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Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Oct 2023Despite discussions extending back almost 160 years, the means by which Madagascar's iconic land vertebrates arrived on the island remains the focus of active debate.... (Review)
Review
Despite discussions extending back almost 160 years, the means by which Madagascar's iconic land vertebrates arrived on the island remains the focus of active debate. Three options have been considered: vicariance, range expansion across land bridges, and dispersal over water. The first assumes that a group (clade/lineage) occupied the island when it was connected with the other Gondwana landmasses in the Mesozoic. Causeways to Africa do not exist today, but have been proposed by some researchers for various times in the Cenozoic. Over-water dispersal could be from rafting on floating vegetation (flotsam) or by swimming/drifting. A recent appraisal of the geological data supported the idea of vicariance, but found nothing to justify the notion of past causeways. Here we review the biological evidence for the mechanisms that explain the origins of 28 of Madagascar's land vertebrate clades [two other lineages (the geckos Geckolepis and Paragehyra) could not be included in the analysis due to phylogenetic uncertainties]. The podocnemid turtles and typhlopoid snakes are conspicuous for they appear to have arisen through a deep-time vicariance event. The two options for the remaining 26 (16 reptile, five land-bound-mammal, and five amphibian), which arrived between the latest Cretaceous and the present, are dispersal across land bridges or over water. As these would produce very different temporal influx patterns, we assembled and analysed published arrival times for each of the groups. For all, a 'colonisation interval' was generated that was bracketed by its 'stem-old' and 'crown-young' tree-node ages; in two instances, the ranges were refined using palaeontological data. The synthesis of these intervals for all clades, which we term a colonisation profile, has a distinctive shape that can be compared, statistically, to various models, including those that assume the arrivals were focused in time. The analysis leads us to reject the various land bridge models (which would show temporal concentrations) and instead supports the idea of dispersal over water (temporally random). Therefore, the biological evidence is now in agreement with the geological evidence, as well as the filtered taxonomic composition of the fauna, in supporting over-water dispersal as the mechanism that explains all but two of Madagascar's land-vertebrate groups.
Topics: Animals; Madagascar; Mammals; Phylogeny; Water
PubMed: 37142264
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12966 -
FEMS Microbiology Reviews Jul 2023Phage therapy has re-emerged as a promising solution for combating antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. Increasingly, studies have revealed that phages possess... (Review)
Review
Phage therapy has re-emerged as a promising solution for combating antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections. Increasingly, studies have revealed that phages possess therapeutic potential beyond their antimicrobial properties, including regulating the gut microbiome and maintain intestinal homeostasis, as a novel nanocarrier for targeted drug delivery. However, the complexity and unpredictability of phage behavior during treatment pose a significant challenge in clinical practice. The intricate interactions established between phages, humans, and bacteria throughout their long coexistence in the natural ecosystem contribute to the complexity of phage behavior in therapy, raising concerns about their efficacy and safety as therapeutic agents. Revealing the mechanisms by which phages interact with the human body will provide a theoretical basis for increased application of promising phage therapy. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of phage-mammal interactions, including signaling pathways, adaptive immunity responses, and phage-mediated anti-inflammatory responses. Then, from the perspective of phage-mammalian immune system interactions, we present the first systematic overview of the factors affecting phage therapy, such as the mode of administration, the physiological status of the patient, and the biological properties of the phage, to offer new insights into phage therapy for various human diseases.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Bacteriophages; Phage Therapy; Ecosystem; Bacteria; Mammals; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37442611
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad042 -
Plant Biology (Stuttgart, Germany) Oct 2023Pollinator shifts are often related to speciation in angiosperms, and the relationship between them has been discussed in several plant taxa. Although limited... (Review)
Review
Pollinator shifts are often related to speciation in angiosperms, and the relationship between them has been discussed in several plant taxa. Although limited information on plants pollinated by non-flying mammals in Central and South America and Africa is available, related research has not been conducted in Asia. Herein, I summarize the available knowledge of pollination in Asian Mucuna (Fabaceae), a genus mainly distributed in the tropics, and discuss the evolution of plants pollinated by non-flying mammals in Asia. Nineteen pollinator species have been recorded and pollination systems have been categorized into four types. An examination of the relationship between Mucuna species and their pollinators from the lineage perspective revealed that all species in Mucuna, subgenus Macrocarpa, which are distributed in Asia, are pollinated exclusively by non-flying mammals. Additionally, plants pollinated by non-flying mammals were found to have diverged from bat-pollinated and non-flying mammal-pollinated plants, while plants pollinated by non-flying mammals have evolved multiple times. This is a unique example of evolutionary transition. I hypothesize that the diversification of squirrel species in tropical Asia may have led to the speciation and diversification of Mucuna in Asia. Furthermore, the behavioural and ecological characteristics of bats and birds in Asia differ from the characteristics of those in other regions, implying that Asian Mucuna species do not rely on bat or bird pollinators. The adaptation of floral characteristics to pollinators is not well understood in Asia. Mammal-pollinated plants in Asia may have evolved differently from those in other regions and have unique pollination systems.
