Telomeres and the Rate of Living: Linking Biological Clocks of Senescence.

AbstractTwo prominent theories of aging, one based on telomere dynamics and the other on mass-specific energy flux, propose biological time clocks of senescence. The relationship between these two theories, and the biological clocks proposed by each, remains unclear. Here, we examine the relationships between telomere shortening rate, mass-specific metabolic rate, and lifespan among vertebrates (mammals, birds, fishes). Results show that telomere shortening rate increases linearly with mass-specific metabolic rate and decreases nonlinearly with increasing body mass in the same way as mass-specific metabolic rate. Results also show that both telomere shortening rate and mass-specific metabolic rate are similarly related to lifespan and that both strongly predict differences in lifespan, although the slopes of the relationships are less than linear. On average, then, telomeres shorten a fixed amount per unit of mass-specific energy flux. So the mitotic clock of telomere shortening and the energetics-based clock described by metabolic rate can be viewed as alternative measures of the same biological clock. These two processes may be linked, we speculate, through the process of cell division.

Geography shapes the microbial community in Heliconius butterflies.

Heliconius butterflies are an ideal organism for studying ecology, behavior, adaptation, and speciation. These butterflies can be found in various locations and habitats in Central and South America, where they encounter and interact with different sources of pollen, nectar, and host plants. However, there is limited knowledge on how geographic and habitat variations affect the microbiota of these insects, and whether microbial associates play a role in their ability to exploit different habitats. To date, research on the microbial communities associated with Heliconius has mainly focused on host phylogenetic signal in microbiomes or microbiome characterization in specific communities of butterflies. In this study, we characterized the microbiomes of several species and populations of Heliconius from distant locations that represent contrasting environments. We found that the microbiota of different Heliconius species is taxonomically similar but vary in abundance. Notably, this variation is associated with a major geographic barrier-the Central Cordillera of Colombia. Additionally, we confirmed that this microbiota is not associated with pollen-feeding. Therefore, it seems likely that geography shapes the abundance of microbiota that the butterfly carries, but not the taxonomic diversity of the microbial community. Based on the current evidence, the bacterial microbiota associated with Heliconius does not appear to play a beneficial role for these butterflies.

Experimental evidence that host species composition alters host-pathogen dynamics in a ranavirus-amphibian assemblage.

Losses in biodiversity can alter disease risk through changes in host species composition. Host species vary in pathogen susceptibility and competence, yet how changes in diversity alter host-pathogen dynamics remains unclear in many systems, particularly with respect to generalist pathogens. Amphibians are experiencing worldwide population declines linked to generalist pathogens, such as ranavirus, and thus represent an ideal group to investigate how host species composition affects disease risk. We conducted experiments in which amphibian larvae of three native species (Pacific tree frogs, Pseudacris regilla; Cascades frogs, Rana cascadae; and Western toads, Anaxyrus boreas) were exposed to ranavirus individually (in the laboratory) or as assemblages (in outdoor mesocosms). In a laboratory experiment, we observed low survival and high viral loads in P. regilla compared to the other species, suggesting that this species was highly susceptible to the pathogen. In the mesocosm experiment, we observed 41% A. boreas mortality when alone and 98% mortality when maintained with P. regilla and R. cascadae. Our results suggest that the presence of highly susceptible species can alter disease dynamics across multiple species, potentially increasing infection risk and mortality in co-occurring species.

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions.

Ecological physiology, particularly of ectotherms, is increasingly important in this changing world as it uses measures of species and environmental traits to explore the interactions between organisms and their surroundings to better understand their survival and fitness. Traditional thermal assays are costly in terms of time, money, and equipment and are therefore often limited to small sample sizes and few species. Presented here is a novel protocol that generates detailed data on individual behavior and physiology of large, volant, terrestrial insects, using the example of butterflies. This paper describes the methods of a cold shock recovery assay that can be performed in the field under ambient environmental conditions and does not require costly laboratory equipment. This method has been used to understand the response and recovery strategy to cold shock of tropical butterflies, generating individual level data across entire butterfly communities. These methods can be employed in both remote field settings and classrooms and can be used to generate ecologically relevant physiological data and as a teaching tool.

