Cross-amplification of microsatellite loci reveals multiple paternity in Halys pit viper (Gloydius halys)

For Halys pit viper (Gloydius halys) species-specific microsatellite primers are not available. We tested a set of twenty primer pairs, originally developed for various Crotalinae species, for cross-amplification with Gloydius halys. The level of allelic polymorphism was assessed for eight successfully amplified loci via genotyping of a population sample. Between three to 24 alleles per locus were recorded. We examined a female and seven of its embryos for multiple paternity using seven microsatellite loci. More than two paternal alleles were detected in two loci indicating that two or more fathers were involved. This is the first report of multiple paternity in the wild population of Crotalinae. The life history characteristics of Halys pit-viper that can be associated with multiple paternity are discussed

The effect of diet on the structure of gut bacterial community of sympatric pair of whitefishes (Coregonus lavaretus): one story more

In the Coregonus lavaretus complex may be found lacustrine sympatric pairs, which serves as an intriguing model for studying different aspects of fish evolutionary biology. One such sympatric whitefish pair inhabits Teletskoye Lake (West Siberia, Russia) and includes a “large” form (Coregonus lavaretus pidschian (Gmelin, 1789)) and a “small” form (C. l. pravdinellus (Dulkeit, 1949)). C. l. pravdinellus has a narrow trophic specialization and feeds on zooplankton, whereas the diet of C. l. pidschian is based on benthic prey. In the present study we aimed to address the question of how the gut microbial community reflects the divergence in diet of a sympatric pair of whitefish. Studied samples included the mucosa and content were collected for cardiac and pyloric stomach, anterior, middle, and posterior intestine, but only mucosa was collected for the pyloric caeca. In addition, water, sediment, macrophyte (environmental microbiota) and invertebrate (microbiota of prey) samples were collected in the same location. The V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA genes was chosen for microbiome analysis and the software PICRUSt used to estimate the difference functional roles of the microbiota. The number of OTUs and Chao1 index in mucosa and content of cardiac and pyloric stomach were significantly different between whitefish. Significant differences were observed between whitefish for content from different parts of the intestine in terms of OTU number and Chao1 indices, whereas for mucosa from the same parts of intestine these differences were absent. No significant differences were found for diversity estimates of mucosa and content of different parts of the gut (there were a few exceptions) between whitefish. The form of whitefish and the segment of the digestive system were factors with a significant determinative effect on the structure of the microbiota from gut mucosa and content. The most dominant phyla in mucosa and content of cardiac and pyloric stomach was Proteobacteria (57.0–84.0%) for both whitefish. Throughout the intestine of C. l. pidschian the dominant phyla in mucosa were Proteobacteria (38.8%) and Firmicutes (15.6%), whereas for C. l. pravdinellus–Tenericutes (49.6%) and Proteobacteria (28.1%). For both forms, the phylum Spirochaetes was found in a significant amount (20.0–25.0%) in the mucosa of the posterior intestine. While for the content obtained from anterior, middle and posterior intestines, the dominant bacterial phyla were the same as those described for mucosa from the same parts of the intestine for both whitefish. The bacterial community of the prey and environment was significantly different from bacterial communities found for all parts of the gut mucosa for both whitefish, with the exception of the mucosa of the cardiac stomach. According to PICRUSt the highest level of differences between whitefish at the L3 level were found for the intestinal mucosa (75.3%), whereas the lowest one was registered for stomach content (38.8%).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Database of Amphibia distribution in West Siberia (Russia)

West Siberia is a large region in North Eurasia, which harbours multiple climatic zones, landscape types and biomes. Its amphibian fauna is characterised by a combination of European and Asian species. For many species, this region is the place where the limits of their global ranges are located (Rana temporaria, R. amurensis, Bufotes sitibundus). West Siberia also has at least two non-native amphibian species (Pelophylax ridibundus, Bufotes viridis). The exact ranges and patterns of distribution of the West Siberian amphibian species are poorly studied. The mapping of species ranges is important for the development of conservation measures and monitoring of invasive species is required to investigate their impacts on the natural ecosystems

The mitogenome of Elaphe bimaculata (Reptilia: Colubridae) has never been published: a case with the complete mitochondrial genome of E. dione

The steppes ratsnake, Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773), is widely distributed across Eurasia, but the systematics and phylogeography of this species remain poorly studied. Sequencing of the full mitochondrial genome of this species provides a reference for its further study. Here, we report the full mitochondrial genome of an E. dione specimen from Krasnoyarsk Krai (East Siberia, Russia). We found that it is highly similar to the previously reported mitochondrial genome of the sister species, E. bimaculata. Both species misidentification by the authors of E. bimaculata mitogenome and the introgressive hybridization between these taxa can possibly explain this observation

Trophic diversification and parasitic invasion as ecological niche modulators for gut microbiota of whitefish

