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2,142 results for “by contact”
Data from: Ecological differentiation, lack of hybrids involving diploids, and asymmetric gene flow between polyploids in narrow contact zones of Senecio carniolicus (syn. Jacobaea carniolica, Asteraceae)
Areas of immediate contact of different cytotypes offer a unique opportunity to study evolutionary dynamics within heteroploid species and to assess isolation mechanisms governing coexistence of cytotypes of different ploidy. The degree of reproductive isolation of cytotypes, i.e., the frequency of heteroploid crosses and subsequent formation of viable and (partly) fertile hybrids, plays a crucial role for the long-term integrity of lineages in contact zones. Here, we assessed fine-scale distribution, spatial clustering and ecological niches as well as patterns of gene-flow in parental and hybrid cytotypes in zones of immediate contact of di-, tetra- and hexaploid Senecio carniolicus (Asteraceae) in the Eastern Alps. Cytotypes were spatially separated also at the investigated micro-scale; the strongest spatial separation was observed for the fully interfertile tetra- and hexaploids. The three main cytotypes showed highly significant niche differences, which were, however, weaker than across their entire distribution ranges in the Eastern Alps. Individuals with intermediate ploidy levels were found neither in the diploid/tetraploid nor in the diploid/hexaploid contact zones indicating strong reproductive barriers. In contrast, pentaploid individuals were frequent in the tetraploid/hexaploid contact zone, albeit limited to a narrow strip in the immediate contact zone of their parental cytotypes. AFLP fingerprinting data revealed introgressive gene flow mediated by pentaploid hybrids from tetra- to hexaploid individuals, but not vice versa. The ecological niche of pentaploids differed significantly from that of tetraploids but not from hexaploids.
Individual signatures outweigh social group identity in contact calls of a communally nesting parrot
Despite longstanding interest in the evolutionary origins and maintenance of vocal learning, we know relatively little about how social dynamics influence vocal learning processes in natural populations. The "social group membership" hypothesis proposes that socially learned calls evolved and are maintained as signals of group membership. However, in fission-fusion societies, individuals can interact in social groups across various social scales. For learned calls to signal group membership over multiple social scales, they must contain information about group membership over each of these scales, a concept termed "hierarchical mapping". Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), small parrots native to South America, exhibit vocal mimicry in captivity and fission-fusion social dynamics in the wild. We examined patterns of contact call acoustic similarity in Uruguay to test the hierarchical mapping assumption of the signaling group membership hypothesis. We also asked whether geographic variation patterns matched regional dialects or geographic clines that have been documented in other vocal learning species. We used visual inspection, spectrographic cross-correlation and random forests, a machine learning approach, to evaluate contact call similarity. We compared acoustic similarity across social scales and geographic distance using Mantel tests and spatial autocorrelation. We found high similarity within individuals, and low, albeit significant, similarity within groups at the pair, flock and site social scales. Patterns of acoustic similarity over geographic distance did not match mosaic or graded patterns expected in dialectal or clinal variation. Our findings suggest that monk parakeet social interactions rely more heavily upon individual recognition than group membership at higher social scales.
Data from: Haldane's rule revisited: do hybrid females have a shorter lifespan? Survival of hybrids in a recent contact zone between two large gull species
Haldane's rule predicts that particularly high fitness reduction should affect the heterogametic sex of interspecific hybrids. Despite the fact that hybridization is widespread in birds, survival of hybrid individuals is rarely addressed in studies of avian hybrid zones, possibly because of methodological constraints. Here, having applied capture-mark-recapture models to an extensive, 19-year-long dataset on individually marked birds, we estimate annual survival rates of hybrid individuals in the hybrid zone between herring (Larus argentatus) and Caspian (L. cachinnans) gulls. In both parental species, males have a slightly higher survival rate than females (model-weighted mean ± SE: herring gull males 0.88 ± 0.01, females 0.87 ± 0.01, Caspian gull males 0.88 ± 0.01, females 0.87 ± 0.01). Hybrid males do not survive for a shorter time than non-hybrid ones (0.88 ± 0.01), whereas hybrid females have the lowest survival rate among all groups of individuals (0.83 ± 0.03). This translates to a shorter adult (reproductive) lifespan (on average by 1.7-1.8 years, i.e. ca 25%) compared to non-hybrid females. We conclude that, in line with Haldane's rule, the lower survival rate of female hybrids may contribute to selection against hybrids in this hybrid zone.
