bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-24DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.23.604847
George F Turner
{"title":"Two new species of Mylochromis species (Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi, Africa","authors":"George F Turner","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.23.604847","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.23.604847","url":null,"abstract":"Two new species of Mylochromis Regan 1920 are described from specimens collected on shallow rocky habitats on the northwestern coast of Lake Malawi. The generic designation is based on their prominent oblique striped pattern and lack of any of the unique features of other Malawi cichlid genera with this pattern. Mylochromis rotundus sp. nov. is distinguished from most congeneric species by its relatively deep, rounded body and lack of enlarged pharyngeal teeth. It is further distinguished from M. semipalatus and M. melanonotus (if they are different species) by its relatively shorter snout. Mylochromis durophagus sp. nov. is distinguished from most congeneric species by its strongly molarised pharyngeal dentition. It differs from Mylochromis mola in having a shorter snout, less acutely pointed head profile, deeper body and in having a more continuous oblique stripe. Mylochromis durophagus has a much less steep head profile than Mylochromis anaphyrmus or Mylochromis sphaerodon. It is suggested that Mylochromis rotundus was previously identified informally as Mylochromis sp. 'mollis north', and M. durophagus as M. sp. 'mollis chitande'. Lectotypes are designated for comparator species Mylochromis sphaerodon and Mylochromis subocularis.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"125 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141770360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolomic differentiation of amino acid profiles in adult deltamethrin-resistant Aedes albopictus (L.)","authors":"Song-Quan Ong, Gomesh Nair, Intan Haslina Ishak, Rolinus Paulous","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.19.604257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.19.604257","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the susceptibility status of mosquitoes to insecticides is critical for effective decision making regarding the use or rotation of insecticides in control programs. In this study, we demonstrated the use of amino acid profiling for the detection of deltamethrin-resistant Aedes albopictus (L.). Mosquitoes collected in the field were first tested with WHO adulticide bioassay kits, and the amino acid profiles of the resistant mosquitoes were compared with the susceptible strain of Ae. albopictus. Samples were lyophilized and derived by silylation and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Using standardized, known concentrations of amino acids, we quantified the amino acids in both resistant and susceptible strains. An independent t-test was performed to compare the concentrations of each amino acid between strains. Logistic regression was then performed to assess the relationship between amino acid concentrations and susceptibility status of the mosquitoes. Our results showed that the amino acids in resistant mosquitoes differed significantly from those in susceptible mosquitoes, with the exception of serine. Further regression analysis showed that seven amino acids significantly predicted susceptibility, suggesting that they are suitable as biological indicators for rapid assessment of resistance status in field mosquitoes.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"347 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141770363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-23DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.21.604520
Sheng-Wang Huang, Peng-Cheng Wang, Yan Wang, Jie-Qiong Wang, Ping Gao, Xueqing Yang
{"title":"Plant volatile-based fumigation improves mating competitiveness of males for population suppression of the global fruit pest Cydia pomonella","authors":"Sheng-Wang Huang, Peng-Cheng Wang, Yan Wang, Jie-Qiong Wang, Ping Gao, Xueqing Yang","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.21.604520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.21.604520","url":null,"abstract":"The implementation of sterile insect technique (SIT) has proven effective in the area-wide suppression of several significant agricultural and sanitary pests by employing traditional cobalt-60 (60 Co-γ) as a radiation source. Recently, X-ray has been validated as a feasible alternative to 60 Co-γ radiation sources. Nonetheless, higher doses of X-ray irradiation lead to insect sterility but diminish mating competitiveness, thereby impacting the effectiveness of SIT applications. Thus, it is crucial to ascertain the optimal irradiation dose and develop strategies to enhance the mating competitiveness of sterile insects to enhance SIT efficacy. In this study, we determined the effect of various X-ray irradiation doses (ranging from 0 to 366 Gy) on the fecundity, fertility, and mating competitiveness of Cydia pomonella, a globally invasive fruit pest. Results demonstrated that the sterility rate of sterile males increased proportionally with irradiation dose up to 200 Gy, beyond which it plateaued. Notably, exposure to 200 Gy of irradiation notably decreased the mating competitiveness of male, as evidenced by a mating competitiveness index of 0.17 in laboratory and 0.096 in the orchard. This decline in mating competitiveness is likely linked to the down-regulation of genes associated with the recognition of sex pheromones, specifically CpomOR3a, CpomOR3b, and CpomOR5, following X-ray irradiation. Fumigation of the plant volatile, linalool at varying concentrations (70, 83, and 96 μL/m3) resulted in differential enhancements in male mating competitiveness, with the moderate concentration significantly improving the competitiveness of sterilized males, possibly by restoring their ability to recognize sex pheromones. Implementation of repeated releases of sterilized males on a pilot scale led to a notable reduction in the population of C. pomonella in the field. These findings indicate that fumigation with plant volatiles has the potential to mitigate male sterility induced by X-ray irradiation, offering a promising approach to enhance the efficacy of SIT applications for the control of C. pomonella.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141770359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-17DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.16.603757
