| linstowinema breve n. sp. (nematoda: seuratidae) a parasite of antechinus agilis (marsupialia: dasyuridae) from australia. | a new echinonematine nematode, linstowinema breve sp. n., from the small intestine of the dasyurid marsupial anthechinus agilis is described. the species is distinguished from its congeners by the possession of the following suite of characters: small size; first and third row of cephalic hooks similar in size; second row larger; 13-15 rows of body hooks without undulating edges on the dilated cuticle of the oesophageal region; oesophagus terminating at the level of the 5th-7th row of body hooks ... | 1999 | 10633503 |
| prevalence and clinical significance of herpesvirus infection in populations of australian marsupials. | herpesviruses have been reported in several marsupial species, but molecular classification has been limited to four herpesviruses in macropodids, a gammaherpesvirus in two antechinus species (antechinus flavipes and antechinus agilis), a gammaherpesvirus in a potoroid, the eastern bettong (bettongia gaimardi) and two gammaherpesviruses in koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). in this study we examined a range of australian marsupials for the presence of herpesviruses using molecular and serological ... | 2015 | 26222660 |
| detection and identification of a gammaherpesvirus in antechinus spp. in australia. | we detected herpesvirus infection in a male yellow-footed antechinus (antechinus flavipes) and male agile antechinus (antechinus agilis) during the period of postmating male antechinus immunosuppression and mortality. histopathologic examination of tissues revealed lesions consistent with herpesvirus infection in the prostate of both animals. herpesvirus virions were observed by transmission electron microscopy in the prostate tissue collected from the male yellow-footed antechinus. herpesvirus ... | 2014 | 24499331 |
| females choose mates based on genetic relatedness in a small dasyurid marsupial, the agile antechinus (antechinus agilis). | females in a variety of taxa mate with more than one male during a single oestrus and exhibit mate preferences for genetically compatible males, but the influence of female mate choice on siring success is not clearly understood. whether females choose to mate with more than one male or endure forced copulations is also often unknown. here, we examined the effects of genetic relatedness on female mate choice and siring success in a small semelparous carnivorous marsupial, the agile antechinus (a ... | 2015 | 25923325 |
| inbreeding avoidance, patch isolation and matrix permeability influence dispersal and settlement choices by male agile antechinus in a fragmented landscape. | animal dispersal is highly non-random and has important implications for the dynamics of populations in fragmented habitat. we identified interpatch dispersal events from genetic tagging, parentage analyses and assignment tests and modelled the factors associated with apparent emigration and post-dispersal settlement choices by individual male agile antechinus (antechinus agilis, a marsupial carnivore of south-east australian forests). emigration decisions were best modelled with on data patch i ... | 2014 | 23991826 |
| can individual and social patterns of resource use buffer animal populations against resource decline? | species in many ecosystems are facing declines of key resources. if we are to understand and predict the effects of resource loss on natural populations, we need to understand whether and how the way animals use resources changes under resource decline. we investigated how the abundance of arboreal marsupials varies in response to a critical resource, hollow-bearing trees. principally, we asked what mechanisms mediate the relationship between resources and abundance? do animals use a greater or ... | 2013 | 23320100 |
| genetic spatial autocorrelation can readily detect sex-biased dispersal. | sex-biased dispersal is expected to generate differences in the fine-scale genetic structure of males and females. therefore, spatial analyses of multilocus genotypes may offer a powerful approach for detecting sex-biased dispersal in natural populations. however, the effects of sex-biased dispersal on fine-scale genetic structure have not been explored. we used simulations and multilocus spatial autocorrelation analysis to investigate how sex-biased dispersal influences fine-scale genetic struc ... | 2012 | 22335562 |
| response of the agile antechinus to habitat edge, configuration and condition in fragmented forest. | habitat fragmentation and degradation seriously threaten native animal communities. we studied the response of a small marsupial, the agile antechinus antechinus agilis, to several environmental variables in anthropogenically fragmented eucalyptus forest in south-east australia. agile antechinus were captured more in microhabitats dominated by woody debris than in other microhabitats. relative abundances of both sexes were positively correlated with fragment core area. male and female mass-size ... | 2011 | 22076129 |