Data from: Gene flow in the European coal tit, Periparus ater (Aves: Passeriformes): low among Mediterranean populations but high in a continental contact zone
Extant phylogeographic patterns of Palearctic terrestrial vertebrates are generally believed to have originated from glacial range fragmentation. Post-Pleistocene range expansions have led to the formation of secondary contact zones among genetically distinct taxa. For coal tits (Periparus ater), such a contact zone has been localized in Germany. In this study, we quantified gene flow between Fennoscandian and southern European coal tits using a set of 13 microsatellite loci. STRUCTURE analysis revealed four genetic clusters two of these on Mediterranean islands. German populations were genetically admixed but introgression of southern alleles was evident for Fennoscandian populations. In the South, we found negligible introgression of northern alleles (and haplotypes) but slight admixture of two southern genetic clusters in the Pyrenees and on the Balkan Peninsulae and near complete sorting of these two allelic lineages on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Genetic distinctiveness of the Mediterranean island populations reflects general patterns of endemism in the Corso-Sardinian fauna and the Cypriot fauna. Wide-range gene flow in Central Europe suggests a broad zone of intergradation between subspecies of the coal tit rather than a narrow contact zone. This is in accordance with low morphological and bioacoustic differentiation of European coal tit populations.
Data from: Strong selection against hybrids maintains a narrow contact zone between morphologically cryptic lineages in a rainforest lizard
Phenotypically cryptic lineages comprise an important yet understudied part of biodiversity; in particular, we have much to learn about how these lineages are formed and maintained. To better understand the evolutionary significance of such lineages, we studied a hybrid zone between two morphologically-cryptic phylogeographic lineages in the rainforest lizard, Lampropholis coggeri. Analyzing a multilocus genetic dataset through cline inference, individual-based methods and population measures of disequilibrium and using simulations to explore our genetic results in context of theoretical expectations, we inferred the processes maintaining this hybrid zone. We find that these lineages meet in a hybrid zone that is narrow (~400 m) relative to inferred dispersal rate. Further, the hybrid zone exhibits substantial genetic disequilibrium and sharply coincident and largely concordant clines. Based on our knowledge about the region's biogeography, the species' natural history, and our simulation results, we suggest that strong selection against hybrids structures this system. As all clines show a relatively narrow range of introgression, we posit that this hybrid zone might not yet be in equilibrium. Nonetheless, our results clearly show that phylogeographic lineages can evolve substantial reproductive isolation without concomitant morphological diversification, suggesting that such lineages can constitute a significant component of evolutionary diversity.
Data from: High-resolution contact networks of free-ranging domestic dogs Canis familiaris and implications for transmission of infection
Contact patterns strongly influence the dynamics of disease transmission in both human and non-human animal populations. Domestic dogs Canis familiaris are a social species and are a reservoir for several zoonotic infections, yet few studies have empirically determined contact patterns within dog populations. Using high-resolution proximity logging technology, we characterised the contact networks of free-ranging domestic dogs from two settlements (n = 108 dogs, covering >80% of the population in each settlement) in rural Chad. We used these data to simulate the transmission of an infection comparable to rabies and investigated the effects of including observed contact heterogeneities on epidemic outcomes. We found that dog contact networks displayed considerable heterogeneity, particularly in the duration of contacts and that the network had communities that were highly correlated with household membership. Simulations using observed contact networks had smaller epidemic sizes than those that assumed random mixing, demonstrating the unsuitability of homogenous mixing models in predicting epidemic outcomes. When contact heterogeneities were included in simulations, the network position of the individual initially infected had an important effect on epidemic outcomes. The risk of an epidemic occurring was best predicted by the initially infected individual's ranked degree, while epidemic size was best predicted by the individual's ranked eigenvector centrality. For dogs in one settlement, we found that ranked eigenvector centrality was correlated with range size. Our results demonstrate that observed heterogeneities in contacts are important for the prediction of epidemiological outcomes in free-ranging domestic dogs. We show that individuals presenting a higher risk for disease transmission can be identified by their network position and provide evidence that observable traits hold potential for informing targeted disease management strategies.
Data from: Genome-wide evidence of environmentally mediated secondary contact of European green crab (Carcinus maenas) lineages in eastern North America
Genetic-environment associations are increasingly revealed through population genomic data and can occur through a number of processes, including secondary contact, divergent natural selection, or isolation-by-distance. Here we investigate the influence of the environment, including seasonal temperature and salinity, on the population structure of the invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in eastern North America. Green crab populations in eastern North America are associated with two independent invasions, previously shown to consist of distinct northern and southern ecotypes, with a contact zone in southern Nova Scotia, Canada. Using a RAD-seq panel of 9137 genome-wide SNPs, we detected 41 SNPs (0.49%) whose allele frequencies were highly correlated with environmental data. A principal components analysis of 25 environmental variables differentiated populations into northern, southern, and admixed sites in concordance with the observed genomic spatial structure. Furthermore, a spatial principal components analysis conducted on genomic and geographic data revealed a high degree of global structure (p<0.0001) partitioning a northern and southern ecotype. Redundancy and partial redundancy analyses revealed that among the environmental variables tested, winter sea surface temperature had the strongest association with spatial structuring, suggesting that it is an important factor defining range and expansion limits of each ecotype. Understanding environmental thresholds associated with intraspecific diversity will facilitate the ability to manage current and predict future distributions of this aquatic invasive species.
