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opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Feces production as a form of social immunity in an insect with facultative maternal care

Background: Social animals have the unique capability of mounting social defenses against pathogens. Over the last decades, social immunity has been extensively studied in species with obligatory and permanent forms of social life. However, its occurrence in less derived social systems and thus its role in the early evolution of group-living remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether lining nests with feces is a form of social immunity against microbial growth in the European earwig Forficula auricularia, an insect with temporary family life and facultative maternal care. Results: Using a total of 415 inhibition zone assays, we showed that earwig feces inhibit the growth of two GRAM+ bacteria, two fungi, but not of a GRAM- bacteria. These inhibitions did not result from the consumed food or the nesting environment. We then demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity against fungus was higher in offspring than maternal feces, but that this difference was absent against bacteria. Finally, we showed that family interactions inhibited the antibacterial activity of maternal frass against one of the two GRAM+ bacteria, whereas they had no effect on the one of nymphal frass. By contrast, antifungal activities of the frass were independent of mother-offspring interactions. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that social immunity occurs in a species with simple and facultative social life, and thus shed light on the general importance of this process in the evolution of group-living. These results also emphasize that defecation can be under selection for other life-history traits than simple waste disposal.

opencc-zeroDec 2009View details →

Data from: Genomic-scale capture and sequencing of endogenous DNA from feces

Genomic-level analyses of DNA from non-invasive sources would facilitate powerful conservation and evolutionary studies in natural populations of endangered and otherwise elusive species. However, the typical low quantity and poor quality of DNA that is extracted from non-invasive samples have generally precluded such work. Here we apply a modified DNA capture protocol that, when used in combination with massively-parallel sequencing technology, facilitates efficient and highly-accurate resequencing of megabases of specified nuclear genomic regions from fecal DNA samples. We validated our approach by comparing genetic variants identified from corresponding fecal and blood DNA samples of six western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) across more than 1.5 megabases of chromosome 21, chromosome X, and the complete mitochondrial genome. Our results suggest that it is now feasible to conduct genomic studies in natural populations for which constraints on invasive sampling have otherwise long been a barrier. The data we collected also provided an opportunity to examine western chimpanzee genetic diversity at unprecedented scale. Despite high mitochondrial genome diversity (pi = 0.585%), western chimpanzees have a low ratio (0.42) of X chromosomal (pi = 0.034%) to autosomal (chromosome 21 pi = 0.081%) sequence diversity, a pattern that may reflect an unusual demographic history of this subspecies.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Survival of the feces: does a nematode lungworm adaptively manipulate the behavior of its cane toad host?

Parasites can enhance their fitness by modifying the behavior of their hosts in ways that increase rates of production and transmission of parasite larvae. We used an antihelminthic drug to experimentally alter infections of lungworms (Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala) in cane toads (Rhinella marina). We then compared subsequent behaviors of dewormed toads versus toads that retained infections. Both in the laboratory and in the field, the presence of parasites induced hosts to select higher body temperatures (thereby increasing rates of lungworm egg production), to defecate in moister sites, and to produce feces with higher moisture content (thereby enhancing survival of larvae shed in feces). Because those behavioral modifications enhance rather than decrease parasite fitness, they are likely to have arisen as adaptive manipulations of host behavior rather than as host adaptations to combat infection or as nonadaptive consequences of infection on host physiology. However, the mechanisms by which lungworms alter cane toad thermal preference and defecation are not known. Although many examples of host manipulation by parasites involve intermediate hosts facilitating their own demise, our findings indicate that manipulation of definitive hosts can be as subtle as when and where to defecate.

Figures 1-2 from: Soria-Díaz L, Rábago-Castro JL, Domínguez-Vega H, Gómez-Ortíz Y, Manjarrez J, Garrido-Olvera L (2019) Parasites in feces of the endemic rattlesnake, Crotalus triseriatus (Serpentes: Viperidae), from Mexican highlands. Zoologia 36: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e29587

Figures 1-2 Parasitic elements in feces of Crotalus triseriatus from Mexico: (1) Egg of Capillariidae sp. with one larva (L), brown color, thick and rough wall (W), one operculum at each pole (Op), which are asymmetrical. (2) Sporulated oocyst of Eimeria sp., spheroidal type, rough outer wall (W), absence of micropyle, ovoid sporocysts (S). Scale bars: 10 µm.

