Echinococcus infections in the Baltic region

In the Baltic countries, the two zoonotic diseases, alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, and cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus, are of increasing public health concern. Observations from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania indicate that the distribution of both parasites is wider in the Baltics than previously expected. In this paper, we review and discuss the available data, regarding both parasitoses in animals and humans, from the Baltic countries and selected adjacent regions. The data are not easily comparable but reveal a worrisome situation as the number of human AE and CE cases is increasing. Despite improvements in diagnostics and treatment, AE has a high morbidity and mortality in the Baltic region. For the control of both zoonoses, monitoring transmission patterns and timely diagnosis in humans as well as the development of local control programs present major challenges. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Coat Polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx: Adaptation to Environment or Phylogeographic Legacy?

We studied the relationship between the variability and contemporary distribution of pelage phenotypes in one of most widely distributed felid species and an array of environmental and demographic conditions. We collected 672 photographic georeferenced records of the Eurasian lynx throughout Eurasia. We assigned each lynx coat to one of five phenotypes. Then we fitted the coat patterns to different environmental and anthropogenic variables, as well as the effective geographic distances from inferred glacial refugia. A majority of lynx were either of the large spotted (41.5%) or unspotted (uniform, 36.2%) phenotype. The remaining patterns (rosettes, small spots and pseudo-rosettes) were represented in 11.0%, 7.4%, and 3.9% of samples, respectively. Although various environmental variables greatly affected lynx distribution and habitat suitability, it was the effect of least-cost distances from locations of the inferred refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum that explained the distribution of lynx coat patterns the best. Whereas the occurrence of lynx phenotypes with large spots was explained by the proximity to refugia located in the Caucasus/Middle East, the uniform phenotype was associated with refugia in the Far East and Central Asia. Despite the widely accepted hypothesis of adaptive functionality of coat patterns in mammals and exceptionally high phenotypic polymorphism in Eurasian lynx, we did not find well-defined signs of habitat matching in the coat pattern of this species. Instead, we showed how the global patterns of morphological variability in this large mammal and its environmental adaptations may have been shaped by past climatic change.publishedVersio

Prerequisites for coexistence: human pressure and refuge habitat availability shape continental‑scale habitat use patterns of a large carnivore

Context Adjustments in habitat use by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people in shared landscapes. Landscape composition might be a key factor determining how large carnivores can adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of habitat use across large gradients of human pressure and landscape composition are lacking. Objectives Here, we investigate adjustments in habitat use by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in response to varying availability of refuge habitats (i.e., forests and rugged terrain) and human landscape modifcation. Methods Using a large tracking dataset including 434 individuals from seven populations, we assess functional responses in lynx habitat use across two spatial scales, testing for variation by sex, daytime, and season. Results We found that lynx use refuge habitats more intensively with increasing landscape modifcation across spatial scales, selecting forests most strongly in otherwise open landscapes and rugged terrain in mountainous regions. Moreover, higher forest availability enabled lynx to place their home ranges in more human-modifed landscapes. Human pressure and refuge habitat availability also shaped temporal patterns of lynx habitat use, with lynx increasing refuge habitat use and reducing their use of human-modifed areas during periods of high exposure (daytime) or high vulnerability (postnatal period) to human pressure. Conclusions Our fndings suggest a remarkable adaptive capacity of lynx towards human pressure and underline the importance of refuge habitats across scales for enabling coexistence between large carnivores and people. More broadly, we highlight that the composition of landscapes determines how large carnivores can adapt to human pressure and thus play an important role shaping large carnivore habitat use and distributions.publishedVersio

Integrating animal tracking datasets at a continental scale for mapping Eurasian lynx habitat

Aim: The increasing availability of animal tracking datasets collected across many sites provides new opportunities to move beyond local assessments to enable de-tailed and consistent habitat mapping at biogeographical scales. However, integrating wildlife datasets across large areas and study sites is challenging, as species' varying responses to different environmental contexts must be reconciled. Here, we compare approaches for large-area habitat mapping and assess available habitat for a recolo-nizing large carnivore, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).Location: Europe.Methods: We use a continental-scale animal tracking database (450 individuals from 14 study sites) to systematically assess modelling approaches, comparing (1) global strategies that pool all data for training versus building local, site-specific models and combining them, (2) different approaches for incorporating regional variation in habi-tat selection and (3) different modelling algorithms, testing nonlinear mixed effects models as well as machine-learning algorithms.Results: Testing models on training sites and simulating model transfers, global and local modelling strategies achieved overall similar predictive performance. Model performance was the highest using flexible machine-learning algorithms and when incorporating variation in habitat selection as a function of environmental variation. Our best-performing model used a weighted combination of local, site-specific habi-tat models. Our habitat maps identified large areas of suitable, but currently unoccu-pied lynx habitat, with many of the most suitable unoccupied areas located in regions that could foster connectivity between currently isolated populations.Main Conclusions: We demonstrate that global and local modelling strategies can achieve robust habitat models at the continental scale and that considering regional variation in habitat selection improves broad-scale habitat mapping. More generally, we highlight the promise of large wildlife tracking databases for large-area habitat mapping. Our maps provide the first high-resolution, yet continental assessment of lynx habitat across Europe, providing a consistent basis for conservation planning for restoring the species within its former range.publishedVersio

