| autosomal mutations affecting adhesion between wing surfaces in drosophila melanogaster. | integrins are evolutionarily conserved transmembrane alpha,beta heterodimeric receptors involved in cell-to-matrix and cell-to-cell adhesions. in drosophila the position-specific (ps) integrins mediate the formation and maintenance of junctions between muscle and epidermis and between the two epidermal wing surfaces. besides integrins, other proteins are implicated in integrin-dependent adhesion. in drosophila, somatic clones of mutations in ps integrin genes disrupt adhesion between wing surfac ... | 1997 | 9136017 |
| molecular cloning of macrophin, a human homologue of drosophila kakapo with a close structural similarity to plectin and dystrophin. | we have determined the complete cdna coding sequence of a novel cytoskeletal protein by the degenerative primer-mediated pcr strategy. this novel gene, named as macrophin (microfilament and actin filament cross-linker protein related to plectin and dystrophin, accession no. ab029290), appears to be a human homologue of a drosophila gene, kakapo, and shows close similarity to plectin and dystrophin on the search of blast homology-computed database. comparison of the deduced protein sequences for ... | 1999 | 10529403 |
| microtubule actin cross-linking factor (macf): a hybrid of dystonin and dystrophin that can interact with the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. | we cloned and characterized a full-length cdna of mouse actin cross-linking family 7 (macf7) by sequential rapid amplification of cdna ends-pcr. the completed macf7 cdna is 17 kb and codes for a 608-kd protein. the closest relative of macf7 is the drosophila protein kakapo, which shares similar architecture with macf7. macf7 contains a putative actin-binding domain and a plakin-like domain that are highly homologous to dystonin (bpag1-n) at its nh(2) terminus. however, unlike dystonin, macf7 doe ... | 1999 | 10601340 |
| an epidermal plakin that integrates actin and microtubule networks at cellular junctions. | plakins are cytoskeletal linker proteins initially thought to interact exclusively with intermediate filaments (ifs), but recently were found to associate additionally with actin and microtubule networks. here, we report on acf7, a mammalian orthologue of the drosophila kakapo plakin genetically involved in epidermal-muscle adhesion and neuromuscular junctions. while acf7/kakapo is divergent from other plakins in its if-binding domain, it has at least one actin (k(d) = 0.35 microm) and one micro ... | 2000 | 10747097 |
| structure and regulation of the envoplakin gene. | envoplakin, a member of the plakin family of proteins, is a component of desmosomes and the epidermal cornified envelope. to understand how envoplakin expression is regulated, we have analyzed the structure of the mouse envoplakin gene and characterized the promoters of both the human and mouse genes. the mouse gene consists of 22 exons and maps to chromosome 11e1, syntenic to the location of the human gene on 17q25. the exon-intron structure of the mouse envoplakin gene is common to all members ... | 2000 | 10747979 |
| screening the foods of an endangered parrot, the kakapo (strigops habroptilus), for oestrogenic activity using a recombinant yeast bioassay. | in recent years the possibility of environmental oestrogens affecting the reproduction of vertebrates has become an issue of both public and scientific interest. although the significance of such chemicals remains controversial there is clear evidence that, in some contexts, environmental oestrogens can influence the fertility of vertebrates. highly endangered species represent a situation in which even modest reductions in the fertility of key individuals may have implications for the survival ... | 2000 | 11302429 |
| expression of the mouse macf2 gene during inner ear development. | plakins, a family of linker proteins that connect cytoskeletal elements to cellular junctions and the extracellular matrix, are primarily responsible for the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. they include desmoplakin, envoplakin, plectin, dystonin/bpag1, and kakapo. mutations in plakins cause several skin, muscular and neurological disorders. macrophins are a recently discovered subfamily of plakins with binding domains for actin, intermediate filaments and microtubules. characteristic ... | 2002 | 12399109 |
| a mosaic genetic screen for genes necessary for drosophila mushroom body neuronal morphogenesis. | neurons undergo extensive morphogenesis during development. to systematically identify genes important for different aspects of neuronal morphogenesis, we performed a genetic screen using the marcm system in the mushroom body (mb) neurons of the drosophila brain. mutations on the right arm of chromosome 2 (which contains approximately 20% of the drosophila genome) were made homozygous in a small subset of uniquely labeled mb neurons. independently mutagenized chromosomes (4600) were screened, yi ... | 2003 | 12571111 |
| four new avian mitochondrial genomes help get to basic evolutionary questions in the late cretaceous. | good phylogenetic trees are required to test hypotheses about evolutionary processes. we report four new avian mitochondrial genomes, which together with an improved method of phylogenetic analysis for vertebrate mt genomes give results for three questions in avian evolution. the new mt genomes are: magpie goose (anseranas semipalmata), an owl (morepork, ninox novaeseelandiae); a basal passerine (rifleman, or new zealand wren, acanthisitta chloris); and a parrot (kakapo or owl-parrot, strigops h ... | 2004 | 14739240 |
