Quantifying the impact of density, extrinsic climatic fluctuations, and demography on population fluctuations is a persistent challenge in ecology. We analyzed the effect of these processes on the ...irregular pattern of population crashes of Soay sheep on the St. Kilda archipelago, United Kingdom. Because the age and sex structure of the population fluctuates independently of population size, and because animals of different age and sex respond in different ways to density and weather, identical weather conditions can result in different dynamics in populations of equal size. In addition, the strength of density-dependent processes is a function of the distribution of weather events. Incorporating demographic heterogeneities into population models can influence dynamics and their response to climate change.
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality after hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) or solid organ transplant ...(SOT). Strategies to reconstitute immunity by adoptive transfer of EBV‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) therapy while highly effective in the HSCT setting where immunosuppression can be withdrawn have been less successful in the SOT setting where continued immunosuppression therapy is necessary. Additionally, the complexity and time taken to generate EBV‐CTLs for adoptive transfer limit the clinical applicability. We have developed a system for the rapid generation of EBV‐CTLs resistant to immunosuppression based on selection of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) secreting EBV‐CTLs and retroviral transduction with a calcineurin B mutant. With this methodology, EBV‐CTLs resistant to the calcineurin inhibitor Tacrolimus (TAC) can be produced in 14 days. These CTLs show high specificity for EBV with negligible alloreactivity in both proliferation and cytotoxicity assays and are able to proliferate and secrete IFN‐γ in response to antigen stimulation in the presence of therapeutic doses of TAC. This strategy will substantially facilitate clinical application of this approach for the treatment of PTLD in SOT recipients.
The authors describe a strategy for the generation of EBV‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes resistant to calcineurin inhibitors using interferon‐gamma capture after peptide stimulation.
Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) are the only wild ungulate species widely distributed across the Patagonian steppe and have undergone a precipitous population decline since the introduction of domestic ...sheep (Ovis aries) 100 years ago. There has been speculation that sheep ranching may have played a major role in guanaco population decline after monopolising the most productive land because of competition for forage plants. Our aim in this work was to estimate guanaco abundance and account for its variation across nine different sites, two seasons and two years. We conducted over 100 ground surveys of both guanacos and sheep and estimated the availability of the preferred plant species both animal species might select in their diet. We found that (1) sheep densities were up to 23 times higher than guanaco densities in sympatric conditions, (2) at a protected site without sheep, guanaco density was one order of magnitude higher than at the rest of the sites, (3) across nine different sites, sheep densities alone accounted for around 60% of the variation in guanaco abundance, (4) guanaco densities were negatively related to both total plant cover and availability of the preferred plant species in their diet, which were both positively associated with sheep density, and (5) within-site changes in guanaco densities between seasons and years were negatively related to changes in sheep densities. Our results are consistent with predictions on interspecific competition for food resources, although we cannot rule out possible effects of other human-related activities influencing guanaco abundance. We conclude that sheep compete with guanacos for forage in arid Patagonia.
The role of parasites in the dynamics of a reindeer population Albon, S. D.; Stien, A.; Irvine, R. J. ...
Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological sciences/Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences,
08/2002, Letnik:
269, Številka:
1500
Journal Article
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Even though theoretical models show that parasites may regulate host population densities, few empirical studies have given support to this hypothesis. We present experimental and observational ...evidence for a host-parasite interaction where the parasite has sufficient impact on host population dynamics for regulation to occur. During a six year study of the Svalbard reindeer and its parasitic gastrointestinal nematode Ostertagia gruehneri we found that anthelminthic treatment in April-May increased the probability of a reindeer having a calf in the next year, compared with untreated controls. However, treatment did not influence the over-winter survival of the reindeer. The annual variation in the degree to which parasites depressed fecundity was positively related to the abundance of O. gruehneri infection the previous October, which in turn was related to host density two years earlier. In addition to the treatment effect, there was a strong negative effect of winter precipitation on the probability of female reindeer having a calf. A simple matrix model was parameterized using estimates from our experimental and observational data. This model shows that the parasite-mediated effect on fecundity was sufficient to regulate reindeer densities around observed host densities.
