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48 results for “Tasmanian devil”
Data from: Rate of inter-sex interactions affects injury likelihood in Tasmanian devil contact networks
Identifying the types of contacts that result in disease transmission is important for accurately modelling and predicting transmission dynamics and disease spread in wild populations. We investigated contacts within a population of adult Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) over a six-month period and tested whether individual-level contact patterns were correlated with accumulation of bite wounds. Bite wounds are important in the spread of devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a clonal cancer cell line transmitted through direct inoculation of tumour cells when susceptible and infected individuals bite each other. We used multi-model inference and network autocorrelation models to investigate the effects of individual-level contact patterns, identities of interacting partners, and position within the social network on the propensity to be involved in bite-inducing contacts. We found that males were more likely to receive potentially disease-transmitting bite wounds than females, particularly during the mating season when males spend extended periods mate-guarding females. The number of bite wounds individuals received during the mating season was unrelated to any of the network metrics examined. Our approach illustrates the necessity for understanding which contact types spread disease in different systems to assist the management of this and other infectious wildlife diseases.
Data from: Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils
Although cancer rarely acts as an infectious disease, a recently emerged transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) is virtually 100% fatal. Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) has swept across nearly the entire species' range, resulting in localized declines exceeding 90% and an overall species decline of more than 80% in less than 20 years. Despite epidemiological models that predict extinction, populations in long-diseased sites persist. Here we report rare genomic evidence of a rapid, parallel evolutionary response to strong selection imposed by a wildlife disease. We identify two genomic regions that contain genes related to immune function or cancer risk in humans that exhibit concordant signatures of selection across three populations. DFTD spreads between hosts by suppressing and evading the immune system, and our results suggest that hosts are evolving immune-modulated resistance that could aid in species persistence in the face of this devastating disease.
Restoring faith in conservation action: maintaining wild genetic diversity through the Tasmanian devil insurance program
<p>Conservation breeding programs aim to maintain 90% wild genetic diversity, but rarely assess functional diversity. Here, we compare both genome-wide and functional diversity (in over 500 genes) of Tasmanian devils (<em>Sarcophilus harrisii</em>) within the insurance metapopulation and across the species' range (64,519 km<sup>2</sup>). Populations have declined by 80% since 1996 due to a contagious cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). However, predicted local extinctions have not occurred. Recent suggestions of selection for "resistance" alleles in the wild precipitated concerns that insurance population devils may be unsuitable for translocations. Using 830 wild samples collected at 31 locations between 2012-2021, and 553 insurance metapopulation devils, we show that the insurance metapopulation is representative of current wild genetic diversity. Allele frequencies at DFTD-associated loci were not substantially different between captive and wild devils. Methods presented here are valuable for others investigating evolutionary potential in threatened species, particularly ones under significant selective pressures.</p>
On following pages: 21. Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus); 22. Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus); 23. Bronze Quoll (Dasyurus spartacus); 24. Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus); 25. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii). in Dasyuridae
On following pages: 21. Northern Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus); 22. Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus); 23. Bronze Quoll (Dasyurus spartacus); 24. Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus); 25. Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).
Restoring faith in conservation action: maintaining wild genetic diversity through the Tasmanian devil insurance program
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Data from: Disease swamps molecular signatures of genetic-environmental associations to abiotic factors in Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations
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Data from: Anthropogenic selection enhances cancer evolution in Tasmanian devil tumours
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Data from: Rate of inter-sex interactions affects injury likelihood in Tasmanian devil contact networks
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Data from: Density trends and demographic signals uncover the long-term impact of transmissible cancer in Tasmanian Devils
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Data from: Trophic rewilding establishes a landscape of fear: Tasmanian devil introduction increases risk-sensitive foraging in a key prey species
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Data from: Rapid evolutionary response to a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils
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Data from: Characterisation of reproductive gene diversity in the endangered Tasmanian devil
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Data for: Infectious disease and sickness behaviour: tumour progression affects interaction patterns and social network structure in wild Tasmanian devils
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Evolution and lineage dynamics of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils
<p>Devil facial tumour 1 (DFT1) is a transmissible cancer clone endangering the Tasmanian devil. The expansion of DFT1 across Tasmania has been documented, but little is known of its evolutionary history. We analysed genomes of 648 DFT1 tumours collected throughout the disease range between 2003 and 2018. DFT1 diverged early into five clades, three spreading widely and two failing to persist. One clade has replaced others at several sites, and rates of DFT1 co-infection are high. DFT1 gradually accumulates copy number variants (CNVs) and its telomere lengths are short but constant. Recurrent CNVs reveal genes under positive selection, sites of genome instability and repeated loss of a small derived chromosome. Cultured DFT1 cell lines have increased CNV frequency and undergo highly reproducible convergent evolution. Overall, DFT1 is a remarkably stable lineage whose genome illustrates how cancer cells adapt to diverse environments and persist in a parasitic niche.</p>
Data from: Pedigree analysis reveals a generational decline in reproductive success of captive Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii): implications for captive management of threatened species
Captive breeding programs are an increasingly popular tool to augment the conservation of threatened wild populations. Many programs keep detailed pedigrees, which are used to prescribe breeding targets to meet demographic and genetic goals. Annual breeding targets are based on previous productivity, but do not account for changes in reproductive success that may occur over generations in captivity and which may impair the ability of a program to meet its goals. We utilise a large studbook from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) captive breeding program to investigate biological, genetic and environmental factors that affect variation in reproductive success among individuals and over generations of captive breeding. Reproductive success declined with increasing generations in captivity: wild-born females had a 56.5% chance of producing a litter compared to a 2.8% chance for generation 5 captive-born females (N = 182) and when they did, wild-born females produced more offspring (3.1 joeys, 95% CI: 2.76 - 3.38, compared to 2.7 joeys, 95% CI: 2.55 - 2.90, in captive-born females [N = 105]). Reproductive success also declined as dam age at first breeding increased. Our results reveal a conflict with the widely-cited conservation strategy to limit opportunity for selection by extending generation length through delaying reproduction, as captive breeding programs that delay female breeding with this goal in mind risk reduced productivity. Our data demonstrate the benefit of pedigree analysis to identify biological processes that reveal crucial trade-offs with conservation best-practice.