Topics: Animals; Pollination; Fabaceae; Mucuna; Chiroptera; Flowers; Mammals; Plants
PubMed: 37408380
DOI: 10.1111/plb.13557 -
Cell Metabolism Nov 2023In mammal adolescence, cardiomyocytes rapidly exit the cell cycle, and heart regeneration in adults is limited after cardiac injury. Recent work by Li et al. in Nature...
In mammal adolescence, cardiomyocytes rapidly exit the cell cycle, and heart regeneration in adults is limited after cardiac injury. Recent work by Li et al. in Nature revealed that inhibition of fatty acid oxidation can rewire cell metabolism and lead to epigenetic reprogramming of cardiomyocytes to an immature state that facilitates cardiomyocyte cell-cycle reentry and heart regeneration in adult animals.
Topics: Animals; Myocytes, Cardiac; Epigenome; Heart; Cell Cycle; Cell Division; Regeneration; Cell Proliferation; Mammals
PubMed: 37939655
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.10.007 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Oct 2023Monitoring on the basis of sound recordings, or passive acoustic monitoring, can complement or serve as an alternative to real-time visual or aural monitoring of marine... (Review)
Review
Monitoring on the basis of sound recordings, or passive acoustic monitoring, can complement or serve as an alternative to real-time visual or aural monitoring of marine mammals and other animals by human observers. Passive acoustic data can support the estimation of common, individual-level ecological metrics, such as presence, detection-weighted occupancy, abundance and density, population viability and structure, and behaviour. Passive acoustic data also can support estimation of some community-level metrics, such as species richness and composition. The feasibility of estimation and certainty of estimates is highly context dependent, and understanding the factors that affect the reliability of measurements is useful for those considering whether to use passive acoustic data. Here, we review basic concepts and methods of passive acoustic sampling in marine systems that often are applicable to marine mammal research and conservation. Our ultimate aim is to facilitate collaboration among ecologists, bioacousticians, and data analysts. Ecological applications of passive acoustics require one to make decisions about sampling design, which in turn requires consideration of sound propagation, sampling of signals, and data storage. One also must make decisions about signal detection and classification and evaluation of the performance of algorithms for these tasks. Investment in the research and development of systems that automate detection and classification, including machine learning, are increasing. Passive acoustic monitoring is more reliable for detection of species presence than for estimation of other species-level metrics. Use of passive acoustic monitoring to distinguish among individual animals remains difficult. However, information about detection probability, vocalisation or cue rate, and relations between vocalisations and the number and behaviour of animals increases the feasibility of estimating abundance or density. Most sensor deployments are fixed in space or are sporadic, making temporal turnover in species composition more tractable to estimate than spatial turnover. Collaborations between acousticians and ecologists are most likely to be successful and rewarding when all partners critically examine and share a fundamental understanding of the target variables, sampling process, and analytical methods.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Reproducibility of Results; Acoustics; Population Density; Mammals; Vocalization, Animal
PubMed: 37142263
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12969 -
The Veterinary Clinics of North... May 2024Pediatric exotic companion animal nutrition is a broad topic, spanning small mammals, reptiles, and birds. Little research has been performed focusing on the juvenile... (Review)
Review
Pediatric exotic companion animal nutrition is a broad topic, spanning small mammals, reptiles, and birds. Little research has been performed focusing on the juvenile life stages of these species because they are largely acquired by clients at the young adult stage. The information that does exist has been compiled by wildlife rehabilitators, commercial breeders, and/or exotic captive breeding programs, such as those that exist in zoologic facilities. In this article, we discuss natural history, feeding strategies, energy requirements, digestive physiology and diet digestibility, and key nutrients of concern as factors for determining an appropriate diet for pediatric exotic species.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Pets; Animals, Exotic; Animals, Wild; Reptiles; Mammals
PubMed: 38030515
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvex.2023.11.016 -
PeerJ 2024The mammalian crown originated during the Mesozoic and subsequently radiated into the substantial array of forms now extant. However, for about 100 million years before...