Maria Victoria Alvarado, Felipe Espigares, Manuel Carrillo, Alicia Felip
{"title":"MELATONIN INDUCES CHANGES ON THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS OF REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES DURING SPERMATOGENESIS IN PUBERTAL MALE SEA BASS, Dicentrarchus labrax","authors":"Maria Victoria Alvarado, Felipe Espigares, Manuel Carrillo, Alicia Felip","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.16.603757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.16.603757","url":null,"abstract":"Reproduction is a highly demanding biological process that occurs at the optimal time of the year and day to ensure the success of spawn and offspring. Melatonin is a hormone that, secreted mainly by the pineal gland, plays a critical role in the integration of the photoneuroendocrine information from environment (annual and daily variations) to modulate reproductive activity and gonadal development in fish. In this study we assessed the effect of exogenous melatonin on the circadian levels of sex steroids and gonadotropins in pubertal 2 yr-old male sea bass during their reproductive cycle including, pre-spermatogenesis (Pspg), spermiation (Spm) and post-spermiation (PSpm) stages. Our results demonstrated that all reproductive hormones displayed circadian variations along the entire reproductive cycle in pubertal fish. Circulating levels of the luteinizing hormone (Lh) were affected by both melatonin injection and the daily timing of administration during the Spm and PSpm stages, thus evoking variations of Lh levels at night. Melatonin also significantly affected circadian rhythms of Fsh during the Spm stage. Overall, both 11-Kt and T plasma levels displayed circadian variations during the reproductive cycle in the sea bass which were not prevented by melatonin. However, melatonin showed a significant decrease of plasma levels of 11-Kt 1h after dusk during the Pspg stage, while it increased those levels of T 5 h after dusk during the PSpm stage. These findings provide new insights into the role of melatonin in fish reproduction as a key factor in regulation of daily variation of key hormones involved in gonadal development. This circumstance may have implications in the control of gametogenesis and management of fish in aquaculture.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141739807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-10DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.09.602770
Vikram Chandra, Samantha Elizabeth Tseng, Allison P Kann, D. Marcela Bolanos, Mansi Srivastava
{"title":"Reproductive life history of an acoel worm","authors":"Vikram Chandra, Samantha Elizabeth Tseng, Allison P Kann, D. Marcela Bolanos, Mansi Srivastava","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.09.602770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.09.602770","url":null,"abstract":"Acoel worms belong to an enigmatic and understudied animal lineage (Phylum Xenacoelomorpha). Sparse taxonomic and histological work suggests that these worms exhibit a diversity of reproductive anatomies and likely also a corresponding diversity in reproductive behavior. However, few acoels have been studied in detail. Here, we study the reproductive life history of the three-banded panther worm <em>Hofstenia miamia</em>, an acoel that is emerging as a new lab-tractable model system for regenerative biology. Using molecular labeling and histology, we describe <em>H. miamia</em>′s reproductive organs, identifying structures previously unknown in acoels. Following a cohort of worms from zygote to adulthood, we quantify the developmental dynamics of their reproductive organs, and find that these organs are assembled step-wise, at increasing body sizes. Studying the dynamics of organ growth during regeneration and de-growth in starving adult worms, we show that reproductive organs follow similar growth rules in these contexts, suggesting that their development and maintenance is regulated by a size-dependent program. Finally, we study egg-laying behavior, finding that <em>H. miamia</em> lay their eggs through their mouths after loading them into their pharynges. Experimentally varying the worms′ environment reveals that the worms make active decisions about when and where to lay their eggs. In summary, our work establishes foundational knowledge to enable the experimental study of reproductive anatomy, physiology, and behavior in acoels.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141586049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-10DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.07.602388
Carlos J. Moura, Peter Wirtz, Filipe T. Nhanquê, Castro Barbosa, Ester A. Serrão
