Beata Ujvari

Curvilinear telomere length dynamics in a squamate reptile

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 17-10-2016

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12764

Transmissible Cancer Evolution: The Under-Estimated Role of Environmental Factors in the “Perfect Storm” Theory

Publisher: MDPI AG

Date: 12-02-2022

DOI: 10.3390/PATHOGENS11020241

Abstract: Although the true prevalence of transmissible cancers is not known, these atypical malignancies are likely rare in the wild. The reasons behind this rarity are only partially understood, but the “Perfect Storm hypothesis” suggests that transmissible cancers are infrequent because a precise confluence of tumor and host traits is required for their emergence. This explanation is plausible as transmissible cancers, like all emerging pathogens, will need specific biotic and abiotic conditions to be able to not only emerge, but to spread to detectable levels. Because those conditions would be rarely met, transmissible cancers would rarely spread, and thus most of the time disappear, even though they would regularly appear. Thus, further research is needed to identify the most important factors that can facilitate or block the emergence of transmissible cancers and influence their evolution. Such investigations are particularly relevant given that human activities are increasingly encroaching into wild areas, altering ecosystems and their processes, which can influence the conditions needed for the emergence and spread of transmissible cell lines.

Invader impact clarifies the roles of top‐down and bottom‐up effects on tropical snake populations

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-02-2013

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12044

Cancer Is Not (Only) a Senescence Problem

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 03-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.TRECAN.2018.01.002

Abstract: Age is one of the strongest predictors of cancer and risk of death from cancer. Cancer is therefore generally viewed as a senescence-related malady. However, cancer also exists at subclinical levels in humans and other animals, but its earlier effects on the body are poorly known by comparison. We argue here that cancer is a significant but ignored burden on the body and is likely to be a strong selective force from early during the lifetime of an organism. It is time to adopt this novel view of malignant pathologies to improve our understanding of the ways in which oncogenic phenomena influence the ecology and evolution of animals long before their negative impacts become evident and fatal.

MHC diversity and female age underpin reproductive success in an Australian icon; the Tasmanian Devil

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 08-03-2018

DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-20934-9

Abstract: Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) numbers in the wild. To ensure its long-term survival, a captive breeding program was implemented but has not been as successful as envisaged at its launch in 2005. We therefore investigated the reproductive success of 65 captive devil pair combinations, of which 35 produced offspring (successful pairs) whereas the remaining 30 pairs, despite being observed mating, produced no offspring (unsuccessful pairs). The devils were screened at six MHC Class I-linked microsatellite loci. Our analyses revealed that younger females had a higher probability of being successful than older females. In the successful pairs we also observed a higher difference in total number of heterozygous loci, i.e. when one devil had a high total number of heterozygous loci, its partner had low numbers. Our results therefore suggest that devil reproductive success is subject to disruptive MHC selection, which to our knowledge has never been recorded in any vertebrate. In order to enhance the success of the captive breeding program the results from the present study show the importance of using young (2-year old) females as well as subjecting the devils to MHC genotyping.

Active migration is associated with specific and consistent changes to gut microbiota in Calidris shorebirds.

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-12-2018

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12784

Abstract: Gut microbes are increasingly recognised for their role in regulating an animal's metabolism and immunity. However, identifying repeatable associations between host physiological processes and their gut microbiota has proved challenging, in part because microbial communities often respond stochastically to host physiological stress (e.g. fasting, forced exercise or infection). Migratory birds provide a valuable system in which to test host-microbe interactions under physiological extremes because these hosts are adapted to predictable metabolic and immunological challenges as they undergo seasonal migrations, including temporary gut atrophy during long-distance flights. These physiological challenges may either temporarily disrupt gut microbial ecosystems, or, alternatively, promote predictable host-microbe associations during migration. To determine the relationship between migration and gut microbiota, we compared gut microbiota composition between migrating and non-migrating ("resident") conspecific shorebirds sharing a flock. We performed this across two sandpiper species, Calidris ferruginea and Calidris ruficollis, in north-western Australia, and an additional C. ruficollis population 3,000 km away in southern Australia. We found that migrants consistently had higher abundances of the bacterial genus Corynebacterium (average 28% abundance) compared to conspecific residents (average <1% abundance), with this effect holding across both species and sites. However, other than this specific association, community structure and ersity was almost identical between migrants and residents, with migration status accounting for only 1% of gut community variation when excluding Corynebacterium. Our findings suggest a consistent relationship between Corynebacterium and Calidris shorebirds during migration, with further research required to identify causal mechanisms behind the association, and to elucidate functionality to the host. However, outside this specific association, migrating shorebirds broadly maintained gut community structure, which may allow them to quickly recover gut function after a migratory flight. This study provides a rare ex le of a repeatable and specific response of the gut microbiota to a major physiological challenge across two species and two distant populations.

Can Energetic Capacity Help Explain Why Physical Activity Reduces Cancer Risk?

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 10-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.TRECAN.2020.06.001

Global meta‐analysis of over 50 years of multidisciplinary and international collaborations on transmissible cancers

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-03-2020

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12938

Abstract: Although transmissible cancers have, so far, only been documented in three independent animal groups, they not only impact animals that have high economic, environmental and social significance, but they are also one of the most virulent parasitic life forms. Currently known transmissible cancers traverse terrestrial and marine environments, and are predicted to be more widely distributed across animal groups thus, the implementation of effective collaborative scientific networks is important for combating existing and emerging forms. Here, we quantify how collaborative effort on the three known transmissible cancers has advanced through the formation of collaborative networks among institutions and disciplines. These three cancers occur in bivalves (invertebrates—disseminated neoplasia DN), Tasmanian devils (vertebrate—marsupial devil facial tumour disease DFTD) and dogs (vertebrate—eutherian mammal canine transmissible venereal tumour CTVT). Research on CTVT and DN has been conducted since 1876 and 1969, respectively, whereas systematic research on DFTD only started in 2006. Yet, collaborative effort on all three diseases is global, encompassing six major Scopus subject areas. Collaborations steadily increased between 1963 and 2006 for CTVT and DN, with similar acceleration for all three cancers since 2006. Network analyses demonstrated that scientists are organizing themselves into efficient collaborative networks however, these networks appear to be far stronger for DFTD and DN, possibly due to the recent detection of new strains adding impetus to research and associated publications (enhancing citation trajectories). In particular, global and multidisciplinary collaborations formed almost immediately after DFTD research was initiated, leading to similar research effort and relatively greater research outputs compared to the other two diseases. Therefore, in the event of outbreaks of new lineages of existing transmissible cancers, or the discovery of new transmissible cancers in the future, the rapid formation of international collaborations spanning relevant disciplines is vital for the efficient management of these diseases.

