Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica (Blahout 1972)) and Tatra marmot (Marmota marmota latirostris (Kratochvíl 1961)) are significant endemic subspecies of the subalpine and alpine ranges of ...the Tatra Mountains in Central Europe. In four studied localities in the range of their typical biotopes in Slovakia and Poland, we investigated intestinal parasites of Tatra chamois and Tatra marmots, with an emphasis on anoplocephalid tapeworms. We also studied the occurrence, species diversity, and abundance of oribatid mites as intermediate hosts thereof, and the prevalence of cysticercoid larval stages of anoplocephalid tapeworms in collected oribatids using morphological and molecular methods. Coprological analyses revealed the average positivity of Moniezia spp. in chamois faeces at 23.5% and Ctenotaenia marmotae in marmot samples at 71.1%, with significant differences between the localities under study. Morphological analyses determined the presence of cysticercoids in five oribatid species: Ceratozetes gracilis, Edwardzetes edwardsi, Scheloribates laevigatus, Trichoribates novus, and Tectocepheus velatus sarekensis. This is the first record of T. v. sarekensis as an intermediate host of anoplocephalid tapeworms, as well as the first report of Andrya cuniculi occurrence in the territory of the Tatra Mountains, confirmed also by molecular methods.
s has been endemic in red foxes in eastern and central parts of Europe, and
s. l. identified in wolves in some countries. In recent years, wolves hale emerged as potentially important definitive ...hosts of
.
This aim of the survey was to record indirectly using nested-PCR test with faecal samples the presence of
and
s. l. in the two species of wild canids in the protected area of the Tatra National Park (TNP) in Western Carpathian, southern mountainous part of Poland.
From February to June 2019, experienced staff of TNP randomly collected fox and wolf faeces on and off hiking trails at altitudes from 850 m to 2,000 m above sea level. In total, 91 faecal samples from red foxes and 19 from wolves were collected. Genomic DNA was obtained by direct extraction from faecal samples using a commercial kit, and from taeniid eggs retrieved from the same samples after flotation.
A nested PCR screening of 91 red fox faeces indicated the prevalence of
of 4.4%. Positive samples were confirmed by sequencing parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1). Neither genomic DNA of
nor of E. granulosus s.l. was obtained from 19 wolves faeces, nor from taeniid eggs retrieved from these samples by initial flotation.
The current results show that humans might be exposed to a risk of fox tapeworm infection in nature, even at high altitude inan alpine zone, in an environment contaminated by roaming red foxes encouraged by food leftovers on mountain trails.
Baylisascaris transfuga
is a roundworm that has been reported worldwide in most bear species. In mammals and possibly humans, the larvae of
B. transfuga
can migrate in the tissues of aberrant hosts ...with larva migrans syndrome. The current study was performed to identify
B. transfuga
in faecal samples from free-ranging brown bears in the Tatra Mountains National Park in southern Poland. A commercial kit was used to extract genomic DNA directly from faecal samples. Additionally, a Chelex resin-based technique was successfully implemented to prepare a PCR template from eggs retrieved by flotation. Based on the flotation results of 32 collected faecal samples, the prevalence of
B. transfuga
was 15.6%. The parasite was confirmed in samples found to be positive during the initial flotation by a molecular assay using DNA isolated directly from faeces. The retrieved eggs were confirmed as
B. transfuga
after their DNA was extracted using the Chelex protocol. Based on PCR amplification and sequencing of a 413-bp segment of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI), the obtained sequence was 100% identical to the COI segment of
B. transfuga
after a BLAST comparison to the GenBank™ database. The current study includes the first molecular confirmation of
B. transfuga
in brown bears in the western part of the Carpathians. We show that direct extraction of parasite DNA from bear faeces is efficient for molecular assays. As an alternative, we present the effectiveness of a Chelex-based technique for fast and convenient DNA isolation from the difficult-to-disrupt eggs of
B. transfuga
for PCR. Molecular tests of parasite DNA extracted directly from faecal material have limits of detection related to the amount of eggs in the samples. Thus, using classical flotation to obtain eggs for PCR may increase the credibility of the results, particularly in cases with a low number of excreted eggs. The Chelex resin protocol has potential for application in studies of intestinal parasites in wildlife for which conventional flotation is routinely used for microscopy.
