Bayesian salamanders: analysing the demography of an underground population of the European plethodontid <i>Speleomantes strinatii</i> with state-space modelling

&lt;b&gt;Background&lt;/b&gt;: It has been suggested that Plethodontid salamanders are excellent candidates for indicating ecosystem health. However, detailed, long-term data sets of their populations are rare, limiting our understanding of the demographic processes underlying their population fluctuations. Here we present a demographic analysis based on a 1996 - 2008 data set on an underground population of Speleomantes strinatii (Aellen) in NW Italy. We utilised a Bayesian state-space approach allowing us to parameterise a stage-structured Lefkovitch model. We used all the available population data from annual temporary removal experiments to provide us with the baseline data on the numbers of juveniles, subadults and adult males and females present at any given time. &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;: Sampling the posterior chains of the converged state-space model gives us the likelihood distributions of the state-specific demographic rates and the associated uncertainty of these estimates. Analysing the resulting parameterised Lefkovitch matrices shows that the population growth is very close to 1, and that at population equilibrium we expect half of the individuals present to be adults of reproductive age which is what we also observe in the data. Elasticity analysis shows that adult survival is the key determinant for population growth. &lt;b&gt;Conclusion&lt;/b&gt;: This analysis demonstrates how an understanding of population demography can be gained from structured population data even in a case where following marked individuals over their whole lifespan is not practical

Mariella Turrini - La tartaruga nella cultura dei popoli - Miti, leggende e Folklore

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The use of clay models in amphibian field studies: a short review

Clay models are realistic replicas of live animals that are frequently used in ecological and ethological field studies. These kind of models, usually made from plasticine, are malleable, easy to shape, colour and relative inexpensive. In addition, plasticine models retain marks on their surface allowing the identification of the predator and of the body part of the prey that was attacked. In this short review we retrieved and analysed a preliminary list of studies published until December 2017, that used clay replicas of amphibians in ecological field studies. Overall 25 publications were analysed. The first scientific paper using amphibian clay models was published in 1994, but only after the year 2005 the use of clay replicas became frequent in herpetological field researches. The majority of studies were performed in tropical or subtropical ecosystems of Central and South America, and only a relative small number of studies were executed in temperate forests of North America and Europe. The most studied family was Dendrobatidae with nine species. In Urodela the Plethodontidae, with four species, was the most studied family. After the analysis of the main features concerning technical aspects, geographic distribution and temporal trend of these kind of studies, the pros and cons of the use of amphibian clay models are synthetically discussed

Diet of a restocked population of the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis in NW Italy

Recently several projects have been implemented for the conservation of the European turtle Emys orbicularis, but few aspects of the captive-bred animals released into the wild have been described. In this note we report about the trophic habits of a small restocked population of the endemic subspecies E. o. ingauna that is now reproducing in NW Italy. Faecal contents from 25 individuals (10 females, 11 males and 4 juveniles) were obtained in June 2016. Overall, 11 taxonomic categories of invertebrates were identified, together with seeds and plant remains. Plant material was present in 24 out of 25 turtle faecal contents, suggesting that ingestion was deliberate. There were no differences between the dietary habits of females and males, and the trophic strategy of adult individuals was characterised by a relatively high specialization on dragonfly nymphae. These findings suggest that captive bred turtles are adapting well to the wild and that restocked individuals assumed an omnivorous diet, a trophic behaviour typical of other wild turtle populations living in similar habitats

Population modelling to assess supplementation strategies for the European pond terrapin Emys orbicularis in Liguria

We present the results of modelling the supplementation program for Emys orbicularis in Liguria. We evaluated three ossible alternative strategies for the reintroduction, releasing 3-, 4- or 5-year-old turtles. In particular, we wanted to assess the expected population sizes that could be achieved by these release strategies, given environmental and demographic stochasticity, and the possibility that captive-bred individuals, when released, suffer greater mortality than those born in the wild. We built a stage-structured model for a reintroduced population and parameterised it using published and unpublished information. We compared the outcomes of population viability analyses for releases of 3-, 4- or 5-yr old turtles, explicitly accounting for uncertainty in the estimated parameters and investigating the effect of an increased mortality in the year after release. Assuming post-release effects would affect all life stages equally, releasing 5-yr old turtles was always the most effective option, with the highest predicted number of mature individuals in the wild population after 20 and 50 years. However, releasing 3- and 4-yr-old turtles was also predicted to provide positive results, and may prove a cheaper strategy since it requires a smaller captive population. In the event that post-release survival has a greater impact on older individuals, their release may become less advantageous and even sub-optimal. Therefore, future monitoring and analysis should concentrate on resolving the uncertainty for this parameter, since it is the most likely to affect management decisions and outcomes