| does habitat fragmentation cause stress in the agile antechinus? a haematological approach. | although the vertebrate stress response is essential for survival, frequent or prolonged stress responses can result in chronic physiological stress, which is associated with a suite of conditions that can impair survivorship and reproductive output. anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and degradation are potential stressors of free-living vertebrates, and in theory could result in chronic stress. to address this issue, we compared haematological indicators of stress and condition in agile antec ... | 2012 | 21710385 |
| phylogeography and environmental correlates of a cap on reproduction: teat number in a small marsupial, antechinus agilis. | natural selection should optimize litter size in response to the distribution and abundance of resources during breeding. in semelparous, litter-bearing antechinuses, teat number limits litter size. consequently adaptation has been inferred in explaining intraspecific, geographic variability in teat number for several antechinus spp. the phylogeography of teat number variation and associated genetic divergence were assessed in a. agilis using nine microsatellites and mitochondrial cytochrome b s ... | 2007 | 17305861 |
| the effects of habitat fragmentation on the social kin structure and mating system of the agile antechinus, antechinus agilis. | habitat fragmentation is one of the major contributors to the loss of biodiversity worldwide. however, relatively little is known about its more immediate impacts on within-patch population processes such as social structure and mating systems, whose alteration may play an important role in extinction risk. we investigated the impacts of habitat fragmentation due to the establishment of an exotic softwood plantation on the social kin structure and breeding system of the australian marsupial carn ... | 2005 | 15836650 |
| the effects of habitat fragmentation via forestry plantation establishment on spatial genotypic structure in the small marsupial carnivore, antechinus agilis. | dispersal is an important influence on species' distributions, patch colonization and population persistence in fragmented habitat. we studied the impacts of habitat fragmentation resulting from establishment of an exotic pine plantation on dispersal of the marsupial carnivore, antechinus agilis. we applied spatial analyses of individual multilocus microsatellite genotypes and mitochondrial haplotypes to study patterns of gene flow in fragmented habitat and natural habitat 'control' areas, and h ... | 2005 | 15836641 |
| does female mortality drive male semelparity in dasyurid marsupials? | in some members of the marsupial families didelphidae and dasyuridae, males are semelparous, that is, they live for only one mating season. semelparity is proposed to be the result of the high energy demands of competing for matings with many females during a short breeding season. we argue that high adult female mortality rates between mating and weaning of the offspring selects for a 'bethedging' mating strategy in males. we tested this hypothesis in a well-studied field population of antechin ... | 2003 | 14667397 |
| paternity success and the direction of sexual selection in a field population of a semelparous marsupial, antechinus agilis. | antechinus agilis is a small sexually size dimorphic marsupial with a brief annual mating period of 2-3 weeks. all males die after this period, and females give birth to up to 10 young. mating is thought to be promiscuous, however, there is no field data to confirm this. using microsatellites, we investigated paternity patterns over two seasons in a wild population. male weight was significantly positively related to the number of females fertilized and with the number of offspring sired, in bot ... | 2003 | 12535097 |
| sperm transport and storage in the agile antechinus (antechinus agilis). | this study was an examination of the timing of ejaculation and the dynamics of sperm transport in the female reproductive tract of the agile antechinus (antechinus agilis) and the relationship of these parameters to single and multiple matings. mating in this species is characteristically long compared with that of other mammals, lasting for up to 8-12 h during which time the pair remain locked together. after the first hour of mating, only approximately 40% of males had ejaculated, but by the t ... | 1999 | 10330092 |
| timing of mating, sperm dynamics, and ovulation in a wild population of agile antechinus (marsupialia: dasyuridae). | timing of mating, sperm transport and storage, and ovulation were examined in a wild population of agile antechinus (marsupialia: dasyuridae) in order to ascertain the validity of direct comparisons between captive and field-based mating studies in this species. mating commenced in early august, and all females had ovulated by the 27th of the month. fifty-five percent of the mated females caught that had not yet ovulated were captured on 19-20 august. this corresponded with a peak (67%) in the o ... | 1999 | 9915992 |
| prenatal bias in sex ratios in a marsupial, antechinus agilis. | biased sex ratios of young of birds and mammals clearly occur and may have an adaptive significance, but we rarely know the stage at which a bias is generated, or the mechanism. if a bias is generated prior to birth, studies of marsupials may be insightful because gestation is short and neonates are relatively undifferentiated. this study investigated whether biased sex ratios in antechinus agilis are generated in the brief period between birth and the attachment of young to the mother's teats. ... | 1998 | 9842736 |