The mammalian crown originated during the Mesozoic and subsequently radiated into the substantial array of forms now extant. However, for about 100 million years before the crown's origin, a diverse array of stem mammalian lineages dominated terrestrial ecosystems. Several of these stem lineages overlapped temporally and geographically with the crown mammals during the Mesozoic, but by the end of the Cretaceous crown mammals make up the overwhelming majority of the fossil record. The progress of this transition between ecosystems dominated by stem mammals and those dominated by crown mammals is not entirely clear, in part due to a distinct separation of analyses and datasets. Analyses of macroevolutionary patterns tend to focus on either the Mammaliaformes or the non-mammalian cynodonts, with little overlap in the datasets, preventing direct comparison of the diversification trends. Here I analyse species richness and biogeography of Synapsida as a whole during the Mesozoic, allowing comparison of the patterns in the mammalian crown and stem within a single framework. The analysis reveals the decline of the stem mammals occurred in two discrete phases. The first phase occurred between the Triassic and Middle Jurassic, during which the stem mammals were more restricted in their geographic range than the crown mammals, although within localities their species richness remained at levels seen previously. The second phase was a decline in species richness, which occurred during the Lower Cretaceous. The results show the decline of stem mammals, including tritylodontids and several mammaliaform groups, was not tied to a specific event, nor a gradual decline, but was instead a multiphase transition.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Fossils; Mammals
PubMed: 38436024
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17004 -
Zoonoses and Public Health Aug 2023Ťahyňa virus (TAHV) is an orthobunyavirus and was the first arbovirus isolated from mosquitoes in Europe and is associated with floodplain areas as a characteristic... (Review)
Review
Ťahyňa virus (TAHV) is an orthobunyavirus and was the first arbovirus isolated from mosquitoes in Europe and is associated with floodplain areas as a characteristic biotope, hares as reservoir hosts and the mammal-feeding mosquitoes Aedes vexans as the main vector. The disease caused by TAHV ("Valtice fever") was detected in people with acute flu-like illness in the 1960s, and later the medical significance of TAHV became the subject of many studies. Although TAHV infections are widespread, the prevalence and number of actual cases, clinical manifestations in humans and animals and the ecology of transmission by mosquitoes and their vertebrate hosts are rarely reported. Despite its association with meningitis in humans, TAHV is a neglected human pathogen with unknown public health importance in Central Europe, and a potential emerging disease threat elsewhere in Europe due to extreme summer flooding events.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Encephalitis Virus, California; Mosquito Vectors; Europe; Arboviruses; Aedes; Mammals
PubMed: 37128975
DOI: 10.1111/zph.13042 -
Molecular Ecology Resources Jan 2024Since Ficetola et al. (2008) alerted ecologists and conservation biologists to the existence of environmental DNA (eDNA), the number of studies using eDNA has exploded,...
Since Ficetola et al. (2008) alerted ecologists and conservation biologists to the existence of environmental DNA (eDNA), the number of studies using eDNA has exploded, with a rapidly increasing diversity of research, monitoring, and management objectives. Initial applications focused on amphibians and fishes while today's taxonomic targets span the phylogenetic tree. The environmental media that are sampled have expanded from freshwater to saltwater to soils, and, most recently, to air. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Lynggaard et al. (Molecular Ecology Resources, 2023) use eDNA captured on air filters to census vertebrate biodiversity in a forest. With a three day, six sample period, 143 sample effort in a nature park in a rural area of Zealand, Denmark, their wild species detections comprised about 25% of the terrestrial vertebrates that are known to occur in the area, including about 33% of the mammal, 17% of the bird, and 60% of the amphibian species. This study demonstrates that air sampling for eDNA has the potential to become a powerful standard method for terrestrial biodiversity assessment that is complementary to traditional methods (e.g., trapping, visual and acoustic observation, collection of scat and hair).
Topics: Animals; Phylogeny; Environmental Monitoring; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; Vertebrates; Biodiversity; Fishes; Amphibians; Mammals; DNA, Environmental; Ecosystem
PubMed: 37864493
DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13883 -
Trends in Genetics : TIG Aug 2023Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences present within host genomes. TEs can contribute to the evolution of host traits, since transposition is... (Review)
Review
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences present within host genomes. TEs can contribute to the evolution of host traits, since transposition is mutagenic and TEs often contain host regulatory and protein coding sequences. We review cases where TEs influence animal colouration, reporting major patterns and outstanding questions. TE-induced colouration phenotypes typically arise via introduction of novel regulatory sequences and splice sites, affecting pigment cell development or pigment synthesis. We discuss if particular TE types may be more frequently involved in the evolution of colour variation in animals, given that examples involving long terminal repeat (LTR) elements appear to dominate. Currently, examples of TE-induced colouration phenotypes in animals mainly concern model and domesticated insect and mammal species. However, several influential recent examples, coupled with increases in genome sequencing, suggest cases reported from wild species will increase considerably.
Topics: Animals; DNA Transposable Elements; Chromosome Mapping; Base Sequence; Mammals; Evolution, Molecular
PubMed: 37183153
DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.04.005