{"title":"Hotspot of Exotic Benthic Marine Invertebrates Discovered in the Tropical East Atlantic: DNA Barcoding Insights from the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau","authors":"Carlos J. Moura, Peter Wirtz, Filipe T. Nhanquê, Castro Barbosa, Ester A. Serrão","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.07.602388","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.07.602388","url":null,"abstract":"Aim: This study aimed to explore and document putative exotic marine benthic invertebrate species in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, to enhance understanding of marine biodiversity and address the extent of marine species introductions.\u0000Location: The research was conducted in the Bijagós Archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in Guinea-Bissau.\u0000Methods: The study involved the region's first scuba-diving survey of marine biodiversity. DNA barcoding was employed to assist in the identification of benthic invertebrate species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted with the available DNA barcodes to ensure accurate taxonomic assignments, detect cryptic species, and investigate the phylogeography of the taxa.\u0000Results: The survey resulted in the discovery of 28 new species records for the Bijagós Archipelago, including octocorals, scleractinians, hydroids, bryozoans, barnacles, and ascidians. Among these, seven species were documented for the first time in the East Atlantic: Stragulum bicolor, Tubastraea tagusensis, Nemalecium lighti, Diphasia sp., Amathia alternata, A. distans, and Symplegma rubra. Molecular analyses revealed pervasive cryptic diversity within species previously listed as exotic, suggesting that some, such as the hydroids Plumularia setacea, Obelia geniculata, and Dynamena disticha, are not exotic due to their restricted biogeographic distributions. Many other species reported as introduced present only a few genetic lineages capable of long-distance dispersal due to human activities. Main Conclusions: The study highlights considerable gaps in the knowledge of West African marine biodiversity and suggests a substantial underestimation of the anthropogenic trade in exotic marine species between the Tropical East Atlantic and the Americas, and between the Indo-Pacific and West Africa. Detailed taxonomic and genomic analyses are necessary for understanding marine exotic species' biogeography and adaptive traits. Our findings challenge current classifications of exotic species and underscore the need for improved monitoring and management to prevent the spread of non-native marine species.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"128 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141586044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-10DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.10.602499
Samuel H Church, River B Abedon, Namrata Ahuja, Colin J Anthony, Diego A Ramirez, Lourdes M Rojas, Maria E Albinsson, Itziar Alvarez Trasobares, Reza E Bergemann, Ozren Bogdanovic, David R Burdick, Tauana J Cunha, Alejandro Damian-Serrano, Guillermo D'Elia, Kirstin Dion, Thomas K Doyle, Joao M Goncalves, Alvaro Gonzalez Rajal, Steven H D Haddock, Rebecca R Helm, Diane Le Gouvello, Zachary R Lewis, Bruno I M M Magalhaes, Maciej K Manko, Alex de Mendoza, Carlos J Moura, Ronel Nel, Jessica N Perelman, Laura Prieto, Catriona Munro, Kohei Oguchi, Kylie A Pitt, Amandine Schaeffer, Andrea L Schmidt, Javier Sellanes, Nerida G Wilson, Gaku Yamamoto, Eric Lazo-Wasem, Chris Simon, Mary Beth Decker, Jenn M Coughlan, Casey W Dunn
{"title":"Global genomics of the man-o'-war (Physalia) reveal biodiversity at the ocean surface","authors":"Samuel H Church, River B Abedon, Namrata Ahuja, Colin J Anthony, Diego A Ramirez, Lourdes M Rojas, Maria E Albinsson, Itziar Alvarez Trasobares, Reza E Bergemann, Ozren Bogdanovic, David R Burdick, Tauana J Cunha, Alejandro Damian-Serrano, Guillermo D'Elia, Kirstin Dion, Thomas K Doyle, Joao M Goncalves, Alvaro Gonzalez Rajal, Steven H D Haddock, Rebecca R Helm, Diane Le Gouvello, Zachary R Lewis, Bruno I M M Magalhaes, Maciej K Manko, Alex de Mendoza, Carlos J Moura, Ronel Nel, Jessica N Perelman, Laura Prieto, Catriona Munro, Kohei Oguchi, Kylie A Pitt, Amandine Schaeffer, Andrea L Schmidt, Javier Sellanes, Nerida G Wilson, Gaku Yamamoto, Eric Lazo-Wasem, Chris Simon, Mary Beth Decker, Jenn M Coughlan, Casey W Dunn","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.10.602499","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.10.602499","url":null,"abstract":"The open ocean is a vast, highly connected environment, and the organisms found there have been hypothesized to represent massive, well-mixed populations. Of these, the Portuguese man-o'-war (Physalia) is uniquely suited to dispersal, sailing the ocean surface with a muscular crest. We tested the hypothesis of a single, panmictic Physalia population by sequencing 133 genomes, and found five distinct lineages, with multiple lines of evidence showing strong reproductive isolation despite range overlap. We then scored thousands of citizen-science photos and identified four recognizable morphologies linked to these lineages. Within lineages, we detected regionally endemic subpopulations, connected by winds and currents, and identified individual long-distance dispersal events. We find that, even in these sailing species, genetic variation is highly partitioned geographically across the open ocean.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141586046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-09DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.09.602639
Milena Patan, Maciej Skoracki, Iva Marcisova, Martin Hromada, Bozena Sikora