| the evolution of the spindlin gene in birds: sequence analysis of an intron of the spindlin w and z gene reveals four major divisions of the psittaciformes. | the psittaciformes (parrots, parakeets) are among the most widely held captive birds. yet, their evolution and their phylogenetic relationships have been relatively little studied. this paper describes the phylogenetic relationships between a number of psittaciformes as derived from the sequences of the third intron of the z-chromosomal and w-chromosomal spindlin genes. the z-chromosomal sequences of the kakapo (strigops habroptilus), the kea (nestor notabilis), and the kaka (nestor meridionalis ... | 2005 | 16099384 |
| erysipelas in the critically endangered kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | this paper describes the effect of a disease outbreak on the success of a translocation for conservation management in a critically endangered species. three juvenile kakapo from a group of 19 translocated birds died within 72 h of transport between new zealand offshore islands. clinical findings, gross necropsy changes, cytology, histopathology and bacterial culture confirmed systemic disease caused by erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. on the island from which the kakapo were sourced, positive cult ... | 2005 | 16236568 |
| avian olfactory receptor gene repertoires: evidence for a well-developed sense of smell in birds? | among vertebrates, the sense of smell is mediated by olfactory receptors (ors) expressed in sensory neurons within the olfactory epithelium. comparative genomic studies suggest that the olfactory acuity of mammalian species correlates positively with both the total number and the proportion of functional or genes encoded in their genomes. in contrast to mammals, avian olfaction is poorly understood, with birds widely regarded as relying primarily on visual and auditory inputs. here, we show that ... | 2008 | 18628122 |
| evidence for increased olfactory receptor gene repertoire size in two nocturnal bird species with well-developed olfactory ability. | in vertebrates, the molecular basis of the sense of smell is encoded by members of a large gene family, namely olfactory receptor (or) genes. both the total number of or genes and the proportion of intact or genes in a genome may indicate the importance of the sense of smell for an animal. there is behavioral, physiological, and anatomical evidence that some bird species, in particular nocturnal birds, have a well developed sense of smell. therefore, we hypothesized that nocturnal birds with goo ... | 2009 | 19467156 |
| evidence for adaptive evolution of olfactory receptor genes in 9 bird species. | it has been suggested that positive selection, in particular selection favoring a change in the protein sequence, plays a role in the evolution of olfactory receptor (or) gene repertoires in fish and mammals. ors are 7-transmembrane domain (tm) proteins, members of the g-protein-coupled receptor superfamily in vertebrate genomes, and responsible for odorant binding and discrimination. or gene repertoires in birds are surprisingly large and diverse, suggesting that birds have a keen olfactory sen ... | 2010 | 19965911 |
| inheritance of telomere length in a bird. | telomere dynamics are intensively studied in human ageing research and epidemiology, with many correlations reported between telomere length and age-related diseases, cancer and death. while telomere length is influenced by environmental factors there is also good evidence for a strong heritable component. in human, the mode of telomere length inheritance appears to be paternal and telomere length differs between sexes, with females having longer telomeres than males. genetic factors, e.g. sex c ... | 2011 | 21364951 |
| erysipeloid (erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae infection) acquired from a dead kakapo. | | 2011 | 22184776 |
| molecular characterisation of beak and feather disease virus (bfdv) in new zealand and its implications for managing an infectious disease. | beak and feather disease virus (bfdv) infections are often fatal to both captive and wild parrot populations. its recent discovery in a wild population of native red-fronted parakeets has raised concerns for the conservation of native parrots, all of which are threatened or endangered. the question of a recent introduction versus a native genotype of the virus poses different conservation-management challenges, and thus, a clear understanding of the molecular phylogeny of bdfv is a crucial step ... | 2012 | 22638639 |
| prevalence of igy antibodies against erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in a critically endangered parrot (kakapo, strigops habroptilus) and associated responses to vaccination. | an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) was developed to estimate levels of igy antibody against the bacterium erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in serum samples collected from the critically endangered kakapo (strigops habroptilus, psittaciformes, aves) before and after vaccination against this bacterium. relative igy antibody titres in pre-vaccination serum samples (n = 71 individual kakapo) were normally distributed with the exception of four outliers which displayed low igy levels. notably a ... | 2013 | 24066897 |