Detection of Aspergillus-specific antibodies by agar gel double immunodiffusion and IgG ELISA in feline upper respiratory tract aspergillosis.

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 03-2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.TVJL.2014.12.020

Abstract: Feline upper respiratory tract aspergillosis (URTA) is an emerging infectious disease. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the diagnostic value of detection of Aspergillus-specific antibodies using an agar gel double immunodiffusion (AGID) assay and an indirect immunoglobulin G (IgG) ELISA and (2) to determine if an aspergillin derived from mycelia of Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus can be used to detect serum antibodies against cryptic Aspergillus spp. in Aspergillus section Fumigati. Sera from cats with URTA (group 1: n = 21) and two control groups (group 2: cats with other upper respiratory tract diseases, n = 25 group 3: healthy cats and cats with non-respiratory, non-fungal illness, n = 84) were tested. Isolates from cats with URTA comprised A. fumigatus (n = 5), A. flavus (n = 1) and four cryptic species: Aspergillus felis (n = 12), Aspergillus thermomutatus (Neosartorya pseudofischeri, n = 1), Aspergillus lentulus (n = 1) and Aspergillus udagawae (n = 1). Brachycephalic purebred cats were significantly more likely to develop URTA than other breeds (P = 0.013). The sensitivity (Se) of the AGID was 43% and the specificity (Sp) was 100%. At a cut-off value of 6 ELISA units/mL, the Se of the IgG ELISA was 95.2% and the Sp was 92% and 92.9% for groups 2 and 3 cats, respectively. Aspergillus-specific antibodies against all four cryptic species were detected in one or both assays. Assay Se was not associated with species identity. Detection of Aspergillus-specific antibodies by IgG ELISA has high Se and Sp for diagnosis of feline URTA.

Evolved Dependence in Response to Cancer

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2018.01.012

Abstract: Evolved dependence is a process through which one species becomes 'dependent' on another following a long evolutionary history of interaction. This happens when adaptations selected in the first species for interacting lead to fitness costs when the second species is not encountered. Evolved dependence is frequent in host-parasite interactions, where hosts may achieve a higher fitness in the presence of the parasite than in its absence. Since oncogenic manifestations are (i) ubiquitous across multicellular life, (ii) involved in parasitic-like interactions with their hosts, and (iii) have effectively driven the selection of numerous adaptations, it is possible that multicellular organisms display evolved dependence in response to oncogenic processes. We provide a comprehensive overview of the topic, including the implications for cancer prevention and treatment.

Metabolic scope as a proximate constraint on individual behavioral variation: Effects on personality, plasticity, and predictability

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Date: 08-2018

DOI: 10.1086/697963

Abstract: Behavioral ecologists have hypothesized that among-in idual differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) may predict consistent in idual differences in mean values for costly behaviors or for behaviors that affect energy intake rate. This hypothesis has empirical support and presently attracts considerable attention, but, notably, it does not provide predictions for in idual differences in (a) behavioral plasticity or (b) unexplained variation (residual variation from mean in idual behavior, here termed predictability). We outline how consideration of aerobic maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and particularly aerobic scope (= MMR - RMR) can be used to simultaneously make predictions about mean and among- and within-in idual variation in behavior. We predict that while RMR should be proportional to an in idual's mean level of sustained behavioral activity (one aspect of its personality), in iduals with greater aerobic scope will also have greater scope to express behavioral plasticity and/or greater unpredictability in behavior (=greater residual variation). As a first step toward testing these predictions, we analyze existing activity data from selectively bred lines of mice that differ in both daily activity and aerobic scope. We find that replicate high-scope mice are more active on average and show greater among-in idual variation in activity, greater among-in idual variation in plasticity, and greater unpredictability. These data provide some tentative first support for our hypothesis, suggesting that further research on this topic would be valuable.

DOES MATE GUARDING PREVENT RIVAL MATING IN SNOW SKINKS? A TEST USING AFLP

Publisher: Herpetologists League

Date: 12-2005

DOI: 10.1655/04-85.1

Genetic structure and gene flow in the Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea)

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-04-2021

DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2021.1925921

MHC, health, color, and reproductive success in sand lizards

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 09-03-2005

DOI: 10.1007/S00265-005-0921-Y

High numbers of unrelated reproductives in the Australian ‘higher’ termite Nasutitermes exitiosus (Blattodea

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 05-2020

DOI: 10.1007/S00040-020-00764-7

Novel genes continue to enhance population growth in adders (Vipera berus)

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2004

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2004.01.022

Molecular and morphological description of a hepatozoon species in reptiles and their ticks in the Northern Territory, Australia

Publisher: American Society of Parasitologists

Date: 04-2009

DOI: 10.1645/GE-1725.1

Extreme Competence: Keystone Hosts of Infections

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.TREE.2018.12.009

Identification, characterisation and expression analysis of natural killer receptor genes in Chlamydia pecorum infected koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 15-10-2015

DOI: 10.1186/S12864-015-2035-X

Will urbanisation affect the expression level of genes related to cancer of wild great tits?

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.135793

Immunoglubolin dynamics and cancer prevalence in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 29-04-2016

DOI: 10.1038/SREP25093

Abstract: Immunoglobulins such as IgG and IgM have been shown to induce anti-tumour cytotoxic activity. In the present study we therefore explore total serum IgG and IgM expression dynamics in 23 known-aged Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) of which 9 where affected by Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). DFTD is clonally transmissible cancer that has caused massive declines in devil numbers. Our analyses revealed that IgM and IgG expression levels as well as IgM/IgG ratios decreased with increasing devil age. Neither age, sex, IgM nor IgG expression levels affected devil DFTD status in our analyses. However, devils with increased IgM relative to IgG expression levels had significantly lower DFTD prevalence. Our results therefore suggest that IgM/IgG ratios may play an important role in determining devil susceptibility to DFTD. We consequently propose that our findings warrant further studies to elucidate the underpinning(s) of devil IgM/IgG ratios and DFTD status.

