Animal Sciences Commons^™

Let Emerging Plant Diseases Be Predictable, Valeria Trivellone

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

A prevalent concept for colonization and evolution among plant pathogens and their hosts stems from a post-Darwinian paradigm rooted in the formalized assumption of “specialized parasitism.” Seminal studies on rust fungi of socioeconomic importance integrated such an evolutionary perspective driven by the assumption of strict coevolution among pathogens and their plant hosts. Following this fundamentally unfalsifiable assumption, theories regarding host-switching for parasites were dismissed. If colonization occurred, this process would depend upon the origin of specific and novel mutations that allow infections of previously unexploited hosts or host groups, the acquisition of a broader host range. After a specific mutation …

An Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance Platform For The 21st Century, Eloy Ortiz, Alicia Juarrero

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Current vector surveillance programs are insufficient for coping with the emerging infectious disease crisis. In particular, current practices do not deploy sufficient information technology (IT) tools to generate actionable insights that can inform interventions and contain and mitigate the spread of vector-borne diseases. VectorAnalytica has developed a highly configurable and adaptable IT platform that imports, harmonizes, and integrates a range of data sources. The state-of-the-art backend development allows users to fully appreciate and understand the complexity of infectious disease dynamics without having to resort to additional statistical and GIS software packages. The platform yields actionable insights into outbreak patterns of …

Taking Action: Turning Evolutionary Theory Into Preventive Policies, Orsolya Molnár, Marina Knickel, Christine Marizzi

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis has been challenging global health security for decades, dealing substantial damage to all socioeconomic landscapes. Control measures have failed to prevent or even mitigate damages from an accelerating wave of EIDs, leading to the emergence and devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of the pandemic, we must critically review our public health policies and approaches. Current health security measures are based on the evolutionary theorem of host-parasite coevolution, which falsely deems EIDs as rare and unpredictable. The DAMA protocol (Document, Assess, Monitor, Act) is nested in a novel evolutionary framework that …

The Stockholm Paradigm Explains The Dynamics Of Darwin’S Entangled Bank, Including Emerging Infectious Disease, Salvatore J. Agosta

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Pathogens and their hosts are embedded within the larger biosphere, what Darwin called the “entangled bank.” Emerging infectious disease occurs when a parasite “switches” to a new host. Understanding the dynamics of emerging disease requires understanding the dynamics of host-switching, which requires a more general understanding of how the biosphere and its constituent members cope when conditions change. The Stockholm paradigm is an integrative evolutionary framework that describes how living systems cope with change by oscillating between exploiting and exploring the geographical and functional dimensions of their environments. It combines organismal capacity, ecological opportunity, and the repeated external perturbations to …

Knowing The Biosphere: Documentation, Specimens, Archives, And Names Reveal Environmental Change And Emerging Pathogens, Eric P. Hoberg, Valeria Trivellone, Joseph A. Cook, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Walter A. Boeger, Daniel R. Brooks, Salvatore J. Agosta, Jocelyn P. Colella

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

One Health programs and trajectories are now the apparent standard for exploring the occurrence and distribution of emerging pathogens and disease. By definition, One Health has been characterized as a broadly inclusive, collaborative, and transdisciplinary approach with connectivity across local to global scales, which integrates the medical and veterinary community to recognize health outcomes emerging at the environmental nexus for people, animals, plants, and their shared landscapes. One Health has been an incomplete model, conceptually and operationally, focused on reactive and response-based foundations, to limit the impact of emerging pathogens and emerging infectious diseases and, as such, lacks a powerful …

The Evolutionary Dynamics Of Infectious Diseases On An Unstable Planet: Insights From Modeling The Stockholm Paradigm, Angie T.C. Souza, Sabrina B.L. Araujo, Walter A. Boeger

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are, besides a question of food safety and public health, an ecological and evolutionary issue. The recognition of this condition combined with the accumulation of evidence that pathogens are not specialists in their original hosts evidences the need for understanding how the dynamics of interaction between pathogens and hosts occurs. The Stockholm Paradigm (SP) provides the theoretical fundaments to understand the dynamics of diseases and design proactive measures to avoid the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases. In this review, we revisit the models that evaluate several aspects of the proposed dynamics of the SP, including …

