Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. R. Crossland, R. Shine
Summary: A laboratory experiment found that intraspecific interference competition strongly reduced growth and development of cane toad tadpoles, especially when the competing tadpoles were young individuals. However, these competitive effects disappeared by the time of metamorphosis, with no significant effect on metamorph body condition, size, larval period, or survival.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lincoln F. Macgregor, Matthew Greenlees, Mark de Bruyn, Richard Shine
Summary: Geographical variation in abiotic and biotic conditions can significantly affect the rate of invasive species expansion. The colonization of cane toads in Australia has been extensively researched, with a focus on tropical regions rather than cooler climates. The spread of toads in New South Wales has been slower in cooler regions, with the expansion of their range mainly influenced by dry, warm weather conditions.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Friederike Gethoeffer, Jennifer Liebing, Katrin Ronnenberg, Nele Curland, Christina Puff, Peter Wohlsein, Wolfgang Baumgaertner, Bianca Buecking, Ursula Heffels-Redmann, Ulrich Voigt, Christian Sonne, Michael Lierz, Ursula Siebert
Summary: The decline in the population of ring-necked pheasants in northwestern Germany since 2007 is believed to be caused by insufficient protein intake in the chicks, resulting in a weaker immune system and higher risk of diseases. Therefore, protein intake is crucial for the growth and immune status of ring-necked pheasant chicks.
Article
Zoology
Fernando Ribeiro Gomes, Carla Bonetti Madelaire, Eduardo Hermogenes Moretti, Stefanny Christie Monteiro Titon, Vania Regina Assis
Summary: This paper reviews the immunoendocrinology and ecoimmunology of Brazilian anuran species. Findings suggest that increased steroid levels during reproductive activity have an immunoprotective role in calling males. Higher helminth parasite load is associated with changes in behavior and physiology. Anuran innate immunity exhibits optimal performance at temperatures close to normal and fever thermal preferendum. Experimental exposure to stressors increases plasma corticosterone levels and immune redistribution, with the impact on immune function depending on the duration of stress exposure. Hormonal treatment has complex effects on immune function, depending on dosage, duration, and immune variables considered.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Kazuko Hase
Summary: In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, behavioral traits and the deterioration of water environments also contribute to the local extinction of amphibians. Abundant microflora in urban ponds may cause fatal diseases, whereas symbiotic bacteria may protect the host from pathogens; these effects may vary with group size.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cameron M. Hudson, Gregory P. Brown, Ryann A. Blennerhassett, Richard Shine
Summary: Research on cane toads has shown that gland dimensions are highly heritable, with females having larger glands than males, invasive populations having larger glands than native populations, and sexual size dimorphism varying significantly among invaded areas. Geographic variation in gland morphology may be driven by predation risk to both adult toads and offspring, with investment into chemical defences evolving rapidly during international dispersal.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gregory P. Brown, Richard Shine
Summary: Reptile eggs are closely associated with soil microbiota, and changes in soil microbiota may affect embryogenesis. The study found that autoclaved soil and pathogen cues impact hatchability and hatchling size of keelback snake eggs, with smaller hatchlings associated with stress or body size.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Shine, Gregory P. Brown, Claire Goiran
Summary: The polymorphic traits of non-venomous sea snakes are maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection, possibly as a defensive strategy to mimic highly venomous sea snakes that inhabit the same region.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Shine, Gregory P. Brown, Claire Goiran
Summary: In adjacent bays of the IndoPacific archipelago of New Caledonia, populations of sea snakes (Emydocephalus annulatus) exhibit significant differences in life-history traits, with snakes at the most wind-exposed site showing lower body condition, slower growth, less frequent production of litters, and smaller litters. These differences are related to wind exposure.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeff F. Paril, Ben L. Phillips
Summary: Gene drives that skew sex ratios offer a new tool to manage pest populations, but they can fail due to spatial and stochastic factors. Wide and slow-moving drive waves are less prone to failure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Beth A. Reinke, Hugo Cayuela, Fredric J. Janzen, Jean-Francois Lemaitre, Jean-Michel Gaillard, A. Michelle Lawing, John B. Iverson, Ditte G. Christiansen, Inigo Martinez-Solano, Gregorio Sanchez-Montes, Jorge Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Francis L. Rose, Nicola Nelson, Susan Keall, Alain J. Crivelli, Theodoros Nazirides, Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Klaus Henle, Emiliano Mori, Gaetan Guiller, Rebecca Homan, Anthony Olivier, Erin Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Xavier Bonnet, David S. Pilliod, Marieke Lettink, Tony Whitaker, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Michael G. Gardner, Marc Cheylan, Francoise Poitevin, Ana Golubovic, Ljiljana Tomovic, Dragan Arsovski, Richard A. Griffiths, Jan W. Arntzen, Jean-Pierre Baron, Jean-Francois Le Galliard, Thomas Tully, Luca Luiselli, Massimo Capula, Lorenzo Rugiero, Rebecca McCaffery, Lisa A. Eby, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Frank Mazzotti, David Pearson, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Claudio Angelini, Graham Pyke, Jean-Marc Thirion, Pierre Joly, Jean-Paul Lena, Anton D. Tucker, Col Limpus, Pauline Priol, Aurelien Besnard, Pauline Bernard, Kristin Stanford, Richard King, Justin Garwood, Jaime Bosch, Franco L. Souza, Jaime Bertoluci, Shirley Famelli, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Kathleen Matthews, Sylvain Boitaud, Deanna H. Olson, Tim S. Jessop, Graeme R. Gillespie, Jean Clobert, Murielle Richard, Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, Gary M. Fellers, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Phillip G. Byrne, Thierry Fretey, Bernard Le Garff, Pauline Levionnois, John C. Maerz, Julian Pichenot, Kurtulus Olgun, Nazan Uzum, Aziz Avci, Claude Miaud, Johan Elmberg, Gregory P. Brown, Richard Shine, Nathan F. Bendik, Lisa O'Donnell, Courtney L. Davis, Michael J. Lannoo, Rochelle M. Stiles, Robert M. Cox, Aaron M. Reedy, Daniel A. Warner, Eric Bonnaire, Kristine Grayson, Roberto Ramos-Targarona, Eyup Baskale, David Munoz, John Measey, F. Andre de Villiers, Will Selman, Victor Ronget, Anne M. Bronikowski, David A. W. Miller
Summary: This study investigates the aging rates and longevity of wild ectothermic tetrapods, showing that they exhibit higher diversity of aging rates compared to endotherms and provide evidence of negligible aging. Protective phenotypes and life-history strategies explain the macroevolutionary patterns of aging.
Article
Law
Benjamin Olmstead, Ron Hoffman, Gregory P. Brown, John P. Hirdes
Summary: This study aimed to examine the demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with serious mental disorders (PSMD) who had repeat contact with police officers. The results showed that age, command hallucinations, lack of insight, verbal abuse, known possession of weapons, and family, friends, and caregivers expressing concern over the possibility of self-harm were significantly associated with repeat police contacts. Delusions were also independently associated with repeat encounters. The findings suggest the importance of integrating these characteristics into police training and referring individuals to appropriate mental health service providers for proactive outreach services.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Madeleine de Jong, Ben L. Phillips, John Llewelyn, David G. Chapple, Bob B. M. Wong
Summary: This study explores the influence of developmental environments on animal personality, finding that incubation temperature significantly impacts the behavior of southern rainforest sunskinks. Skinks incubated at higher temperatures exhibit greater behavioral plasticity and a wider range of personality traits.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Crystal Kelehear, Luis Felipe Toledo, Jamie Bacon, Juan M. Guayasamin, Andrew Snyder, Kelly R. Zamudio
Summary: This study investigated the establishment success of cane toads across their introduced range by examining the roles of introduction history and genetic diversity. The researchers found that Florida populations were more closely related to native Central American lineages, and there were high levels of diversity and population structure in the native range, supporting the idea that cane toads are a species complex. The study also revealed that introduced populations have slightly lower genetic diversity compared to native populations.
Article
Ecology
Lia Schlippe Justicia, Martin Mayer, Richard Shine, Cathy Shilton, Gregory P. Brown
Summary: Coevolutionary host-parasite arms races can be disrupted by biological invasions, affecting both host and parasite densities, as well as their traits. The spread of cane toads and their parasitic lungworm across tropical Australia provides an opportunity to study a perturbed host-parasite system. Infection success was highest when toads from long-established populations were exposed to lungworms from close to the invasion front, suggesting increased parasite infectivity and host resistance over the course of invasion. Most virulence/tolerance traits have not consistently increased or decreased during invasion. Higher parasite burdens were associated with increased feeding performance in toads and faster growth in lungworms, suggesting host manipulation by the parasite.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
Chava L. Weitzman, Mirjam Kaestli, Alea Rose, Cameron M. Hudson, Karen Gibb, Gregory P. Brown, Richard Shine, Keith Christian
Summary: The bacterial assemblages on amphibian skin play a crucial role in protecting hosts against infection. In the case of invasive cane toads in Australia, the geographic differences in their bacterial communities are primarily driven by local environmental effects rather than evolved shifts in the host. This conclusion is based on both field samples and a common-garden experiment.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Shaolin Han, Ben L. Phillips, Mark A. Elgar
Summary: Disputes over resources are initially resolved by signals revealing the resource-holding potential (RHP) of competitors. In contests between neighboring colonies of meat ants, individual contests were not influenced by body size, but colony level contests were determined by colony size. These results demonstrate the importance of colony size in determining group resource-holding potential.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Natasha D. Harrison, Ben L. Phillips, Nicola J. Mitchell, Julia C. Wayne, Marika A. Maxwell, Colin G. Ward, Adrian F. Wayne
Summary: Populations of threatened animals in predator-free havens may experience loss of anti-predator responses, as indicated by reduced injuries and reduced anti-predator behaviors. Selection in the havens against larger body size and relaxed selection on anti-predator traits may contribute to these changes. The interaction between resource competition and relaxed selection further accelerates the loss of anti-predator traits. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for managing populations and recovering threatened fauna.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Gregory P. P. Brown, Cameron M. M. Hudson, Richard Shine
Summary: Variations in food resources can lead to significant fluctuations in the body condition of animals, resulting in changes in immune function. This study focused on captive cane toads and found that weight loss was associated with increased levels of monocytes and heterophils, reduced levels of eosinophils, and higher phagocytic ability. The results highlight the challenges invasive species face in adapting to new environments with different food availability and the potential shift in immune response to combat pathogens.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Harrison J. F. Eyck, Gregory P. Brown, Lee A. Rollins, Richard Shine
Summary: This study investigates a host-parasite system and finds differences in host resistance between different populations. The chemical cues from toad skin altered parasite behavior, but the number of infection attempts did not differ between populations. The success rate of infection was higher for the range-edge toads, indicating that their lower resistance is due to less effective immune defenses.