| exudative cloacitis in the kakapo (strigops habroptilus) potentially linked to escherichia coli infection. | to investigate the initiating causes of cloacitis (inflammation of the cloaca) in kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | 2015 | 25186371 |
| compartmentalization of central neurons in drosophila: a new strategy of mosaic analysis reveals localization of presynaptic sites to specific segments of neurites. | synaptogenesis in the cns has received far less attention than the development of neuromuscular synapses, although only central synapses allow the study of neuronal postsynaptic mechanisms and display a greater variety of structural and functional features. this neglect is attributable mainly to the enormous complexity of the cns, which makes the visualization of individual synapses on defined neuronal processes very difficult. we overcome this obstacle and demonstrate by confocal microscopy the ... | 2002 | 12451135 |
| a lost link between a flightless parrot and a parasitic plant and the potential role of coprolites in conservation paleobiology. | late quaternary extinctions and population fragmentations have severely disrupted animal-plant interactions globally. detection of disrupted interactions often relies on anachronistic plant characteristics, such as spines in the absence of large herbivores or large fruit without dispersers. however, obvious anachronisms are relatively uncommon, and it can be difficult to prove a direct link between the anachronism and a particular faunal taxon. analysis of coprolites (fossil feces) provides a no ... | 2012 | 23025275 |
| timing of seasonal breeding in birds, with particular reference to new zealand birds. | a model to explain the timing of seasonal breeding in birds is presented. it is assumed that, despite the wide range in egg-laying seasons, there are common physiological mechanisms which underlie seasonality in birds and that most, if not all, birds are photoperiodic. birds are considered to possess an internal rhythm of reproduction which is synchronized with seasonal changes in the environment by external factors, particularly the annual cycle of daylength. the rhythm consists, at least in pa ... | 1995 | 7569047 |
| anatomical specializations for nocturnality in a critically endangered parrot, the kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | the shift from a diurnal to nocturnal lifestyle in vertebrates is generally associated with either enhanced visual sensitivity or a decreased reliance on vision. within birds, most studies have focused on differences in the visual system across all birds with respect to nocturnality-diurnality. the critically endangered kakapo (strigops habroptilus), a parrot endemic to new zealand, is an example of a species that has evolved a nocturnal lifestyle in an otherwise diurnal lineage, but nothing is ... | 2011 | 21860663 |
| semen collection and spermatozoa characteristics in the kea parrot (nestor notabilis). | we describe the seminal characteristics of the kea parrot (nestor notabilis), an endangered species endemic to the south island of new zealand. semen was collected in the full breeding season from 6 birds in the collection of an amateur aviculturist. the manual massage technique was used. a total of 25 ejaculates was collected and evaluated for volume, degree of contamination, and spermatozoa concentration; motility and kinetic parameters were assessed on diluted samples (modified tyrode's album ... | 2017 | 28358615 |
| inbreeding and endangered species management: is new zealand out of step with the rest of the world? | there is growing evidence that inbreeding can negatively affect small, isolated populations. this contrasts with the perception in new zealand, where it has been claimed that native birds are less affected by inbreeding depression than threatened species from continental regions. it has been argued that new zealand's terrestrial birds have had a long history of small population size with frequent inbreeding and that this has 'purged" deleterious alleles. the rapid recovery of many tiny and inbre ... | 2006 | 16909657 |
| genes regulating dendritic outgrowth, branching, and routing in drosophila. | signaling between neurons requires highly specialized subcellular structures, including dendrites and axons. dendrites exhibit diverse morphologies yet little is known about the mechanisms controlling dendrite formation in vivo. we have developed methods to visualize the stereotyped dendritic morphogenesis in living drosophila embryos. dendrite development is altered in prospero mutants and in transgenic embryos expressing a constitutively active form of the small gtpase cdc42. from a genetic sc ... | 1999 | 10521399 |