In this study, sarcocysts from three Polish Tatra chamois were isolated and identified using morphological and molecular methods for the first time. Six cysts were found in the latissimus dorsi ...muscle and another two in the diaphragm. No sarcocysts were detected in the myocardium, tongue, and esophagus. The isolated cysts were long with rounded ends, 0.35–0.61 mm in length, and 0.02–0.06 mm in width. All the sarcocysts were identified as Sarcocystis tenella on the basis of light microscopy and sequencing of cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (cox1) and small-subunit rRNA (ssu rRNA) genes. Comparative analysis showed a 99.23 % identity of the cox1 gene sequences from Tatra chamois and sheep sarcocysts, and an even higher degree of sequence identity (99.88 %) was documented in the case of the ssu rRNA gene. When compared at a haplotype level, all the sheep sequences of cox1 differed from those isolated from Tatra chamois. In contrast, one out of the two ssu rRNA haplotypes from the sheep isolates was identical with the haplotype from Tatra chamois. In conclusion, we showed that cox1 and ssu rRNA genes can be used as genetic markers for identification of the S. tenella, with cox1 gene providing better resolution during phylogenetic analyses. However, both genetic population analysis and phylogenetic inference with cox1 and ssu rRNA genes demonstrated that they do not constitute good markers for spatial differentiation of S. tenella.
Abstract
Hybridization and introgression are important processes influencing the genetic diversity and evolution of species. These processes are of particular importance in protected areas, where ...they can lead to the formation of hybrids between native and foreign species and may ultimately result in the loss of parental species from their natural range. Despite their importance, the contribution of hybridization and introgression to genetic diversity in Sorbus genus remains not fully recognized. We analysed the genetic and morphological variability of several Sorbus species including native (Sorbus aria), foreign (S. intermedia) and potentially hybrid (S. carpatica) individuals from the Polish Carpathian range. Patterns of variation at 13 nuclear microsatellite loci show hybridization between the tested species and confirm the existence of the hybrid form S. carpatica. Biometric analysis on leaves, based of 10 metric features and three parameters, identified several characters for preliminary taxonomic classification; however, none of them could be used as a fully diagnostic marker for faultless annotation of S. intermedia and S. carpatica. The genetic structure analysis indicated complex patterns of population differentiation and its diverse origin. The results allow assessment of genetic variation and identification of parental species participating in hybridization. This knowledge will advance the management of genetic diversity and development of conservation strategies for efficient maintenance of the unique protected ecosystem.
Hybridization, polyploidization and apomixis are important processes which affect the taxonomic complexity of Sorbus genus. The phenomenon of interspecific hybridization between native and foreign species is frequently a consequence of human activity. It may lead to increased diversity of plants but also it may significantly reduce genetic variation if invasive genotypes of natural species participate in the process. We report a preliminary study of the hybrid taxon occurring in natural and protected areas of Tatra National Park in Poland. Variation patterns at nuclear microsatellite loci were used to distinguish a hybrid form of Sorbus carpatica from morphologically very similar S. intermedia.
We investigated the level of five non-essential metal(loid)s (As, Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb) and nine essential metals (Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo) in hair and blood components of captive and ...free-ranging European brown bear populations in Croatia and Poland. Metal(loid) associations with biomarkers of oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, SOD; glutathione-peroxidase, GSH-Px; malondialdehyde, MDA) and metal exposure (metallothionein, MT) were estimated in this top predatory mammal. Lead was the most abundant non-essential metal(loid) in both blood and hair, with 4 of 35 individuals having blood levels over 100 μg/L. A positive association was found between Pb level and SOD activity in blood. Free-ranging bears had higher blood SOD activity, Mn, Zn and Cd levels, hair Co, Cd, Tl and Pb compared to captive individuals, while the opposite was true for Mg and hair Ca thereby reflecting habitat and diet differences. With increasing age, animals showed lower levels of SOD activity and certain essential metals. Females had higher SOD activity and blood levels of some essential metals than males. Hair showed a higher Fe and Co level when sampled during the growth phase and was not predictive of non-essential metal(loid) blood levels. The established metal(loid) baseline values will enable future risk assessment in both captive and wild European brown bear populations.
•Free-ranging bears had higher essential and non-essential metals than captive ones.•Eleven percent of bears had Pb blood levels above 100 μg/L.•Blood Pb was associated with activity of superoxide-dismutase and essential metals.•All individual and ecological factors partly influenced metal(loid)s in hair and blood.•Hair collected throughout the year did not reflect non-essential metal(loid) levels in blood.
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