Search

Your search keyword '"Thierry Boulinier"' showing total 162 results
Start Over Author "Thierry Boulinier"
162 results on '"Thierry Boulinier"'

1. Tick-borne zoonotic flaviviruses and Borrelia infections in wildlife hosts: What have field studies contributed?

Author

Armelle Poisson, Thierry Boulinier, Laure Bournez, Gaëlle Gonzalez, Camille V. Migné, Sara Moutailler, Bruno Faivre, and Raphaëlle Métras

Subjects
Tick-borne diseases, Wildlife, Borrelia, Flavivirus, Reservoir, Sentinel, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Tick-borne flaviviruses and Borrelia spp. are globally spread pathogens of zoonotic potential that are maintained by a transmission cycle at the interface between ticks and vertebrate hosts, mainly wild animals. Aside data on pathogen burden in ticks, information on the status of various hosts relative to infection is important to acquire. We reviewed how those infections have been studied in wildlife host species in the field to discuss how collected data provided relevant epidemiological information and to identify needs for further studies. The literature was screened for observational studies on pathogen or antibody detection for tick-borne Borrelia spp. and flaviviruses in wildlife host animals. Overall, Borrelia spp. were more studied (73% of case studies, representing 297 host species) than flaviviruses (27% of case studies, representing 114 host species). Studies on both Borrelia spp. and flaviviruses focused mainly on the same species, namely bank vole and yellow-necked mouse. Most studies were order-specific and cross-sectional, reporting prevalence at various locations, but with little insight into the underlying epidemiological dynamics. Host species with potential to act as reservoir hosts of these pathogens were neglected, notably birds. We highlight the necessity of collecting both demographics and infection data in wildlife studies, and to consider communities of species, to better estimate zoonotic risk potential in the One Health context.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

2. Rapid loss of maternal immunity and increase in environmentally mediated antibody generation in urban gulls

Author

Juliet S. Lamb, Jérémy Tornos, Mathilde Lejeune, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

Abstract Monitoring pathogen circulation in wildlife sentinel populations can help to understand and predict the spread of disease at the wildlife-livestock-human interface. Immobile young provide a useful target population for disease surveillance, since they can be easily captured for sampling and their levels of antibodies against infectious agents can provide an index of localized circulation. However, early-life immune responses include both maternally-derived antibodies and antibodies resulting from exposure to pathogens, and disentangling these two processes requires understanding their individual dynamics. We conducted an egg-swapping experiment in an urban-nesting sentinel seabird, the yellow-legged gull, and measured antibody levels against three pathogens of interest (avian influenza virus AIV, Toxoplasma gondii TOX, and infectious bronchitis virus IBV) across various life stages, throughout chick growth, and between nestlings raised by biological or non-biological parents. We found that levels of background circulation differed among pathogens, with AIV antibodies widely present across all life stages, TOX antibodies rarer, and IBV antibodies absent. Antibody titers declined steadily from adult through egg, nestling, and chick stages. For the two circulating pathogens, maternal antibodies declined exponentially after hatching at similar rates, but the rate of linear increase due to environmental exposure was significantly higher in the more prevalent pathogen (AIV). Differences in nestling antibody levels due to parental effects also persisted longer for AIV (25 days, vs. 14 days for TOX). Our results suggest that yellow-legged gulls can be a useful sentinel population of locally transmitted infectious agents, provided that chicks are sampled at ages when environmental exposure outweighs maternal effects.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

3. Temporal dynamics of antibody level against Lyme disease bacteria in roe deer: Tale of a sentinel?

Author

Valentin Ollivier, Rémi Choquet, Amandine Gamble, Matthieu Bastien, Benoit Combes, Emmanuelle Gilot‐Fromont, Maryline Pellerin, Jean‐Michel Gaillard, Jean‐François Lemaître, Hélène Verheyden, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Borrelia burdorgferi sensu lato, Capreolus capreolus, capture–mark–recapture, disease ecology, Ixodes ricinus, serology, Ecology, QH540-549.5
Abstract

Abstract Changes in the risk of exposure to infectious disease agents can be tracked through variations in antibody prevalence in vertebrate host populations. However, information on the temporal dynamics of the immune status of individuals is critical. If antibody levels persist a long time after exposure to an infectious agent, they could enable the efficient detection of the past circulation of the agent; if they persist only a short time, they could provide snap shots of recent exposure of sampled hosts. Here, we explored the temporal dynamics of seropositivity against Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) in individuals of a widespread medium‐sized mammal species, the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), in France. Using a modified commercially available immunoassay we tested 1554 blood samples obtained in two wild deer populations monitored from 2010 to 2020. Using multi‐event capture‐mark‐recapture models, we estimated yearly population‐, age‐, and sex‐specific rates of seroconversion and seroreversion after accounting for imperfect detection. The yearly seroconversion rates indicated a higher level of exposure in early (2010–2013) than in late years (2014–2019) to infected tick bites in both populations, without any detectable influence of sex or age. The relatively high rates of seroreversion indicated a short‐term persistence of antibody levels against Bbsl in roe deer. This was confirmed by the analysis of samples collected on a set of captive individuals that were resampled several times a few weeks apart. Our findings show the potential usefulness of deer as a sentinel for tracking the risk of exposure to Lyme disease Bbsl, although further investigation on the details of the antibody response to Bbsl in this incompetent host would be useful. Our study also highlights the value of combining long‐term capture‐mark‐recapture sampling and short‐time analyses of serological data for wildlife populations exposed to infectious agents of relevance to wildlife epidemiology and human health.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

4. Occurrence of ESBL- and AmpC-Producing E. coli in French Griffon Vultures Feeding on Extensive Livestock Carcasses

Author

Marisa Haenni, Laetitia Du Fraysseix, Pauline François, Antoine Drapeau, Tristan Bralet, Jean-Yves Madec, Thierry Boulinier, and Olivier Duriez

Subjects
wild birds, multi-drug resistance, ESBL, scavenging, Gyps fulvus, Therapeutics. Pharmacology, RM1-950
Abstract

Despite the fact that the selective pressure of antibiotics on wild birds is supposed to be very weak, they are considered potential vectors of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Obligate scavengers such as vultures can present high proportions of resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, partially due to feeding stations that are provisioned with livestock carcasses from intensive farming. Here we investigated whether griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from two populations located in the French Alps, which feed on livestock carcasses from extensive farms, may carry such resistant bacteria. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization showed an 11.8% proportion of ESC-resistant bacteria, including five extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and one AmpC-producing E. coli. The five ESBL-positive E. coli were clonal and all came from the same vulture population, proving their spread between animals. The ESBL phenotype was due to a blaCTX-M-15 gene located on the chromosome. Both ESBL- and AmpC-positive E. coli belonged to minor STs (ST212 and ST3274, respectively); interestingly, ST212 has already been identified in wild birds around the world, including vultures. These results suggest that actions are needed to mitigate the spread of MDR bacteria through wild birds, particularly in commensal species.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

5. Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Author

Tammy E. Davies, Ana P.B. Carneiro, Marguerite Tarzia, Ewan Wakefield, Janos C. Hennicke, Morten Frederiksen, Erpur Snær Hansen, Bruna Campos, Carolina Hazin, Ben Lascelles, Tycho Anker‐Nilssen, Hólmfríður Arnardóttir, Robert T. Barrett, Manuel Biscoito, Loïc Bollache, Thierry Boulinier, Paulo Catry, Filipe R. Ceia, Olivier Chastel, Signe Christensen‐Dalsgaard, Marta Cruz‐Flores, Jóhannis Danielsen, Francis Daunt, Euan Dunn, Carsten Egevang, Ana Isabel Fagundes, Annette L. Fayet, Jérôme Fort, Robert W. Furness, Olivier Gilg, Jacob González‐Solís, José Pedro Granadeiro, David Grémillet, Tim Guilford, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Michael P. Harris, April Hedd, Nicholas Per Huffeldt, Mark Jessopp, Yann Kolbeinsson, Johannes Krietsch, Johannes Lang, Jannie Fries Linnebjerg, Svein‐Håkon Lorentsen, Jeremy Madeiros, Ellen Magnusdottir, Mark L. Mallory, Laura McFarlane Tranquilla, Flemming R. Merkel, Teresa Militão, Børge Moe, William A. Montevecchi, Virginia Morera‐Pujol, Anders Mosbech, Verónica Neves, Mark A. Newell, Bergur Olsen, Vitor H. Paiva, Hans‐Ulrich Peter, Aevar Petersen, Richard A. Phillips, Iván Ramírez, Jaime A. Ramos, Raül Ramos, Robert A. Ronconi, Peter G. Ryan, Niels Martin Schmidt, Ingvar A. Sigurðsson, Benoît Sittler, Harald Steen, Iain J. Stenhouse, Hallvard Strøm, Geir H. R. Systad, Paul Thompson, Thorkell L. Thórarinsson, Rob S.A. vanBemmelen, Sarah Wanless, Francis Zino, and Maria P. Dias