Rare and unique adaptations to cancer in domesticated species: An untapped resource?

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 29-01-2020

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12920

Abstract: Strong and ongoing artificial selection in domestic animals has resulted in amazing phenotypic responses that benefit humans, but often at a cost to an animal's health, and problems related to inbreeding depression, including a higher incidence of cancer. Despite high rates of cancer in domesticated species, little attention has been devoted to exploring the hypothesis that persistent artificial selection may also favour the evolution of compensatory anticancer defences. Indeed, there is evidence for effective anti‐cancer defences found in several domesticated species associated with different cancer types. We also suggest that artificial selection can favour the “domestication” of inherited oncogenic mutations in rare instances, retaining those associated to late and/or less aggressive cancers, and that by studying these seemingly rare anticancer adaptations, novel cancer treatments may be found.

Rain, rats and pythons: Climate‐driven population dynamics of predators and prey in tropical Australia

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-01-2006

DOI: 10.1111/J.1442-9993.2006.01540.X

Population demography of frillneck lizards (Chlamydosaurus kingii, Gray 1825) in the wet‐dry tropics of Australia

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-08-2014

DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12168

What causes canine sino-nasal aspergillosis? A molecular approach to species identification.

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.TVJL.2014.01.009

Abstract: On the basis of phenotypic identification methods, Aspergillus fumigatus is reported as the most commonly identified aetiological agent of canine sino-nasal aspergillosis (SNA). However, definitive identification of Aspergillus spp. using phenotypic features alone is unreliable. The aim of this study was to determine the molecular identities of fungal species causing SNA in dogs. Genomic DNA was extracted from 91 fungal isolates from 90 dogs diagnosed with SNA in Australia, the USA and Belgium, and the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 ribosomal DNA and partial β-tubulin regions were sequenced. Eighty-eight of 91 (96.7%) isolates were identified as A. fumigatus and 3/91 (3.3%) belonged to Aspergillus section Nigri spp. (Aspergillus tubingensis: 2/91 Aspergillus uvarum: 1/91). These findings confirm that A. fumigatus is the most common aetiological agent of canine SNA. This is the first report to document a pathogenic role for A. tubingensis and A. uvarum in dogs.

Live bird markets in Bangladesh as a potentially important source for Avian Influenza Virus transmission

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.PREVETMED.2018.05.003

Abstract: Live bird markets (LBM) are important for trading poultry in many developing countries where they are being considered hotspots of Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) prevalence and contamination. An active surveillance for Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) was conducted on four species of LBM birds (chickens, ducks, quails and pigeons) from 10 of the largest LBM in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and two species of peri-domestic wild birds (house crow and Asian pied starling) in their direct vicinity from November 2012 until September 2016. Our aim was to identify the scale and annual pattern of AIV circulation in both the LBM birds and the two per-domestic wild bird species living in close proximity of the LBM. In the latter two species, the annual pattern in AIV antibody prevalence was additionally investigated. A total of 4770 LBM birds and 1119 peri-domestic wild birds were s led. We used rt-PCR for detection of the AIV M-gene and AIV subtypes H5, H7 and H9 from swab s les. We used c-ELISA for AIV antibody detection from serum s les of peri-domestic wild birds. Average AIV prevalence among the four LBM species varied between 16 and 28%, whereas no AIV was detected in peri-domestic wild birds by rt-PCR. In all LBM species we found significantly higher AIV prevalence in winter compared to summer. A similar pattern was found in AIV antibody prevalence in peri-domestic wild birds feeding in the direct vicinity of LBM. For the subtypes of AIV investigated, we found a significantly higher proportion of AIV H5 in LBM chickens and H9 in LBM ducks. No H7 was detected in any of the investigated s les. We conclude that AIV and notably AIV H5 and H9 were circulating in the investigated LBM of Bangladesh with clear seasonality that matched the prevalence of AIV antibodies of peri-domestic wild birds. These patterns show great resemblance to the annual outbreak patterns in Bangladeshi poultry industry. Our data suggest considerable exchange of AIV within and among the four LBM bird species and peri-domestic wild birds, which likely contributes to the maintenance of the AIV problems in Bangladesh. Increasing biosecurity and notably reducing the direct and indirect mixing of various domestic bird species and peri-domestic wild birds and developing all-in-all-out selling systems with regular use of disinfectant are likely to reduce the risk of transmission and spread of AIV, including HPAI.

Spontaneous activity rates and resting metabolism: Support for the allocation model of energy management at the among-individual level

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 10-2020

DOI: 10.1111/ETH.12957

Gut microbiota of a long‐distance migrant demonstrates resistance against environmental microbe incursions

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 28-09-2017

DOI: 10.1111/MEC.14326

Abstract: Migratory animals encounter suites of novel microbes as they move between disparate sites during their migrations, and are frequently implicated in the global spread of pathogens. Although wild animals have been shown to source a proportion of their gut microbiota from their environment, the susceptibility of migrants to enteric infections may be dependent upon the capacity of their gut microbiota to resist incorporating encountered microbes. To evaluate migrants' susceptibility to microbial invasion, we determined the extent of microbial sourcing from the foraging environment and examined how this influenced gut microbiota dynamics over time and space in a migratory shorebird, the Red-necked stint Calidris ruficollis. Contrary to previous studies on wild, nonmigratory hosts, we found that stint on their nonbreeding grounds obtained very little of their microbiota from their environment, with most in iduals sourcing only 0.1% of gut microbes from foraging sediment. This microbial resistance was reflected at the population level by only weak compositional differences between stint flocks occupying ecologically distinct sites, and by our finding that stint that had recently migrated 10,000 km did not differ in ersity or taxonomy from those that had inhabited the same site for a full year. However, recent migrants had much greater abundances of the genus Corynebacterium, suggesting a potential microbial response to either migration or exposure to a novel environment. We conclude that the gut microbiota of stint is largely resistant to invasion from ingested microbes and that this may have implications for their susceptibility to enteric infections during migration.

New insights into the role of MHC diversity in devil facial tumour disease

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 06-06-2012

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0036955

Cancer Prevalence and Etiology in Wild and Captive Animals

Publisher: Elsevier

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-804310-3.00002-8

Cancer: A disease at the crossroads of trade‐offs

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 26-12-2016

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12444

IN HOT PURSUIT: FLUCTUATING MATING SYSTEM AND SEXUAL SELECTION IN SAND LIZARDS

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 05-11-2010

DOI: 10.1111/J.1558-5646.2010.01152.X

Abstract: A changing climate is expected to have profound effects on many aspects of ectotherm biology. We report on a decade-long study of free-ranging sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), exposed to an increasing mean mating season temperature and with known operational sex ratios. We assessed year-to-year variation in sexual selection on body size and postcopulatory sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Higher temperature was not linked to strength of sexual selection on body mass, but operational sex ratio (more males) did increase the strength of sexual selection on body size. Elevated temperature increased mating rate and number of sires per clutch with positive effects on offspring fitness. In years when the "quality" of a female's partners was more variable (in standard errors of a male sexual ornament), clutches showed less multiple paternity. This agrees with prior laboratory trials in which females exercised stronger cryptic female choice when male quality varied more. An increased number of sires contributing to within-clutch paternity decreased the risk of having malformed offspring. Ultimately, such variation may contribute to highly dynamic and shifting selection mosaics in the wild, with potential implications for the evolutionary ecology of mating systems and population responses to rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Queensland northern quolls are not immune to cane toad toxin

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2013

DOI: 10.1071/WR13011

Abstract: Context The release of the highly toxic South American cane toad (Bufo marinus) to the toad-free Australian continent in 1935, and their subsequent rapid spread over large areas of tropical Australia, has resulted in a massive decline of predators such as yellow-spotted goannas (Varanus panoptes) and northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus). In spite of dramatic declines of northern quoll populations in the Northern Territory, a few populations still persist in areas of Queensland where northern quolls have co-existed with toads for several decades. Aims To determine whether the remaining quoll populations in Queensland have evolved resistance to cane toad toxins. Methods The extracellular H1–H2 domain of the α1 subunit of the sodium–potassium-ATPase gene was sequenced in four Queensland as well as four Northern Territory quolls. The transcribed sodium–potassium-ATPase enzyme from this gene is specifically targeted by toad toxins. Key results In all of the eight quolls, the sequences representing the 36 bp of the H1–H2 domain of the α1 subunit of the sodium–potassium-ATPase gene were identical. Conclusions Our results showed that Queensland quolls have not evolved an increased resistance to the toad toxins. We therefore suggest that the persistence of northern quolls in a few toad infested areas of Queensland could to be due to a combination of optimal habitat quality, and concomitant large quoll numbers, as well as an aversion to feeding on these highly toxic hibians. Implications We suggest that a s le of northern quolls from the Queensland populations should be captured and their response, as well as that of their offspring and grand-offspring, to cane toads should be investigated to guide management of this declining species.

Haldane rules: costs of outbreeding at production of daughters in sand lizards

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 26-08-2004

DOI: 10.1111/J.1461-0248.2004.00652.X

Old pythons stay fit; effects of haematozoan infections on life history traits of a large tropical predator

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 27-10-2004

DOI: 10.1007/S00442-004-1742-9

Abstract: We document the impact of blood parasite infections caused by Hepatozoon sp. on water python (Liasis fuscus) life history traits such as growth rates, condition, reproductive output and survival. In idual snakes maintained similar among-year parasite loads. Hepatozoon infections affected python growth rate, i.e. snakes suffering from high infection levels exhibited significantly slower growth compared to in iduals with low parasite loads. Our results suggest that the parasites also affected the pythons' nutritional status (condition), as snakes with low condition scores suffered from higher parasite infection levels than snakes with high scores. Furthermore, our data suggest that parasitaemia may affect female reproductive output, as reproductive female pythons harboured lower parasite loads compared to non-reproductive adult females. High levels of parasite infections also affected juvenile python survival, as recaptured snakes harboured significantly lower parasite loads compared to non-recaptured yearling pythons. In our study area, water python have very few natural predators and, hence, experience low mortality rates and commonly reach an age of >15 years. In contrast to results obtained in other studies, parasite loads in larger/older pythons were lower compared to younger snakes, suggesting that only snakes harbouring lower levels of parasitaemia were able to survive to old age. We suggest that a possible cause for the opposing results regarding parasite prevalence and host age may be due to different levels of extrinsic mortality rates and longevity. Long-lived organisms, such as water pythons, may invest relatively more into crucial self-maintenance functions such as parasite defence, compared to short-lived organisms.

Discrepancy in mitochondrial and nuclear polymorphism in meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) questions the unambiguous use of mtDNA in conservation studies

Publisher: Brill

Date: 2005

DOI: 10.1163/156853805774408630

Abstract: The sequence ersity of the entire mitochondrial control region (CR) of three meadow viper (Vipera ursinii) populations was analysed and compared to previously documented nuclear genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I loci. One of the populations, a small and inbred Hungarian population, exhibited no MHC polymorphism, whereas the two other, s led from large viper populations in Ukraine, shoved very high MHC ersity. In spite of the great difference in population size and nuclear (MHC) ersity, all of the vipers from the three populations exhibited a CR haplotype ersity of zero. The dramatic discrepancy in nuclear vs. mitochondrial variability in the Ukrainian viper populations suggest that the lack of CR ersity was not caused by a population bottleneck, but rather by slow CR evolutionary rate, which has been documented in numerous other vertebrate taxa. Thus, due to the large taxonomic differences in CR rate of evolution, population genetic ersity estimates based on CR heterogeneity (and conservation management decisions that spring from those estimates) may depend as much upon the taxa being investigated, as upon the underlying pattern of genetic variation within the study population.

