Integrative zoology最新文献

{"title":"The special adaptation to hypoxia facilitated the expansion of the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) into Tibet but not other Rattus species.","authors":"Ruidong Cao, Mingyu Zhang, Yi Chen, Guanmei Hou, Quansheng Liu, Jianxu Zhang, Yaohua Zhang","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rattus species are thought to live only at altitudes less than 2500 m, but the Asian house rat (R. tanezumi) (RT) has recently expanded to altitudes greater than 3500 m in China. Other Rattus species, especially brown rats (R. norvegicus) (RN), still reach only low altitudes on the Tibetan Plateau. Comparative genomics revealed the positive selection of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors 1 and 2 (HIFs) in RT, with the rapid evolution of HIF pathway genes in RT and Mus musculus (MM) but not RN or R. rattus. Population genomics revealed that genes associated with energy metabolism and oxygen transport were positively selected in RT compared with the other four Rattus species, and two specific substitutions (arginine 31 serine and leucine 33 methionine) were identified in the hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) in RT. The above results suggested that RT possesses unique genetic adaptations to hypoxia, which was further confirmed by behavioral experiments on RT and RN. Normobaric hypoxia significantly reduced locomotion in RN but not in RT. Moreover, through intraspecific transcriptome analysis, the expression of Hbb and genes related to angiogenesis, oxygen transport, and glycolysis was upregulated, and the expression of genes associated with immunological functions in the liver, lungs, and/or sperm was downregulated in RT compared to those in RN. Interspecific transcriptome analysis further revealed that HIF-1α plays a role in modulating the hypoxic adaptation of RT rather than RN. Our work provides genomic, behavioral, and physiological insights into why RT, but not other Rattus species, could invade the Tibetan Plateau.</p>","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140897962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of a small mammal.","authors":"Zaiwei Wang, Amy Martin, Dianne Brunton, Cyril C Grueter, Jiapeng Qu, Jin-Sheng He, Weihong Ji, Zhibiao Nan","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12836","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12836","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Grassland degradation is challenging the health of grassland ecosystems globally and causing biodiversity decline. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of grassland degradation on the abundance and behavior of small mammals. Little is known about how it affects the genetic structure of gregarious mammals in the wild. This study explores the effects of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of a small burrowing mammal, plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). We used nine microsatellite loci to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation between colonies and genetic relatedness between individuals within the colony. We found that pikas in severely degraded grasslands had a significantly higher genetic diversity within colonies, a higher level of gene flow between colonies, and a lower genetic differentiation between colonies compared to pikas in less degraded grasslands. Individuals within colonies had a significantly lower genetic relatedness in severely degraded grasslands than in less degraded grasslands. This study has provided potential evidence of a significant impact of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of pikas, which has caused a breakdown of their kin-selected colony structure.</p>","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140862149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of subtle variation in forest canopy openness on cache pilferage and its implications for forest regeneration","authors":"Hongying WANG, Bo WANG, Wenwen CHEN","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12831","url":null,"abstract":"Scatter‐hoarding rodents play important roles in plant regeneration and species coexistence in many forest ecosystems. Cache pilferage, the behavior of rodents seeking or relocating seeds cached by other individuals, is ubiquitous during the scatter‐hoarding process. The effects of canopy openness on cache pilferage have received considerable attention, most of which have focused on the comparison between full canopy cover and completely open areas, such as forest gaps. However, little attention has been given to whether the subtle variation in forest canopy openness affects cache pilferage, although subtle variation in light environments exists in many forests, especially tropical and subtropical forests, where the overall canopy is large and the forest window is relatively small. Here, we directly tested these questions by simulating 400 artificial caches, each containing one seed from four selected tree species, in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. The overall canopy openness of the forest was relatively small (with a mean value of 11.1%), but subtle spatial variation still existed (ranging from 5.7% to 19.5%). Overall, caches with lower canopy openness were more likely to be pilfered and removed faster, although not all species showed the same pattern. Our study highlights that subtle variation in forest canopy openness, even in a closed primary forest, has significant effects on cache pilferage by rodents, which may influence the following seed germination and forest regeneration processes. Additionally, seedling species composition may further be altered because the canopy effects on cache pilferage are species‐specific.