| unique oestrogen receptor ligand-binding domain sequence of native parrots: a possible link between phytoestrogens and breeding success. | the new zealand (nz) native parrots kākāpō, kākā and kea are classified as critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable respectively. successful reproduction of kākāpō and kākā is linked to years of high levels of fruiting in native flora (mast years). to assess a possible hormonal link between native plants and reproductive success in these parrots in mast years, we examined the ligand-binding domains (lbd) of the progesterone receptor (pr), androgen receptor (ar), estrogen receptor 1 (esr1 ... | 2017 | 28692816 |
| concentrations of calcium and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (vitamin d3) in plasma of wild kākāpō (strigops habroptilus) living on two islands in new zealand. | aims this preliminary study had the objectives of describing the concentrations of ionised calcium and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(oh)d3) in the blood of wild kākāpō (strigops habroptilus) living on two islands in new zealand, and to determine the effects of supplementary feeding on these blood parameters. methods blood samples were obtained from 33 kākāpō living on two offshore islands during routine health checks in 2015. birds on hauturu were sampled in may (n=5) and birds on whenua hou wer ... | 2017 | 28372517 |
| really mixed practice - a career in conservation medicine. | james chatterton is veterinary services manager at auckland zoo. part of his role involves providing veterinary care for the kakapo, one of the most endangered birds in new zealand. he regularly provides onsite help on two protected islands off the south island of new zealand as part of his role as veterinary coordinator to the kakapo recovery group. | 2016 | 27758927 |
| european colonization, not polynesian arrival, impacted population size and genetic diversity in the critically endangered new zealand kākāpō. | island endemic species are often vulnerable to decline and extinction following human settlement, and the genetic study of historical museum specimens can be useful in understanding these processes. the kākāpō (strigops habroptilus) is a critically endangered new zealand parrot that was formerly widespread and abundant. it is well established that both polynesian and european colonization of new zealand impacted the native avifauna, but the timeframe and severity of impacts have differed dependi ... | 2016 | 27694405 |
| preferred natural food of breeding kakapo is a high value source of calcium and vitamin d. | the kakapo, a large nz native parrot, is under severe threat of extinction. kakapo breed only in years when the local podocarps, including rimu (dacrydium cupressinum), are fruiting heavily, and the fruit are the preferred food both in the diet of breeding females and for provisioning chicks. attempts to provide a supplementary food during years of poor fruit supply have failed to encourage breeding. nutrient analysis of rimu berries reveals high calcium content (8.4mg/g dry matter) which would ... | 2016 | 26515407 |
| influence of hand rearing and bird age on the fecal microbiota of the critically endangered kakapo. | the critically endangered new zealand parrot, the kakapo, is subject to an intensive management regime aiming to maintain bird health and boost population size. newly hatched kakapo chicks are subjected to human intervention and are frequently placed in captivity throughout their formative months. hand rearing greatly reduces mortality among juveniles, but the potential long-term impact on the kakapo gut microbiota is uncertain. to track development of the kakapo gut microbiota, fecal samples fr ... | 2014 | 24837385 |
| evidence for multiple mhc class ii β loci in new zealand's critically endangered kakapo, strigops habroptilus. | immunologically important genes of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) have been characterized in a number of avian species with the general finding of considerable variation in size and structural organization among organisms. a range of nonpasserines which represent early-diverging neoave lineages have been described as having only one mhc class ii β locus potentially leading to the conclusion that this is the ancestral condition. here, we examine the monotypic, early-diverging, critica ... | 2014 | 24352694 |
| quantifying the impact of storage procedures for faecal bacteriotherapy in the critically endangered new zealand parrot, the kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | the endemic new zealand kakapo is classified as 'critically endangered' and, in an effort to prevent extinction and restore the kakapo population, intensive handling of rare kakapo chicks is often utilised to reduce mortality and improve health outcomes among juveniles. due to concerns that hand-reared chicks may not receive a full bacterial complement in their gut in the absence of regurgitated food from their mother, conservation workers feed a suspension of frozen adult faeces to captive chic ... | 2013 | 24019012 |
| ultraviolet visual sensitivity in three avian lineages: paleognaths, parrots, and passerines. | ultraviolet (uv) light-transmitted signals play a major role in avian foraging and communication, subserving functional roles in feeding, mate choice, egg recognition, and nestling discrimination. sequencing functionally relevant regions of the short wavelength sensitive type 1 (sws1) opsin gene that is responsible for modulating the extent of sws1 uv sensitivity in birds allows predictions to be made about the visual system's uv sensitivity in species where direct physiological or behavioral me ... | 2012 | 22534772 |
