While feral cats are found throughout Australia, most research has been undertaken in arid habitats, thus there is a limited understanding of feral cat distribution, abundance, and ecology in Australian tropical rainforests.

CHANGES IN SERUM CARDIAC TROPONIN I IN ASIAN ELEPHANTS () WITH ELEPHANT ENDOTHELIOTROPIC HERPESVIRUS INFECTION.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is one of the most important causes of mortality in Asian elephants (). The unusual tropism of EEHV for endothelial cells of capillaries can lead to catastrophic vascular dysfunction, hemorrhage, cardiac damage, and death. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is an intracellular protein of cardiomyocytes that is released into circulation in levels directly correlated to the severity of cardiomyocyte damage.

Distribution of canine distemper virus and nectin-4 in raccoon () skin.

Raccoons () are abundant in urban/wildland interfaces and are key sources of canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreaks in domestic, zoo, and free-ranging wildlife species. CDV is pantropic, which provides multiple potential routes of transmission (urine, respiratory secretions, feces), but the specific role of skin as a target of infection, as a diagnostic sample, or as a potential source of environmental persistence and transmission is unknown. We have characterized the distribution of CDV and its known receptor, nectin-4, in skin samples of 36 raccoons.

Predator control of marine communities increases with temperature across 115 degrees of latitude.

Early naturalists suggested that predation intensity increases toward the tropics, affecting fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes by latitude, but empirical support is still limited. Several studies have measured consumption rates across latitude at large scales, with variable results. Moreover, how predation affects prey community composition at such geographic scales remains unknown.

Genomic Signatures of Divergent Ecological Strategies in a Recent Radiation of Neotropical Wild Cats.

Ecological differentiation among diverging species is an important component of the evolutionary process and can be investigated in rapid and recent radiations. Here, we use whole genome sequences of five species from the genus Leopardus, a recently diversified Neotropical lineage with species bearing distinctive morphological, ecological, and behavioral features, to investigate genome-wide diversity, comparative demographic history and signatures of positive selection. Our results show that divergent ecological strategies are reflected in genomic features, for example a generalist species shows historically larger effective population size and higher heterozygosity than habitat specialists.

sensu stricto in African Apes, What Is Its True Health Impact?

Since the Symposium on Mycobacterial Infections of Zoo Animals held at the National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution in 1976, our understanding of tuberculosis (TB) in non-domestic animals has greatly expanded. Throughout the past decades, this knowledge has resulted in improved zoo-habitats and facilities design, stricter biosecurity measures, and advanced diagnostic methods, including molecular techniques, that have significantly decreased the number of clinical disease caused by in apes under human care settings. In the other hand, exponential growth of human populations has led to human encroachment in wildlife habitat which has resulted in increased inter-species contact and recurrent conflict between humans and wild animals.

Integrating data types to estimate spatial patterns of avian migration across the Western Hemisphere.

For many avian species, spatial migration patterns remain largely undescribed, especially across hemispheric extents. Recent advancements in tracking technologies and high-resolution species distribution models (i.e.

Long-term preservation of germ cells and gonadal tissues at ambient temperatures.

Objective: To present an overview of different approaches and recent advances for long-term preservation of germ cells and gonadal tissues at ambient temperatures.

Methods: Review of the existing literature.

Results: Preserving viable spermatozoa, eggs, embryos, and gonadal tissues for the long term is critical in human fertility treatment and for the management of animal populations (livestock, biomedical models, and wild species).