Subjects
area beyond national jurisdiction, Atlantic, biologging, conservation, high seas, marine protected area, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution, QH1-199.5
Abstract

Abstract The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the subpolar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9–5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations has been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site‐based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data‐driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

Published
2021
Full Text
View/download PDF

6. Exposure of yellow-legged gulls to Toxoplasma gondii along the Western Mediterranean coasts: Tales from a sentinel

Author

Amandine Gamble, Raül Ramos, Yaiza Parra-Torres, Aurélien Mercier, Lokman Galal, Jessica Pearce-Duvet, Isabelle Villena, Tomás Montalvo, Jacob González-Solís, Abdessalem Hammouda, Daniel Oro, Slaheddine Selmi, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Zoology, QL1-991
Abstract

Efficiently tracking and anticipating the dynamics of infectious agents in wild populations requires the gathering of large numbers of samples, if possible at several locations and points in time, which can be a challenge for some species. Testing for the presence of specific maternal antibodies in egg yolks sampled on the colonies could represent an efficient way to quantify the exposure of breeding females to infectious agents, particularly when using an abundant and widespread species, such as the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis). We used such an approach to explore spatio-temporal patterns of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, a pathogenic protozoan responsible of toxoplasmosis in humans and other warm-blooded vertebrates. First, we tested the validity of this approach by exploring the repeatability of the detection of specific antibodies at the egg level using two different immunoassays and at the clutch level using an occupancy model. Then, samples gathered in 15 colonies from France, Spain and Tunisia were analysed using an immunoassay detecting antibodies specifically directed against T. gondii. Prevalence of specific antibodies in eggs was overall high while varying significantly among colonies. These results revealed that T. gondii circulated at a large spatial scale in the western Mediterranean yellow-legged gull population, highlighting its potential role in the maintenance community of this parasite. Additionally, this study illustrates how species commensal to human populations like large gulls can be used as wildlife sentinels for the tracking of infectious agents at the human-wildlife interface, notably by sampling eggs. Keywords: Toxoplasma gondii, Eco-epidemiology, Immunoassay, Sampling strategy, Stable isotope analysis, Mediterranean region

Published
2019
Full Text
View/download PDF

7. How sure are you? A web-based application to confront imperfect detection of respiratory pathogens in bighorn sheep

Author

J. Terrill Paterson, Carson Butler, Robert Garrott, Kelly Proffitt, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

The relationships between host-pathogen population dynamics in wildlife are poorly understood. An impediment to progress in understanding these relationships is imperfect detection of diagnostic tests used to detect pathogens. If ignored, imperfect detection precludes accurate assessment of pathogen presence and prevalence, foundational parameters for deciphering host-pathogen dynamics and disease etiology. Respiratory disease in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is a significant impediment to their conservation and restoration, and effective management requires a better understanding of the structure of the pathogen communities. Our primary objective was to develop an easy-to-use and accessible web-based Shiny application that estimates the probability (with associated uncertainty) that a respiratory pathogen is present in a herd and its prevalence given imperfect detection. Our application combines the best-available information on the probabilities of detection for various respiratory pathogen diagnostic protocols with a hierarchical Bayesian model of pathogen prevalence. We demonstrated this application using four examples of diagnostic tests from three herds of bighorn sheep in Montana. For instance, one population with no detections of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (PCR assay) still had an 6% probability of the pathogen being present in the herd. Similarly, the apparent prevalence (0.32) of M. ovipneumoniae in another herd was a substantial underestimate of estimated true prevalence (0.46: 95% CI = [0.25, 0.71]). The negative bias of naïve prevalence increased as the probability of detection of testing protocols worsened such that the apparent prevalence of Mannheimia haemolytica (culture assay) in a herd (0.24) was less than one third that of estimated true prevalence (0.78: 95% CI = [0.43, 0.99]). We found a small difference in the estimates of the probability that Mannheimia spp. (culture assay) was present in one herd between the binomial sampling approach (0.24) and the hypergeometric approach (0.22). Ignoring the implications of imperfect detection and sampling variation for assessing pathogen communities in bighorn sheep can result in spurious inference on pathogen presence and prevalence, and potentially poorly informed management decisions. Our Shiny application makes the rigorous assessment of pathogen presence, prevalence and uncertainty straightforward, and we suggest it should be incorporated into a new paradigm of disease monitoring.

Published
2020

8. Impact of life stage-dependent dispersal on the colonization dynamics of host patches by ticks and tick-borne infectious agents

Author

Sarah Kada, Karen D. McCoy, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Allee effect, Borrelia burgdorferi, Climate change, Ixodes uriae, Lyme disease, Ornithodoros maritimus, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Abstract

Abstract Background When colonization and gene flow depend on host-mediated dispersal, a key factor affecting vector dispersal potential is the time spent on the host for the blood meal, a characteristic that can vary strongly among life history stages. Using a 2-patch vector-pathogen population model and seabird ticks as biological examples, we explore how vector colonization rates and the spread of infectious agents may be shaped by life stage-dependent dispersal. We contrast hard (Ixodidae) and soft (Argasidae) tick systems, which differ strongly in blood- feeding traits. Results We find that vector life history characteristics (i.e. length of blood meal) and demographic constraints (Allee effects) condition the colonization potential of ticks; hard ticks, which take a single, long blood meal per life stage, should have much higher colonization rates than soft ticks, which take repeated short meals. Moreover, this dispersal potential has direct consequences for the spread of vector-borne infectious agents, in particular when transmission is transovarial. Conclusions These results have clear implications for predicting the dynamics of vector and disease spread in the context of large-scale environmental change. The findings highlight the need to include life-stage dispersal in models that aim to predict species and disease distributions, and provide testable predictions related to the population genetic structure of vectors and pathogens along expansion fronts.

Published
2017
Full Text
View/download PDF

9. Avian cholera outbreaks threaten seabird species on Amsterdam Island.

Author

Audrey Jaeger, Camille Lebarbenchon, Vincent Bourret, Matthieu Bastien, Erwan Lagadec, Jean-Baptiste Thiebot, Thierry Boulinier, Karine Delord, Christophe Barbraud, Cédric Marteau, Koussay Dellagi, Pablo Tortosa, and Henri Weimerskirch

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

Infectious diseases may be particularly critical for the conservation of endangered species. A striking example is the recurrent outbreaks that have been occurring in seabirds on Amsterdam Island for the past 30 years, threatening populations of three Endangered seabird species and of the endemic, Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis. The bacteria Pasteurella multocida (avian cholera causative agent), and to a lesser extent Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (erysipelas causative agent), were both suspected to be responsible for these epidemics. Despite this critical situation, demographic trends were not available for these threatened populations, and the occurrence and characterization of potential causative agents of epizootics remain poorly known. The aims of the current study were to (i) provide an update of population trends for four threatened seabird species monitored on Amsterdam Island, (ii) assess the occurrence of P. multocida, and E. rhusiopathiae in live birds from five species, (iii) search for other infectious agents in these samples and, (iv) isolate and genotype the causative agent(s) of epizooties from dead birds. Our study shows that the demographic situation has worsened substantially in three seabird species during the past decade, with extremely low reproductive success and declining populations for Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses Thalassarche carteri, sooty albatrosses Phoebetria fusca, and northern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes moseleyi. Pasteurella multocida or E. rhusiopathiae were detected by PCR in live birds of all five investigated species, while results were negative for eight additional infectious agents. A single strain of P. multocida was repeatedly cultured from dead birds, while no E. rhusiopathiae could be isolated. These results highlight the significance of P. multocida in this particular eco-epidemiological system as the main agent responsible for epizootics. The study stresses the urgent need to implement mitigation measures to alter the course of avian cholera outbreaks threatening the persistence of seabird populations on Amsterdam Island.

Published
2018
Full Text
View/download PDF

10. Influenza A virus on oceanic islands: host and viral diversity in seabirds in the Western Indian Ocean.

Author

Camille Lebarbenchon, Audrey Jaeger, Chris Feare, Matthieu Bastien, Muriel Dietrich, Christine Larose, Erwan Lagadec, Gérard Rocamora, Nirmal Shah, Hervé Pascalis, Thierry Boulinier, Matthieu Le Corre, David E Stallknecht, and Koussay Dellagi

Subjects
Immunologic diseases. Allergy, RC581-607, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract

Ducks and seabirds are natural hosts for influenza A viruses (IAV). On oceanic islands, the ecology of IAV could be affected by the relative diversity, abundance and density of seabirds and ducks. Seabirds are the most abundant and widespread avifauna in the Western Indian Ocean and, in this region, oceanic islands represent major breeding sites for a large diversity of potential IAV host species. Based on serological assays, we assessed the host range of IAV and the virus subtype diversity in terns of the islands of the Western Indian Ocean. We further investigated the spatial variation in virus transmission patterns between islands and identified the origin of circulating viruses using a molecular approach. Our findings indicate that terns represent a major host for IAV on oceanic islands, not only for seabird-related virus subtypes such as H16, but also for those commonly isolated in wild and domestic ducks (H3, H6, H9, H12 subtypes). We also identified strong species-associated variation in virus exposure that may be associated to differences in the ecology and behaviour of terns. We discuss the role of tern migrations in the spread of viruses to and between oceanic islands, in particular for the H2 and H9 IAV subtypes.