Helminthfauna of wild felids and canids in Latvia

Anotācija SavvaĜas zīdītāju helmintofaunas pētījumi līdz šim Latvijā ir maz veikti. Šī pētījuma mērėis ir iegūt datus par plēsēju – lūšu, vilku, lapsu un jenotsuĦu helmintofaunu Latvijā, tajos parazitējošo sugu ekstensitāti, parazītu intensitāti un galvenajiem parazītu izplatības ceĜiem Latvijā. Pētījumam izmantoti nomedītie dzīvnieki Latvijas teritorijā. Pavisam izpētīti 123 lūši, 34 vilki, 45 lapsas un 19 jenotsuĦi. Pētījumā konstatēta 31 helmintu suga – piecas trematožu, 12 lenteĦu un 15 nematožu sugas. Lūšos konstatētas 12 sugas, vilkos – 18, lapsās – 21 un jenotsuĦos – 14 sugas. Lūšos biežāk sastopamās helmintu sugas ir lenteĦi Taenia pisiformis (99,2%) un nematodes Toxocara cati (69,9%), Trichinella spp. (41,5%) un Eucoleus aerophilus (30,2%); vilkos – trematode Alaria alata (85,3%), lenteĦi Taenia multiceps (47,1%), T. hydatigena (41,2%) un nematodes Trichinella spp. (69,7%), Pearsonema plica (41,4%) un Uncinaria stenocephala (41,2%); lapsās – trematode A. alata (97,8%), lenteĦi Mesocestoides lineatus (68,9%), Taenia polyacantha (60,0%) un nematodes U.stenocephala (88,9%), P. plica (82,1%), E. aerophilus (81,0%) un Trichinella spp. (54,1%); jenotsuĦos – trematode A. alata (89,5%), lentenis Mesocestoides lineatus (42,1%) un nematode U.stenocephala (94,7%). Plēsēju helmintofauna galvenokārt ir pārstāvēta ar parazītu sugām, kas iegūtas trofiskajā ceĜā. Lapsu helmintofauna ir daudzveidīga (H=1,07) un būtiski atšėiras (p<0,01) no pārējo dzīvnieku helmintofaunas. Statistiski būtiskas atšėirības dzīvnieku helmintofaunā saistībā ar dzīvnieka vecumu un dzimumu ir konstatēta tikai dažām parazītu sugām. Taenia pisiformis intensitāte (p<0,05) un Trichinella spp. ekstensitāte (p<0,01) ir izteiktāka pieaugušajos lūšos; Toxocara cati intensitāte un ekstensitāte – lūšu tēviĦos (p<0,01). Taenia multiceps ekstensitāte ir izteiktāka pieaugušajos vilkos (p<0,05). Uncinaria stenocephala ekstensitāte ir izteiktāka pieaugušajās lapsās (p<0,05), bet intensitāte – pieaugušajos jenotsuĦos (p<0,05). Konstatēta tendence (lai arī statistiski tā nav būtiska), ka parazītu ekstensitāte jaunajos vilkos un jenotsuĦos un parazītu intensitāte jaunajos jenotsuĦos ir lielāka nekā pieaugušajos dzīvniekos. Talsu, Alūksnes, Madonas, Rīgas, Ventspils, Cēsu un Aizkraukles rajonos ir konstatēta izteiktākā parazītu sugu ekstensitāte. No visām plēsējos konstatētajām parazītu sugām desmit helmintu sugām ir epidemioloăiska nozīme.Annotation There is a lack of information on the helminthofauna in mammals in Latvia. The aim of this research is to obtain data on helminthofauna in carnivores – lynxes, wolves, foxes and raccoon dogs in Latvia, the intensity and extensity of parasites and the main mode of transmission of parasitic infections. The carcasses of 123 lynxes, 34 wolves, 45 foxes and 19 racoon dogs hunted in the territory of Latvia were used for this research. 31 species of parasites – 5 trematode, 12 tapeworm and 15 nematode species found in carnivores were examined. 12 species of parasites were found in lynxes, 18 in wolves, 21 in foxes and 14 in raccoon dogs. Taenia pisiformis (99.2%), Toxocara cati (69.9%), Trichinella spp. (41.5%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (30.2%) were the predominant parasites in lynxes, whereas Alaria alata (85.3%), Taenia multiceps (47.1%), T. hydatigena (41.2%), Trichinella spp. (69.7%), Pearsonema plica (41.4%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (41.2%) were predominant in wolves. A. alata (97.8%), Mesocestoides lineatus (68.9%), Taenia polyacantha (60.0%), U.stenocephala (88.9%), P. plica (82.1%), E. aerophilus (81.0%) as well as Trichinella spp. (54.1%) were the main parasites of foxes. In raccoon dogs A.alata (89.5%), M.lineatus (42.1%) and U.stenocephala (94.7%) were found to be predominant parasites. The main route of transmission was found to be through food chains. The helminthofauna of foxes was more diverse (H=1.07) and significantly different (p<0.01) compared to that of other carnivores. Age and gender differences in the helminthofauna of carnivores in Latvia were found to be statistically significant only for a few species of helminths. The intensity of Taenia pisiformis (p<0.05) and extensity of Trichinella spp. (p<0.01) were higher in adult lynxes, whereas the intensity and extensity of Toxocara cati was higher in male lynxes (p<0.01). The extensity of Taenia multiceps was higher in adult wolves (p<0.05). The extensity of Uncinaria stenocephala (p<0.05) was higher in adult foxes, whereas the intensity was higher in adult raccoon dogs (p<0.05). It was discovered that the extensity of parasites in young wolves and raccoon dogs and intensity of parasites in raccoon dogs tended to be higher than in adult animals, although the differences were not found to be statistically significant. Higher extensity of parasites were found in animals from Talsi, Aluksne, Madona, Riga, Ventspils, Cesis and Aizkraukle districts. Ten out of all parasite species found in carnivores had epidemiological significancy