Data from: Individual performance in relation to cytonuclear discordance in a northern contact zone between long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) lineages
Cytonuclear discordance in contact zones between related lineages is common, with mitochondrial clines often being displaced from clines in nuclear allele frequency. Proposed explanations for such a pattern include adaptive introgression of mtDNA or a neutral wake of mtDNA being left behind following hybrid zone movement. However, studies investigating these hypotheses are rare. Our previous survey of genetic variation in the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) highlighted a potential case of cytonuclear discordance between two lineages in western Canada. Here, we use additional markers and samples to clarify the extent of this discordance. We simultaneously assess the feeding performance of individuals in a common environment to test for an association between mitotype and individual performance. The genetic results confirm a general pattern of cytonuclear discordance in the focal region. However, we also observed more limited introgression of a diagnostic nuclear marker. Intriguingly, although there were differences in individual performance associated with the transition between mitotypes, these differences were not fully explained by mitotype. Instead, the lowest performance was observed in individuals demonstrating the greatest mismatch between mtDNA and all nuclear markers, suggesting the potential for cytonuclear incompatibilities to be acting. These results highlight the complexity of understanding the causes and consequences of mtDNA introgression and cytonuclear discordance in contact zones.
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: Sex, synchrony and skin contact: integrating multiple behaviors to assess pathogen transmission risk
<p>Direct pathogen and parasite transmission is fundamentally driven by a population's contact network structure, its demographic composition, and is further modulated by pathogen life history traits. Importantly, populations are most often concurrently exposed to a suite of pathogens, which is rarely investigated, because contact networks are typically inferred from spatial proximity only. Here, we use five years of detailed observations of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (<i>Tursiops aduncus</i>) that distinguish between four different types of social contact. We investigate how demography (sex, age) affects these different social behaviors. Three of the four social behaviors can be used as a proxy for understanding key routes of direct pathogen transmission (sexual contact, skin contact, and aerosol contact of respiratory vapor above the water surface). We quantify the demography-dependent network connectedness, representing the risk of exposure associated with the three pathogen transmission routes, quantify co-exposure risks and relate them to individual sociability. Our results suggest demography-driven disease risk in bottlenose dolphins, with males at greater risk than females, and transmission route-dependent implications for different age classes. We hypothesize that male alliance-formation and the divergent reproductive strategies in males and females drive the demography-dependent connectedness and hence exposure risk to pathogens. Our study provides evidence for the risk of co-exposure to pathogens transmitted along different transmission routes and that they relate to individual sociability. Hence, our results highlight the importance of a multi-behavioral approach for a more complete understanding of the overall pathogen transmission risk in animal populations, as well as the cumulative costs of sociality.</p>
Data from: Birds land reliably on complex surfaces by adapting their foot-surface interactions upon contact
Birds land on a wide range of complex surfaces, yet it is unclear how they grasp a perch reliably. Here, we show how Pacific parrotlets exhibit stereotyped leg and wing dynamics regardless of perch diameter and texture, but foot, toe, and claw kinematics become surface-specific upon touchdown. A new dynamic grasping model, which integrates our detailed measurements, reveals how birds stabilize their grasp. They combine predictable toe pad friction with probabilistic friction from their claws, which they drag to find surface asperities—dragging further when they can squeeze less. Remarkably, parrotlet claws can undergo superfast movements, within 1–2 ms, on moderately slippery surfaces to find more secure asperities when necessary. With this strategy, they first ramp up safety margins by squeezing before relaxing their grasp. The model further shows it is advantageous to be small for stable perching when high friction relative to normal force is required because claws can find more usable surface, but this trend reverses when required friction shrinks. This explains how many animals and robots may grasp complex surfaces reliably.
FIGURES 13–18 in Mesodiplatys venado sp. nov. (Dermaptera: Diplatyidae), probable evidence of contact between Neotropical and Malagasy faunas
FIGURES 13–18. Mesodiplatys venado sp. nov. (holotype male). 13, 14) Head, thorax and proximal part of abdomen from above (13) and below (14). 15, 16) Middle (15) and hind (16) legs from lower (anterior) side. 17) Abdominal apex from above. 18) Male genitalia, general view from above.
