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Author
Title Major histocompatibility complex class II compatibility, but not class I, predicts mate choice in a bird with highly developed olfaction Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication ROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Abbreviated Journal
Volume 279 Issue 1746 Pages 4457-4463
Keywords 454-pyrosequencing, genetic compatibility, major histocompatibility complex, MHC class I, MHC class II B,
Abstract Mate choice for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility has been found in several taxa, although rarely in birds. MHC is a crucial component in adaptive immunity and by choosing an MHC-dissimilar partner, heterozygosity and potentially broad pathogen resistance is maximized in the offspring. The MHC genotype influences odour cues and preferences in mammals and fish and hence olfactory-based mate choice can occur. We tested whether blue petrels, Halobaena caerulea, choose partners based on MHC compatibility. This bird is long-lived, monogamous and can discriminate between individual odours using olfaction, which makes it exceptionally well suited for this analysis. We screened MHC class I and II B alleles in blue petrels using 454-pyrosequencing and quantified the phylogenetic, functional and allele-sharing similarity between individuals. Partners were functionally more dissimilar at the MHC class II B loci than expected from random mating (p = 0.033), whereas there was no such difference at the MHC class I loci. Phylogenetic and non-sequence-based MHC allele-sharing measures detected no MHC dissimilarity between partners for either MHC class I or II B. Our study provides evidence of mate choice for MHC compatibility in a bird with a high dependency on odour cues, suggesting that MHC odour-mediated mate choice occurs in birds.
Programme 354
Campaign
Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0962-8452 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4300
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title Response of an arctic predator guild to collapsing lemming cycles Type Journal
Year 2012 Publication Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Proc. R. Soc. B
Volume 279 Issue 1746 Pages 4417-4422
Keywords
Abstract
Programme 1036
Campaign
Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0962-8452, 1471-2954 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 6948
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title Projected poleward shift of king penguins' (Aptenodytes patagonicus) foraging range at the Crozet Islands, southern Indian Ocean Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON Abbreviated Journal
Volume 279 Issue 1738 Pages 2515-2523
Keywords distribution shift, habitat model, IPCC climate models, penguins, polar front,
Abstract Seabird populations of the Southern Ocean have been responding to climate change for the last three decades and demographic models suggest that projected warming will cause dramatic population changes over the next century. Shift in species distribution is likely to be one of the major possible adaptations to changing environmental conditions. Habitat models based on a unique long-term tracking dataset of king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) breeding on the Crozet Islands (southern Indian Ocean) revealed that despite a significant influence of primary productivity and mesoscale activity, sea surface temperature consistently drove penguins' foraging distribution. According to climate models of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the projected warming of surface waters would lead to a gradual southward shift of the more profitable foraging zones, ranging from 25 km per decade for the B1 IPCC scenario to 40 km per decade for the A1B and A2 scenarios. As a consequence, distances travelled by incubating and brooding birds to reach optimal foraging zones associated with the polar front would double by 2100. Such a shift is far beyond the usual foraging range of king penguins breeding and would negatively affect the Crozet population on the long term, unless penguins develop alternative foraging strategies.
Programme 394
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Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0962-8452 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4280
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title Selective upregulation of lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle of foraging juvenile king penguins: an integrative study Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal
Volume 279 Issue 1737 Pages 2464 -2472
Keywords
Abstract The passage from shore to marine life of juvenile penguins represents a major energetic challenge to fuel intense and prolonged demands for thermoregulation and locomotion. Some functional changes developed at this crucial step were investigated by comparing pre-fledging king penguins with sea-acclimatized (SA) juveniles (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Transcriptomic analysis of pectoralis muscle biopsies revealed that most genes encoding proteins involved in lipid transport or catabolism were upregulated, while genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism were mostly downregulated in SA birds. Determination of muscle enzymatic activities showed no changes in enzymes involved in the glycolytic pathway, but increased 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, an enzyme of the -oxidation pathway. The respiratory rates of isolated muscle mitochondria were much higher with a substrate arising from lipid metabolism (palmitoyl-l-carnitine) in SA juveniles than in terrestrial controls, while no difference emerged with a substrate arising from carbohydrate metabolism (pyruvate). In vivo, perfusion of a lipid emulsion induced a fourfold larger thermogenic effect in SA than in control juveniles. The present integrative study shows that fuel selection towards lipid oxidation characterizes penguin acclimatization to marine life. Such acclimatization may involve thyroid hormones through their nuclear beta receptor and nuclear coactivators.