Large mammal community composition and density under a disturbance gradient in Northeast Costa Rica / Composición y densidad de las comunidades de grandes mamíferos bajo un gradiente de alteración en el noreste de Costa Rica

Abstract:Large mammal communities, integral components of Neotropical ecosystems, are increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation and degradation due to anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Lowland Neotropical palm forests harbor diverse mammal communities, including threatened and endangered species. We monitored three transects in the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Costa Rica from February 2014 until April 2015 documenting large terrestrial mammal and primate detections. Following established large mammal survey methodology, each transect was walked weekly alternating between early morning and late afternoon to maximize detection. The three transects represent three levels of anthropogenic disturbance with highest disturbance at the Cerro, followed by Caño Palma Biological Station (CPBS), and lowest levels in Tortuguero National Park (TNP). Overall we found higher diversity and increased presence of endangered species in TNP and the lowest diversity and lower presence of those species in the Cerro. Overall we detected 25 species; 19 at the Cerro, 22 in TNP and 23 at CPBS. TNP had the highest diversity as calculated by Simpson index (28.3) followed by CBPS (27.9), and the Cerro had the lowest diversity of mammals (2.27). The most influential species driving the differences of communities between the three transects included the white-lipped and collared peccaries, which were both present in higher densities in transects with lower disturbance and higher levels of protection, and domestic dogs which were present in higher densities at the Cerro. This study has documented baseline densities of large mammal communities in the wildlife refuge which can be used as preliminary data for future comparisons. As development is continuing in the region, including construction of a tourist trail at the Cerro, a continued monitoring is recommended to understand the effect of development on mammal communities. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (4): 1553-1564. Epub 2016 December 01.

Resumen:Las comunidades de grandes mamíferos, componentes integrales de los ecosistemas neotropicales, se encuentran cada vez más amenazadas debido a la fragmentación del hábitat y a su degradación por presiones antropogénicas y por el cambio climático. Los bosques de palmeras de zonas bajas neotropicales albergan comunidades diversas de mamíferos, incluyendo especies amenazadas y en peligro. Hemos monitoreado tres transectos en el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Barra del Colorado en el noreste de Costa Rica, desde febrero 2014 hasta abril 2015, registrando grandes mamíferos terrestres y primates. Siguiendo métodos establecidos de muestreos de mamíferos grandes, caminábamos cada transecto una vez por semana alternando entre la maña y la tarde para maximizar la detección. Estos tres transectos representan tres niveles de alteración antropogénica, encontrándose la más fuerte en el Cerro, seguido de la Estación Biológica Caño Palma (CPBS) y, con la menor presión, el Parque Nacional Tortuguero (TNP). En general, hemos encontrado una mayor diversidad y mayor presencia de especies en peligro de extinción en TNP y una menor diversidad y una menor presencia de estas especies en el Cerro. En esta investigación, detectamos 25 especies en total; 19 en el Cerro, 22 en el TNP, y 23 en CPBS. TNP tenía el más alto nivel de diversidad según el índice Simpson (28.3) seguido por CBPS (27.9), y el Cerro tenía el nivel de diversidad más bajo (2.27). Las especies que influyen en mayor medida con la diferenciación de las comunidades entre los tres transectos incluyen los pecarís cariblanco y de collar, ambos encontrados en mayor densidad en los transectos con menores alteraciones y altos niveles de protección, y los perros domésticos, los cuales aparecen en mayor densidad en el Cerro. Este estudio sirve de base para documentar las comunidades de grandes mamíferos en el refugio y puede ser usado para futuras comparaciones. Debido al continuo desarrollo de la región, incluyendo la construcción de un sendero para turistas en el Cerro, el monitoreo continuo es imprescindible para el entendimiento de los efectos del desarrollo en las comunidades de mamíferos.

Large mammal community composition and density under a disturbance gradient in Northeast Costa Rica.

Large mammal communities, integral components of Neotropical ecosystems, are increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation and degradation due to anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Lowland Neotropical palm forests harbor diverse mammal communities, including threatened and endangered species. We monitored three transects in the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Costa Rica from February 2014 until April 2015 documenting large terrestrial mammal and primate detections. Following established large mammal survey methodology, each transect was walked weekly alternating between early morning and late afternoon to maximize detection. The three transects represent three levels of anthropogenic disturbance with highest disturbance at the Cerro, followed by Caño Palma Biological Station (CPBS), and lowest levels in Tortuguero National Park (TNP). Overall we found higher diversity and increased presence of endangered species in TNP and the lowest diversity and lower presence of those species in the Cerro. Overall we detected 25 species; 19 at the Cerro, 22 in TNP and 23 at CPBS. TNP had the highest diversity as calculated by Simpson index (28.3) followed by CBPS (27.9), and the Cerro had the lowest diversity of mammals (2.27). The most influential species driving the differences of communities between the three transects included the white-lipped and collared peccaries, which were both present in higher densities in transects with lower disturbance and higher levels of protection, and domestic dogs which were present in higher densities at the Cerro. This study has documented baseline densities of large mammal communities in the wildlife refuge which can be used as preliminary data for future comparisons. As development is continuing in the region, including construction of a tourist trail at the Cerro, a continued monitoring is recommended to understand the effect of development on mammal communities.