| gut microbiome of the critically endangered new zealand parrot, the kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | the kakapo, a parrot endemic to new zealand, is currently the focus of intense research and conservation efforts with the aim of boosting its population above the current 'critically endangered' status. while virtually nothing is known about the microbiology of the kakapo, given the acknowledged importance of gut-associated microbes in vertebrate nutrition and pathogen defense, it should be of great conservation value to analyze the microbes associated with kakapo. here we describe the first stu ... | 2012 | 22530070 |
| thirty polymorphic microsatellite loci from the critically endangered kakapo (strigops habroptilus). | thirty polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed from the critically endangered kakapo (strigops habroptilus), using an enriched genomic library. characterization of loci using 90 kakapo revealed an average of 3.3 alleles per locus (range: 2-5) and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.47 (range: 0.17-0.70). the probability of identity (7.2 × 10(-15) ) and probability of exclusion (0.999999) demonstrate that these loci are a highly informative marker set that can aid the genetic managemen ... | 2009 | 21564722 |
| sex allocation theory aids species conservation. | supplementary feeding is often a key tool in the intensive management of captive and threatened species. although it can increase such parameters as breeding frequency and individual survival, supplementary feeding may produce undesirable side effects that increase overall extinction risk. recent attempts to increase breeding frequency and success in the kakapo strigops habroptilus using supplementary feeding inadvertently resulted in highly male-biased chick sex ratios. here, we describe how th ... | 2006 | 17148369 |
| maintaining epithelial integrity: a function for gigantic spectraplakin isoforms in adherens junctions. | the short stop (shot/kakapo) spectraplakin is a giant cytoskeletal protein, which exists in multiple isoforms with characteristics of both spectrin and plakin superfamilies. previously characterized shot isoforms are similar to spectrin and dystrophin, with an actin-binding domain followed by spectrin repeats. we describe a new large exon within the shot locus, which encodes a series of plakin repeats similar to the cooh terminus of plakins such as plectin and bpag1e. we find that the plakin rep ... | 2003 | 14517208 |
| shortstop recruits eb1/apc1 and promotes microtubule assembly at the muscle-tendon junction. | shot (previously named kakapo), is a drosophila plakin family member containing both actin binding and microtubule binding domains. in drosophila, it is required for a wide range of processes, including axon extension, dendrite formation, axonal terminal arborization at the neuromuscular junction, tendon cell development, and adhesion of wing epithelium. | 2003 | 12842007 |
| conservation biology: science, sex and the kakapo. | | 2002 | 12239554 |
| short stop is allelic to kakapo, and encodes rod-like cytoskeletal-associated proteins required for axon extension. | short stop (shot) is required for sensory and motor axons to reach their targets in the drosophila embryo. growth cones in shot mutants initiate at the normal times, and they appear normal with respect to overall morphology and their abilities to orient and fasciculate. however, sensory axons are unable to extend beyond a short distance from the cell body, and motor axons are unable to reach target muscles. the shot gene encodes novel actin binding proteins that are related to plakins and dystro ... | 2000 | 10648715 |
| molecular sexing of individual kakapo, strigops habroptilus aves, from feces. | | 1999 | 10507870 |
| the kakapo mutation affects terminal arborization and central dendritic sprouting of drosophila motorneurons. | the lethal mutation l(2)ca4 causes specific defects in local growth of neuronal processes. we uncovered four alleles of l(2)ca4 and mapped it to bands 50a-c on the polytene chromosomes and found it to be allelic to kakapo (. genetics. 146:275- 285). in embryos carrying our kakapo mutant alleles, motorneurons form correct nerve branches, showing that long distance growth of neuronal processes is unaffected. however, neuromuscular junctions (nmjs) fail to form normal local arbors on their target m ... | 1998 | 9832556 |
| kakapo, a gene required for adhesion between and within cell layers in drosophila, encodes a large cytoskeletal linker protein related to plectin and dystrophin. | mutations in kakapo were recovered in genetic screens designed to isolate genes required for integrin-mediated adhesion in drosophila. we cloned the gene and found that it encodes a large protein (>5,000 amino acids) that is highly similar to plectin and bpag1 over the first 1,000-amino acid region, and contains within this region an alpha-actinin type actin-binding domain. a central region containing dystrophin-like repeats is followed by a carboxy domain that is distinct from plectin and dystr ... | 1998 | 9832555 |