Programme 131
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Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1471-2954 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4013
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title Maternal antibody persistence: a neglected life-history trait with implications from albatross conservation to comparative immunology Type Journal Article
Year 2012 Publication Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal
Volume 279 Issue 1735 Pages 2033 -2041
Keywords
Abstract The evolution of different life-history strategies has been suggested as a major force constraining physiological mechanisms such as immunity. In some long-lived oviparous species, a prolonged persistence of maternal antibodies in offspring could thus be expected in order to protect them over their long growth period. Here, using an intergenerational vaccination design, we show that specific maternal antibodies can display an estimated half-life of 25 days post-hatching in the nestlings of a long-lived bird. This temporal persistence is much longer than previously known for birds and it suggests specific properties in the regulation of IgY immunoglobulin catabolism in such a species. We also show that maternal antibodies in the considered procellariiform species are functional as late as 20 days of age. Using a modelling approach, we highlight that the potential impact of such effects on population viability could be important, notably when using vaccination for conservation. These results have broad implications, from comparative immunology to evolutionary eco-epidemiology and conservation biology.
Programme 333
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Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1471-2954 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4003
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title Long-lasting modification of soil fungal diversity associated with the introduction of rabbits to a remote sub-Antarctic archipelago. Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Biology letters Abbreviated Journal Biol. Lett.
Volume 11 Issue 9 Pages 20150408-20150408
Keywords
Abstract During the late nineteenth century, Europeans introduced rabbits to many of the sub-Antarctic islands, environments that prior to this had been devoid of mammalian herbivores. The impacts of rabbits on indigenous ecosystems are well studied; notably, they cause dramatic changes in plant communities and promote soil erosion. However, the responses of fungal communities to such biotic disturbances remain unexplored. We used metabarcoding of soil extracellular DNA to assess the diversity of plant and fungal communities at sites on the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands with contrasting histories of disturbance by rabbits. Our results suggest that on these islands, the simplification of plant communities and increased erosion resulting from the introduction of rabbits have driven compositional changes, including diversity reductions, in indigenous soil fungal communities. Moreover, there is no indication of recovery at sites from which rabbits were removed 20 years ago. These results imply that introduced herbivores have long-lasting and multifaceted effects on fungal biodiversity as well as highlight the low resiliency of sub-Antarctic ecosystems.
Programme 136,1116
Campaign
Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-9561 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 6114
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Patrick Samantha C, Weimerskirch Henri,
Title Consistency pays: sex differences and fitness consequences of behavioural specialization in a wide-ranging seabird. Type Journal Article
Year 2014 Publication Biology letters Abbreviated Journal 1744-9561
Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 20140630-20140630
Keywords Animals, Birds, Birds: physiology, Environment, Feeding Behavior, Feeding Behavior: physiology, Female, Male, Predatory Behavior, Reproduction, Reproduction: physiology, Sex Factors,
Abstract Specialists and generalists often coexist within a single population, but the biological drivers of individual strategies are not fully resolved. When sexes differ in their foraging strategy, this can lead them to different environmental conditions and stability across their habitat range. As such, sexual segregation, combined with dominance, may lead to varying levels of specialization between the sexes. Here, we examine spatial and temporal niche width (intraindividual variability in aspects of foraging behaviour) of male and female black-browed albatrosses (Thalassarche melanophrys), and its consequences for fitness. We show that females, where maximum foraging range is under fluctuating selection, exhibit more variable behaviours and appear more generalist than males, who are under directional selection to forage close to the colony. However within each sex, successful birds had a much narrower niche width across most behaviours, suggesting some specialization is adaptive in both sexes. These results demonstrate that while there are sex differences in niche width, the fitness benefit of specialization in spatial distribution is strong in this wide-ranging seabird.