FIGURES 1–12 in Mesodiplatys venado sp. nov. (Dermaptera: Diplatyidae), probable evidence of contact between Neotropical and Malagasy faunas
FIGURES 1–12. Mesodiplatys venado sp. nov. (holotype male). 1) Head, thorax and proximal part of abdomen from above. 2) Proximal part of right antenna. 3) Thoracic sternites from below. 4–6) Femora and tibiae of fore (4), middle (5) and hind (6) legs from lower (anterior) side. 7, 8) Abdominal apex from above (7) and right (8). 9) Penultimate sternite from below. 10–12) Male genitalia, general view from above (10), basal part of virga (11), metaparamere and apical part of proparamere from right (12). Dotted area shows dark color (4–6) or membranous parts (10). Scale bar (1 mm): a = 1, 2; b = 3; c = 4–6; d = 7, 8; e = 9; f = 10–12.
United States, 1990 - 2015, human cases of rabies resulting from unprotected physical contact with a bat (other than visible bites and scratches)
<p>A case series of human cases of rabies resulting from unprotected physical contact with a bat (other than visible bites and scratches) verified as being caused by a bat RABV variant</p>
Behavioural responses of dairy cows and calves to fenceline weaning after 4 or 6 months of full cow-calf contact
<p>Only the README file is available on zenodo; to access the full dataset and associated R scripts used for analysis, please visit the GitHub repository that is linked below.</p> <p>When using the dataset at the associated GitHub repository, please include the following citation: Wegner, C. S., Rönnegård, L., Agenäs, S. & Eriksson, H. K. (2025). Behavioural responses of dairy cows and calves to fenceline weaning after 4 or 6 months of full cow-calf contact<em>.</em> a<em>nimal</em>. 19(6), 101525. <a title="Persistent link using digital object identifier" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2025.101525" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span><span>https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2025.101525</span></span></a></p>
Supplementary Data and Videos for "Problems of classifying predator-induced prey immobility: an unexpected case of post-contact freezing"
<p> </p> <p>The data file and five videos below accompany our paper "Problems of classifying predator-induced prey immobility: an unexpected case of post-contact freezing", published in <em>Web Ecology</em> <strong>24,</strong> 35-40 (2024), https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-35-2024.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Video 1.</strong> <em>Pachyoliva semistriata</em> freezes after making contact with <em>Agaronia propatula</em> (I).</p> <p><strong>Video 2.</strong> <em>Pachyoliva semistriata</em> freezes after making contact with <em>Agaronia propatula</em> (II). Surface water flows against the direction of movement of <em>Agaronia</em>.</p> <p><strong>Video 3.</strong> <em>Pachyoliva semistriata</em> freezes after making contact with <em>Agaronia propatula</em> (III). Surface water flows in the direction of movement of <em>Agaronia</em>.</p> <p><strong>Video 4.</strong> Responses of <em>Pachyoliva semistriata</em> when making contact with an obstacle; control experiments.</p> <p><strong>Video 5.</strong> <em>Pachyoliva semistriata</em> freezes when making contact with an obstacle and sensing <em>Agaronia</em> odours.</p> <p><strong>Data File 1.</strong> Numerical data used in creating Figure 2.</p>
FIGURE 4. a in Characterization of a secondary contact zone of the Great Tit Parus major and the Japanese Tit P. minor (Aves: Passeriformes) in Far Eastern Siberia with DNA markers.
FIGURE 4. a) Proportion of minor phenotypes plotted against geographic distances between the populations (with parameters, a = 1.0166, b = 0.1534, x = 5.7334, y = 0.0114, R2 = 0.9934), b) 0 0 proportion of minor mitochondrial haplotypes plotted against geographic distances (a = 1.0049, b = 0.1551, x = 0.5749, y = 0.0319, R2 = 0.9843) and c) proportion of individuals being assigned to 0 0 minor based on microsatellites plotted against geographic distances (a = 0.9616, b = 0.2167, x0 = 5.2785, y = 0.0166, R2 = 0.9928).
FIGURE 3 in Characterization of a secondary contact zone of the Great Tit Parus major and the Japanese Tit P. minor (Aves: Passeriformes) in Far Eastern Siberia with DNA markers.
FIGURE 3. Assignment probabilities for each individual to belong to major or minor cluster. Phenotypes of the individuals are shown above the graph. Individuals in bold are first generation migrants detected by GeneClass.
FIGURE 2 in Characterization of a secondary contact zone of the Great Tit Parus major and the Japanese Tit P. minor (Aves: Passeriformes) in Far Eastern Siberia with DNA markers.
FIGURE 2. Relative frequencies of alleles at the nine studied microsatellite loci for each population.
Figure 8. Oxydromus humesi and Scrobicularia plana. First contacts with the host. A1–A3 in On the enigmatic symbiotic polychaete 'Parasyllidea' humesi Pettibone, 1961 (Hesionidae): taxonomy, phylogeny and behaviour
Figure 8. Oxydromus humesi and Scrobicularia plana. First contacts with the host. A1–A3, contact with the bivalve and displacement to lie between shell and glass bottom. B1–B3, crawling over the host shell until reaching the siphons.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
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DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.