A Field Synopsis, Systematic Review, And Meta-Analyses Of Cophylogenetic Studies: What Is Affecting Congruence Between Phylogenies?, Valeria Trivellone, Bernd Panassiti

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

We conducted a field synopsis and systematic meta-analysis of studies that carried out cophylogenetic analyses using algorithms and available software. We evaluated the influence of three factors—namely, cophylogenetic method, association, and ecosystem type—on the outcome of the analyses, that is, the degree of congruence between phylogenies of interacting species.

The published papers were identified using 4 different databases and 13 keywords; we included all studies for which statistical approaches to compare phylogenies (cophylogenetic analyses) of interacting lineages were used. After the initial screening, 296 studies were selected to extract response variable (outcome of the cophylogenetic analyses, i.e., congruent, incongruent, or …

The Stockholm Paradigm: Lessons For The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Daniel R. Brooks, Walter A. Boeger, Eric P. Hoberg

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis represents an immediate existential threat to modern humanity. Current policies aimed at coping with the EID crisis are ineffective and unsustainably expensive. They have failed because they are based on a scientific paradigm that produced the parasite paradox. The Stockholm paradigm (SP) resolves the paradox by integrating four elements of evolutionary biology: ecological fitting, sloppy fitness space, coevolution, and responses to environmental perturbations. It explains why and how the EID crisis occurs and is expanding and what happens after an EID emerges that sets the stage for future EIDs. The SP provides a number …

The Dama Protocol, An Introduction: Finding Pathogens Before They Find Us, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Orsolya Molnár, Gábor Földvári, Scott Gardner, Alicia Juarrero, Vitaliy A. Kharchenko, Eloy Ortiz, Wolfgang Preiser, Valeria Trivellone, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Globally, humanity is coming to recognize the magnitude of the interactive crisis for emerging infectious disease (EID). Strategies for coping with EID have been largely in the form of reactive measures for crisis response. The DAMA protocol (Document, Assess, Monitor, Act), the operational policy extension of the Stockholm paradigm, constitutes a preventive/proactive dimension to those efforts. DAMA is aimed at focusing and extending human and material resources devoted to coping with the accelerating wave of EID. DAMA is integrative, combining efforts to strategically document the distribution of complex pathogen and host assemblages in the biosphere in the context of dynamic …

Exceptional Larval Morphology Of Nine Species Of The Anastrepha Mucronota Species Group (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erick J. Rodriguez, Gary J. Steck, Matthew R. Moore, Allen L. Norrbom, Jessica Diaz, Louis A. Somma, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Bruce D. Sutton, Norma Nolazco, Alies Muller, Marc A. Branham

Papers in Evolution

Anastrepha is the most diverse and economically important genus of Tephritidae in the American tropics and subtropics. The striking morphology of the third instars of Anastrepha caballeroi Norrbom, Anastrepha crebra Stone, Anastrepha haplacantha Norrbom & Korytkowski, Anastrepha korytkowskii Norrbom, Anastrepha nolazcoae Norrbom & Korytkowski, and three newly discovered and as yet formally unnamed species (Anastrepha sp. Peru-82, Anastrepha sp. nr. protuberans, and Anastrepha sp. Sur-16), and the more typical morphology of Anastrepha aphelocentema Stone, are described using light and scanning electron microscopy. To contribute to a better understanding of the interspecific and intraspecific variation among species in the mucronota …

The 3p Framework: A Comprehensive Approach To Coping With The Emerging Infectious Disease Crisis, Orsolya Molnár, Eric Hoberg, Valeria Trivellone, Gábor Földvári, Daniel R. Brooks