Prerequisites for coexistence: human pressure and refuge habitat availability shape continental‑scale habitat use patterns of a large carnivore

ContextAdjustments in habitat use by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people in shared landscapes. Landscape composition might be a key factor determining how large carnivores can adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of habitat use across large gradients of human pressure and landscape composition are lacking.ObjectivesHere, we investigate adjustments in habitat use by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in response to varying availability of refuge habitats (i.e., forests and rugged terrain) and human landscape modification.MethodsUsing a large tracking dataset including 434 individuals from seven populations, we assess functional responses in lynx habitat use across two spatial scales, testing for variation by sex, daytime, and season.ResultsWe found that lynx use refuge habitats more intensively with increasing landscape modification across spatial scales, selecting forests most strongly in otherwise open landscapes and rugged terrain in mountainous regions. Moreover, higher forest availability enabled lynx to place their home ranges in more human-modified landscapes. Human pressure and refuge habitat availability also shaped temporal patterns of lynx habitat use, with lynx increasing refuge habitat use and reducing their use of human-modified areas during periods of high exposure (daytime) or high vulnerability (postnatal period) to human pressure.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a remarkable adaptive capacity of lynx towards human pressure and underline the importance of refuge habitats across scales for enabling coexistence between large carnivores and people. More broadly, we highlight that the composition of landscapes determines how large carnivores can adapt to human pressure and thus play an important role shaping large carnivore habitat use and distributions

A case study for best suitable methods of monitoring demographic structure in cervid populations to predict increasing forest damages

The overall increase of ungulate populations in modern Europe has contributed to conflicts in national economies, particularly between game management and the forestry sector. This study assessed damage risks to young pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and aspen (Populus tremula L.) stands at two spatial scales. One level assessed the interaction between sex-age structure of cervid populations, measured by pellet group density, and forest damages, measured as the percentage of heavily browsed trees in 2040 stand surveys distributed proportionally throughout the country. The second level compared pellet counts and trail-camera-based records of moose (Alces alces L.) and red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) presence in a pilot study area. We examined whether 1) there is a correlation between damage amount and ungulate population structure and 2) are the data from trail cameras suitable for wider use in monitoring ungulate population structure. The study confirmed significantly higher moose pellet group densities in pine than in spruce and aspen stands. Pine damages were greater in stands with higher moose pellet group density, especially with female moose prevailing over male moose density index. The red deer pellet group densities were significantly higher in heavily damaged pine and spruce stands, regardless of sex-age structure. In most cases, there were no statistically significant differences between the two survey methods of ungulate population structure by using pellet count transects and trail camera fixations. Both methods provide comparable data on sex-age structure in moose and red deer populations if seasonal and habitat-predicted biases are considered. However, trail cameras are more widely applicable and easier to use by hunters than pellet counts

