Mate choice for neutral and MHC genetic characteristics in Alpine marmots : different targets in different contexts?

We warmly thank all students and Earthwatch volunteers involved in catching the marmots and the authorities of the Vanoise National Park for granting us permission to work in the Grande Sassière Nature Reserve. We thank M. Harrington for English editing and Dr. E. Rajon for helpful discussions on the manuscript. This work was supported by the "Agence Nationale de la Recherche" (ANR, project ANR-08-BLAN-0214-03, ANR-13-JSV7-0005), the "Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique" (CNRS), the "FR41 BioEnvironnement et Santé de l'Université de Lyon" and the "Earthwatch Institute", the scholarship for postgraduate studies "Obra Social Fundació La Caixa" and Vetagro-Sup.Sexual selection through female mate choice for genetic characteristics has been suggested to be an important evolutionary force maintaining genetic variation in animal populations. However, the genetic targets of female mate choice are not clearly identified and whether female mate choice is based on neutral genetic characteristics or on particular functional loci remains an open question. Here, we investigated the genetic targets of female mate choice in Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota), a socially monogamous mammal where extra-pair paternity (EPP) occurs. We used 16 microsatellites to describe neutral genetic characteristics and two MHC loci belonging to MHC class I and II as functional genetic characteristics. Our results reveal that (1) neutral and MHC genetic characteristics convey different information in this species, (2) social pairs show a higher MHC class II dissimilarity than expected under random mate choice, and (3) the occurrence of EPP increases when social pairs present a high neutral genetic similarity or dissimilarity but also when they present low MHC class II dissimilarity. Thus, female mate choice is based on both neutral and MHC genetic characteristics, and the genetic characteristics targeted seem to be context dependent (i.e., the genes involved in social mate choice and genetic mate choice differ). We emphasize the need for empirical studies of mate choice in the wild using both neutral and MHC genetic characteristics because whether neutral and functional genetic characteristics convey similar information is not universal

Higher risk of gastrointestinal parasite infection at lower elevation suggests possible constraints in the distributional niche of Alpine marmots

Alpine marmots Marmota marmota occupy a narrow altitudinal niche within high elevation alpine environments. For animals living at such high elevations where resources are limited, parasitism represents a potential major cost in life history. Using occupancy models, we tested if marmots living at higher elevation have a reduced risk of being infected with gastrointestinal helminths, possibly compensating the lower availability of resources (shorter feeding season, longer snow cover and lower temperature) than marmots inhabiting lower elevations. Detection probability of eggs and oncospheres of two gastro-intestinal helminthic parasites, Ascaris laevis and Ctenotaenia marmotae, sampled in marmot feces, was used as a proxy of parasite abundance. As predicted, the models showed a negative relationship between elevation and parasite detectability (i.e. abundance) for both species, while there appeared to be a negative effect of solar radiance only for C. marmotae. Site-occupancy models are used here for the first time to model the constrains of gastrointestinal parasitism on a wild species and the relationship existing between endoparasites and environmental factors in a population of free-living animals. The results of this study suggest the future use of site-occupancy models as a viable tool to account for parasite imperfect detection in ecoparasitological studies, and give useful insights to further investigate the hypothesis of the contribution of parasite infection in constraining the altitudinal niche of Alpine marmots

Les urgences chez les lapins de compagnie (comment les gerer en pratique à l'aide d'un site internet)

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocTOULOUSE-EN Vétérinaire (315552301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Le Rat (nouvel animal de compagnie)

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF

L'exercice rural est-il plus difficile pour une femme vétérinaire ? (enquêtes auprès des vétérinaires praticiens et des éleveurs de bovins)

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocTOULOUSE-EN Vétérinaire (315552301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Etude épidémiologique de la diphyllobothriose (zoonose parasitaire en Haute-Savoie)

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocTOULOUSE-EN Vétérinaire (315552301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Séroprévalence de Toxoplasma Gondii dans les populations naturelles d'ongulés de montagne (étude rétrospective et comparaison des tests sérologiques ELISA et MAT)

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Approche séro-épidémiologique des avortements à Neospora caninum chez les bovins dans le département du Jura

LYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF