Es descobreix un patró d'ossificació comú en els ungulats

Tots els vertebrats tenim un esquelet ossi. Però la formació dels ossos varia entre individus i entre espècies. Investigadors de la UAB han trobat un patró d'ossificació en els Ungulats, nom genèric de qualsevol mamífer les extremitats del qual acaben en peülles, diferent en funció de si els ossos estan sotmesos a tensions o a pressions. Aquesta nova aproximació pot ser aplicada a l'estudi de fòssils de mamífers extints i ser útil tant per establir relacions filogenètiques de parentiu com per conèixer aspectes funcionals de l'evolució dels vertebrats.Todos los vertebrados tenemos un esqueleto óseo. Pero la formación de los huesos varía entre individuos y entre especies. Investigadores de la UAB han encontrado un patrón de osificación en los Ungulados, nombre genérico de cualquier mamífero cuyas extremidades terminan en pezuñas, diferente en función de si los huesos están sometidos a tensiones o presiones. Esta nueva aproximación puede ser aplicada al estudio de fósiles de mamíferos extintos y ser útil tanto para establecer relaciones filogenéticas de parentesco como para conocer aspectos funcionales de la evolución de los vertebrados

Mismeasure of secondary sexual traits: An example with horn growth in the Iberian ibex

Monitoring programmes and studies focused on secondary sexual characters (SSCs) depend on the accuracy of measurements. However, methods of measurements of SSC, such as horns of ungulates, vary throughout the literature. Thus, the accuracy of horn growth measurements as proxies of true horn growth and the comparability of results inferred from different horn growth measurements may be questionable. We used the horns of Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica to compare horn growth measurements and to analyse reliability with true horn growth. Our results reveal that measurements used in previous studies differed substantially from true horn growth and volume estimated as a barrel appeared as the best proxy of annular segments of horns in the Iberian ibex. Horn growth measurements are not necessarily mutually comparable, just as classical measurements are not necessarily representative of true horn growth. We discuss the wider implications of these results and suggest that biological processes linked to horns of ungulates should be reappraised using improved and accurate measurements because horn growth pattern is a key factor in sustainable management and conservation plans of ungulate species around the world. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Zoology © 2012 The Zoological Society of London.Peer Reviewe

Negative effect of the arthropod parasite, Sarcoptes scabiei, on testes mass in Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica

Testes mass is a key factor in male reproductive success and is potentially exposed to so-called 'parasitic castration'. This is the result of the direct destruction or alteration of reproductive cell lineages (parasitic castration sensu stricto), or the indirect detrimental effects - for example, via body condition - on the ability of progenitors to produce or rear offspring (parasitic castration sensu lato). There are enormous gaps in our knowledge on the effects of parasites on the testes of wild mammals and in an attempt to rectify this dearth of data we examined the relationship between the skin parasite Sarcoptes scabiei and testes mass in Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica. We considered data from 222 males that were culled in the population from the Sierra Nevada in Spain. Our results provide evidence that sarcoptic mange is associated with reduced size-corrected testes mass in Iberian ibex which supports the hypothesis that parasitism is a determining factor in gonad plasticity in male mammals. We discuss several hypothetical causes of this relationship and highlight the need to deepen the sub-lethal effects of pathogens if we are to accurately understand their modulator effects on host population dynamics. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.Peer Reviewe

HPLC‐QTOF method for quantifying 11‐ketoetiocholanolone, a cortisol metabolite, in ruminants' feces: Optimization and validation

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd[EN]Studies of animal ecology can benefit from a quantified understanding of eco-physiological processes and, in particular, of the physiological responses in free-ranging animals to potential stressors. The determination of fecal cortisol metabolites as a noninvasive method for monitoring stress has proved to be a powerful tool. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/ MS) has emerged as the most accurate method for avoiding problems related to the nonspecificity of immunoassays. In this study, we optimize and validate a reliable method using HPLC-MS/ MS for quantifying 11-ketoetiocholanolone (11-k), a representative fecal cortisol metabolite in ruminants. An appropriate extraction and purification procedure was developed taking into account the complex nature of feces. The final extract obtained was then analyzed with HPLC-MS/ MS using a quadrupole-time- of- fly (QTOF) tandem mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization interface operating in positive mode, which allowed an unequivocal determination of the metabolite due to its accurate mass capabilities. After rigorous optimization of both sample extraction and the HPLC-QTOF parameters, making use of feces from free-ranging Iberian ibex, ideal conditions were established. Matrix-matched standards were used to calibrate the method. The limit of detection and quantification was 13-and 40-ng/ g, respectively. The validation of the method was performed with recoveries in the range of 85–110%, a figure much higher than the 60% obtained with the previous extraction methods used in our laboratory, and with relative standard deviations (RSDs) no higher than 15% for the complete analytical procedure, including extraction and analysis. The time required for the fecal 11-k analysis was greatly reduced in comparison with the previous work carried out in our laboratory. This is the first time that QTOF mass detection coupled with HPLC has been validated for 11-k quantification in feces from free-ranging ruminants such as Iberian ibex. Given the high selectivity and sensitivity attained, our method could become a useful tool for noninvasive stress quantification in ruminants.SIThis study was partly funded by the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs (France), project FNC-PSN-PR4-2013. The technical and human support provided by the CICT of Jaén University (UJA, MINECO, Junta de Andalucía, FEDER) is gratefully acknowledged. The research activities of the authors were partially supported by the PAIDI, Junta de Andalucía (RNM-118 group and RNM-175 groups), as well as by the grant P07-RNM-03087 and the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER). This study complied with all Andalusian, Spanish and European legal requirements and guidelines regarding experimentation and animal welfare. It was approved by the Committee on Ethics of Animal Experimentation of the University of Jaén and authorized by the General Direction of Agriculture and Livestock of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment of the Junta de Andalucía

