Udzungwa Red Colobus Piliocolobus gordonorum Matschie 1900

No abstract available

Reserve size and anthropogenic disturbance affect the density of an African leopard (Panthera pardus) meta-population

Determining correlates of density for large carnivores is important to understand their ecological requirements and develop conservation strategies. Of several earlier density studies conducted globally, relatively few addressed a scale (usually >1000 km2) that allows inference on correlates of density over heterogeneous landscapes. We deployed 164 camera trap stations covering ~2500 km2 across five areas characterized by broadly different vegetation cover in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, to investigate correlates of density for a widespread and adaptable carnivore, the leopard (Panthera pardus). We modelled data in a spatially explicit capture-recapture framework, with both biotic and abiotic covariates hypothesised to influence density. We found that leopard density increased with distance to protected area boundary (mean±SE estimated effect = 0.44±0.20), a proxy for both protected area extent and distance from surrounding human settlements. We estimated mean density at 4.22 leopards/100 km2 (85% CI = 3.33‒5.35/100 km2), with no variation across habitat types. Results indicate that protected area extent and anthropogenic disturbance limit leopard populations whereas no support was found for prey availability and trap array as drivers of leopard density. Such vulnerability is relevant to the conservation of the leopard, which is generally considered more resilient to human disturbance than other large cats. Our findings support the notion that protected areas are important to preserve viable population of leopards, increasingly so in times of unprecedented habitat fragmentation. Protection of buffer zones smoothing the abrupt impact of human activities at reserve edges also appears of critical conservation relevance

A landscape-scale assessment of tropical mammals reveals the effects of habitat and anthropogenic disturbance on community occupancy

<div><p>With biodiversity facing unparalleled threats from anthropogenic disturbance, knowledge on the occurrences of species and communities provides for an effective and fast approach to assess their status and vulnerability. Disturbance is most prominent at the landscape-level, for example through habitat loss from large-scale resource extraction or agriculture. However, addressing species responses to habitat changes at the landscape-scale can be difficult and cost-ineffective, hence studies are mostly conducted at single areas or habitat patches. Moreover, there is a relative lack of studies on communities, as opposed to focal species, despite the former may carry more comprehensive information. Here, we used a multi-region, multi-species hierarchical occupancy model to study a meta-community of mammals detected by camera traps across five distinct areas within a heterogeneous landscape in Tanzania, and aimed to assess responses to human disturbance and environmental variables. Estimated species richness did not vary significantly across different areas, even though these held broadly different habitats. Moreover, we found remarkable consistency in the positive effect of distance to human settlements, a proxy for anthropogenic disturbance, on community occupancy. The positive effect of body size and the positive effect of proximity to rivers on community occupancy were also shared by communities. Results yield conservation relevance because: (1) the among-communities consistency in responses to anthropogenic disturbance, despite the heterogeneity in sampled habitats, indicates that conservation plans designed at the landscape-scale may represent a comprehensive and cost-efficient approach; (2) the consistency in responses to environmental factors suggests that multi-species models are a powerful method to study ecological patterns at the landscape-level.</p></div

Label-free method for anti-glucopeptide antibody detection in Multiple Sclerosis

Surface plasmon resonance technique is particularly interesting in immunology because it has the potential to visualize label-free antigen-antibody interactions in real-time, thus enabling antibody detection and monitoring. Herein we release the guidelines for the correct use of a method to detect specific antibodies directly in Multiple Sclerosis patients’ sera using a glucopeptide-based label-free biosensor. The protocol describes the strategy employed for the immobilization of glucopeptide antigen onto a gold sensor chip and the evaluation of the specific binding of serum antibodies to the immobilized antigen. • Label-free method for the real time screening of disease-specific antibodies within a few minutes; • The described protocol employs small quantities of glucopeptide antigen and blood serum samples saving method-cost; • Stability of the immobilized glucopeptide antigen guarantees the regeneration of the surface allowing re-use the immunosensor with high automated throughput. The antibodies detected using the described methodology can be evaluated as biomarkers of Multiple Sclerosis. The SPR detection system is able to characterize antibodies significantly different from those evaluated in the classical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA)

Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic factors affect wildcat Felis silvestris silvestris occupancy and detectability on Mt Etna