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi‐omics reveal the gut microbiota‐mediated severe foraging environment adaption of small wild ruminants in the Three‐River‐Source National Park, China","authors":"Hongjin LIU, Xinquan ZHAO, Shixiao XU, Liang ZHAO, Xueping HAN, Xianli XU, Na ZHAO, Linyong HU, Chongliang LUO, Xungang WANG, Qian ZHANG, Tongqing GUO","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12830","url":null,"abstract":"The Tibetan antelope (<jats:italic>Pantholops hodgsonii</jats:italic>), blue sheep (<jats:italic>Pseudois nayaur)</jats:italic>, and Tibetan sheep (<jats:italic>Ovis aries</jats:italic>) are the dominant small ruminants in the Three‐River‐Source National Park (TRSNP). However, knowledge about the association between gut microbiota and host adaptability remains poorly understood. Herein, multi‐omics sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the gut microbiota‐mediated forage adaption in these ruminants. The results revealed that although wild ruminants (WR) of <jats:italic>P</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>hodgsoni</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>P. nayaur</jats:italic> were faced with severe foraging environments with significantly low vegetation coverage and nutrition, the apparent forage digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and acid detergent fiber was significantly higher than that of <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. The 16s rRNA sequencing showed that the gut microbiota in WR underwent convergent evolution, and alpha diversity in these two groups was significantly higher than that in <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Moreover, indicator species, including Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, exhibited positive relationships with apparent forage digestibility, and their relative abundances were enriched in the gut of WR. Enterotype analysis further revealed that enterotype 1 belonged to WR, and the abundance of fatty acid synthesis metabolic pathway‐related enzyme genes was significantly higher than enterotype 2, represented by <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Besides, the metagenomic analysis identified 14 pathogenic bacterial species, among which 10 potentially pathogenic bacteria were significantly enriched in the gut microbiota of <jats:italic>O. aries</jats:italic>. Furthermore, the cellulolytic strains and genes encoding cellulase and hemicellulase were significantly enriched in WR. In conclusion, our results provide new evidence of gut microbiota to facilitate wildlife adaption in severe foraging environments of the TRSNP, China.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intraspecific diversity of Meriones persicus (Rodentia; Gerbillinae), the main plague reservoir in Iran, and its connection to enzootic plague in Iran","authors":"Ahmad MAHMOUDI, Ehsan MOSTAFAVI, Boris KRYŠTUFEK","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12835","url":null,"abstract":"Plague, a lethal zoonotic disease, primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas. In Iran, the widely distributed jird, <jats:italic>Meriones persicus</jats:italic>, serves as the principal reservoir for plague, with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country. However, these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome <jats:italic>b</jats:italic> sub‐lineages (IA, IB, IIA, IIB). This discrepancy, combined with the presence of an unnamed sub‐lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification, has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub‐lineages and nominal subspecies. In this study, we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cyt<jats:italic>b</jats:italic> gene across populations sampled throughout Iran, focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran. While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran, we raise questions about <jats:italic>M. p. baptistae</jats:italic>, emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan. Two main lineages of <jats:italic>M. persicus</jats:italic> (I and II) exhibit geographical isolation, with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts., where three subspecies (<jats:italic>M. p. ambrosius</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>M. p. rossicus</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>M. p. persicus</jats:italic>) coexist. Superimposing infected rodents' geographic coordinates onto updated sub‐lineages' distribution revealed a potential association between sub‐lineage IA (<jats:italic>M. p. rossicus</jats:italic>) and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023. <jats:italic>M. persicus rossicus</jats:italic> extends into the Caucasus (where plague infections are common), Eastern Turkey, and Iraq. Consequently, interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140834282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Single-nucleus transcriptomics and chromatin accessibility analysis of musk gland development in Chinese forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii)","authors":"Chenmiao LIU,&nbsp;Tingting HONG,&nbsp;Chengcheng ZHAO,&nbsp;Tao XUE,&nbsp;Shuhui WANG,&nbsp;Zhanjun REN","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12823","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1749-4877.12823","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Musk secreted by male forest musk deer (<i>Moschus berezovskii</i>) musk glands is an invaluable component of medicine and perfume. Musk secretion depends on musk gland maturation; however, the mechanism of its development remains elusive. Herein, using single cell multiome ATAC + gene expression coupled with several bioinformatic analyses, a dynamic transcriptional cell atlas of musk gland development was revealed, and key genes and transcription factors affecting its development were determined. Twelve cell types, including two different types of acinar cells (Clusters 0 and 10) were identified. Single-nucleus RNA and single-nucleus ATAC sequencing analyses revealed that seven core target genes associated with musk secretion (<i>Hsd17b2</i>, <i>Acacb</i>, <i>Lss</i>, <i>Vapa</i>, <i>Aldh16a1</i>, <i>Aldh7a1</i>, and <i>Sqle</i>) were regulated by 12 core transcription factors (FOXO1, CUX2, RORA, RUNX1, KLF6, MGA, NFIC, FOXO3, ETV5, NR3C1, HSF4, and MITF) during the development of Cluster 0 acinar cells. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment showed significant changes in the pathways associated with musk secretion during acinar cell development. Gene set variation analysis also revealed that certain pathways associated with musk secretion were enriched in 6-year-old acinar cells. A gene co-expression network was constructed during acinar cell development to provide a precise understanding of the connections between transcription factors, genes, and pathways. Finally, intercellular communication analysis showed that intercellular communication is involved in musk gland development. This study provides crucial insights into the changes and key factors underlying musk gland development, which serve as valuable resources for studying musk secretion mechanisms and promoting the protection of this endangered species.