{"title":"Picobiinae mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) parasitizing the Starlings (Passeriformes: Sturnidae) in the Afrotropical region","authors":"Milena Patan, Maciej Skoracki, Iva Marcisova, Martin Hromada, Bozena Sikora","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.09.602639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.09.602639","url":null,"abstract":"In the present paper, we continue our studies on quill mites of the family Syringophilidae parasitising birds of the family Sturnidae. Herein, we describe a new species, Picobia wisniewskii sp. nov., collected from the red-winged starling Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus) in Tanzania. Additionally, we provide an emended diagnosis and new host records for Picobia lamprotornis Klimovicova et al., 2014 and Picobia sturni Skoracki et al. 2004.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141571743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-09DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.03.601580
Jessie L. Williamson, Chauncey R. Gadek, Bryce W. Robinson, Emil Bautista, Selina M. Bauernfeind, Matthew J. Baumann, Ethan F. Gyllenhaal, Peter P. Marra, Natalia Ricote, Nadia D. Singh, Thomas Valqui, Christopher C. Witt
{"title":"Taxonomy, nomenclature, and identification of the giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) (Aves: Trochilidae)","authors":"Jessie L. Williamson, Chauncey R. Gadek, Bryce W. Robinson, Emil Bautista, Selina M. Bauernfeind, Matthew J. Baumann, Ethan F. Gyllenhaal, Peter P. Marra, Natalia Ricote, Nadia D. Singh, Thomas Valqui, Christopher C. Witt","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.03.601580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.03.601580","url":null,"abstract":"Giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) are extraordinarily large but nondescript hummingbirds whose taxonomy has been muddled for two centuries. Patagona systematics were redefined in a study of migration, physiology, and genetics by Williamson et al. (2024), revealing two species with divergent genomes and seasonal range overlap: Southern Giant Hummingbird (P. gigas) and Northern Giant Hummingbird (P. chaski). However, the taxonomy and nomenclature of the genus need to be reconsidered in light of its newly-clarified biology and species limits. The species name gigas (Viellot 1824) and subspecies name peruviana (Boucard 1893) were both described based on multiple syntypes. Here, we designate a lectotype for each name and we critically consider the identity and usage of each. The lectotype of P. gigas appears to be a Southern Giant Hummingbird, albeit from unknown provenance, and the historic and ongoing usage of this name has been restricted to that entity. The peruviana lectotype appears to be a Northern Giant Hummingbird, but usage of the name throughout history has involved misdiagnosis and misapplication to entities that comprise variable mixtures of the two giant hummingbird species. Redefining peruviana to match Northern Giant Hummingbird would shift the entity to which this name has referred, sowing confusion due to its non-universal meaning. By contrast, the species name chaski was introduced concomitantly with the definitive discovery of the two Patagona species and their taxonomic limits, morphology, physiology, migration, genetics, and year-round distributions. The Principle of Priority (Art. 23) of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature provides a mechanism to suppress problematic senior synonyms. We invoke Art. 23.9.3 and urge suppression of peruviana and adoption of chaski, the only name that applies specifically and uniquely to Northern Giant Hummingbird. Lastly, we report misidentified specimens in major museum collections, and we provide comprehensive information on species identification and seasonal ranges for these cryptic species.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"51 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141571745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
bioRxiv - ZoologyPub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.05.602071
Tunhe Zhou, Yulia Dragunova, Zegni Triki
{"title":"Brain virtual histology of a lizard species (Podarcis bocagei) using X-ray micro-tomography and deep-learning segmentation","authors":"Tunhe Zhou, Yulia Dragunova, Zegni Triki","doi":"10.1101/2024.07.05.602071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.05.602071","url":null,"abstract":"Lately, there has been an emphasis on the importance of studying inter-individual variation in animal behaviour and cognition and understanding its underlying mechanisms. What was once considered mere noise around population mean can be explained by individual characteristics such as brain morphology and functionality. However, logistical limitations can be faced when studying the brain, especially for research involving wild animals, such as dealing with small sample sizes and time-consuming methods. Here, we combined an efficient and accurate method using X-ray micro-tomography and deep-learning (DL) segmentation to estimate the volume of six main brain areas of wild lizards, Podarcis bocagei: olfactory bulbs, telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain, cerebellum and brain stem. Through quantitative comparison, we show that a sufficient deep-learning neural network can be trained with as few as five data sets. From this, we applied the trained deep-learning algorithm to obtain volume data of the six brain regions from 29 brains of Podarcis bocagei. We provide a detailed protocol for our methods, including sample preparation, X-ray tomography, and 3D volumetric segmentation. Our work is open-access and freely available, with the potential to benefit researchers in various fields, such as animal physiology, biomedical studies, and computer sciences.","PeriodicalId":501575,"journal":{"name":"bioRxiv - Zoology","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141571744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}