Published
2015
Full Text
View/download PDF

11. Circulation of a Meaban-like virus in yellow-legged gulls and seabird ticks in the western Mediterranean basin.

Author

Audrey Arnal, Elena Gómez-Díaz, Marta Cerdà-Cuéllar, Sylvie Lecollinet, Jessica Pearce-Duvet, Núria Busquets, Ignacio García-Bocanegra, Nonito Pagès, Marion Vittecoq, Abdessalem Hammouda, Boudjéma Samraoui, Romain Garnier, Raül Ramos, Slaheddine Selmi, Jacob González-Solís, Elsa Jourdain, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

In recent years, a number of zoonotic flaviviruses have emerged worldwide, and wild birds serve as their major reservoirs. Epidemiological surveys of bird populations at various geographical scales can clarify key aspects of the eco-epidemiology of these viruses. In this study, we aimed at exploring the presence of flaviviruses in the western Mediterranean by sampling breeding populations of the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), a widely distributed, anthropophilic, and abundant seabird species. For 3 years, we sampled eggs from 19 breeding colonies in Spain, France, Algeria, and Tunisia. First, ELISAs were used to determine if the eggs contained antibodies against flaviviruses. Second, neutralization assays were used to identify the specific flaviviruses present. Finally, for colonies in which ELISA-positive eggs had been found, chick serum samples and potential vectors, culicid mosquitoes and soft ticks (Ornithodoros maritimus), were collected and analyzed using serology and PCR, respectively. The prevalence of flavivirus-specific antibodies in eggs was highly spatially heterogeneous. In northeastern Spain, on the Medes Islands and in the nearby village of L'Escala, 56% of eggs had antibodies against the flavivirus envelope protein, but were negative for neutralizing antibodies against three common flaviviruses: West Nile, Usutu, and tick-borne encephalitis viruses. Furthermore, little evidence of past flavivirus exposure was obtained for the other colonies. A subset of the Ornithodoros ticks from Medes screened for flaviviral RNA tested positive for a virus whose NS5 gene was 95% similar to that of Meaban virus, a flavivirus previously isolated from ticks of Larus argentatus in western France. All ELISA-positive samples subsequently tested positive for Meaban virus neutralizing antibodies. This study shows that gulls in the western Mediterranean Basin are exposed to a tick-borne Meaban-like virus, which underscores the need of exploring the spatial and temporal distribution of this flavivirus as well as its potential pathogenicity for animals and humans.

Published
2014
Full Text
View/download PDF

12. Maternal Antibody Transfer in Yellow-legged Gulls

Author

Jessica M.C. Pearce-Duvet, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Elsa Jourdain, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Influenza, birds, antibodies, maternally acquired immunity, yellow-legged gulls, viruses, Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Published
2009
Full Text
View/download PDF

13. Maternal antibody transmission in relation to mother fluctuating asymmetry in a long-lived colonial seabird: the yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis.

Author

Abdessalem Hammouda, Slaheddine Selmi, Jessica Pearce-Duvet, Mohamed Ali Chokri, Audrey Arnal, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

Female birds transfer antibodies to their offspring via the egg yolk, thus possibly providing passive immunity against infectious diseases to which hatchlings may be exposed, thereby affecting their fitness. It is nonetheless unclear whether the amount of maternal antibodies transmitted into egg yolks varies with female quality and egg laying order. In this paper, we investigated the transfer of maternal antibodies against type A influenza viruses (anti-AIV antibodies) by a long-lived colonial seabird, the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), in relation to fluctuating asymmetry in females, i.e. the random deviation from perfect symmetry in bilaterally symmetric morphological and anatomical traits. In particular, we tested whether females with greater asymmetry transmitted fewer antibodies to their eggs, and whether within-clutch variation in yolk antibodies varied according to the maternal level of fluctuating asymmetry. We found that asymmetric females were in worse physical condition, produced fewer antibodies, and transmitted lower amounts of antibodies to their eggs. We also found that, within a given clutch, yolk antibody level decreased with egg laying order, but this laying order effect was more pronounced in clutches laid by the more asymmetric females. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that maternal quality interacts with egg laying order in determining the amount of maternal antibodies transmitted to the yolks. They also highlight the usefulness of fluctuating asymmetry as a sensitive indicator of female quality and immunocompetence in birds.

Published
2012
Full Text
View/download PDF

14. Eggshell spottiness reflects maternally transferred antibodies in blue tits.

Author

Marie-Jeanne Holveck, Arnaud Grégoire, Vincent Staszewski, Romain Guerreiro, Philippe Perret, Thierry Boulinier, and Claire Doutrelant

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

Blue-green and brown-spotted eggshells in birds have been proposed as sexual signals of female physiological condition and egg quality, reflecting maternal investment in the egg. Testing this hypothesis requires linking eggshell coloration to egg content, which is lacking for brown protoporphyrin-based pigmentation. As protoporphyrins can induce oxidative stress, and a large amount in eggshells should indicate either high female and egg quality if it reflects the female's high oxidative tolerance, or conversely poor quality if it reflects female physiological stress. Different studies supported either predictions but are difficult to compare given the methodological differences in eggshell-spottiness measurements. Using the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus as a model species, we aimed at disentangling both predictions in testing if brown-spotted eggshell could reflect the quality of maternal investment in antibodies and carotenoids in the egg, and at improving between-study comparisons in correlating several common measurements of eggshell coloration (spectral and digital measures, spotted surface, pigmentation indices). We found that these color variables were weakly correlated highlighting the need for comparable quantitative measurements between studies and for multivariate regressions incorporating several eggshell-color characteristics. When evaluating the potential signaling function of brown-spotted eggshells, we thus searched for the brown eggshell-color variables that best predicted the maternal transfer of antibodies and carotenoids to egg yolks. We also tested the effects of several parental traits and breeding parameters potentially affecting this transfer. While eggshell coloration did not relate to yolk carotenoids, the eggs with larger and less evenly-distributed spots had higher antibody concentrations, suggesting that both the quantity and distribution of brown pigments reflected the transfer of maternal immune compounds in egg yolks. As yolk antibody concentrations were also positively related to key proxies of maternal quality (egg volume, number, yellow feather brightness, tarsus length), eggshells with larger spots concentrated at their broad pole may indicate higher-quality eggs.

Published
2012
Full Text
View/download PDF

15. Climate change in the Arctic: Testing the poleward expansion of ticks and tick‐borne diseases

Author

Karen D. McCoy, Céline Toty, Marlène Dupraz, Jérémy Tornos, Amandine Gamble, Romain Garnier, Sébastien Descamps, Thierry Boulinier, Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Norwegian Polar Institute, and ANR-13-BSV7-0018,ESPEVEC,Facteurs historiques et contemporains dans l'évolution de la spécialisation d'hôte chez les organismes vecteurs(2013)

Subjects
Global and Planetary Change, [SDV.BA.MVSA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Veterinary medicine and animal Health, Ixodidae, MESH: Lyme Disease, Ecology, Borrelia, MESH: Climate Change, MESH: Genetics, Population, MESH: Charadriiformes, Ixodes uriae, MESH: Ixodes, Svalbard, MESH: Tick-Borne Diseases, Invasion, Rissa tridactyla, Lyme disease, Environmental Chemistry, Uria lomvia, MESH: Animals, [SDV.EE.BIO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Bioclimatology, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Colonial seabirds, General Environmental Science
Abstract

International audience; Climate change is most strongly felt in the polar regions of the world, with significant impacts on the species that live there. The arrival of parasites and pathogens from more temperate areas may become a significant problem for these populations, but current observations of parasite presence often lack a historical reference of prior absence. Observations in the high Arctic of the seabird tick Ixodes uriae suggested that this species expanded poleward in the last two decades in relation to climate change. As this tick can have a direct impact on the breeding success of its seabird hosts and vectors several pathogens, including Lyme disease spirochaetes, understanding its invasion dynamics is essential for predicting its impact on polar seabird populations. Here, we use population genetic data and host serology to test the hypothesis that I. uriae recently expanded into Svalbard. Both black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) were sampled for ticks and blood in Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen. Ticks were genotyped using microsatellite markers and population genetic analyses were performed using data from 14 reference populations from across the tick's northern distribution. In contrast to predictions, the Spitsbergen population showed high genetic diversity and significant differentiation from reference populations, suggesting long-term isolation. Host serology also demonstrated a high exposure rate to Lyme disease spirochaetes (Bbsl). Targeted PCR and sequencing confirmed the presence of Borrelia garinii in a Spitsbergen tick, demonstrating the presence of Lyme disease bacteria in the high Arctic for the first time. Taken together, results contradict the notion that I. uriae has recently expanded into the high Arctic. Rather, this tick has likely been present for some time, maintaining relatively high population sizes and an endemic transmission cycle of Bbsl. Close future observations of population infestation/infection rates will now be necessary to relate epidemiological changes to ongoing climate modifications.

