The efficiency of the COI gene as a DNA barcode and an overview of Orthoptera (Caelifera and Ensifera) sequences in the BOLD System
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Orthoptera, among the oldest and most numerous insect lineages, is an excellent model for evolutionary studies but has numerous taxonomic problems. To mitigate these issues, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), standardized with the DNA barcode for Metazoa, is increasingly used for specimen identification and species delimitation. We tested the performance of COI as a DNA barcode in Orthoptera, using two analyses based on intra- and inter-specific distances, barcode gap, and Pr obability of Correct Identification (PCI); and estimated species richness through Automatic Bar...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - August 5, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: V ítor Falchi Timm Leonardo Tresoldi Gon çalves Vera L úcia Da Silva Valente Mar índia Deprá Source Type: research
Changes in the microbiome and associated host tissue structure in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) following exposure to polystyrene microparticles
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Marine life is increasingly exposed to microplastics, which can be ingested and disrupt the relationship between host tissues and their microbiomes. We investigated the effects of microplastics (5 µm polystyrene beads) on the microbial community and host tissue structure in organs at high risk of exposure (digestive gland and gills) in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758). We exposed mussels to concentrations of microplastic consistent with levels found in local coastal waters. Hig h exposures (1000 particles per m3 per mussel) decreased the alpha and beta diversity ...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 29, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Laura V. Ferguson Ben Hewins Wesley Harding Erin MacDonald Glenys Gibson Source Type: research
Triggers and consequences of wolf (Canis lupus) howling in Yellowstone National Park and connection to communication theory
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Animal vocal communication is rife with concepts that, while important, are difficult to evaluate in nature. Particularly interesting is their application to large social mammalian carnivores characterized by year-long, loud vocalization. Here, we quantified triggers and consequences of 504 wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) howl events in Yellowstone National Park observed across 16 years. We related our results to two general theories of animal communication: that vocalization is more about communicating emotional/motivational states than a purposeful transfer of detailed infor...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 21, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: John B. Theberge Mary T. Theberge Source Type: research
Plastron color patterns allow for individual photo-identification in two different chelonian species
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Natural marks have increasingly been used as a tool for individual identification in capture –mark–recapture techniques. Photo-identification is a noninvasive alternative to traditional marking techniques, allowing individual recognition of species through time and space. We tested the APHIS (Automatic Photo Identification Suite) software as a software capable of identifying individuals of Hermann’s Tortoise (Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789) and European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis (Linneaus, 1758)) in different populations during capture–release sessions in the field ba...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 21, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Marta Salom-Oliver Andreu Ruiz de la Hermosa Amengual Aina Aguil ó-Zuzama Arnau Ribas-Serra Juan Vallespir Silvia Tejada-Gavela Samuel Pinya Source Type: research
Increased information on biodiversity from the neglected part of the North Pacific contributes to the understanding of phylogeny and taxonomy of nudibranch molluscs
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Understanding of the biological diversity, involving molecular phylogenetic methods, is a fundamental task for a broad array of evolutionary, taxonomic, and ecological studies, as well as a basis for conservation. Our hydrobiological survey during an expedition in 2021 to the coastal waters of the Kuril Islands (the northwestern Pacific) revealed the undocumented diversity of the nudibranch molluscs. Two new species of the genera Zelentia and Cuthonella are described here using analysis of fine-scale morphological and molecular data. Representatives of the genus Zelentia prior t...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 21, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Tatiana Korshunova Alexander Martynov Source Type: research
The influence of human disturbance on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the diet of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in two areas of coastal British Columbia, Canada
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of salmon (genus Oncorhynchus Suckley, 1861) in the diet of bears, and of bears as consumers and key agents supporting the transport of salmon-derived nutrients to riparian ecosystems. Salmon abundance and human disturbance are known influences on bear ecology and behaviour, though few studies have quantified shifts in bear diet due to these effects. We used stable isotope analysis to investigate how salmon escapement and human presence influenced the proportion of salmon in the diet of American black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas,...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 18, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Thomas F. Shardlow Jonathan Van Elslander G. Mowat Source Type: research
Annual adult survival rates for four sympatric breeding swallow species: effects of environmental factors and density-dependence
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Swallow (Family: Hirundinidae) populations in the Canadian Maritimes have declined since the 1980s. Using mark –recapture data from 2012 to 2019, we determined apparent annual adult survival rates for Barn (Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758), Tree (Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808)), Bank (Riparia riparia (Linnaeus, 1758)), and Cliff (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817)) swallows. For two data-rich s pecies (Barn and Tree swallows), we modelled the relationships between survival and weather (cold snaps, precipitation, temperature, and wind speed), climate (El Niño–Sou...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 15, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Tara L. Imlay Hilary A.R. Mann Andrew C. Ding Peter Thomas Rebecca M. Whittam Marty L. Leonard Qing Zhao Source Type: research
Factors influencing the presence of parasitic trombiculids on red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) in a temperate archipelago