International audienceKnowledge of patterns of occupancy is crucial for planning sound biological management and for identifying areas which require paramount conservation attention. The European wildcat Felis silvestris is an elusive carnivore and is classified as ‘least concern' on the IUCN red list, but with a decreasing population trend in some areas. Sicily hosts a peculiar wildcat population, which deserves conservation and management actions, due to its isolation from the mainland. Patterns of occupancy for wildcats are unknown in Italy, and especially in Sicily. We aimed to identify which ecological drivers determined wildcat occurrence on Mt Etna and to provide conservation actions to promote the wildcats’ long-term survival in this peculiar environment. The genetic identity of the wildcat population was confirmed through a scat-collection which detected 22 different wildcat individuals. We analysed wildcat detections collected by 91 cameras using an occupancy frame work to assess which covariates influenced the detection (p) and the occupancy (ψ) estimates. We recorded 70 detections of the target species from 38 cameras within 3377 trap-days. Wildcat detection was positively influenced by the distance to the major paved roads and negatively affected by the presence of humans. Wildcat occupancy was positively associated with mixed forest and negatively influenced by pine forest, fragmentation of mixed forest and altitude. A spatially explicit predicted occupancy map, validated using an independent dataset of wildcat presence records, showed that higher occupancy estimates were scattered, mainly located on the north face and at lower altitude. Habitat fragmentation has been claimed as a significant threat for the wildcat and this is the first study that has ascertained this as a limiting factor for wildcat occurrence. Conservation actions should promote interconnectivity between areas with high predicted wildcat occupancy while minimising the loss of habitat

Interactions between parasitic helminths and gut microbiota in wild tropical primates from intact and fragmented habitats

7openInternationalBothThe mammalian gastrointestinal tract harbours a highly complex ecosystem composed of a variety of micro- (bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans) and macro-organisms (helminths). Although most microbiota research focuses on the variation of single gut components, the crosstalk between components is still poorly characterized, especially in hosts living under natural conditions. We investigated the gut micro-biodiversity (bacteria, fungi and helminths) of 158 individuals of two wild non-human primates, the Udzungwa red colobus (Procolobus gordonorum) and the yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus). These species have contrasting diets and lifestyles, but live sympatrically in both human-impacted and pristine forests in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. Using non-invasive faecal pellets, helminths were identified using standard microscopy while bacteria and fungi were characterized by sequencing the V1–V3 variable region of the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and the ITS1–ITS2 fragment for fungi. Our results show that both diversity and composition of bacteria and fungi are associated with variation in helminth presence. Although interactions differed by habitat type, in both primates we found that Strongyloides was negatively associated and Trichuris was positively associated with bacterial and fungal richness. To our knowledge, this is one of the few studies demonstrating an interaction between helminth and gut microbiota communities in wild non-human primates.openBarelli, Claudia; Donati, Claudio; Albanese, Davide; Pafčo, Barbora; Modrý, David; Rovero, Francesco; Hauffe, Heidi C.Barelli, C.; Donati, C.; Albanese, D.; Pafčo, B.; Modrý, D.; Rovero, F.; Hauffe, H.C

Sex predicts gut microbiota variations in wild yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus)

The role of gut microbiota diversity in animal ecology and conservation has become a key topic, especially since the contribution of these bacterial and fungal communities to host growth and health has been recently recognized. Most investigations in wildlife have focused on the study of extrinsic (e.g., diet, habitat) rather than intrinsic factors (e.g., sex, genetic background) affecting variation in animal gut communities. However, since male and female mammals often differ in biological traits and functional needs, sex is likely to play a major role in gut microbiota variation. Here, we evaluated if and how sex is associated with the gut microbiota richness and composition of wild yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) living in two habitat types, protected and unprotected forests of the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania. To understand whether sex and habitat type affect gut microbiota variation, we determined the sex of 34 yellow baboons (19 females and 15 males) from fecal pellets collected non-invasively using two marker genes (SRY and DDX3X). We then combined these results with amplicon sequencing datasets focusing on bacterial (V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene) and fungal (ITS1-ITS2) communities of the same pellets. We found that females had gut microbiotas with a higher bacterial richness [Kruskal test; Shannon (alpha diversity): P = 0.010] and different composition [ANOVA; weighted Unifrac (beta diversity): P = 0.030] compared to males, in agreement with the strong morphological and behavioural dimorphisms shown between sexes of this species. Furthermore, forest type had a greater impact on females than males, such that the gut microbiotas of females from the two forests differed significantly in fungal composition [pairwise adonis test; Bray-Curtis: P = 0.02] and bacterial richness [pairwise Wilcoxon Rank Sum test; Shannon: P = 0.023], while those of males did not. These results indicated that the impact of habitat disturbance varied with sex, suggesting that intrinsic biological factors should be carefully considered when investigating wild animal biodiversity at any scale, and that such intraspecific variation could impact the outcome of conservation actions. However, research on the metabolic pathways, through shotgun sequencing, are encouraged to verify whether greater gut bacterial richness, such as those observed in baboon females, may translate into a greater diversity of metabolic functions