Published
2023

16. Hanging out at the club: Breeding status and territoriality affect individual space use, multi‐species overlap and pathogen transmission risk at a seabird colony

Author

Juliet Lamb, Jeremy Tornos, Romain Dedet, Hubert Gantelet, Nicolas Keck, Juliette Baron, Marine Bely, Augustin Clessin, Aline Flechet, Amandine Gamble, Thierry Boulinier, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Laboratoire Départemental Vétérinaire de l'Hérault, Conseil Général de l'Hérault, CEVA- BIOVAC, University of California (UC), This work was funded by the French Polar Institute (IPEV ECOPATH-1151), ANR ECOPATHS (ANR-21-CE35-0016), Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Zone Atelier Antarctique (ZATA) and OSU OREME ECOPOP. We also acknowledge funding support for REMOVE_DISEASE project selected as part of the BiodiveRestore joint call from Biodiversa and Water JPI (ANR-21-BIRE-0006). This paper is a contribution of the Plan National d'Action Albatros d'Amsterdam. Juliet Lamb was funded by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 #843470), Amandine Gamble by a French Ministry of Research PhD fellowship, and Jeremy Tornos by Ceva Biovac and ANRT for a CIFRE PhD fellowship. Experimental design was approved by the Regional Animal Experimentation Ethical Committee (French Ministry of Research permit #10257-2018011712301381v6) and by the Comité de l'Environnement Polaire (A-2017-97, A-2017-111, A-2018-123, A 2018-139, A-2019-69, 2019-121, A-2019-132 and A-2019-135)., ANR-21-BIRE-0006,REMOVE_DISEASE,Conservation and restoration of degraded insular biodiversity: impacts of the removal of introduced mammals on the dynamics of infectious diseases in seabirds across islands of the Southern Ocean.(2021), and ANR-21-CE35-0016,ECOPATHS,Ecologie de la circulation des agents infectieux dans les populations de vertébrés coloniaux: surveillance, compréhension et implications pour la conservation de la biodiversité dans les îles sub-antarctiques(2021)

Subjects
[SDV.BA.ZV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Vertebrate Zoology, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

International audience; Wildlife movement ecology often focuses on breeders, whose territorial attachments facilitate trapping and following individuals over time. This leads to incomplete understanding of movements of individuals not actively breeding due to age, breeding failure, subordinance, and other factors. These individuals are often present in breeding populations and contribute to processes such as competition and pathogen spread. Therefore, excluding them from movement ecology studies could bias or mask important spatial dynamics. Loafing areas offer an alternative to breeding sites for capturing and tracking individuals. Such sites may allow for sampling individuals regardless of breeding status, while also avoiding disturbance of sensitive breeding areas. However, little is known about the breeding status of individuals attending loafing sites, or how their movements compare to those of breeders captured at nests. We captured a seabird, the brown skua, attending either nests or loafing areas (‘clubs’) at a multi-species seabird breeding site on Amsterdam Island (southern Indian Ocean). We outfitted skuas with GPS-UHF transmitters and inferred breeding statuses of individuals captured at clubs using movement patterns of breeders captured at nests. We then compared space use and activity patterns between breeders and nonbreeders. Both breeding and nonbreeding skuas attended clubs. Nonbreeders ranged more widely, were more active, and overlapped more with other seabirds and marine mammals than did breeders. Moreover, some nonbreeders occupied fixed territories and displayed more restricted movements than those without territories. Nonbreeders became less active over the breeding season, while activity of breeders remained stable. Nonbreeding skuas were exposed to the agent of avian cholera at similar rates to breeders but were more likely to forage in breeding areas of the endangered endemic Amsterdam albatross, increasing opportunities for interspecific pathogen transmission. Our results show that inference based only on breeders fails to capture important aspects of population-wide movement patterns. Capturing nonbreeders as well as breeders would help to improve population-level representation of movement patterns, elucidate and predict effects of external changes and conservation interventions (e.g. rat eradication) on movement patterns and pathogen spread, and develop strategies to manage outbreaks of diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza.; Les recherches sur l'écologie du déplacement de la faune sauvage au niveau individuel ciblent souvent des individus reproducteurs, car leur attachement territorial aux sites de reproduction facilite la capture, la recapture, et le suivi des individus à travers le temps. Au contraire, les individus qui ne reproduisent pas (à cause de leur âge, échec de reproduction, manque de dominance et autres facteurs) sont souvent exclus. Ces individus sont souvent présents aux sites de reproduction et contribuent aux processus de compétition, et de transmission des pathogènes. Par conséquence, leur exclusion des études de mouvements risque d'introduire des biais dans notre connaissance des dynamiques spatiales des populations. Les sites de repos présentent une alternative aux sites de reproduction pour la capture et suivi des individus. Ces sites présentent l'opportunité de capturer des oiseaux reproducteurs ainsi que non-reproducteurs, tout en évitant de déranger des sites sensibles de nidification. Néanmoins, les sites de repos sont peu connus, et il est difficile de déterminer si les oiseaux qui les utilisent sont reproducteurs ou non-reproducteurs, ou de savoir comment leurs mouvements se comparent à ceux d'oiseaux attrapés au nid. Nous avons capturé des oiseaux marins prédateurs, les labbes antarctiques, sur leurs nids ou sur des sites de repos partagés (« clubs »). Nous avons attaché des balises GPS-UHF aux oiseaux et avons déterminé le statut reproductif des oiseaux de statut inconnu en comparant leurs mouvements à ceux de labbes capturés au nid (et donc clairement reproducteurs). Nous avons ensuite comparé l'utilization de l'espace et les niveaux d'activité entre labbes reproducteurs et non-reproducteurs. Les labbes reproducteurs et non-reproducteurs étaient présents aux « clubs ». Comparés aux reproducteurs, les labbes non-reproducteurs utilisaient des surfaces plus grandes, étaient plus actifs, et exploitaient plus souvent des zones utilisées par d'autres espèces d'oiseaux et de mammifères marins. Par ailleurs, quelques labbes non-reproducteurs occupaient des territoires fixes et présentaient des mouvements plus limités que ceux qui n'occupaient pas de territoire. Les labbes non-reproducteurs étaient autant exposés à l'agent du choléra aviaire que les reproducteurs, mais ils se nourrissaient plus souvent dans l'habitat de l'albatros d'Amsterdam (une espèce en danger), augmentant leur probabilité de transmettre des pathogènes à cette espèce. Nos résultats montrent que les études de déplacement ne ciblant que les oiseaux reproducteurs ne représentent les déplacements de la population générale que de manière imparfaite. Capturer des oiseaux sur des sites de repos peut ainsi améliorer le taux de représentation. Le suivi des individus non-reproducteurs, de labbes ou d'autres espèces, peut aider à prédire les effets de changements des conditions externes (comme l'éradication des rats sur l'Amsterdam ou l'apparition et transmission de la grippe aviaire) qui peuvent altérer les dynamiques éco-épidemiologiques et les interactions entre espèces.