Fig 6 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 6 Effects of water extracts of frass produced by desert locusts (Sg), migratory locusts (Lm), and Bombay locusts (Ns) fed with rescue grass leaves on the number of A. Egg pods and B. Holes dug by adult desert locusts presented with extracts mixed with sand. Three cups containing frass extracts of the three locust species were simultaneously presented to locusts in each of two locust cages (light and dark histograms) for seven days. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Different letters in each comparison (light or dark histograms) in (A) indicate significant differences at the 5% level with Tukey's multiple comparison test. n.s. indicates no significant differences in each comparison with ANOVA (light or dark histograms).

Fig 5 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 5 Effects of water extracts of frass produced by A, B. Bombay locusts and C, D. Migratory locusts fed with rescue grass leaves on the numbers of egg pods laid (A, C) and holes dug (B, D) by adult female desert locusts presented with extracts mixed with sand. Two cups containing frass extract (treated) and water (control) were simultaneously presented to locusts in each of two locust cages, and the data were combined. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Asterisks indicate significant differences at the 5% level with a t-test. n.s. indicates no significant difference.

Fig 2 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 2 Effects of water extracts of frass obtained from lab-reared desert locust fed with romaine lettuce in Tunisia on the number of A. Egg pods laid and B. Holes dug by adult female desert locusts presented with sand mixed with frass extracts. Two cups containing frass extracts (treated) and water (control) were simultaneously presented to locusts in each of two locust cages for seven or eight days, and the data were combined. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Asterisks indicate a significant difference at the 5% level with a t-test. n.s. indicates no significant difference.

Fig 9 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 9 Effects of water extracts of rescue grass-fed desert locust frass on A. Egg widths (mean ± SD; n = 10) and B. Antennal lengths of embryos (mean ± SD; n = 6–11). Eggs were incubated in sand wetted with the frass extract (treated) or water (control) on day three after oviposition at 30°C. C–F. Photographs show embryos observed on days 5 and 9. Triangles in (A) and (B) indicate the time when the treatment started. Vertical bars in C–F indicate 1 mm. White arrows indicate an embryonic antenna in C–E.

Fig 1 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 1 Effects of water extracts of desert locust frass collected under umbrella thorn trees in the Mauritanian desert on the number of A., B. Egg pods laid, and C., D. Holes dug by adult female desert locusts presented with extracts mixed with sand. Frass were collected at sites #1 and #2 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Two cups containing frass extracts (treated) and water (control) were simultaneously presented to locusts in each of two locust cages for seven or five days, and the data were combined. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Asterisks indicate a significant difference at the 5% level with a t-test. n.s. indicates no significant difference.

Fig 8 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 8 Effects of water extracts of rescue grass-fed Bombay locust (Ns) and migratory locust (Lm) frass on desert locust egg hatching rates. Five groups of 20 eggs were buried in sand wetted with each extract and water alone (control, C) within three days after oviposition and were observed for hatching at 30°C. Asterisks indicate significant differences at the 5% level with GLMM.

Fig 7 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 7 Effects of hot and cool water extracts of rescue grass-fed desert locust frass on the number of A. Egg pods laid and B. Holes dug by adult female desert locusts. Frass were extracted with boiling and cool water and the extracts were mixed with sand. Sand cups containing these extracts and water as a control were presented to locusts in the same cage for 4 days. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Different letters in (A) indicate significant differences at the 5% level with Tukey's multiple comparison test. n.s. in (B) indicates no significant difference with ANOVA at the 5% level.