</p>","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1749-4877.12823","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140678546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The debatable notion of “novelty deficiency” in significant conservation domains","authors":"Marcello FRANCHINI","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12828","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1749-4877.12828","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In significant conservation domains, rejecting papers to prioritize novelty, may impede scientific and social progress as these studies carry crucial policy and practical implications. The research's rigor (rather than novelty) should be the primary criterion for evaluating the works’ robustness and suitability for publication. Innovation is essential, but science requires a balanced approach, encompassing both conceptual innovation and practical research.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1749-4877.12828","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140608815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cranial variation in species and subspecies of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys, Dipodomyinae, Rodentia) according to geometric morphometrics","authors":"Bader H. ALHAJERI","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12824","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional <jats:italic>Dipodomys</jats:italic> (sub)species identification uses geography, phenotype, and external/skull measurements. Such measurements are correlated with size and thus redundant. I assessed the value of scaled cranial shape, based on two‐dimensional landmarks (analyzed using geometric morphometric methods) in distinguishing <jats:italic>Dipodomys</jats:italic> taxa, and in summarizing their variation. My dataset includes 601 adult specimens from 20 species (49 operational taxonomic units ‐ OTUs) across 190 localities. Cranial shape was highly useful in classifying <jats:italic>Dipodomys</jats:italic> taxa without considering geography. The auditory bulla was the most variable region—taxa differed in its hypertrophy, accompanied by different degrees of nearby structure crowding. Cranial shape was weakly allometric, with no significant sexual dimorphism. Weak size dimorphism was detected. (Sub)specific taxonomy is not reflective of shape variation, as the number of subspecies per species is not associated with disparity. Shape had significant phylogenetic signal, but subspecies did not always cluster with conspecifics and species did not always cluster according to phylogenetic relationship/taxonomy. Shape variation was correlated with climate, and species differed in morphological disparity and degree of specialization, which may contribute to divergence in shape variation patterns from phylogeny. <jats:italic>D. deserti</jats:italic> was the most specialized species, diverging greatly from the genus mean; <jats:italic>D. heermanni</jats:italic> was the least specialized. This study provides new insights into morphological variation of North American keystone species, several of conservation interest, for example, <jats:italic>D. heermanni berkeleyensis</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>D. h. dixoni</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>D. nitratoides brevinasus</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>D. n. nitratoides</jats:italic>.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140580611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variation in placentophagy in golden snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) reflects nutritional constraints","authors":"Shiyu JIN, Qi GAO, Derek W. DUNN, Haitao ZHAO, Zuomin LIANG, Meirong LI, Yang ZHAO, Zujin CHEN, Genggeng GAO, Gang HE, Baoguo LI, Songtao GUO","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12827","url":null,"abstract":"Golden snub-nosed monkeys show inconsistent frequency of placentophagy between wild and captive populations, with almost all births in the wild but around half of the births in captivity accompanied by the female's consumption of placenta. This aligns with nutritional demands-driven placentophagy, as captive populations are generally under less nutritional constraints for breeding females than the wild population. Placentophagy is probably adaptive in the wild and under positive selection due to nutritional benefits to both mothers and infants.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140580355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A newly discovered Hystrix primigenia specimen from the Kemiklitepe collection at Ege University Natural History Museum: insights into paleobiogeography in Eurasia","authors":"Kazım HALAÇLAR, Paul RUMMY, Serdar MAYDA, Tao DENG","doi":"10.1111/1749-4877.12820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12820","url":null,"abstract":"Porcupines, members of the Hystricidae family, represent a unique group of herbivorous mammals. This study details the identification of a newly discovered mandible fragment of <i>Hystrix primigenia</i>, along with a right cheek tooth series from the middle Turolian Kemiklitepe-A fossil locality. While <i>Hystrix</i> fossils are found in numerous localities, the materials are often limited to a few dental fragments or isolated teeth, posing challenges to systematic investigations. The examination of this lower tooth series prompted a comprehensive review of all <i>H. primigenia</i> findings across Eurasia, shedding light on its adaptive characteristics over time and space. Our paleobiogeographical analysis indicates the absence of <i>H. depereti</i> in Late Miocene Türkiye, while the dispersal range of <i>H. primigenia</i> is broader than that of <i>H. depereti</i> in Eurasia. Additionally, the study delves into the discussion of <i>H. primigenia</i> and <i>H. depereti</i> findings in Eurasia, ultimately refining the categorization of Late Miocene <i>Hystrix</i> discoveries in Türkiye to two species: <i>H. primigenia</i> and <i>H. kayae</i>. Our review suggests the possibility of an additional <i>H. kayae</i> finding from Samos, Greece.","PeriodicalId":13654,"journal":{"name":"Integrative zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140580607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}