Published
2022

17. Occurrence of ESBL- and AmpC-Producing E. coli in French Griffon Vultures Feeding on Extensive Livestock Carcasses

Author

Duriez, Marisa Haenni, Laetitia Du Fraysseix, Pauline François, Antoine Drapeau, Tristan Bralet, Jean-Yves Madec, Thierry Boulinier, and Olivier

Subjects
wild birds, multi-drug resistance, ESBL, scavenging, Gyps fulvus
Abstract

Despite the fact that the selective pressure of antibiotics on wild birds is supposed to be very weak, they are considered potential vectors of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Obligate scavengers such as vultures can present high proportions of resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, partially due to feeding stations that are provisioned with livestock carcasses from intensive farming. Here we investigated whether griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from two populations located in the French Alps, which feed on livestock carcasses from extensive farms, may carry such resistant bacteria. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization showed an 11.8% proportion of ESC-resistant bacteria, including five extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and one AmpC-producing E. coli. The five ESBL-positive E. coli were clonal and all came from the same vulture population, proving their spread between animals. The ESBL phenotype was due to a blaCTX-M-15 gene located on the chromosome. Both ESBL- and AmpC-positive E. coli belonged to minor STs (ST212 and ST3274, respectively); interestingly, ST212 has already been identified in wild birds around the world, including vultures. These results suggest that actions are needed to mitigate the spread of MDR bacteria through wild birds, particularly in commensal species.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

18. Complete Genome Sequences of Two Pasteurella multocida Isolates from Seabirds

Author

Amro Hashish, Timothy J. Johnson, Dhiraj Chundru, Michele L. Williams, Yuko Sato, Nubia R. Macedo, Augustin Clessin, Hubert Gantelet, Caroline Bost, Jérémy Tornos, Amandine Gamble, Karen J. LeCount, Mostafa Ghanem, Thierry Boulinier, and Mohamed El-Gazzar

Subjects
Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous), Genetics, Molecular Biology
Abstract

Pasteurella multocida is one of the major causes of mass mortalities in wild birds. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two P. multocida isolates from wild populations of two endangered seabird species, the Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses ( Thalassarche carteri ) and the northern rockhopper penguins ( Eudyptes moseleyi ).

Published
2023

19. Avian influenza spread and seabird movements between colonies

Author

Thierry BOULINIER, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), ANR-21-CE35-0016,ECOPATHS,Ecologie de la circulation des agents infectieux dans les populations de vertébrés coloniaux: surveillance, compréhension et implications pour la conservation de la biodiversité dans les îles sub-antarctiques(2021), and ANR-21-BIRE-0006,REMOVE_DISEASE,Conservation and restoration of degraded insular biodiversity: impacts of the removal of introduced mammals on the dynamics of infectious diseases in seabirds across islands of the Southern Ocean.(2021)

Subjects
[SDV.BA.MVSA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Veterinary medicine and animal Health, MESH: Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype, prospecting, HPAI H5N1, migration, foraging, MESH: Influenza in Birds, colonial breeding, MESH: Birds, movement ecology, MESH: Animals, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, spatial disease dynamics
Abstract

International audience; Seabirds have recently been experiencing high rates of mortality across wide scales due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). During breeding, seabird populations are highly spatially structured, while over their lifetimes they spend much time at sea. This makes them unique systems in which to document how movement and interspecies interactions affect eco-epidemiological dynamics.

Published
2023

20. Active breeding seabirds prospect alternative breeding colonies

Author

Jelena Kralj, Aurore Ponchon, Daniel Oro, Barbara Amadesi, Juan Arizaga, Nicola Baccetti, Thierry Boulinier, Jacopo G. Cecere, Robin M. Corcoran, Anna-Marie Corman, Leonie Enners, Abram Fleishman, Stefan Garthe, David Grémillet, Ann Harding, José Manuel Igual, Luka Jurinović, Ulrike Kubetzki, Donald E. Lyons, Rachael Orben, Rosana Paredes, Simone Pirrello, Bernard Recorbet, Scott Shaffer, Philipp Schwemmer, Lorenzo Serra, Anouk Spelt, Giacomo Tavecchia, Jill Tengeres, Davorin Tome, Cara Williamson, Shane Windsor, Hillary Young, Marco Zenatello, and Ruben Fijn

Subjects
tracking devices, dispersal, movements, gulls, terns, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

Compared to other animal movements, prospecting by adult individuals for a future breeding site is commonly overlooked. Prospecting influences the decision of where to breed and has consequences on fitness and lifetime reproductive success. By analysing movements of 31 satellite- and GPS-tracked gull and tern populations belonging to 14 species in Europe and North America, we examined the occurrence and factors explaining prospecting by actively breeding birds. Surprisingly, prospecting in active breeders occurs in 85.7% of studied species, and contradicts theoretical models that showed that prospecting is expected to evolve in a relatively predictable and stable environment. Prospecting is more common in populations with frequent inter-annual changes of breeding sites, in species that evolved in ephemeral habitats and among females. More long-term tracking studies are needed to identify factors affecting patterns of prospecting in different environments and predict its consequences on fitness at the individual and population levels.

Published
2023

21. Similar at-sea behaviour but different habitat use between failed and successful breeding albatrosses

Author

Henri Weimerskirch, Thierry Boulinier, Karine Delord, Jérémy Tornos, Aurore Ponchon, Christophe Barbraud, Amandine Gamble, Justin M. J. Travis, School of Biological Sciences [Aberdeen], University of Aberdeen, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment, University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), and Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Breeding failure, Thalassarche carteri, Ecology, biology, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, Inter-individual variability, Zoology, Aquatic Science, biology.organism_classification, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Behavioural state, Procellariiformes, Habitat, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, 14. Life underwater, Habitat models, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Foraging behaviour
Abstract

International audience; Breeding failure is expected to induce behavioural changes in central place foragers. Indeed, after failing their reproduction, breeding individuals are relieved from having to come back to their breeding site for reproductive duties and thus are less constrained than successful breeders in their movements during the remaining of the breeding season. Accordingly, they are expected to adjust their behaviour, travelling longer in distance and/or time to reach foraging grounds. They are also expected to use different foraging areas to decrease local intra-specific competition with successful breeders. We compared the at-sea behaviour and habitat use of successful and failed Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses nesting in Amsterdam Island, Southern Indian Ocean, during two chick-rearing seasons. Failed breeders exhibited the same at-sea foraging behaviour, travelling as far and as long as successful breeders. They also spent the same amount of time on their nest between at-sea trips. Nevertheless, habitat models revealed a partial spatial segregation of failed breeders, which used specific foraging areas characterized by deeper and colder waters, in addition to the ones they shared with successful breeders. Our study shows the importance of combining a range of analytical methods (spatial analysis, behavioural inferences with advanced movement models and habitat models) to infer the at-sea behaviour and habitat use of seabirds. It also stresses the importance of considering individual breeding status when aiming at understanding the spatial distribution of individuals, especially when they likely have conservation implications.

Published
2021

22. Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Author

Annette L. Fayet, Geir Helge Systad, William A. Montevecchi, Richard A. Phillips, Jeremy Madeiros, Thierry Boulinier, Hólmfríður Arnardóttir, Maria P. Dias, Anders Mosbech, Olivier Gilg, Hallvard Strøm, Janos C. Hennicke, Sarah Wanless, Morten Frederiksen, Ben Lascelles, Rob van Bemmelen, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Carolina Hazin, Nicholas Per Huffeldt, Bergur Olsen, Johannes Krietsch, Marta Cruz-Flores, Robert T. Barrett, Ellen Magnusdottir, Jannie F. Linnebjerg, Manuel Biscoito, Niels Martin Schmidt, Tim Guilford, Yann Kolbeinsson, Paulo Catry, Ana Isabel Fagundes, Robert A. Ronconi, Thorkell Lindberg Thórarinsson, Jaime A. Ramos, Johannes Lang, Tammy E. Davies, Michael P. Harris, Euan Dunn, Mark Jessopp, Raül Ramos, Vitor H. Paiva, Francis Zino, Loïc Bollache, José Pedro Granadeiro, Peter G. Ryan, Aevar Petersen, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Flemming Merkel, Benoît Sittler, Hans-Ulrich Peter, Mark Newell, Svein-Håkon Lorentsen, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Paul M. Thompson, Francis Daunt, Børge Moe, Carsten Egevang, Ewan D. Wakefield, Jóhannis Danielsen, Jérôme Fort, April Hedd, Erpur Snær Hansen, Robert W. Furness, Ana P. B. Carneiro, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Ingvar A. Sigurðsson, Olivier Chastel, David Grémillet, Iván Ramírez, Harald Steen, Verónica C. Neves, Mark L. Mallory, Filipe R. Ceia, Jacob González-Solís, Bruna Campos, Marguerite Tarzia, Iain J. Stenhouse, Laura McFarlane Tranquilla, Teresa Militão, BirdLife International, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia = School of Science & Technology (FCT NOVA), Universidade Nova de Lisboa = NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA), Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, EuroNatur Foundation, Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fuglavernd / BirdLife in Iceland, Tromsø University Museum, University of Tromsø (UiT), Funchal Natural History Museum, Laboratoire Chrono-environnement - CNRS - UBFC (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre [Portugal] (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA), Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE UC), Universidade de Coimbra [Coimbra], Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Dept. de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Faroe Marine Research Institute, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology [Penicuik, U.K.], Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), National Institute of Water, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) [Lisboa], University of Oxford [Oxford], LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés - UMRi 7266 (LIENSs), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), School of Veterinary Medicine, (Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal (CESAM), Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change [Mount Pearl], Department of Bioscience [Roskilde], Aarhus University [Aarhus], School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences [Ireland], University College Cork (UCC), Northeast Iceland Nature Research Centre [Húsavík], Institute of Ecology and Evolution [Jena], Friedrich-Schiller-Universität = Friedrich Schiller University Jena [Jena, Germany], Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians & Fish, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (JLU), Department of Bioscience [Roskilde, Denmark], Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Bermuda, Paget, Bermuda, Háskóli Íslands [Reykjavik, Iceland], University of Iceland [Reykjavik], Biology, Acadia University,Wolfville, NS, Canada, Acadia University, Birds Canada, Sackville, NB, Canada, Psychology Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada, Memorial University of Newfoundland [St. John's], Lake Ecosystems Group [Lancaster, U.K.] (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Lancaster Environment Centre [Lancaster, U.K.], Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Jena, Germany, Independent Researcher, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town-DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, Icelandic Institute of Natural History, University of Freiburg [Freiburg], Norwegian Polar Institute, Biodiversity Research Institute, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Bureau Waardenburg, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology [Penicuik, UK], Freira Conservation Project, Funchal, Portugal, Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida = University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences (ISPA), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), University of Oxford, LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen = Justus Liebig University (JLU), and Memorial University of Newfoundland = Université Memorial de Terre-Neuve [St. John's, Canada] (MUN)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, marine protected area, SHEARWATERS, STOPOVER, Marine protected area, 01 natural sciences, Biologging conservation, Abundance (ecology), HABITAT, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Ecology, biology, Phenology, conservation, Area beyond national jurisdiction, OVERLAP, Hotspot (Wi-Fi), Geography, area beyond national jurisdiction, International waters, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Population data, Seabird, MIGRATION, CONSERVATION, QH1-199.5, 010603 evolutionary biology, Ecology and Environment, FEEDING ECOLOGY, biologging, biology.animal, parasitic diseases, VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480, High seas, 14. Life underwater, PELAGIC SEABIRD, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, regional seas convention, Nature and Landscape Conservation, MOVEMENTS, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, fungi, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution, Pelagic zone, Regional seas convention, Fishery, Marine Sciences, high seas, Atlantic, VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480
Abstract