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of the profound socioeconomic impact of the emerging infectious disease (EID) crisis. Current health security measures are based on a failed evolutionary paradigm that presumes EID is rare and cannot be predicted because emergence requires the prior evolution of novel genetic capacities for colonizing a new host. Consequently, crisis response through preparation for previously emerged diseases and palliation following outbreaks have been the only health security options, which have become unsustainably expensive and unsuccessful. The Stockholm paradigm (SP) is an alternative evolutionary framework that suggests host changes are the result of changing conditions …

Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus): A Species Conservation Assessment For The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, Melissa J. Panella, Dan Fogell, Colleen Rothe-Groleau

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in the development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) as a Tier 1 at-risk species. Provided here are general management recommendations regarding timber rattlesnakes. Conservation practitioners will need to use their professional judgment for management decisions based on objectives, location, and site-specific conditions. Based on the body of literature and available data, this species conservation assessment provides an overview of our current knowledge of timber …

A Checklist Of Parasites Of Peromyscus Maniculatus In North America, John Ubelaker, Gábor R. Rácz

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

This document represents a summary of parasites, in the broadest sense of the term, reported from Peromyscus maniculatus from throughout its range in North America. The document provides data from work ranging from paleontological findings to relatively current reports of parasites and parasitism from P. maniculatus and covers viruses, bacteria sensu lato, protists, helminths, and ectoparasites.

Review Of The Cloacininae Stossich (Nemata: Strongyloidea) From Australasian Marsupials (Marsupialia: Macropodoidea), Ian Beveridge, Lesley R. Smales

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The nematode sub-family Cloacininae from Australasian macropodoid marsupials is reviewed. Keys are provided to all genera and species currently known. A revised definition of the sub-family and detailed generic diagnoses are provided. For each species, full synonymies and literature citations are included along with known hosts, geographical distributions and associated DNA sequence data. A brief morphological synopsis of each species is provided together with illustrations of the morphological features needed for identification using the keys. Due to uncertainties relating to the division of the sub-family into tribes, only the nominal allocation to tribe is provided. Two new genera are erected, …

Stepping-Stones And Mediators Of Pandemic Expansion: A Context For Humans As Ecological Super-Spreaders, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Daniel R. Brooks, Valeria Trivellone, Salvatore J. Agosta

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Humans represent ecological super-spreaders in the dissemination and introduction of pathogens. These processes, consistent with the dynamics of the Stockholm paradigm, are exemplified in the origin and globalized distributions of SARS-CoV-2 since initial recognition in central Asia during 2019 and 2020. SARS-like viruses are not widespread in mammals but appear widespread in chiropterans. Bats are isolated ecologically from most other assemblages of mammals in terrestrial systems. Humans may be the stepping-stone hosts for broad global dissemination and wider infection (given the opportunity) among diverse assemblages of mammals in which host and viral capacity are compatible. Human globalization mediated insertion in …

2022 Gray Wolf Questions And Answers, United States Fish And Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

2022 Gray Wolf Questions and Answers

What does the February 10, 2022, ruling mean?

How does this ruling affect wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains?

When does the court decision to vacate the delisting rule go into effect?

What is the legal status of gray wolves as of this ruling?

Is the Service continuing its status review of wolves in the western United States?

Is emergency listing an option for the Northern Rocky Mountain population?

Are wolf hunts going to stop as a result of the court decision?

How does this ruling affect wolves in Yellowstone National Park?

Where can …

Drivers Of Annual Fledging In The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Population 1991-2018, Henry W. Woolley, Scott G. Hereford, Jerome J. Howard,

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied trends in nesting, number of chicks fledged annually, and their environmental and biotic drivers in the wild population of Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) on Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 1991-2018. Population size, number of nests, and number of chicks fledged annually increased slowly but significantly over the course of the study. Increases in population size were related to both number of wild-reared chicks fledged annually and number of captive-reared chicks released each year, but wild-reared chicks had significantly higher survivorship than captive-reared chicks. Hurricanes transiently raised mortality rates but only Hurricane Katrina …

