Project description:The variation in temperament among animals has consequences for evolution and ecology. One of the primary effects of consistent behavioral differences is on reproduction. In chelonians some authors have focused on the study of temperament using different methods. In our research our first aim was i) establish a methodology to determine the degree of boldness among individuals Rhinoclemmys areolata. Our second aim was to ii) determine the role boldness plays during reproduction, with emphasis on courtship and copulation, considering a) the interactions between males and females, and b) competition between males. We used 16 sexually mature individuals of each sex. Males were observed in four different situations and 17 behavioral traits were recorded. We selected 12 traits that allowed us distinguish between the bolder and the shier individuals and found that five behavioral traits were specific for bolder individuals and five others for shier individuals. In a second step, we observed a male in presence of a female and recorded courtship behaviors and breeding attempts. Bolder individuals did not display courtship behaviors and just attempted to copulate. Shier individuals displayed courtship behaviors and copulation attempts were rarely observed. Finally, in the simulations that compared two males in the presence of a female we noticed that bolder individuals displayed courtship behaviors while the shier ones simply ignored the female. Our results first allowed us to determine which methodology is the best to determine temperament in turtles. Secondly, temperament seems to be an important factor in modulating interaction between males and females. Bolder individuals have an advantage during competition and display courtship behaviours only if other males are present. Shier males displayed courtship behaviors and only try to copulate when no competitors were present. These two different temperament-dependant strategies are discussed in terms of ecology, evolution and management.
Project description:Increases in atmospheric CO2 partial pressure have lowered seawater pH in marine ecosystems, a process called ocean acidification (OA). The effects of OA during the critical stages of larval development may have disastrous consequences for some marine species, including Babylonia areolata (Link 1807), a commercially important sea snail in China and South East Asia. To investigate how OA affects the proteome of Babylonia areolata, here we used label-free proteomics to study protein changes in response to acidified (pH 7.6) or ambient seawater (pH 8.1) during three larvae developmental stages of B. areolata, namely, the veliger larvae before attachment (E1), veliger larvae after attachment (E2), and carnivorous juvenile snail (E3). In total, we identified 720 proteins. This result suggested that acidification seriously affects late veliger stage after attachment (E2). Further examination of the roles of differentially expressed proteins, which include glutaredoxin, heat-shock protein 70, thioredoxin, catalase, cytochrome-c-oxidase, peroxiredoxin 6, troponin T, CaM kinase II alpha, proteasome subunit N3 and cathepsin L, will be important for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying pH reduction.
Project description:The ivory shell, Babylonia areolata, is a commercially important aquaculture species in the southeast coast of mainland China. The middle veliger stage, later veliger stage, and juvenile stage are distinct larval stages in B. areolata development. In this study, we used label-free quantification proteomics analysis of the three developmental stages of B. areolata. We identified a total of 5,583 proteins, of which 1,419 proteins expression level showed significant differential expression. The results of gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that the number of proteins involved in metabolic and cellular processes were the most abundant. Those proteins mostly had functions such as binding, catalytic activity and transporter activity. The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that the number of proteins involved in the ribosome, carbon metabolism, and lysosome pathways were the most abundant, indicating that protein synthesis and the immune response were active during the three stages of development. This is the first study to use proteomics and real-time PCR to study the early developmental stages of B. areolata, which could provide relevant data on gastropod development. Our results provide insights into the novel aspects of protein function in shell formation, body torsion, changes in feeding habits, attachment and metamorphosis, immune-related activities in B. areolata larvae.
| S-EPMC5908917 | biostudies-literature
Project description:gastro-intestinal tract flora of Babylonia areolata