Fig 3 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 3 Effects of water extracts of leaves of various plants and desert locust frass collected after locusts fed on these plants on the numbers of egg pods laid by adult female desert locusts presented with sand mixed with extracts. Sand wetted with water was also presented as a control. Three cups containing leaf, frass extract, and water (control) were simultaneously presented to locusts in one (A, C, D) or two locust cages (B, E, F) for three to five days, and the data were combined in (B), (E), and (F). Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Different letters in each panel indicate significant differences at the 5% level with Tukey's multiple comparison test. DG, Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass); BO, Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage); SB, Sorghum bicolor (sorghum); LS, Lactuca sativa var. longifolia (romaine lettuce); BR, Brassica rapa var. perviridis (Japanese mustard spinach); MS, Miscanthus sinensis (silver grass).

Fig 4 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

Fig 4 Effects of water extracts of leaves of various plants and desert locust frass after locusts fed on these plants on the numbers of egg pods laid when extracts were mixed with sand and presented to adult female desert locusts. Two cups containing leaf and frass extracts were simultaneously presented to locusts in each of two locust cages for three to five days, and the data were combined. Numbers in parentheses indicate the total numbers of days observed. Bars on histograms indicate one standard deviation. Asterisks indicate significant differences at the 5% level with a t-test. n.s. indicates no significant difference. DG, Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass); BO, Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage); SB, Sorghum bicolor (sorghum); LS, Lactuca sativa var. longifolia (romaine lettuce); BR, Brassica rapa var. perviridis (Japanese mustard spinach); MS, Miscanthus sinensis (silver grass).

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2022View details →

Figure 3 in First attraction record of Trox plicatus Robinson, 1940 (Coleoptera: Trogidae) to feces of bobcat Lynx rufus Schreber, 1777 (Carnivora: Felidae)

Figure 3. Presence of Trox plicatus (yellow circles) to feces of bobcat Lynx rufus. The specimens were located between the feces and the soil surface. / Trox plicatus (cÍrculos amarillos) asociado a heces del lince rojo Lynx rufus. Los especÍmenes se ubicaron entre las heces y la superficie del suelo.

opennotspecifiedJun 2022View details →

Fig. 1 in Seasonal Variations in the Assembly of Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae and Scarabaeidae) Attracted to Macaque Feces in Temperate Forests in Japan

Fig. 1. Map of the study sites in Japan.

opencc-zeroJun 2023View details →

Data for: Functional, sexual and seasonal variation in the chemical constituents from feces of adult Iberian wolves

Chemical signals play an important role in intraspecific and interspecific communication of many mammals, We described the chemicals found in fresh feces of adult wolves by means of analyses using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of samples collected from wild breeding groups. We identified 56 compounds in the feces, mainly heterocyclic aromatic organic compounds such as indole or phenol, but also steroids, such as cholesterol, carboxylic acids and their esters between n-C4 and n-C18, aldehydes, alcohols and significant quantities of squalene and α-tocopherol, which would increase the chemical stability of feces on humid substrates. All samples visually identified as wolves were subsequently identified to species level by sequencing a small fragment of mtDNA and sexed typing DBX6 and DBY7 sex markers. There is variability in the number and proportions of compounds between sexes, which could be indicative of their function as chemical signals. We also found variability in different reproductive states, especially in odorous compounds, steroids and α-tocopherol. Feces with a presumed marking function had higher proportions of α-tocopherol and steroids than feces with non-marking function. Therefore, these compounds could be involved in intragroup and intergroup communication of wolves and their levels could be directly related with the wolf's physiological status.

ClinicalTrials.gov28/100

Identification of Microplastics in Liver, Stomach, Blood, and Feces of Obese Patients and Their Association Analysis with Macrogenomics and Metabolomics.

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT06826586. IPD Sharing: NO. Countries: 1. Publications: 0.

closedIPD-NOFeb 2026View details →

ClinicalTrials.gov28/100

Quantification of Gluten Peptides in Feces

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT02711397. IPD Sharing: Not stated. Countries: 0. Publications: 2.

restrictedIPD-UNDECIDEDFeb 2026View details →