Black Fly Survey Of A Whooping Crane Reintroduction Area In Eastern Wisconsin, Richard P. Urbanek, Peter H. Adler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Nest desertion due to harassment by black flies (Simulium annulus and S. johannseni) during incubation has been a major factor inhibiting success of the reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population of whooping cranes (Grus americana). To avoid this problem, which was prevalent in the core reintroduction area in central Wisconsin, the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership changed the primary reintroduction area to eastern Wisconsin in 2011. However, a 2010 assessment of black flies in that area had concentrated predominantly on the southern portion of the new area. In 2017-2018, we collected the first samples of black flies in Green …

Twenty-Year Status Of The Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane Reintroduction, Hillary L. Thompson, Nicole M. Gordon, Darby P. Bolt, Jadine R. Lee, Eva K. Szyszkoski

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Since the 10-year status update in 2011, the first parent-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) were released in the Eastern Migratory Population, the ultralight program (UL) ended, and cranes were released at new sites in eastern Wisconsin. During 2011-2020, 117 captive-reared whooping cranes were released; 75 costume-reared (35 in UL and 40 in the Direct Autumn Release program) and 42 parent-reared. There were no significant differences in 1- or 3-year survival rates based on rearing technique or release site. The population size remained at about 100 cranes during 2010-2018 but then decreased during 2018-2020 due to a reduced number …

Observations Of Whooping Crane Parental Provisioning Of Chicks, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Crane chicks are dependent on parent birds for provisioning during the first few months of life, but no study has examined this provisioning in detail. In 2014 research staff at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), in Laurel, Maryland, made multiple observations of parent whooping cranes (Grus americana) feeding or interacting with their chick during the 3 months from hatching to fledging. Both parents participated in the feeding of the chick and only 1 chick was raised by each pair of parent whooping cranes. Initially feeding frequency was low (0-20 times …

Vigilance Of Nesting Whooping Cranes In Juneau County, Wisconsin, Nicole M. Gordon, Darby P. Bolt, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Vigilance plays an important role in the detection of possible threats and reducing the risk of predation, including during the incubation period. We examined the visual vigilance of incubating whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Juneau County, Wisconsin, during the 2019 nesting season. We deployed 9 trail cameras and tagged crane presence and behavior in 32,801 photos which were used in our analysis. We assessed individual nest and environmental variables and their effects on vigilant behavior of incubating cranes using linear mixed-models. Vigilant behavior was defined by a posture in which the crane’s head was up, neck was erect, …

How Stressful Is It To Move? Whooping Crane Glucocorticoid Response During Facility Transfer, Megan E. Brown, Christopher Martin, Christopher Crowe, Sprina Lui, Nucharin Songsasen,

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The ability to transfer animals between different facilities for genetic management is a critical component to the success of any cooperatively managed captive animal population despite the high cost and the need for a high level of coordination in logistical planning. Two issues of concern are the magnitude of potential stress responses incurred during shipment of adult cranes to a new facility and the duration of elevated glucocorticoid production during the acclimation periods. The objectives of this project were to assess adrenal responses of whooping cranes (Grus americana) during transfer from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) to …

Initial Evaluation Of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Enzyme Immunoassay For Use With Crane Semen Samples, Megan E. Brown, Kim Boardman, Katie L. Edwards

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The management of ex situ and in situ populations of many wildlife species requires detailed knowledge of a species’ reproductive biology. For species such as cranes, where artificial insemination is a critical component of ex situ management strategies, understanding normal sperm function is especially important. Previous research has shown that captive cranes exhibit highly variable production and quality of semen samples produced by individual males and high levels of variation of cell concentration and motility across different species. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) has been implicated in regulating sperm function, such as cell motility, and may affect an individual’s ability …

Summary Of Mortality Among Captive Cranes At The International Crane Foundation: 2000-2020, Barry K. Hartup, Robert Phillips

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We reviewed mortalities of captive cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) between 2000 and 2020 to provide broad insights into contemporary factors affecting the collection’s health and survival. Sixty-three deaths were documented in 13 of 15 crane species held in the ICF collection. The mean annual mortality during the study was 2.6% and the mean age (±SD) at death was 28.4 (±12.7) years. The overall total number of deaths of males and females was similar, but there was an association between sex and death of adult versus geriatric (>25 years) cranes (P < 0.01); males were more likely to die at geriatric age than females. Deaths were commonly associated with chronic health and management problems (n = 44, 79%) versus …