Programme 109
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Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-9561 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 5899
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author
Title To breed or not to breed: endocrine response to mercury contamination by an Arctic seabird Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication BIOLOGY LETTERS Abbreviated Journal 1744-9561
Volume 9 Issue 4 Pages
Keywords black-legged kittiwake, GnRH challenge, intermittent breeding, luteinizing hormone, mercury,
Abstract Mercury, a ubiquitous toxic element, is known to alter expression of sex steroids and to impair reproduction across vertebrates but the mechanisms underlying these effects are not clearly identified. We examined whether contamination by mercury predicts the probability to skip reproduction in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) from Svalbard. We also manipulated the endocrine system to investigate the mechanism underlying this relationship. During the pre-laying period, we injected exogenous GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) to test the ability of the pituitary to release luteinizing hormone (LH, a key hormone for the release of sex steroids and hence breeding) in relation to mercury burden. Birds that skipped reproduction had significantly higher mercury concentration in blood than breeders. Endocrine profiles of these birds also varied based on breeding status (breeders versus non-breeders), mercury contamination and sex. Specifically, in skippers (birds that did not breed), baseline LH decreased with increasing mercury concentration in males, whereas it increased in females. GnRH-induced LH levels increased with increasing mercury concentration in both sexes. These results suggest that mercury contamination may disrupt GnRH input to the pituitary. Thus, high mercury concentration could affect the ability of long-lived birds to modulate their reproductive effort (skipping or breeding) according to ongoing environmental changes in the Arctic, thereby impacting population dynamics.
Programme 330
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Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-9561 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4418
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author McCafferty D J, Gilbert C, Thierry A-M, Currie J, Maho Y Le, Ancel A,
Title Emperor penguin body surfaces cool below air temperature Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication BIOLOGY LETTERS Abbreviated Journal
Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages 20121192
Keywords Antarctic, metabolic heat loss, thermal imaging, thermoregulation,
Abstract
Programme 137
Campaign
Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-9561 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4455
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hardouin Emilie A, Tautz Diethard,
Title Increased mitochondrial mutation frequency after an island colonization: positive selection or accumulation of slightly deleterious mutations? Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication BIOLOGY LETTERS Abbreviated Journal Biol. Lett.
Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 20121123
Keywords inbred lines, island colonization, mitochondria, Mus musculus domesticus,
Abstract Island colonizations are excellent models for studying early processes of evolution. We found in a previous study on mice that had colonized the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago about 200 years ago that they were derived from a single founder lineage and that this showed an unexpectedly large number of new mutations in the mitochondrial D-loop. To assess whether positive selection has played a role in the emergence of these variants, we have obtained 16 full mitochondrial genome sequences from these mice. For comparison, we have compiled 57 mitochondrial genome sequences from laboratory inbred lines that became established about 100 years ago, also starting from a single founder lineage. We find that the island mice and the laboratory lines show very similar mutation frequencies and patterns. None of the patterns in the Kerguelen mice provides evidence for positive selection. We conclude that nearly neutral evolutionary processes that assume the presence of slightly deleterious variants can fully explain the patterns. This supports the notion of time-dependency of molecular evolution and provides a new calibration point. Based on the observed mutation frequency, we calculate an average evolutionary rate of 0.23 substitutions per site per Myr for the earliest time frame of divergence, which is about six times higher than the long-term rate of 0.037 substitutions per site per Myr.
Programme 136
Campaign
Address
Corporate Author Thesis Bachelor's thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-9561 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved yes
Call Number Serial 4304
Permanent link to this record