1. It is well known that gastrointestinal nematodes can have a significant impact on the growth of farmed ruminants. The clinical signs of these parasites are often subtle, with production losses ...mainly due to reductions in host appetite and gut function. However, little is known about the impact of this widespread group of parasites on wild ruminants. We use experiments and cross-sectional data to investigate the effects of gastrointestinal nematodes on a wild host, the Svalbard reindeer. 2. Individually marked reindeer were treated for parasites. Their body mass, back fat depth and fecundity were compared with the control group one year later. The effect of treatment on worm burdens was investigated in a subsample of animals that were culled 3 and 6 months after treatment. Also, the relationship between the intensity of infection and body mass, back fat depth and host pregnancy rates was investigated in cross-sectional data from culled reindeer. 3. The anthelmintic treatment caused an increase in the body mass, back fat depth and fecundity of the reindeer. Treatment depressed the abundance of adult parasites of Ostertagia gruehneri for at least 6 months, but had no significant effect on the abundance of adults of the other dominant parasite species, Marshallagi marshalli, or the abundance of larval stages of either species. 4. In the cross-sectional study, the probability of a reindeer being pregnant in late winter was negatively related to the abundance of adult O. gruehneri when controlling for host body mass. However, no clear evidence were found for an effect of parasitism on host condition in the cross-sectional study. 5. Our experimental results show for the first time in a natural ruminant host population that gastrointestinal nematodes can have a significant effect on host condition and fecundity. However, effects of infection on host condition was not detectable in the cross-sectional study. Also, we show that the experimental effects on host condition and fecundity is most likely to be due to a negative effect of O. gruehneri, while the experimental design did not allow detection of potential negative effects of M. marshalli.
Environmental conditions experienced during early growth and development markedly shape phenotypic traits. Consequently, individuals of the same cohort may show similar life-history tactics ...throughout life. Conditions experienced later in life, however, could fine-tune these initial differences, either increasing (cumulative effect) or decreasing (compensatory effect) the magnitude of cohort variation with increasing age. Our novel comparative analysis that quantifies cohort variation in individual body size trajectories shows that initial cohort variation dissipates throughout life, and that lifetime patterns change both across species with different paces of life and between sexes. We used longitudinal data on body size (mostly assessed using mass) from 11 populations of large herbivores spread along the "slow-fast" continuum of life histories. We first quantified cohort variation using mixture models to identify clusters of cohorts with similar initial size. We identified clear cohort clusters in all species except the one with the slowest pace of life, revealing that variation in early size is structured among cohorts and highlighting typological differences among cohorts. Growth trajectories differed among cohort clusters, highlighting how early size is a fundamental determinant of lifetime growth patterns. In all species, among-cohort variation in size peaked at the start of life, then quickly decreased with age and stabilized around mid-life. Cohort variation was lower in species with a slower than a faster pace of life, and vanished at prime age in species with the slowest pace of life. After accounting for viability selection, compensatory/catch-up growth in early life explained much of the decrease in cohort variation. Females showed less phenotypic variability and stronger compensatory/catch-up growth than males early in life, whereas males showed more progressive changes throughout life. These results confirm that stronger selective pressures for rapid growth make males more vulnerable to poor environmental conditions early in life and less able to recover after a poor start. Our comparative analysis illustrates how variability in growth changes over time in closely related species that span a wide range on the slow-fast continuum, the main axis of variation in life-history strategies of vertebrates.
Macroparasites potentially play a significant but often ignored role in the ecology and dynamics of wild ruminant populations. In the Arctic, parasites may impact on host populations by exacerbating ...the effects of seasonal and limited forage availability on the condition, fecundity and survival of individuals. We studied the effects of abomasal nematode parasites and warble flies, Hypoderma tarandi, on condition and pregnancy of caribou Rangifer tarandus in the Dolphin-Union herd, Nunavut, Canada. By the end of winter, female caribou over 2 years old showed a significant decrease in body weight with increasing nematode burden, and a decrease in back fat depth with increasing warble abundance. These effects were exaggerated in the non-pregnant fraction of the population. High warble larvae burdens were also associated with significantly reduced probability of being pregnant. Our research demonstrates a negative relationship between parasites and caribou condition that may have consequences for their fitness. Additionally, we discuss the possibility that muskox Ovibos moschatus share some parasite species with the caribou and could lead to elevated burdens in the sympatric host. Parasites may have been a contributory factor in a previous winter range-shift of the caribou herd and this may reflect a form of apparent competition between the two ungulate species.