Oncogenesis as a Selective Force: Adaptive Evolution in the Face of a Transmissible Cancer

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-02-2018

DOI: 10.1002/BIES.201700146

Abstract: Similar to parasites, malignant cells exploit the host for energy, resources and protection, thereby impairing host health and fitness. Although cancer is widespread in the animal kingdom, its impact on life history traits and strategies have rarely been documented. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a transmissible cancer, afflicting Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), provides an ideal model system to monitor the impact of cancer on host life-history, and to elucidate the evolutionary arms-race between malignant cells and their hosts. Here we provide an overview of parasite-induced host life history (LH) adaptations, then both phenotypic plasticity of LH responses and changes in allele frequencies that affect LH traits of Tasmanian devils in response to DFTD are discussed. We conclude that akin to parasites, cancer can directly and indirectly affect devil LH traits and trigger host evolutionary responses. Consequently, it is important to consider oncogenic processes as a selective force in wildlife.

Obesity paradox in cancer: Is bigger really better?

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 24-04-2019

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12790

High Prevalence of Hepatozoon Spp. (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) Infection in Water Pythons (Liasis fuscus) From Tropical Australia

Publisher: American Society of Parasitologists

Date: 06-2004

DOI: 10.1645/GE-204R

Cancer and life-history traits: lessons from host–parasite interactions

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 18-02-2016

DOI: 10.1017/S0031182016000147

Abstract: Despite important differences between infectious diseases and cancers, tumour development (neoplasia) can nonetheless be closely compared to infectious disease because of the similarity of their effects on the body. On this basis, we predict that many of the life-history (LH) responses observed in the context of host–parasite interactions should also be relevant in the context of cancer. Parasites are thought to affect LH traits of their hosts because of strong selective pressures like direct and indirect mortality effects favouring, for ex le, early maturation and reproduction. Cancer can similarly also affect LH traits by imposing direct costs and/or indirectly by triggering plastic adjustments and evolutionary responses. Here, we discuss how and why a LH focus is a potentially productive but under-exploited research direction for cancer research, by focusing our attention on similarities between infectious disease and cancer with respect to their effects on LH traits and their evolution. We raise the possibility that LH adjustments can occur in response to cancer via maternal aternal effects and that these changes can be heritable to (adaptively) modify the LH traits of their offspring. We conclude that LH adjustments can potentially influence the transgenerational persistence of inherited oncogenic mutations in populations.

Floods and famine: climate‐induced collapse of a tropical predator‐prey community

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 19-08-2015

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12505

Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Anticancer Adaptations

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.ISCI.2020.101716

Anthropogenic selection enhances cancer evolution in Tasmanian devil tumours

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 06-11-2014

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12117

The tumour is in the detail: Local phylogenetic, population and epidemiological dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 20-06-2023

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.13569

Abstract: Infectious diseases are a major threat for bio ersity conservation and can exert strong influence on wildlife population dynamics. Understanding the mechanisms driving infection rates and epidemic outcomes requires empirical data on the evolutionary trajectory of pathogens and host selective processes. Phylodynamics is a robust framework to understand the interaction of pathogen evolutionary processes with epidemiological dynamics, providing a powerful tool to evaluate disease control strategies. Tasmanian devils have been threatened by a fatal transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), for more than two decades. Here we employ a phylodynamic approach using tumour mitochondrial genomes to assess the role of tumour genetic ersity in epidemiological and population dynamics in a devil population subject to 12 years of intensive monitoring, since the beginning of the epidemic outbreak. DFTD molecular clock estimates of disease introduction mirrored observed estimates in the field, and DFTD genetic ersity was positively correlated with estimates of devil population size. However, prevalence and force of infection were the lowest when devil population size and tumour genetic ersity was the highest. This could be due to either differential virulence or transmissibility in tumour lineages or the development of host defence strategies against infection. Our results support the view that evolutionary processes and epidemiological trade‐offs can drive host‐pathogen coexistence, even when disease‐induced mortality is extremely high. We highlight the importance of integrating pathogen and population evolutionary interactions to better understand long‐term epidemic dynamics and evaluating disease control strategies.

Is adaptive therapy natural?

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 02-10-2018

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PBIO.2007066

Widespread convergence in toxin resistance by predictable molecular evolution.

Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Date: 08-09-2015

DOI: 10.1073/PNAS.1511706112

Abstract: Convergence has strong bearing on the fundamental debate about whether evolution is stochastic and unpredictable or subject to constraints. Here we show that, in certain circumstances, evolution can be highly predictable. We demonstrate that several lineages of insects, hibians, reptiles, and mammals have utilized the same molecular solution, via the process of convergence, to evolve resistance to toxic cardiac glycosides produced defensively by plants and bufonid toads. The repeatability of this process across the animal kingdom demonstrates that evolution can be constrained to proceed along highly predictable pathways at molecular and functional levels. Our study has important implications for conservation biology by providing a predictive framework for assessing the vulnerability of native fauna to the introduction of invasive toxic toads.

Offspring‐driven local dispersal in female sand lizards (Lacerta agilis)

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 30-09-2004

DOI: 10.1111/J.1420-9101.2004.00798.X

Abstract: We report on a field study in which determinants of female breeding dispersal (i.e. the shift in the mean home range coordinates between successive breeding events) was investigated. Offspring were released in full sib groups (or half sib ones if there was within-clutch multiple paternity) at a separation distance from the females that varied between 'families'. This allowed for analysis of 'offspring nearness' effects on maternal dispersal. When a female's offspring were released more closely to her, she responded with greater dispersal. Furthermore, when the data set was truncated at 100 m maternal-offspring separation distance at offspring release (because perception at longer distances is likely to be unrealistic), maternal dispersal resulted in greater separation distance between female and offspring in the following year. A corresponding analysis for juveniles revealed no effect of maternal nearness on offspring dispersal but identified a significant effect of clutch size, to our surprise with dispersal declining with increasing clutch size. We discuss this result in a context of the 'public information hypothesis' (reinterpreted for juveniles in a nonsocial foraging species), suggesting that conspecific abundance perhaps acts as an indicator of local habitat quality. Thus, our analysis suggests a microgeographic structuring of the adult female population driven by genetic factors, either through inbreeding avoidance, or from simply avoiding in iduals with a similar genotype regardless of their pedigree relatedness, while a nongenetic factor seems more important in their offspring.

Climate-driven impacts of prey abundance on the population structure of a tropical aquatic predator

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 2010

DOI: 10.1111/J.1600-0706.2009.17795.X

Eco‐evolutionary perspectives of the dynamic relationships linking senescence and cancer

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-05-2015

DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13394

Effect of MHC and inbreeding on disassortative reproduction: A data revisit, extension and inclusion of fertilization in sand lizards

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 03-2023

DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.9934

Abstract: The harmful effects of close inbreeding have been recognized for centuries and, with the rise of Mendelian genetics, was realized to be an effect of homozygosis. This historical background led to great interest in ways to quantify inbreeding, its depression effects on the phenotype and flow‐on effects on mate choice and other aspects of behavioral ecology. The mechanisms and cues used to avoid inbreeding are varied and include major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and the peptides they transport as predictors of the degree of genetic relatedness. Here, we revisit and complement data from a Swedish population of sand lizards ( Lacerta agilis ) showing signs of inbreeding depression to assess the effects of genetic relatedness on pair formation in the wild. Parental pairs were less similar at the MHC than expected under random mating but mated at random with respect to microsatellite relatedness. MHC clustered in groups of RFLP bands but no partner preference was observed with respect to partner MHC cluster genotype. Male MHC band patterns were unrelated to their fertilization success in clutches selected for analysis on the basis of showing mixed paternity. Thus, our data suggest that MHC plays a role in pre‐copulatory, but not post‐copulatory partner association, suggesting that MHC is not the driver of fertilization bias and gamete recognition in sand lizards.

Paternal alleles enhance female reproductive success in tropical pythons

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 12-04-2005

DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-294X.2005.02505.X

A microsatellite-based test of the reticulitermes speratus genetic caste determination model in coptotermes lacteus

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 05-02-2011

DOI: 10.1007/S00040-011-0153-2

Genetic diversity, inbreeding and cancer

Publisher: The Royal Society

Date: 21-03-2018

DOI: 10.1098/RSPB.2017.2589

Abstract: Genetic ersity is essential for adaptive capacities, providing organisms with the potential of successfully responding to intrinsic and extrinsic challenges. Although a clear reciprocal link between genetic ersity and resistance to parasites and pathogens has been established across taxa, the impact of loss of genetic ersity by inbreeding on the emergence and progression of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, has been overlooked. Here we provide an overview of such associations and show that low genetic ersity and inbreeding associate with an increased risk of cancer in both humans and animals. Cancer being a multifaceted disease, loss of genetic ersity can directly (via accumulation of oncogenic homozygous mutations) and indirectly (via increased susceptibility to oncogenic pathogens) impact abnormal cell emergence and escape of immune surveillance. The observed link between reduced genetic ersity and cancer in wildlife may further imperil the long-term survival of numerous endangered species, highlighting the need to consider the impact of cancer in conservation biology. Finally, the somewhat incongruent data originating from human studies suggest that the association between genetic ersity and cancer development is multifactorial and may be tumour specific. Further studies are therefore crucial in order to elucidate the underpinnings of the interactions between genetic ersity, inbreeding and cancer.

Diet fatty acid profile, membrane composition and lifespan: An experimental study using the blowfly (Calliphora stygia)

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.MAD.2014.02.001

Abstract: The membrane pacemaker theory of ageing proposes that the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of membrane lipids of a species is an important determinant of its maximum lifespan. We report three experiments using the blowfly Calliphora stygia, where this theory was tested by manipulation of dietary fat profile. Although the fat profile of the larval diet resulted in small alterations of in idual membrane fatty acids, it had no effect on the peroxidation index (PI) of membrane lipids and furthermore had no effect on maximum lifespan. Similarly, manipulation of the fat profile of the adult diet resulted in small changes in in idual fatty acids, but had no effect on the PI of membrane lipids. There was a small increase in maximum lifespan when adult diet was supplemented with PUFA in form of vegetable oils but no effect when diet was supplemented with pure PUFA. This difference is possibly due to antioxidant content of vegetable oils. The relative refractoriness of membrane PI to dramatic changes in response to diet is similar to the situation in the rat. These results also indicate the blowfly is unable to convert 18-carbon PUFA to more highly polyunsaturated 20- and 22-carbon PUFA.

Tracing the rise of malignant cell lines: Distribution, epidemiology and evolutionary interactions of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 28-06-2019

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12831

CLIMATE CHANGE, MULTIPLE PATERNITY AND OFFSPRING SURVIVAL IN LIZARDS

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-07-2011

DOI: 10.1111/J.1558-5646.2011.01387.X

Low genetic diversity threatens imminent extinction for the Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis)

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 05-2002

DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00176-8

Identifying key questions in the ecology and evolution of cancer

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 28-02-1970

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.13190

Abstract: The application of evolutionary and ecological principles to cancer prevention and treatment, as well as recognizing cancer as a selection force in nature, has gained impetus over the last 50 years. Following the initial theoretical approaches that combined knowledge from interdisciplinary fields, it became clear that using the eco‐evolutionary framework is of key importance to understand cancer. We are now at a pivotal point where accumulating evidence starts to steer the future directions of the discipline and allows us to underpin the key challenges that remain to be addressed. Here, we aim to assess current advancements in the field and to suggest future directions for research. First, we summarize cancer research areas that, so far, have assimilated ecological and evolutionary principles into their approaches and illustrate their key importance. Then, we assembled 33 experts and identified 84 key questions, organized around nine major themes, to pave the foundations for research to come. We highlight the urgent need for broadening the portfolio of research directions to stimulate novel approaches at the interface of oncology and ecological and evolutionary sciences. We conclude that progressive and efficient cross‐disciplinary collaborations that draw on the expertise of the fields of ecology, evolution and cancer are essential in order to efficiently address current and future questions about cancer.

Costly parasite resistance: a genotype-dependent handicap in sand lizards?