The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the subpolar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9–5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations has been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Published
2021

23. Flaviviruses in migratory passerines during spring stopover in a desert oasis

Author

Ceclie Beck, Slaheddine Selmi, Abdesslem Hammouda, Sylvie Lecollinet, Tasnim Ayadi, Thierry Boulinier, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), UR 17ES44 'Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre' [Gabès, Tunisia] (Faculté des Sciences de Gabès), Université de Gabès, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Tunisia, Epidemiology, West Nile virus, viruses, Occurrence probability, 030106 microbiology, 030231 tropical medicine, Bird migration, Zoology, medicine.disease_cause, Intraspecific competition, Flavivirus Infections, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Species Specificity, Oriolus oriolus, medicine, Animals, Passeriformes, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, General Veterinary, General Immunology and Microbiology, biology, Bird Diseases, Flavivirus, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, virus diseases, biology.organism_classification, Infectious Diseases, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Biological dispersal, Enzootic, Animal Migration, Desert Climate, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Usutu virus
Abstract

Bird migration has long been hypothesized as the main mechanism for long-distance dispersal of flaviviruses, but the role of migratory birds in flaviviruses spillover is not well documented. In this study, we investigated the eco-epidemiology of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) in trans-Saharan passerines during their spring stopover in southern Tunisian oases. To do, we combined oral swab analysis and serological tools to assess whether migratory birds could be reaching these stopover sites while infectious or have been previously exposed to viruses. All sampled birds tested negative for oral swab analysis. However, anti-WNV and anti-USUV antibodies were detected in 32% and 1% of tested birds, respectively. Among WNV-seropositive species, the Golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus) showed the highest anti-WNV occurrence probability. In this species, anti-WNV occurrence was twice larger in males than females. Inter-specific and intraspecific morphological, physiological and behavioural differences could explain these results. Although our findings did not show evidence for passerines migrating while infectious, they did not exclude an existing enzootic WNV transmission cycle in Tunisian oases. Further investigations including larger samples of migratory birds are needed for a better understanding of this issue.

Published
2019

25. Seabirds blinded by ticks

Author

Thierry Boulinier, Amandine Gamble, Henri Weimerskirch, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Endangered species, Zoology, Tick, medicine.disease_cause, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Predation, biology.animal, Infestation, parasitic diseases, medicine, 14. Life underwater, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Ecology, biology, biology.organism_classification, Bycatch, Procellaria aequinoctialis, 13. Climate action, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Ixodes, Seabird
Abstract

International audience; In December 2017, on Possession Island (part of the Crozet Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean), we observed two breeding white‐chinned petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis ) with very high levels of tick (Ixodes kerguelenensis ) infestation on both eyes. This degree of infestation was likely responsible for the birds’ death. Although this rare observation may seem anecdotal, it reveals that ticks can be fatal for a long‐lived colonial seabird species, in this case one that is already under pressure from fisheries bycatch and predation by introduced black rats (Rattus rattus ). It also raises questions about the frequency and spatial distribution of such a phenomenon and the conditions that may have been responsible for its occurrence. Such high parasite loads imply high local tick abundances but also a lack of preening by the partner. Could this be linked to the recent death of the partner? Infestations by ticks can affect the health of hosts through blood loss, the injection of toxins, and the transmission of infectious agents. In this instance, the mechanical blocking of eyesight may also have affected the birds’ behavior. The potential impact of climate change on local parasitic infestation levels is another important question. Parasites and diseases can harm endangered species in polar and subpolar areas, and could play critical roles in some circumstances.

Published
2020

26. Impact of Annual Bacterial Epizootics on Albatross Population on a Remote Island

Author

Henri Weimerskirch, Pablo Tortosa, Erwan Lagadec, Camille Lebarbenchon, Vincent Bourret, Karine Delord, Amandine Gamble, Karin Lemberger, Jean-Baptiste Thiebot, Jérémy Tornos, Thierry Boulinier, Audrey Jaeger, Christophe Barbraud, Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-IRD-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de La Réunion (UR), Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE [Réunion]), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, TAAF, Ceva Biovac [Beaucouzé, France], Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Vet Diagnostics, This work was funded by the Réserve Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, the French Polar Institute (IPEV programs ECOPATH-1151 and ORNITHO-ECO-109), le Ministère des Outre-Mer (MOM-2013), the Zone Atelier Antarctique ZATA CNRS-INEE, Labex CEMEB, and OSU OREME., Laboratoire d'Ecologie Marine (ECOMAR), Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), and National Institute of Polar Research [Tokyo] (NiPR)

Subjects
Thalassarche carteri, Pasteurella multocida, 040301 veterinary sciences, Molecular biology, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, 030231 tropical medicine, Population, Zoology, Albatross, Breeding, Wildlife, Disease Outbreaks, 0403 veterinary science, Birds, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Cholera, biology.animal, otorhinolaryngologic diseases, Animals, Disease ecology, 14. Life underwater, education, Islands, education.field_of_study, Eco-epidemiology, Ecology, biology, Bacteria, Transmission (medicine), Bird Diseases, 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences, Bacterial Infections, Seabird, 15. Life on land, biology.organism_classification, Animal ecology, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Species richness, Seasons
Abstract

International audience; The reduced species richness typical of oceanic islands provides an interesting environmental setup to examine in natura the epidemiological dynamics of infectious agents with potential implications for public health and/or conservation. On Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean), recurrent die-offs of Indian yellow-nosed albatross (Thalassarche carteri) nestlings have been attributed to avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. In order to help implementing efficient measures for the control of this disease, it is critical to better understand the local epidemiology of P. multocida and to examine its inter- and intra-annual infection dynamics. We evaluated the infection status of 264 yellow-nosed albatrosses over four successive breeding seasons using a real-time PCR targeting P. multocida DNA from cloacal swabs. Infection prevalence patterns revealed an intense circulation of P. multocida throughout the survey, with a steady but variable increase in infection prevalence within each breeding season. These epizootics were associated with massive nestling dies-offs, inducing very low fledging successes (≤ 20%). These results suggest important variations in the transmission dynamics of this pathogen. These findings and the developed PCR protocol have direct applications to guide future research and refine conservation plans aiming at controlling the disease.