Data from: Reconstruction of the cortical maps of the Tasmanian tiger and comparison to the Tasmanian devil
The last known Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)–aka the thylacine–died in 1936. Because its natural behavior was never scientifically documented, we are left to infer aspects of its behavior from museum specimens and historical recollections of bushmen. Recent advances in brain imaging have made it possible to scan postmortem specimens of a wide range of animals, even more than a decade old. Any thylacine brain, however, would be more than 100 years old. Here, we show that it is possible to reconstruct white matter tracts in two thylacine brains. For functional interpretation, we compare to the white matter reconstructions of the brains of two Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii). We reconstructed the cortical projection zones of the basal ganglia and major thalamic nuclei. The basal ganglia reconstruction showed a more modularized pattern in the cortex of the thylacine, while the devil cortex was dominated by the putamen. Similarly, the thalamic projections had a more orderly topography in the thylacine than the devil. These results are consistent with theories of brain evolution suggesting that larger brains are more modularized. Functionally, the thylacine's brain may have had relatively more cortex devoted to planning and decision-making, which would be consistent with a predatory ecological niche versus the scavenging niche of the devil.
Data from: Tracing the rise of malignant cell lines: distribution, epidemiology and evolutionary interactions of two transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils
Emerging infectious diseases are rising globally and understanding host-pathogen interactions during the initial stages of disease emergence is essential for assessing potential evolutionary dynamics and designing novel management strategies. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are endangered due to a transmissible cancer – devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) – that since its emergence in the 1990's, has affected most populations throughout Tasmania. Recent studies suggest that devils are adapting to the DFTD epidemic and that disease-induced extinction is unlikely. However, in 2014 a second and independently evolved transmissible cancer – devil facial tumour 2 (DFT2) – was discovered at the d'Entrecasteaux peninsula, in southeast Tasmania, suggesting that the species is prone to transmissible cancers. To date, there is little information about the distribution, epidemiology and effects of DFT2 and its interaction with DFTD. Here we use data from monitoring surveys and road-kills found within and adjacent to the d'Entrecasteaux peninsula to determine the distribution of both cancers and to compare their epidemiological patterns. Since 2012, a total of 51 DFTD tumours have been confirmed among 26 individuals inside the peninsula and its surroundings, while 40 DFT2 tumours have been confirmed among 23 individuals, and two individuals co-infected with both tumours . All devils with DFT2 were found within the d'Entrecasteaux peninsula, suggesting that this new transmissible cancer is geographically confined to this area. We found significant differences in tumour bodily location in DFTD and DFT2, with non-facial tumours more commonly found in DFT2. There was a significant sex bias in DFT2, with most cases reported in males, suggesting that since DFT2 originated from a male host, females might be less susceptible to this cancer. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding the epidemiological and evolutionary interactions of these two contemporary transmissible cancers and evaluating the effectiveness of potential management strategies.
Transmissible cancer influences immune gene expression in an endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)
<p>Understanding wildlife diseases' effects 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 (<em>Sarcophilus harrisii</em>) 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 sampling across seasons, age groups and environmental conditions are beneficial when deciphering the complex eco-evolutionary interactions of not only conventional host-parasite systems, but also of host and diseases with high mortality rates, such as transmissible cancers.</p>
Data from: MHC-associated mate choice under competitive conditions in captive versus wild Tasmanian devils
Mate choice contributes to driving evolutionary processes when animals choose breeding partners that confer genetic advantages to offspring, such as increased immunocompetence. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is an important group of immunological molecules, as MHC antigens bind and present foreign peptides to T-cells. Recent studies suggest that mates may be selected based on their MHC profile, leading to an association between an individual's MHC diversity and their breeding success. In conservation, it may be important to consider mate choice in captive breeding programs, as this mechanism may improve reproductive rates. We investigated the reproductive success of Tasmanian devils in a group housing facility to determine whether increased MHC-based heterozygosity led individuals to secure more mating partners and produce more offspring. We also compared the breeding success of captive females to a wild devil population. MHC diversity was quantified using 12 MHC-linked microsatellite markers, including 11 previously characterised markers and one newly identified marker. Our analyses revealed that there was no relationship between MHC-linked heterozygosity and reproductive success either in captivity or the wild. The results of this study suggest that, for Tasmanian devils, MHC-based heterozygosity does not produce greater breeding success, and that no specific changes to current captive management strategies are required with respect to preserving MHC diversity.
Data from: MHC-associated mate choice under competitive conditions in captive versus wild Tasmanian devils
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