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Parasites can influence host population health and dynamics and are often an overlooked aspect of the ecology of ecosystems. Understanding the impacts of ecological interactions between parasites and small mammals can provide insights into ecosystem dynamics. We live trapped small mammals within the Apostle Islands archipelago (2017 –2020) and assessed factors influencing the presence of mites from the Trombiculidae family. Archipelagos provide unique research opportunities because in small mammal–parasitic trombiculid systems, they are essentially closed systems. We detecte...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 15, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Elyse C. Mallinger Erik R. Olson Geoffrey P. Vincent Julie Van Stappen Timothy R. Van Deelen Source Type: research
Combined effects of cold snaps and agriculture on the growth rates of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. The decline of avian aerial insectivores has been greater than any other foraging guild and both climate change and agricultural intensification are leading hypotheses explaining this decline. Spring cold snaps are predicted to increase in frequency due to climate change, and factors associated with agricultural intensification (e.g., toxicological agents, simplification of agricultural landscapes, and reductions of insect prey) potentially exacerbates the negative effects of cold snaps on aerial insectivore nestling growth and body condition. We evaluated this hypothesis using ...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 13, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Daniel R. Garrett St éphane Lamoureux S ébastien Rioux Paquette Fanie Pelletier Dany Garant Marc B élisle Source Type: research
A re-evaluation of conflicting taxonomic structures of Eurasian Triaenophorus spp. (Cestoda, Bothriocephalidea: Triaenophoridae) based on partial cox1 mtDNA and 28S rRNA gene sequences
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Cestodes of the genus Triaenophorus Rudolphi, 1793 are widely distributed parasites of Esocidae, Percidae, Salmonidae, Thimallidae, Cobitidae, Osmeridae, Cyprinidae, Cottiidae, Lotidae, and several others in the Holarctic. The taxonomic arrangements of different authors, based on morphological and ecological –biogeographic characters, suggest the presence of two to five species of this genus in Eurasia. The genetic variation of Eurasian Triaenophorus spp. was evaluated using DNA barcoding (cox1 and 28S gene sequences). This confirmed the validity of five Triaenophorus species:...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - July 13, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Pavel G. Vlasenko Sergey G. Sokolov Evgeny P. Ieshko Evgeniy V. Frolov Alexander P. Kalmykov Aleksey N. Parshukov Yulia K. Chugunova Elena N. Kashinskaya Anastasiya V. Shokurova Nikolai A. Bochkarev Karl B. Andree Mikhail M. Solovyev Source Type: research
Growth and shedding of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) whiskers
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Accurate and precise estimates of the timing of whisker growth and shedding are necessary to interpret biochemical information stored in whiskers. This fine-scale examination of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) whisker growth and shedding identified an asymptotic growth pattern with initial rapid growth that decays over time that can be defined with the von Bertalanffy curve. Initial growth rates were similar among whiskers, but estimated growth coefficients (K) and asymptotic lengths (L ∞) differed by follicle positions suggesting that differences in total whisker ...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - June 29, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Shawna A. Karpovich John P. Skinner Carlene N. Miller Lori K. Polasek Grey W. Pendleton Source Type: research
Are you scared yet? Variations to cue indices elicit differential prey behavioral responses even when gape-limited predators are relatively small
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Anti-predator behavior is often evoked based on measurements of risk calculated from sensory cues emanating from predators independent of physical attack. Yet, the exact sensory indices of cues used in risk assessment remain largely unknown. To examine how different predatory cue indices of information are used in risk assessment, we presented prey with various cues from sublethal gape-limited predators. Rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus (Girard, 1852)) were exposed to predatory odors from sublethal-sized largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides (Lacep ède, 1802)) to test effects...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - June 29, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Madison J. Wagner Paul A. Moore Source Type: research
Anomalous snow events increase mortality for a winter-adapted species
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Winter is a costly time for animals, requiring individuals to adapt to increased energetic costs and reduced resources. Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758)) confront winter by storing and catabolizing somatic stores. Increasing temperatures and attenuated snow conditions due to climate change increase porcupine survival, but impacts of greater weather variability have not been explored. In April of 2018, an anomalously heavy and late snowstorm occurred at our long-term study site in central Wisconsin followed by multiple mortalities among adult porcupines. We assesse...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - June 15, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Michaela F. Rudolf Evan C. Wilson Jonathan N. Pauli Source Type: research
Silver shiner, Notropis photogenis, fecundity and parasite infections during the reproductive period
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. The reproductive period is a critical part of a species ’ life history. Estimating species-specific fecundity can improve demographic models aimed at developing recovery targets for imperilled species. We provide egg diameter and fecundity estimates and develop a length–fecundity relationship for silver shiner, Notropis photogenis (Cope, 1865), a sma ll-bodied freshwater species listed as Threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Furthermore, we document the incidence of an acanthocephalan parasite, the thorny-headed worm, Leptorhynchoides thecatus (Linton, 1891), in th...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - June 10, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Jacob Burbank D. Andrew R. Drake Michael Power Source Type: research
Effects of hunting pressure and timing of harvest on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) horn size
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Ahead of Print. Trophy hunting can affect weapon size of wild animals through both demographic and evolutionary changes. In bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis Shaw, 1804), intense harvest of young males with fast-growing horns may have partly driven long-term decreases in horn size. These selective effects could be dampened if migrants from protected areas, not subject to artificial selection, survived and reproduced within hunted populations. Bighorn rams undertake long-distance breeding migrations in the weeks preceding the late-November rut. We analysed records of >7800 trophy bighorn rams ...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - June 10, 2022 Category: Zoology Authors: Roxane Lassis Marco Festa-Bianchet Fanie Pelletier Source Type: research