Publisher: The Royal Society

Date: 11-07-2005

DOI: 10.1098/RSBL.2005.0339

Abstract: Male sand lizards ( Lacerta agilis ) with a specific restriction fragment length polymorphism fragment in their major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotype (‘O-males’) are more resistant to ectoparasites (a tick, Ixodes ricinus ) than are males that lack this fragment (‘NO-males’). However, emerging evidence suggests that such adaptive immune responses are costly, here manifested by reduced body condition and a compromised defence against secondary infections by haemoprotid parasites that use the ticks as vectors. Subsequent to tick encounter, O-males suffer from a higher leucocyte–erythrocyte ratio, and higher haemoprotid parasitaemia, in particular in relation to vector encounter rate. Furthermore, O-males (i.e. successful tick defenders) with more haemoprotid parasites remaining in their blood stream were in better body condition, whereas this did not apply in NO-males, demonstrating that the adaptive immunoreaction can—in the short term—be energetically even more costly than being moderately parasitized. In agreement with Zahavian handicap theory, O-males had a (marginally) higher reproductive success than males that lacked this fragment.

Transmissible Cancers in an Evolutionary Perspective

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.ISCI.2020.101269

The evolution of resistance and tolerance as cancer defences

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 11-12-2019

DOI: 10.1017/S0031182019001501

Abstract: Although there is a plethora of cancer associated-factors that can ultimately culminate in death (cachexia, organ impairment, metastases, opportunistic infections, etc.), the focal element of every terminal malignancy is the failure of our natural defences to control unlimited cell proliferation. The reasons why our defences apparently lack efficiency is a complex question, potentially indicating that, under Darwinian terms, solutions other than preventing cancer progression are also important contributors. In analogy with host-parasite systems, we propose to call this latter option ‘tolerance’ to cancer. Here, we argue that the ubiquity of oncogenic processes among metazoans is at least partially attributable to both the limitations of resistance mechanisms and to the evolution of tolerance to cancer. Deciphering the ecological contexts of alternative responses to the cancer burden is not a semantic question, but rather a focal point in understanding the evolutionary ecology of host-tumour relationships, the evolution of our defences, as well as why and when certain cancers are likely to be detrimental for survival.

Multiple paternity and precocial breeding in wild Tasmanian devils, Sarcophilus harrisii (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 27-05-2019

DOI: 10.1093/BIOLINNEAN/BLZ072

Abstract: Polyandry, a common reproductive strategy in various animal species, has potential female benefits, which include enhanced offspring fitness. Benefits can be direct, such as reduced risk of male infanticide of offspring, or indirect, such as increased genetic ersity of offspring and the acquisition of ‘good genes’. Multiple paternity of litters has been recorded in numerous marsupial species but has not been reported in Tasmanian devils, Sarcophilus harrisii (Boitard). We investigated whether multiple paternity occurred in litters within a wild population of Tasmanian devils. Using major histocompatibility complex-linked and neutral microsatellite markers, the paternity of nine litters was analysed. We found multiple paternity in four out of nine litters and that yearling ( 1, 2 years old) male devils were siring offspring. This is the first record of multiple paternity and of male precocial breeding in wild Tasmanian devils. To date, there are no data relating to the subsequent survival of devils from single- vs. multiple-sired litters therefore, we do not know whether multiple paternity increases offspring survival in the wild. These results have implications for the Tasmanian devil captive insurance programme, because group housing can lead to multiple-sired litters, making the maintenance of genetic ersity over time difficult to manage.

Fecundity and MHC affects ejaculation tactics and paternity bias in sand lizards

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 04-2004

DOI: 10.1111/J.0014-3820.2004.TB00423.X

Abstract: We demonstrate that extending copulation enhances probability of paternity in sand lizards and that determinants of copulation duration depend on a males' mating order (first or second). First males, with no information on presence of rivals, extend copulation when mating with a more fecund female. Second males, however, adjust copula duration in relation to a first male's relatedness with his female, which there is reason to believe can be deduced from the MHC-related odor of the copulatory plug. Male-female relatedness negatively influences a male's probability of paternity, and when second males are in a favored role (i.e., the first male is the one more closely related to the female), second males transfer larger ejaculates, resulting in higher probability of paternity. This result corroborates predictions from recent theoretical models on sperm expenditure theory incorporating cryptic female choice and sexual conflict. More specifically, the results conform to a "random roles" model, which depicts males as being favored by some females and disfavored by others, but not to a "constant-type" model, in which a male is either favored or disfavored uniformly by all females in a population.

Transmissible cancer and longitudinal telomere dynamics in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-10-2022

DOI: 10.1111/MEC.16721

Abstract: A plethora of intrinsic and environmental factors have been shown to influence the length of telomeres, the protector of chromosome ends. Despite the growing interest in infection–telomere interactions, there is very limited knowledge on how transmissible cancers influence telomere maintenance. An emblematic ex le of transmissible cancer occurs in the Tasmanian devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii ), whose populations have been dramatically reduced by infectious cancer cells. To investigate associations between telomere dynamics and the transmissible cancer, we used longitudinal data from a Tasmanian devil population that has been exposed to the disease for over 15 years. We detected substantial temporal variation in in idual telomere length (TL), and a positive significant association between TL and age, as well as a marginally significant trend for devils with devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) having longer telomeres. A proportional hazard analysis yielded no significant effect of TL on the development of DFTD. Like previous studies, we show the complexity that TL dynamics may exhibit across the lifetime of organisms. Our work highlights the importance of long‐term longitudinal s ling for understanding the effects of wildlife diseases on TL.

Placental lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene expression in a placentotrophic lizard,Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-2013

DOI: 10.1002/JEZ.B.22526

Abstract: Viviparity (live birth) relies on a functional placenta, which is formed by cooperating maternal and embryonic tissues. In some viviparous lineages, mothers use this placenta to transport nutrients to feed developing embryos through pregnancy (placentotrophy). The Australian lizard, Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii, provides approximately 60% of the lipid for embryonic growth and metabolism to embryos across the placenta. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an important enzyme in lipid transport in vertebrates. We examined patterns of LPL gene expression to identify its role in the uterus of pregnant P. entrecasteauxii. We used reverse transcription quantitative real time PCR to measure the expression of the LPL gene in the uterine tissue throughout reproduction and compared uterine LPL expression in chorioallantoic and yolk-sac placentae. Expression of the LPL gene is significantly higher in the uterus of late pregnant compared to non-pregnant and early pregnant P. entrecasteauxii, indicating a greater capacity for lipid transport towards the end of pregnancy. The period of high LPL gene expression correlates with the time that developing embryos are undergoing the greatest growth and have the highest metabolic rate. LPL gene expression is significantly higher in the uterine tissue of the yolk-sac placenta than the chorioallantoic placenta, providing the first molecular evidence that the yolk-sac placenta is the major site of lipid transport in pregnant P. entrecasteauxii.