Exposure of Wild Ungulates to the Usutu and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses in France in 2009-2014: Evidence of Undetected Flavivirus Circulation a Decade Ago

16 Pág.Abstract: Flaviviruses have become increasingly important pathogens in Europe over the past few decades. A better understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of flaviviruses in France is needed to better define risk areas and to gain knowledge of the dynamics of virus transmission cycles. Serum samples from 1014 wild boar and 758 roe deer from 16 departments (administrative units) in France collected from 2009 to 2014 were screened for flavivirus antibodies using a competitive ELISA (cELISA) technique. Serum samples found to be positive or doubtful by cELISA were then tested for antibodies directed against West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), Bagaza virus (BAGV), and tick-borne encephalitis/Louping ill viruses (TBEV/LIV) by microsphere immunoassays (except BAGV) and micro-neutralization tests. USUV antibodies were detected only in southeastern and southwestern areas. TBEV/LIV antibodies were detected in serum samples from eastern, southwestern and northern departments. The results indicate continuous circulation of USUV in southern France from 2009 to 2014, which was unnoticed by the French monitoring system for bird mortality. The findings also confirm wider distribution of TBEV in the eastern part of the country than of human clinical cases. However, further studies are needed to determine the tick-borne flavivirus responsible for the seroconversion in southwestern and northern France.This research was funded by the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs, grant number FNC-PSN-PS1-2013.Peer reviewe

Mismeasure of secondary sexual traits: An example with horn growth in the Iberian ibex

Monitoring programmes and studies focused on secondary sexual characters (SSCs) depend on the accuracy of measurements. However, methods of measurements of SSC, such as horns of ungulates, vary throughout the literature. Thus, the accuracy of horn growth measurements as proxies of true horn growth and the comparability of results inferred from different horn growth measurements may be questionable. We used the horns of Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica to compare horn growth measurements and to analyse reliability with true horn growth. Our results reveal that measurements used in previous studies differed substantially from true horn growth and volume estimated as a barrel appeared as the best proxy of annular segments of horns in the Iberian ibex. Horn growth measurements are not necessarily mutually comparable, just as classical measurements are not necessarily representative of true horn growth. We discuss the wider implications of these results and suggest that biological processes linked to horns of ungulates should be reappraised using improved and accurate measurements because horn growth pattern is a key factor in sustainable management and conservation plans of ungulate species around the world. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Zoology © 2012 The Zoological Society of London.Peer Reviewe

Advances in studies of disease-navigating webs: Sarcoptes scabiei as a case study

The discipline of epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in defined anima populations. It is the key to evidence-based medicine, which is one of the cornerstones of public health. One of the important facets of epidemiology is disease-navigating webs (disease-NW) through which zoonotic and multi-host parasites in general move from one host to another. Epidemiology in this context includes (i) classical epidemiological approaches based on the statistical analysis of disease prevalence and distribution and, more recently, (ii) genetic approaches with approximations of disease-agent population genetics. Both approaches, classical epidemiology and population genetics, are useful for studying disease-NW. However, both have strengths and weaknesses when applied separately, which, unfortunately, is too often current practice. In this paper, we use Sarcoptes scabiei mite epidemiology as a case study to show how important an integrated approach can be in understanding disease-NW and subsequent disease control.Project support was provided by Proyecto de Excelencia RNM 06400 (Junta de Andalucia, Spain) and Juan de la Cierva Grant (MinisterioInnovación y ciencia, Spain), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (Grant No. 201303037), the PRIN 2010/2011 Grant (Ministero Università e Ricerca, Italy, Code D11J2000360001) and the Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of Gansu Province (Grant No. 1210RJIA006).Peer Reviewe

Pseudoectoparasites: a new tool for exploring the relationship between host behaviour and ectoparasites

Peer Reviewe

Effects of season, age and body condition on allocation to testes mass in Iberian ibex

Sperm competition is a powerful evolutionary force, and understanding the factors that regulate testes characteristics may lead to a better understanding of the variability in male reproductive success. We explored the effects of age, body condition and season on relative testes mass in the Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica. We analysed the variability of testes mass from 175 individuals, using a model selection approach based on Akaike's information criterion corrected for a small sample size. The results suggest that season, age and body condition influenced relative testes mass. Allocation to testes mass was greatest in the rutting season (autumn) and at ages that are associated with a subordinate status and a coursing, rather than mate-guarding, reproductive strategy. In addition, males in good condition had relatively heavier testes than those in poor condition. Thus, testes mass in Iberian ibex is governed by multiple factors, and this study leads to a better understanding of gonad plasticity in this polygamous ungulate. The effect of age matches the predictions from theoretical studies on sperm competition, which suggests greater allocation to testes in disadvantaged males. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Zoological Society of London.Peer Reviewe