Project description:BackgroundTranslocation is a common tool in wildlife management and its implementation has resulted in many conservation successes. During translocations, any associated infectious agents are moved with their wildlife hosts. Accordingly, translocations can present a risk of infectious disease emergence, although they also provide an opportunity to restore natural infectious communities ('infectome') and mitigate the long-term risks of reduced natural resistance.MethodsWe used metatranscriptomic sequencing to characterise the cloacal infectome of 41 toutouwai (North Island robin, Petroica longipes) that were translocated to establish a new population within the North Island of New Zealand. We also screened for pathogenic bacteria, fungi and parasites.ResultsAlthough we did not detect any known avian diseases, which is a positive outcome for the translocated toutouwai population, we identified a number of novel viruses of interest, including a novel avian hepatovirus, as well as a divergent calici-like virus and four hepe-like viruses of which the host species is unknown. We also revealed a novel spirochete bacterium and a coccidian eukaryotic parasite.ConclusionsThe presumably non-pathogenic viruses and microbial species identified here support the idea that most microorganisms likely do not cause disease in their hosts, and that translocations could serve to help restore and maintain native infectious communities. We advise greater surveillance of infectious communities of both native and non-native wildlife before and after translocations to better understand the impact, positive or negative, that such movements may have on both host and infectome ecology.

| S-EPMC9558408 | biostudies-literature

Male New Zealand robins (Petroica longipes) cater to their mate's desire when sharing food in the wild.

Project description:In many species that have bi-parental care, food-sharing males provide vital nutritional resources to their mates during reproduction. However, it is currently unknown whether females can signal specific desires to their mates, or if males can cater to female desire in the wild. Here we investigate whether and how wild male North Island robins (Petroica longipes) respond to changes in their mates' desires and nutritional need when sharing food. We demonstrate that wild female robins' desire for particular foods changes over short time periods; when given the choice between two types of insect larvae, females prefer the type they have not recently eaten. In our experiments, wild male robins preferentially shared the larvae type that their mate was most likely to desire and also increased the quantity of food shared if she had begun incubating. Males catered to their mates' desire when female behaviour was the only cue available to guide their choices. This is the first evidence that females may behaviourally communicate their specific food desires to their mates, enabling males to cater to fine-scale changes in their mates' nutritional requirements in the wild. Such a simple behaviour-reading mechanism has the potential to be widespread among other food-sharing species.

| S-EPMC5429848 | biostudies-literature

The complete mitochondrial genome of Norfolk Robin (<i>Petroica multicolor</i>: Petroicidae), an endemic endangered species in Norfolk Island.

Project description:Norfolk Robin (Petroica multicolor) is mainly distributed in the islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean. It is an endangered species with a declining population and needs urgent protection. Here, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Norfolk Robin in the Petroicidae family. The mitochondrial genome is a typically circular genome with a total length of 16,861 bp, and it contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA, and 2 rRNA genes. The GC content is 46.3%, and the percent of A, C, G, and T is 29.9%, 31.8%, 14.5%, and 23.7%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial genomes fully supported that the white-eared catbird is closely related to P. goodenovii. The complete mitochondrial genome obtained from the current study can provide more genomic resources and guidance for the conservation biology, taxonomy and population genetics of Norfolk Robin.

| S-EPMC7782817 | biostudies-literature

Divergent Patterns of Endogenous Small RNA Populations From Seed and Vegetative Tissues of Glycine max

Project description:An overview of small RNAs sequences existing in seed development and contrasted with vegetative tissues of the soybean

2012-10-09 | GSE36728 | GEO