\u3ci\u3eEchinococcus multilocularis\u3c/i\u3e in Foxes and Raccoon Dogs: An Increasing Concern for Baltic Countries

Background In Europe, the life cycle of Echinococcus multilocularis is predominantly sylvatic, involving red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) as the main definitive hosts and rodents such as muskrats and arvicolids as intermediate hosts. The parasite is the etiological agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, a malignant zoonotic disease caused by the accidental ingestion of eggs shed by definitive hosts in their feces. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and to study the environmental factors favoring the perpetuation of the parasite in Latvia. Methods A total of 538 red foxes and 407 raccoon dogs were collected across Latvia from 2010 to 2015. The sedimentation and counting technique was used for collecting E. multilocularis adult worms from fox and raccoon dog intestines. The morphological identification of the parasite was confirmed by molecular analysis. Results The prevalence of E. multilocularis was significantly higher in foxes (17.1%; intensity of infection 1–7,050 worms) (P \u3c 0.001) than in raccoon dogs (8.1%; intensity of infection 5–815 worms). In foxes, a significant positive correlation (r(10) = 0.7952, P = 0.001) was found between parasite prevalence and the intensity of infection. A positive relationship (Rs = 0.900, n = 5, P = 0.037) between parasite prevalence and precipitation was also observed. In raccoon dogs, a significant negative relationship (F(1,8) = 9.412, P = 0.015) between animal density and parasite prevalence, and a significant positive relationship (F(1,8) = 7.869, P = 0.023) between parasite prevalence and agricultural land cover, were detected. Conclusions The results of this study confirm the red fox as the most important definitive host of E. multilocularis and, consequently, as the main target for control programs in the Baltic countries. Raccoon dogs seem to play a secondary role in the life cycle of E. multilocularis within the investigated European region

Love Off, Fear On? Brown Bear Acceptance by Teenagers in European Countries with Differing Population Statuses

WOS: 000523751400244The acceptance of large carnivores is one of the key issues for their conservation. We analyzed the level acceptance of brown bears (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) amongst 10-18 year old school students in four European countries using anonymous questionnaires. Our aim was to characterize the drivers of species acceptance, described as a rural-urban cline, as well as fear levels and the respondents' familiarity with bears. We found lower levels of acceptance of bears were related to fear of bears and that bear acceptance was not higher in the bear-inhabited countries, but urban inhabitants tended to better accept the species. Factor analysis revealed the importance of country-related aspects, familiarity with bears, experiences in human-wildlife conflict, gender-age differences, respondent's relationship to nature and the origin of their knowledge of the species. We consider that bear-related education and mass media in Latvia and Lithuania could reduce fear of these animals and sustain their acceptance, while human-wildlife conflict management measures in Bulgaria and Turkey are recommended to boost the appreciation of the species

Closer to Carrying Capacity: Analysis of the Internal Demographic Structure Associated with the Management and Density Dependence of a Controlled Wolf Population in Latvia

Large carnivores are essential components of natural ecosystems. In populated areas, their conservation depends on preserving a favorable status in coexistence with humans, which may require the elimination of excess carnivores to minimize public concerns. As the Baltic region currently hosts a thriving wolf population, locally sustainable management of wolves is important for preserving biodiversity at a European scale. In this paper, we provide a dynamic assessment of the Latvian wolf subpopulation from 1998 until 2020. This study is based on age composition and fecundity data from teeth, uteri, and ovaria inspections obtained from samples of legally culled or accidentally killed individuals. The abundance estimates indicated population growth that exceeded the previously predicted carrying capacity. The proportion of juveniles among the culled individuals increased in recent years, but the mean age of culled adults exhibited a stable trend. In presumably nonselective hunting, the juveniles and individuals older than 3 years had greater culling mortality estimates in comparison with other age classes, and the culling rates for adult females of particular age classes were higher than for males of the same age. While creating significant hunting pressure, wolf management in Latvia may have contributed to the population growth by affecting its demographic processes