1. Rangelands, produced by grazing herbivores, are important for a variety of agricultural, hunting, recreation and conservation objectives world-wide. Typically, there is little quantitative ...evidence regarding the magnitude of the grazing impact of different herbivores on rangeland habitats to inform their management. 2. We quantified the grazing and trampling impact of sheep, cattle, red deer Cervus elaphus, rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, mountain hares Lepus timidus and red grouse Lagopus lagopus on open-hill habitats in 11 areas of upland Scotland. The degradation of heather in upland Scotland Calluna vulgaris-dominated habitats, of conservation significance at a European scale, has been attributed, anecdotally, to increasing sheep and red deer populations. 3. Field indicators of habitat condition were used to generate a five-point scale of impact in vegetation polygons of seven habitats. The presence of each herbivore species was attributed on the basis of 'signs' of occupancy. A Bayesian regression model was used to analyse the association of herbivore species with grazing impact on plant communities, controlling for environmental attributes. 4. Overall the presence of sheep was associated with the largest increase (7/11 areas) in grazing and trampling impact of all herbivores. Cattle had the second largest impact but generally this was restricted to fewer areas and habitats than sheep. In contrast, impacts associated with wild herbivores tended to be small and only significant locally. 5. Although red deer presence was associated with a significantly lower impact than sheep, this impact increased with increasing deer density at both land-ownership and regional scales. For sheep there was little or no evidence of density dependence. 6. Synthesis and applications. The higher impact associated with sheep presence probably reflects their greater aggregation because of their limited ranging behaviour, exacerbated by sheep being herded in places convenient for land managers. Consequently, future reductions in sheep numbers as a result of reform of European Union farming policies may limit the extent of their impact, but not necessarily the local magnitude. However, reductions in sheep stocks may lead to increases in deer densities, with greater impact, particularly in heather-dominated habitats. Where habitat conservation is a priority this may well require a reduction in deer numbers.
Microsatellites reveal heterosis in red deer Coulson, T.N; Pemberton, J.M; Albon, S.D ...
Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological sciences/Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences,
03/1998, Letnik:
265, Številka:
1395
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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The fitness consequences of inbreeding and outbreeding are poorly understood in natural populations. We explore two microsatellite-based variables, individual heterozygosity (likely to correlate with ...recent inbreeding) and a new individual-specific internal distance measure, meand2 (focusing on events deeper in the pedigree), in relation to two measures of fitness expressed early in life, birth weight and neonatal survival, in 670 red deer calves (Cervus elaphus) born on the Isle of Rum between 1982 and 1996. For comparison, we also analyse inbreeding coefficients derived from pedigrees in which paternity was inferred by molecular methods.Only 14 out of 231 calves (6.1%) had non-zero inbreeding coefficients, and neither inbreeding coefficient nor individual heterozygosity was consistently related to birth weight or neonatal survival. However, meand2 was consistently related to both fitness measures. Low meand2 was associated with low birth weight, especially following cold Aprils, in which foetal growth is reduced. Low meand2 was also associated with low neonatal survival, but this effect was probably mediated by birth weight because fitting birth weight to the neonatal survival model displaced meand2 as an explanatory variable. We conclude that in the deer population fitness measures expressed early in life do not show evidence of inbreeding depression, but they do show evidence of heterosis, possibly as a result of population mixing. We also demonstrate the practical problems of estimating inbreeding via pedigrees compared with a direct marker-based estimate of individual heterozygosity. We suggest that, together, individual heterozygosity and meand2, estimated using microsatellites, are useful tools for exploring inbreeding and outbreeding in natural populations.
Plant phenology of Luzula heathland plots in Spitsbergen (78°N) was manipulated by adding or removing snow, which altered the time for plots (2 m×2 m; n=10) to become snow-free. A 2-week difference ...in snowmelt, equivalent to approximately one-sixth of the growing season, was achieved between advanced (first to be snow-free) and delayed (last to be snow-free) treatments, which influenced plant biomass and plant quality. Nitrogen content of the forage species decreased with time after snowmelt, whereas C:N ratio increased. Manipulation of snowmelt led to a shift in "phenological time", without altering these plant quality parameters as such. Early in the growing season, Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) selected the advanced plots which had been snow-free for longest, presumably because of the greater biomass of both Luzula confusa and Salix polaris, major components of reindeer diet at that time of the year. Moreover, the proportion of live Luzula leaves was highest in advanced plots, relative to both unmanipulated control and delayed plots. In contrast, plant quality, measured as nitrogen content and C:N ratio of leaves, was lowest in the preferred plots. Phenolic content did not differ among treatments, and is therefore unlikely to play a role in reindeer selection for plots with early snowmelt. Unlike in temperate regions, where selection for plant quality seems to be of major importance, selection for plant quantity might be an outcome of generally low levels of plant biomass and high forage quality during the growing season in the high Arctic. Reindeer selection for high plant biomass is likely to lead to a more favourable nitrogen and energy return than selection for high plant quality.
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