Darwin, the devil, and the management of transmissible cancers

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-10-2020

DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13644

Size matters: extraordinary rodent abundance on an Australian tropical flood plain

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-04-2006

DOI: 10.1111/J.1442-9993.2006.01564.X

Identification of natural killer cell receptor genes in the genome of the marsupial Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 25-09-2012

DOI: 10.1007/S00251-012-0643-Z

Abstract: Within the mammalian immune system, natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the first line of defence against infectious agents and tumours. Their activity is regulated, in part, by cell surface NK cell receptors. NK receptors can be ided into two unrelated, but functionally analogous superfamilies based on the structure of their extracellular ligand-binding domains. Receptors belonging to the C-type lectin superfamily are predominantly encoded in the natural killer complex (NKC), while receptors belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily are predominantly encoded in the leukocyte receptor complex (LRC). Natural killer cell receptors are emerging as a rapidly evolving gene family which can display significant intra- and interspecific variation. To date, most studies have focused on eutherian mammals, with significantly less known about the evolution of these receptors in marsupials. Here, we describe the identification of 43 immunoglobulin domain-containing LRC genes in the genome of the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the largest remaining marsupial carnivore and only the second marsupial species to be studied. We also identify orthologs of NKC genes KLRK1, CD69, CLEC4E, CLEC1B, CLEC1A and an ortholog of an opossum NKC receptor. Characterisation of these regions in a second, distantly related marsupial provides new insights into the dynamic evolutionary histories of these receptors in mammals. Understanding the functional role of these genes is also important for the development of therapeutic agents against Devil Facial Tumour Disease, a contagious cancer that threatens the Tasmanian devil with extinction.

Transmissible cancer influences immune gene expression in an endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 15-03-2022

DOI: 10.1111/MEC.16408

Abstract: Understanding the effects of wildlife diseases on populations requires insight into local environmental conditions, host defence mechanisms, host life‐history trade‐offs, pathogen population dynamics, and their interactions. The survival of Tasmanian devils ( Sarcophilus harrisii ) is challenged by a novel, fitness limiting pathogen, Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a clonally transmissible, contagious cancer. In order to understand the devils’ capacity to respond to DFTD, it is crucial to gain information on factors influencing the devils’ immune system. By using RT‐qPCR, we investigated how DFTD infection in association with intrinsic (sex and age) and environmental (season) factors influences the expression of 10 immune genes in Tasmanian devil blood. Our study showed that the expression of immune genes (both innate and adaptive) differed across seasons, a pattern that was altered when infected with DFTD. The expression of immunogbulins IgE and IgM:IgG showed downregulation in colder months in DFTD infected animals. We also observed strong positive association between the expression of an innate immune gene, CD16, and DFTD infection. Our results demonstrate that s ling across seasons, age groups and environmental conditions are beneficial when deciphering the complex ecoevolutionary interactions of not only conventional host‐parasite systems, but also of host and diseases with high mortality rates, such as transmissible cancers.

Polyandry and non-random fertilisation maintain long-term genetic diversity in an isolated island population of adders (Vipera berus)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 06-12-2022

DOI: 10.1038/S41437-022-00578-2

The ecology and evolution of wildlife cancers: Applications for management and conservation

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 23-03-2020

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12948

Abstract: Ecological and evolutionary concepts have been widely adopted to understand host–pathogen dynamics, and more recently, integrated into wildlife disease management. Cancer is a ubiquitous disease that affects most metazoan species however, the role of oncogenic phenomena in eco‐evolutionary processes and its implications for wildlife management and conservation remains undeveloped. Despite the pervasive nature of cancer across taxa, our ability to detect its occurrence, progression and prevalence in wildlife populations is constrained due to logistic and diagnostic limitations, which suggests that most cancers in the wild are unreported and understudied. Nevertheless, an increasing number of virus‐associated and directly transmissible cancers in terrestrial and aquatic environments have been detected. Furthermore, anthropogenic activities and sudden environmental changes are increasingly associated with cancer incidence in wildlife. This highlights the need to upscale surveillance efforts, collection of critical data and developing novel approaches for studying the emergence and evolution of cancers in the wild. Here, we discuss the relevance of malignant cells as important agents of selection and offer a holistic framework to understand the interplay of ecological, epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of cancer in wildlife. We use a directly transmissible cancer (devil facial tumour disease) as a model system to reveal the potential evolutionary dynamics and broader ecological effects of cancer epidemics in wildlife. We provide further ex les of tumour–host interactions and trade‐offs that may lead to changes in life histories, and epidemiological and population dynamics. Within this framework, we explore immunological strategies at the in idual level as well as transgenerational adaptations at the population level. Then, we highlight the need to integrate multiple disciplines to undertake comparative cancer research at the human–domestic–wildlife interface and their environments. Finally, we suggest strategies for screening cancer incidence in wildlife and discuss how to integrate ecological and evolutionary concepts in the management of current and future cancer epizootics.

Long term effects of outbreeding: experimental founding of island population eliminates malformations and improves hatching success in sand lizards

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOCON.2020.108710

Fifth International Biannual Evolution and Ecology of Cancer Conference (Cooperation, Conflict and Parasitism) meeting report—Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-2019

DOI: 10.1111/EVA.12862

Transmissible cancer and the evolution of sex

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 06-06-2019

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PBIO.3000275

Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegyetem Természettudományi Kar

Location: Hungary

View Organisation

University Of Agricultural Sciences

Location: Hungary

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Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP230100162

Start Date: 2023

End Date: 12-2025

Amount: $387,788.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP170101105

Start Date: 04-2019

End Date: 12-2023

Amount: $300,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561251

Start Date: 03-2005

End Date: 04-2006

Amount: $150,887.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775666

Start Date: 2007

End Date: 12-2008

Amount: $200,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council