Mississippi Sandhill Crane Conservation Update 2017-2019, Scott G. Hereford, Angela J. Dedrickson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To manage crane habitat on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge during 2017-2019, 5,822 ha were treated with prescribed burns, 648 ha of woody vegetation were removed, 97 ha of invasive plants were chemically treated, and 1.2 ha of crops were planted. Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) use responded to habitat treatment; 348 of 349 VHF radio locations were in treated areas. There were 316 target predators removed. Eighteen captive-reared juveniles were acclimated and released. We detected an average of 38 nests per year, including a record 40 nests in 2019. Fifteen chicks fledged in 2019, …

Whooping Crane Nest Building In Southwest Indiana, Amy J. Kearns, Hillary L. Thompson, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The first documented case of whooping crane (Grus americana) nest building in Indiana is described. During spring 2015, a pair of whooping cranes did not leave their wintering grounds in Gibson County, Indiana, to return to their summering area in Wisconsin. Three nest platforms were discovered after the death of the female crane. To date, this is the only documented example of a whooping crane pair in the reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) building nest platforms outside of Wisconsin. Although fidelity to the core nesting areas in Wisconsin is strong, and natal dispersal is usually <30 km, this example from Indiana shows that whooping cranes in the EMP may have the potential to pioneer nesting areas far outside of core reintroduction areas.

The Impact Of Marking On Cranes: An Issue Paper, Anne E. Lacy, Barry K. Hartup, David A. Brandt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

As crane researchers and conservationists, our overarching objective is to learn and gather information about our study subjects while doing as little harm as possible. New technologies may be emerging too rapidly for researchers to assess the effectiveness or potential adverse effects of the devices, despite the ease and increasing accuracy of the information they provide. Researchers need to be able to gather information to answer various questions in a way that balances ethics and expense. With marking of cranes as a focal point, we discuss issues surrounding crane research based on various techniques, some health issues that are a …

Effects Of Release Techniques On Parent-Reared Whooping Cranes In The Eastern Migratory Population, Hillary L. Thompson, M. Susanna Glass, Marianne M. Wellington, Kim H. Boardman, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Reintroduction of an Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) of whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the United States by release of captive-reared individuals began in 2001. As of 2020, the EMP has approximately 21 breeding pairs and has had limited recruitment of wild-hatched individuals, thus captive-reared juveniles continue to be released into breeding areas in Wisconsin to maintain the population. We investigated the effects of release techniques on survival, behavior, site fidelity, and conspecific associations of 42 captive-parent-reared whooping cranes released during 2013-2019 into the EMP. Individuals were monitored intensively post-release, then as a part of a long-term monitoring program, …

Surveys And Population Estimates Of A Distinctive Subpopulation Of Sandhill Cranes In The Fraser River Lowlands Of British Columbia, Myles M. Lamont

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A poorly understood subpopulation of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) breeds at scattered locations in the lower Fraser River Valley on the south coast of British Columbia. The area also harbors the northernmost population of overwintering sandhill cranes anywhere in its range. While sporadic monitoring has been carried out since the mid-1960s, no formal survey efforts have been attempted for the entire Fraser River lowland subpopulation. During 2014-2019 we collected groundbased survey data on presence and occupation of territories within the study area; this effort was supported by citizen science contributions. On 20 June 2019, we flew a fixed-width, …

Invasive Plants Watch List: 2022, Allison Zach

Nebraska Invasive Species Program

The purpose of the weed watch list is to collect data on the distribution of invasive plants found in various Nebraska counties. Counties were divided up into ‘ecoregions’ based on the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission’s Legacy Plan (map of regions below). The plants in the watch list have been identified based on their invasiveness in surrounding states and their increasing range in Nebraska. Data collected on watch list plant species distribution has been used to support the listing or delisting of noxious weeds. Plant species in the weed watch list are categorized based on early detection and rapid response …