Dataset Information

Prey size as a critical factor for bird bone taphonomy in Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) pellets.

ABSTRACT: Each predator hunts and consumes its prey in a particular way. Consequently, the traces left by predators on bones might vary according to the manner in which the prey are processed. For this reason, prey size has been proposed as a key issue that affects the damage inflicted on bones. The Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the main potential predators of small prey found in archaeological sites. However, detailed taphonomic research describing bone accumulations produced by this nocturnal raptor is still scarce. The aim of the present work is to describe a modern accumulation of pellets originated by the Eagle Owl from this perspective, with a specific focus on birds. Particular attention is paid to prey size to evaluate the real significance of this variable when assessing bone damage. The results confirm that bone alterations reflect how prey was ingested, as the bones show greater damage with increasing prey size. This finding emphasises the complexity of characterising archaeological accumulations, as the alterations will vary according to prey size. In addition, bone architecture-or other aspects that cannot be controlled-may hinder accurate diagnosis and should be taken into account.

SUBMITTER: Rufa A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6915716 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Prey size as a critical factor for bird bone taphonomy in Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) pellets.

Rufà Anna A Laroulandie Véronique V

Scientific reports 20191216 1

Each predator hunts and consumes its prey in a particular way. Consequently, the traces left by predators on bones might vary according to the manner in which the prey are processed. For this reason, prey size has been proposed as a key issue that affects the damage inflicted on bones. The Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is one of the main potential predators of small prey found in archaeological sites. However, detailed taphonomic research describing bone accumulations produced by this nocturnal raptor i ...[more]

PMID: 31844159

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Project description:BackgroundBirds are major hosts for many tick species (Acari: Ixodidae, Argasidae), and their role is especially important in transporting ticks over large distances along their seasonal migratory routes. Accordingly, most studies across Europe focus on the importance of avian hosts in tick dispersal, and less emphasis is laid on resident birds and their role in supporting tick life cycles. Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) exemplify the latter, but all the few studies on their tick infestation were carried out in Western Europe and even those did not involve a large sample size and did not assess infestation prevalence in natural habitats.MethodsIn this study, 320 ixodid ticks were collected from nestlings of Eurasian eagle owls during the period 2018-2020 in Bulgaria in south-eastern Europe. These ticks were analysed morphologically, and selected specimens molecularly based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene. The effects of environmental and habitat-related conditions and of the species of prey eaten by eagle owls on tick infestation were also evaluated.ResultsThe majority of ticks were identified as adults of Rhipicephalus turanicus (n = 296). In addition, 15 Hyalomma marginatum (three males, 11 nymphs and a larva), one female of Haemaphysalis erinacei and of Ha. punctata, and a nymph of Ixodes ricinus were found. Among R. turanicus, two distinct morphotypes were observed, but they do not form a monophyletic clade in the phylogenetic tree based on the mitochondrial gene cox1. We found a positive correlation between the total number of ticks on nestlings from a particular nest and the number of medium-sized to large prey mammals brought to the nestling owls. Also, the most important predictor for tick abundance was the effect of the extent of arable land (negative), while forests and grasslands contributed less, with no effect observed in case of urbanized areas and watercourses.ConclusionsThe intensity of tick infestation can be high on nestling Eurasian eagle owls (mean intensity 16.59 ticks/nestling). In this study, five different tick species were recorded, among which R. turanicus dominated. Two male morphotypes of this tick species were found, but their morphological differences were not reflected by genetic diversity or phylogenetic clustering. The most important factor determining tick abundance was the land-use structure.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) are essential for adaptive immune response in vertebrates, as they encode receptors that recognize peptides derived from the processing of intracellular (MHC class I) and extracellular (MHC class II) pathogens. High MHC diversity in natural populations is primarily generated and maintained by pathogen-mediated diversifying and balancing selection. It is, however, debated whether selection at the MHC can counterbalance the effects of drift in bottlenecked populations. The aim of this study was to assess allelic diversity of MHC genes in a recently bottlenecked bird of prey, the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, as well as to compare mechanisms that shaped the evolution of MHC class I and class II in this species. RESULTS:We showed that significant levels of MHC diversity were retained in the core Central European (Polish) population of White-tailed Eagles. Ten MHC class I and 17 MHC class II alleles were recovered in total and individual birds showed high average MHC diversity (3.80 and 6.48 MHC class I and class II alleles per individual, respectively). Distribution of alleles within individuals provided evidence for the presence of at least three class I and five class II loci the White-tailed Eagle, which suggests recent duplication events. MHC class II showed greater sequence polymorphism than MHC class I and there was much stronger signature of diversifying selection acting on MHC class II than class I. Phylogenetic analysis provided evidence for trans-species similarity of class II, but not class I, sequences, which is likely consistent with stronger balancing selection at MHC class II. CONCLUSIONS:Relatively high MHC diversity retained in the White-tailed Eagles from northern Poland reinforces high conservation value of local eagle populations. At the same time, our study is the first to demonstrate contrasting patterns of allelic diversity and selection at MHC class I and class II in an accipitrid species, supporting the hypothesis that different mechanisms can shape evolutionary trajectories of MHC class I and class II genes.

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Dataset Information

Prey size as a critical factor for bird bone taphonomy in Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) pellets.

Publications

Prey size as a critical factor for bird bone taphonomy in Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) pellets.

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