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in Italy: first data from wild populations and captive collections

Italy hosts one of the most diverse amphibian fauna of the entire Mediterranean, and several endemic salamander species are found in the Alps, along the Apennines and in Sardinia. Therefore, the introduction of the highly pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) could threaten Italian amphibian diversity and cause the loss of many unique evolutionary lineages of salamanders. To counteract and prevent the spread of this pathogen in Italy, a preliminary molecular screening was performed on wild salamanders from different parts of the country and also from four live collections owned by private keepers. Salamanders\u2019 skin swabs were obtained following a standard protocol and samples were analysed for the presence of both Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Bsal DNA, using a duplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Overall 189 skin swabs were analysed: 136 from seven wild native species, and 53 from seven Asian, two North-American and one European salamanders bred in captivity. All samples were negative for Bsal (prevalence 0%, confidence interval 0 \u2013 2%), while 4 out of 136 wild salamanders were positive for Bd (prevalence 3%, confidence interval 1 \u2013 7%), with low individual Bd loads (68 64 genome equivalents). Although our findings are not sufficient to infer with confidence about the presence or absence of this pathogen in Italy, they may possibly contribute to increase awareness of professional herpetologists and also among amphibian private keepers

Amphibian peptides for skin protection and healing

BACKGROUND: Amphibians are currently suffering a dramatic decline worldwide, mainly due to chytridiomycosis, a skin infection caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). An important natural defense of amphibian skin is the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) by granular glands in the dermis. AMPs collected from several species of frogs successfully inhibit the growth of Bd in vitro. Besides their anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities, AMPs have been shown to exert other biological effects such as anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, immunomodulating and wound healing. AIM: We intended to test the efficacy of AMPs as cutaneous defenses in frog species either resistant or susceptible to Bd. METHODS: 3 frog species (Gastrotheca nebulanastes (GN), G. excubitor (GE) and Hypsiboas gladiator (HG), were collected in montane scrub, cloud forest and high elevation grassland habitats near Manu National Park in southeastern Peru. AMP secretion was stimulated by injection of norepinephrine into the dorsal lymph sacks. AMPs were then purified by chromatographic techniques. The human endothelial cell line HECV was treated with AMP concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 50 \ub5g/mL. Cell viability was verified by MTT test. Wound healing properties were analyzed by scratch wound assay. AMP inhibition strength against Bd growth was measured in vitro by incubating Bd zoospores with different concentrations of AMPs. RESULTS: Treatment with AMPs secreted from GN, GE and HG did not affect HECV cell viability at any concentration tested. No significant differences in cell migration rate were observed in HECV cells scratched and treated with GN and GE AMPs. Only HG peptides showed wound healing properties as well as strong Bd growth inhibiting ability. CONCLUSIONS: Stimulation of wound healing mechanisms and inhibition of Bd growth by skin AMPs might both contribute to HG resistance to chytridiomycosis. Understanding the role of skin defenses may lead to the development of novel Bd mitigation strategies. Possible applications of amphibian AMPs in skin medicine deserve attention and further studies. This work was funded by the European Commission (Tender ENV.B.3/SER/2016/0028, Mitigating a new infectious disease in salamanders to counteract the loss of European biodiversity) and by Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre

Primi dati sulla dieta della lucertola ocellata Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) in Italia

La lucertola ocellata Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) è diffuso nella penisola iberica, nel sud della Francia e nella Liguria occidentale e centrale (Mateo e Cheylan, 1997), regione che costituisce il limite orientale della sua distribuzione (Camerano, 1885; Bruno, 1982; Ferri et al., 1991). In Italia, l’areale della specie è frammentato (doria e Salvidio, 1994) con popolazioni isolate, spesso minacciate dalla continua alterazione degli habitat idonei e in particolare dagli incendi e dalla continua edificazione delle aree costiere (Salvidio et al., 2004). L’interesse biogeografico e conservazionistico di queste popolazioni al limite di areale è pertanto evidente, ma i dati sulla biologia di questo lacertide in Italia sono ancora scarsi e le informazioni riportate da Corti e Lo Cascio (1999) si riferiscono solo alle popolazioni spagnole e francesi