| kakapo, a novel cytoskeletal-associated protein is essential for the restricted localization of the neuregulin-like factor, vein, at the muscle-tendon junction site. | in the drosophila embryo, the correct association of muscles with their specific tendon cells is achieved through reciprocal interactions between these two distinct cell types. tendon cell differentiation is initiated by activation of the egf-receptor signaling pathway within these cells by vein, a neuregulin-like factor secreted by the approaching myotube. here, we describe the cloning and the molecular and genetic analyses of kakapo, a drosophila gene, expressed in the tendons, that is essenti ... | 1998 | 9832554 |
| subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by new zealand-wide ancient dna survey. | new zealand's geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. however, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated 49% of the terrestrial avifauna is extinct. current efforts to conserve the remaining fauna rely on a better understanding of the composition of past ecosystems, as well as the causes and timing of past ex ... | 2018 | 29987016 |
| evidence for a giant parrot from the early miocene of new zealand. | insular avifaunas have repeatedly spawned evolutionary novelties in the form of unusually large, often flightless species. we report fossils from the early miocene st bathans fauna of new zealand that attests to the former existence of a giant psittaciform, which is described as a new genus and species. the fossils are two incomplete tibiotarsi from a bird with an estimated mass of 7 kg, double that of the heaviest known parrot, the kakapo strigops habroptila. these psittaciform fossils show tha ... | 2019 | 31387471 |
| morphological corollaries and ecological implications of flightlessness in the kakapo (psittaciformes: strigops habroptilus). | the morphological corollaries of flightlessness of the kakapo (strigops habroptilus) have been studied using skin specimens, skeletons, and pectoral dissection of an anatomical specimen. these have been compared with the closely related, flighted kea (nestor notabilis), and secondarily with other psittaciformes and the convergent hoatzin (cuculiformes: opisthocomus hoazin). s. habroptilus is the most massive and sexually dimorphic psittaciform in the world, and has the smallest relative wing siz ... | 1992 | 29865598 |
| wildlife diseases in new zealand: recent findings and future challenges. | our knowledge of diseases in new zealand wildlife has expanded rapidly in the last two decades. much of this is due to a greater awareness of disease as a cause of mortality in some of our highly threatened species or as a limiting factor to the successful captive rearing of intensely managed species such as hihi (notiomystis cincta), kiwi (apteryx spp.) and kakapo (strigops habroptilus). an important factor contributing to the increase of our knowledge has been the development of new diagnostic ... | 2019 | 30198397 |
| network-guided genomic and metagenomic analysis of the faecal microbiota of the critically endangered kakapo. | the kakapo is a critically endangered, herbivorous parrot endemic to new zealand. the kakapo hindgut hosts a dense microbial community of low taxonomic diversity, typically dominated by escherichia fergusonii, and has proven to be a remarkably stable ecosystem, displaying little variation in core membership over years of study. to elucidate mechanisms underlying this robustness, we performed 16s rrna gene-based co-occurrence network analysis to identify potential interactions between e. ferguson ... | 2018 | 29802288 |
| full mitogenomes in the critically endangered kākāpō reveal major post-glacial and anthropogenic effects on neutral genetic diversity. | understanding how species respond to population declines is a central question in conservation and evolutionary biology. population declines are often associated with loss of genetic diversity, inbreeding and accumulation of deleterious mutations, which can lead to a reduction in fitness and subsequently contribute to extinction. using temporal approaches can help us understand the effects of population declines on genetic diversity in real time. sequencing pre-decline as well as post-decline mi ... | 2018 | 29671759 |
| coprolites reveal ecological interactions lost with the extinction of new zealand birds. | over the past 50,000 y, biotic extinctions and declines have left a legacy of vacant niches and broken ecological interactions across global terrestrial ecosystems. reconstructing the natural, unmodified ecosystems that preceded these events relies on high-resolution analyses of paleoecological deposits. coprolites are a source of uniquely detailed information about trophic interactions and the behaviors, gut parasite communities, and microbiotas of prehistoric animal species. such insights are ... | 2018 | 29440415 |
| the low-diversity fecal microbiota of the critically endangered kākāpō is robust to anthropogenic dietary and geographic influences. | the critically endangered kākāpō, an herbivorous parrot endemic to new zealand, is subject to intensive management to increase its population size. key aspects of the management program include supplementary feeding and translocation of kākāpō between different predator-free islands to optimize the genetic composition of the breeding populations. while these practices have helped boost the kākāpō population, their impact on the kākāpō fecal microbiota is uncertain. previous studies have found th ... | 2017 | 29104565 |