Published
2020

28. Oases

Author

Slaheddine Selmi and Thierry Boulinier

Published
2019

29. Diversity, prevalence and host specificity of avian parasites in southern Tunisian oases

Author

Claire Loiseau, Sandra Reis, Abdessalem Hammouda, Slaheddine Selmi, Tasnim Ayadi, Thierry Boulinier, UR 17ES44 'Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre' [Gabès, Tunisia] (Faculté des Sciences de Gabès), Université de Gabès, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Plasmodium, Malaria, Avian, Tunisia, Lineage (evolution), Zoology, Host Specificity, Birds, 03 medical and health sciences, biology.animal, Prevalence, Animals, Columbidae, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Ecosystem, Sparrow, biology, Bird Diseases, Genetic Variation, Vegetation, DNA, Protozoan, 15. Life on land, Haemosporida, biology.organism_classification, Laughing dove, 030104 developmental biology, Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Habitat, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Animal Science and Zoology, Haemoproteus, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Sparrows
Abstract

Oases are semi-natural woodlots surrounded by an inhospitable desert environment. This insular-like habitat system is known to support a mixture of sedentary and migratory bird species originating from different areas. However, little is known about the interactions between these birds and parasites. In this study, we investigated the diversity, prevalence and host specificity of avian haemosporidian parasites in southern Tunisian oases in two sedentary and common bird species, the laughing doveSpilopelia senegalensisand hybrid sparrowPasser domesticus × hispaniolensis, in six sites that differ regarding vegetation structure and distance to the coast. Two newHaemoproteuslineages, related to otherHaemoproteustransmitted by biting midges, were detected in doves. With regard to sparrows, all detected parasites have previously been reported in other sparrow populations, except for one newHaemoproteuslineage. Our results also showed that densely vegetated sites were characterized by the higher prevalence ofPlasmodiumbut a lower prevalence ofHaemoproteuscompared with less-vegetated sites. This is the first study aiming to explore avian parasites in the oasis habitat. Gathering data on a larger sample of oases with different sizes and isolation levels will be the next step to better understand factors shaping the transmission dynamics of avian parasites in such ecosystems.

Published
2017

30. Multi-colony tracking reveals spatio-temporal variation in carry-over effects between breeding success and winter movements in a pelagic seabird

Author

Sébastien Descamps, Harald Steen, Michael P. Harris, Adam Butler, Maria I. Bogdanova, Francis Daunt, Lorraine S. Chivers, Deryk N. Shaw, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Richard A. Phillips, Mark Newell, Thierry Boulinier, Thorkell Lindberg Thórarinsson, Børge Moe, Sarah Wanless, Hallvard Strøm, Bergur Olsen, Morten Frederiksen, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Banchory, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Department of Bioscience [Aarhus], Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), SIGMA Clermont (SIGMA Clermont)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de recherche en Hydrodynamique, Énergétique et Environnement Atmosphérique (LHEEA), and École Centrale de Nantes (ECN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Rissa tridactyla, Range (biology), Population, Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480 [VDP], Aquatic Science, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Ecology and Environment, Life history theory, biology.animal, 14. Life underwater, Life-history strategies, education, Migration, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, education.field_of_study, Ecology, biology, Geolocation, Reproduction, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, North Atlantic, Pelagic zone, Annual cycle, biology.organism_classification, Seasonal interactions, Marine Sciences, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Black-legged kittiwake, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Seabird, Zoology
Abstract

Carry-over effects, whereby events in one season have consequences in subsequent seasons, have important demographic implications. Although most studies examine carry-over effects across 2 seasons in single populations, the effects may persist beyond the following season and vary across a species’ range. To assess potential carry-over effects across the annual cycle and among populations, we deployed geolocation loggers on black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla at 10 colonies in the north-east Atlantic and examined relationships between the timing and destination of migratory movements and breeding success in the year of deployment and sub - sequent season. Both successful and unsuccessful breeders wintered primarily in the north-west Atlantic. Breeding success affected the timing of migration, whereby unsuccessful breeders departed the colony earlier, arrived at the post-breeding and main wintering areas sooner, and departed later the following spring. However, these patterns were only apparent in colonies in the south-west of the study region. Furthermore, the effect of breeding success was stronger on migration timing in the first part of the winter than later. Timing of migratory movements was weakly linked to subsequent breeding success, and there was no detectable association between breeding success in the 2 seasons. Our results indicate temporal structure and spatial hetero - geneity in the strength of seasonal interactions among kittiwakes breeding in the north-east Atlantic. Variable fitness consequences for individuals from different colonies could have important implications for population processes across the species’ range and suggest that the spatiotemporal dynamics of carry-over effects warrant further study. Seasonal interactions · Migration · Reproduction · Life-history strategies · Geolocation · Black-legged kittiwake · Rissa tridactyla · North Atlantic

Published
2017

31. Intense prospecting movements of failed breeders nesting in an unsuccessful breeding subcolony

Author

Torkild Tveraa, Lech Iliszko, Aurore Ponchon, David Grémillet, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Rissa tridactyla, biology, Ecology, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, Limiting, biology.organism_classification, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Habitat, Kittiwake, Biological dispersal, Nesting (computing), Prospecting, Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Selection (genetic algorithm)
Abstract

Prospecting for a future breeding site may help individuals decide whether to disperse and where to settle. However, little is known about it because of methodological constraints limiting the acquisition of data at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, especially for individuals that have failed breeding. Using recently developed solar-powered GPS-UHF not requiring the recapture of individuals, we tracked failed breeding black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla, nesting in a failed subcolony of a large Norwegian colony from the end of incubation and across the chick-rearing period. As predicted, their movement patterns differed significantly from those of successfully breeding birds tracked simultaneously in a nearby successful subcolony. After 1 week of tracking, all failed breeders rapidly abandoned their nesting cliff and males and females simultaneously increased prospecting visits to other parts of their nesting colony and to neighbouring kittiwake colonies situated 40–50 km away. Conversely, none of the successful breeders prospected over the same period. Our results provide new insights on prospecting movements linked to potential dispersal decisions after breeding failure. They suggest that males and females have similar temporal but different spatial prospecting patterns, possibly due to different costs associated with prospecting and dispersal decisions. They also highlight the need to track more comprehensively the movements linked with breeding habitat selection and dispersal in contrasting environmental conditions to better understand the complex behavioural responses of individuals to breeding failure and their consequences for the spatial dynamics of populations.

Published
2017

32. Next generation serology: integrating cross-sectional and capture-recapture approaches to infer disease dynamics

Author

Romain Garnier, Thierry Boulinier, Amandine Gamble, Olivier Gimenez, Thierry Chambert, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Georgetown University [Washington] (GU), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), ANR-16-CE02-0007,DEMOCOM,Effets de la gestion et du climat sur la dynamique des communautés - Développement d'une démographie multi-espèce.(2016), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Ecology, Computer science, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, Uncertainty, Sampling (statistics), Inference, Context (language use), Force of infection, Disease, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Quantitative ecology, Field (geography), Mark and recapture, Cross-Sectional Studies, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Econometrics, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Abstract

Two approaches have been classically used in disease ecology to estimate epidemiological parameters from field studies: cross-sectional sampling from unmarked individuals and longitudinal capture-recapture setups, which generally involve more limited numbers of marked individuals due to cost and logistical constraints. Although the benefits of longitudinal setups are increasingly acknowledged in the disease ecology community, cross-sectional data remain largely overrepresented in the literature, probably because of the inherent costs of longitudinal surveys. In this context, we used simulated data to compare the performances of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs to estimate the force of infection (i.e., the rate at which susceptible individuals become infected). Then, inspired from recent method developments in quantitative ecology, we explore the benefits of integrating both cross-sectional (seroprevalences) and longitudinal (individuals histories) data sets. In doing so, we investigate the effects of host species life history, antibody persistence, and degree of a priori knowledge and uncertainty on demographic and epidemiological parameters, as those are expected to affect in different ways the level of inference possible from the data. Our results highlight how those elements are important to consider in determining optimal sampling designs. In the case of long-lived species exposed to infectious agents resulting in persistent antibody responses, integrated designs are especially valuable as they benefit from the performances of longitudinal designs even with relatively small longitudinal sample sizes. As an illustration, we apply this approach to a combination of empirical and simulated data inspired from a case of bats exposed to a rabies virus. Overall, this work highlights that serology field studies could greatly benefit from the opportunity of integrating cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.

Published
2019

33. Exploring the infection dynamics of a bacterial pathogen on a remote oceanic island reveals annual epizootics impacting an albatross population

Author

Pablo Tortosa, Christophe Barbraud, Thierry Boulinier, Henri Weimerskirch, Jérémy Tornos, Bourret, Thiebot J, Camille Lebarbenchon, Lemberger K, Erwan Lagadec, Amandine Gamble, Karine Delord, Audrey Jaeger, Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-IRD-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de La Réunion (UR), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, TAAF, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Vet Diagnostics, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology [CA, USA], Dominican University of California, Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IRD-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 0303 health sciences, education.field_of_study, Thalassarche carteri, biology, Population, Fledge, Wildlife, Zoology, Albatross, 15. Life on land, biology.organism_classification, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, 03 medical and health sciences, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, 14. Life underwater, Species richness, education, Pasteurella multocida, 030304 developmental biology, Wildlife conservation
Abstract

Oceanic islands with reduced species richness provide an opportunity to investigate the emergence, maintenance and transmission of infectious diseases threatening wildlife. On Amsterdam Island, in the southern Indian Ocean, massive and recurrent mortality of the nestlings of Indian yellow-nosed albatross (Thalassarche carteri) has been attributed to avian cholera caused byPasteurella multocida, a bacterial pathogen of likely human introduction. To understand the annual dynamics of pathogen prevalence, we measured the shedding of bacterial DNA by the albatrosses during four successive breeding seasons. The screening of 583 bird swabs by Real-Time PCR revealed an intense circulation ofP. multocidaduring each study year, with a steady increase of infection prevalence across the breeding season. In the three years of highest pathogen prevalence, the epizootics were associated with massive die-offs of nestlings, inducing low annual fledging success (< 20%). These findings and developed PCR protocol have crucial applications for refining wildlife conservation plans aiming at controlling this disease.