Introduction: The impact of parasites on gut microbiota of the host is well documented, but the role of the relationship between the parasite and the host in the formation of the microbiota is poorly understood. This study has focused on the influence that trophic behavior and resulting parasitism has on the structure of the microbiome. Methods: Using 16S amplicon sequencing and newly developed methodological approaches, we characterize the gut microbiota of the sympatric pair of whitefish Coregonus lavaretus complex and the associated microbiota of cestodes parasitizing their intestine. The essence of the proposed approaches is, firstly, to use the method of successive washes of the microbiota from the cestode’s surfaces to analyze the degree of bacterial association to the tegument of the parasite. Secondly, to use a method combining the sampling of intestinal content and mucosa with the washout procedure from the mucosa to understand the real structure of the fish gut microbiota. Results and discussion: Our results demonstrate that additional microbial community in the intestine are formed by the parasitic helminths that caused the restructuring of the microbiota in infected fish compared to those uninfected. Using the desorption method in Ringer’s solution, we have demonstrated that Proteocephalus sp. cestodes possess their own microbial community which is put together from “surface” bacteria, and bacteria which are weakly and strongly associated with the tegument, bacteria obtained after treatment of the tegument with detergent, and bacteria obtained after removal of the tegument from the cestodes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chestnut shell tannins: effects on intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis in zebrafish

The aim of the present study was to test the possible ameliorative efficacy of phytochemicals such as tannins on intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis. The effect of a chestnut shell (Castanea sativa) extract (CSE) rich in polyphenols, mainly represented by tannins, on k-carrageenan-induced intestinal inflammation in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) was tested in a feeding trial. Intestinal inflammation was induced by 0.1% k-carrageenan added to the diet for 10 days. CSE was administered for10 days after k-carrageenan induced inflammation. The intestinal morphology and histopathology, cytokine expression, and microbiota were analyzed. The k-carrageenan treatment led to gut lumen expansion, reduction of intestinal folds, and increase of the goblet cells number, accompanied by the upregulation of pro-inflammatory factors (TNFα, COX2) and alteration in the number and ratio of taxonomic groups of bacteria. CSE counteracted the inflammatory status enhancing the growth of health helpful bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas), decreasing the pro-inflammatory factors, and activating the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. In conclusion, CSE acted as a prebiotic on zebrafish gut microbiota, sustaining the use of tannins as food additives to ameliorate the intestinal inflammation. Our results may be relevant for both aquaculture and medical clinic field

Phylogeny, phylogeography and hybridization of Caucasian barbels of the genus Barbus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae)

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of six species of Caucasian barbels, the genus Barbus s. str., were studied based on extended geographic coverage and using mtDNA and nDNA markers. Based on 27 species studied, matrilineal phylogeny of the genus Barbus is composed of two clades ¿ (a) West European clade, (b) Central and East European clade. The latter comprises two subclades: (b1) Balkanian subclade, and (b2) Ponto-Caspian one that includes 11 lineages mainly from Black and Caspian Sea drainages. Caucasian barbels are not monophyletic and subdivided for two groups. The Black Sea group encompasses species from tributaries of Black Sea including re-erected B. rionicus and excluding B. kubanicus. The Caspian group includes B. ciscaucasicus, B. cyri (with B. goktschaicus that might be synonymized with B. cyri), B. lacerta from the Tigris-Euphrates basin and B. kubanicus from the Kuban basin. Genetic structure of Black Sea barbels was influenced by glaciation-deglaciation periods accompanying by freshwater phases, periods of migration and colonization of Black Sea tributaries. Intra- and intergeneric hybridization among Caucasian barbines was revealed. In the present study, we report about finding of B. tauricus in the Kuban basin, where only B. kubanicus was thought to inhabit. Hybrids between these species were detected based on both mtDNA and nDNA markers. Remarkably, Kuban population of B. tauricus is distant to closely located conspecific populations and we consider it as relic. We highlight revealing the intergeneric hybridization between evolutionary tetraploid (2n=100) B. goktschaicus and evolutionary hexaploid (2n=150) Capoeta sevangi in Lake Sevan.The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 15-14-10020); final stage of the study was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants nos. 18-54-05003 and 19-04-00719)

Unusual colour form of Siberian pit viper (<i>Gloydius h. halys</i>) from the northern edge of its area

In this report, I describe the unusual colour form of Siberian pit viper (Gloydius h. halys) from the marginal population in Novosibirsk region (West Siberia, Russia). This morph was named “bronze” and occurs of 16% of individuals. To the best of my knowledge, such colour pattern does not known from other parts of G. halys area

The mitogenome of Elaphe bimaculata (Reptilia: Colubridae) has never been published: a case with the complete mitochondrial genome of E. dione

The steppes ratsnake, Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773), is widely distributed across Eurasia, but the systematics and phylogeography of this species remain poorly studied. Sequencing of the full mitochondrial genome of this species provides a reference for its further study. Here, we report the full mitochondrial genome of an E. dione specimen from Krasnoyarsk Krai (East Siberia, Russia). We found that it is highly similar to the previously reported mitochondrial genome of the sister species, E. bimaculata. Both species misidentification by the authors of E. bimaculata mitogenome and the introgressive hybridization between these taxa can possibly explain this observation

First record of ranavirus (Ranavirus sp.) in Siberia, Russia

Ranaviruses are a group of double-strand DNA viruses that infect fish, amphibians and reptiles. These viruses are responsible for mass fish and amphibian mortality events worldwide, both in the wild and at the fish and amphibian farms. The number of detected epizootics has grown significantly in recent years. In Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, including Russia, very few ranavirosis monitoring studies have been conducted, in contrast with Western Europe and America. In the present work, we used a qPCR assay to survey for the first time the amphibian populations of West Siberia (Russia) for the presence of ranaviruses. In total, we studied 252 tissue samples from six amphibian species, collected across West Siberia from the south to the Arctic regions. We report a single infected sample: a common toad (Bufo bufo) captured near Tyumen city. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the detected virus strain belongs to the CMTV lineage. This is only the second observation of Ranavirus in Russia