Published
2019
Full Text
View/download PDF

34. Infestation of small seabirds by Ornithodoros maritimus ticks: Effects on chick body condition, reproduction and associated infectious agents

Author

José Manuel Igual, Marine Dumarest, Ana Payo-Payo, Lena Yousfi, Andreu Rotger, Cécile Beck, Miguel Ángel Miranda, Virginia Picorelli, Thierry Boulinier, Ana Sanz-Aguilar, Amandine Gamble, Sara Moutailler, Mariana Viñas Torres, Biologie moléculaire et immunologie parasitaires et fongiques (BIPAR), École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA)-Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Dozulé, Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Virologie UMR1161 (VIRO), École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort (ENVA)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Govern Balear (Acciones Especiales) AAEE031/2017, Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities (RESET) CGL2017-85210-P, Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities Innovation and Universities, Agencia Estatal de Investigacion, European Social Fund (ESF) RYC-2017-22796, Govern de les Illes Balears, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España), École nationale vétérinaire - Alfort (ENVA)-Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Dozulé, École nationale vétérinaire - Alfort (ENVA)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Tick infestation, relapsing fever, 030231 tropical medicine, Population, Zoology, Tick, medicine.disease_cause, Microbiology, Parasite load, Birds, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, WNV, Storm petrels, biology.animal, Borrelia, Infestation, parasitic diseases, medicine, Prevalence, Soft ticks, Animals, 14. Life underwater, Mortality, education, Ornithodoros, education.field_of_study, Tick-borne pathogens, biology, Bird Diseases, Coinfection, Reproduction, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, bacterial infections and mycoses, 3. Good health, Tick Infestations, 030104 developmental biology, Infectious Diseases, Spain, Insect Science, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Body Composition, Parasitology, Seabird, West Nile virus
Abstract

Ticks can negatively affect their host by direct effects as blood feeding causing anaemia or discomfort, or by pathogen transmission. Consequently, ticks can have an important role in the population dynamics of their hosts. However, specific studies on the demographic effects of tick infestation on seabirds are still scarce. Seabird ticks have also the potential to be responsible for the circulation of little known tick-borne agents, which could have implications for non-seabird species. Here, we report the results of investigations on potential associations between soft tick Ornithodoros maritimus load and reproductive parameters of storm petrels Hydrobates pelagicus breeding in a large colony in a cave of Espartar Island, in the Balearic archipelago. We also investigated by molecular analyses the potential viral and bacterial pathogens associated with O. maritimus ticks present at the colony. Lower nestling survival was recorded in the most infested area, deep in the cave, compared to the area near the entrance. The parasite load was negatively associated with the body condition of the nestlings. One pool of ticks tested positive for West Nile virus and 4 pools tested positive for a Borrelia species which was determined by targeted nested PCR to have a 99% sequence identity with B. turicatae, a relapsing fever Borrelia. Overall, these results show that further investigations are needed to better understand the ecology and epidemiology of the interactions between ticks, pathogens and Procellariiform species., This Project was partially funded by the Govern Balear (Acciones Especiales, AAEE031/2017) and the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities (RESET, ref: CGL2017-85210-P). ASA was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Universities Innovation and Universities, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación and the European Social Found (RYC-2017- 22796).

Published
2019

35. Exposure of breeding albatrosses to the agent of avian cholera: dynamics of antibody levels and ecological implications

Author

Vincent Bourret, Karine Delord, Pablo Tortosa, Thierry Boulinier, Hubert Gantelet, Jérémy Tornos, Henri Weimerskirch, Audrey Jaeger, Eric Thibault, Christophe Barbraud, Amandine Gamble, Jean-Baptiste Thiebot, Romain Garnier, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Department of Biology [Washington], Georgetown University [Washington] (GU), Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-IRD-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de La Réunion (UR), CEVA- BIOVAC, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Department of biology, georgetown University, Washington DC, Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE [Réunion]), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), National Insitute of Polar Research, National Institute of Polar Research [Tokyo] (NiPR), Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, TAAF, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Ecologie marine tropicale des océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE [Nouvelle-Calédonie]), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Nouvelle-Calédonie]), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR), Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IRD-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Pasteurella multocida, Survival, Population, Immuno-ecology, Disease, Breeding, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Birds, [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Ecosystems, Immune system, Cholera, Immunity, medicine, Animals, Disease ecology, Capture–mark–recapture, education, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Maternal antibodies, [SDV.EE.SANT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Health, education.field_of_study, Bacterial disease, Ecology, biology, [SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE], 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, Capture-mark-recapture, Seabird, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, [SDV.MP.BAC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Bacteriology, 3. Good health, Vaccination, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Female, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Serological dynamics
Abstract

International audience; Despite critical implications for disease dynamics and surveillance in wild long-lived species, the immune response after exposure to potentially highly pathogenic bacterial disease agents is still poorly known. Among infectious diseases threatening wild populations, avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, is a major concern. It frequently causes massive mortality events in wild populations, notably affecting nestlings of Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses (Tha-lassarche carteri) in the Indian Ocean. If adults are able to mount a long-term immune response, this could have important consequences regarding the dynamics of the pathogen in the local host community and the potential interest of vaccinating breeding females to transfer immunity to their offspring. By tracking the dynamics of antibodies against P. multocida during 4 years and implementing a vaccination experiment in a population of yellow-nosed albatrosses, we show that a significant proportion of adults were naturally exposed despite high annual survival for both vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals. Adult-specific antibody levels were thus maintained long enough to inform about recent exposure. However, only low levels of maternal antibodies could be detected in nestlings the year following a vaccination of their mothers. A modification of the vaccine formulation and the possibility to re-vaccinate females 2 years after the first vaccination revealed that vaccines have the potential to elicit a stronger and more persistent response. Such results highlight the value of long-term observational and experimental studies of host exposure to infectious agents in the wild, where ecological and evolutionary processes are likely critical for driving disease dynamics.

Published
2019

36. Risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in Antarctic wildlife

Author

Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels, Meagan Dewar, Gary Miller, Michelle L. Power, Rachel Gray, Virginia Morandini, Julia Inés Diaz, Arvind Vansani, Wray Grimaldi, Thierry Boulinier, Daniel González-Acuña, Amandine Gamble, Andrés Barbosa, Clive R. McMahon, Michelle Wille, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), European Commission, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), National Science Foundation (US), National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (Australia), University of Tasmania, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (Argentina), Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Instituto Antártico Chileno, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), School of Life Sciences [Tempe, USA], Arizona State University [Tempe] (ASU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), School of Health and Life Sciences [Churchill, VIC, Australia], Federation University Australia, Universidad de Concepción, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales [Madrid] (MNCN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Oregon State University (OSU), Universidad Nacional de la Plata [Argentine] (UNLP), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Federation University [Churchill, Australia], Universidad de Concepción [Chile], The University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia (UWA), Macquarie University [Sydney], University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro), Universidad de Concepción - University of Concepcion [Chile], and University of California (UC)

Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, viruses, CORONAVIRUS, 010501 environmental sciences, medicine.disease_cause, 01 natural sciences, purl.org/becyt/ford/1 [https], [SDV.MHEP.MI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases, Zoonoses, Mitigation measures, Pandemic, Waste Management and Disposal, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Coronavirus, [SDV.MHEP.ME]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Emerging diseases, virus diseases, REVERSE ZOONOSES, Pollution, virology, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Risk assessment, CIENCIAS NATURALES Y EXACTAS, Environmental Engineering, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), TRANSMISSION, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Wildlife, Antarctic Regions, Biology, Risk Assessment, Article, Ciencias Biológicas, Political science, medicine, Animals, Humans, Transmission, Environmental Chemistry, 14. Life underwater, purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 [https], 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, MITIGATION MEASURES, [SDV.BA.MVSA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Veterinary medicine and animal Health, SARS-CoV-2, fungi, COVID-19, Ecología, Virology, 13. Climate action, Reverse zoonoses, Antarctica, [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Virología, Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Demography
Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pathogen has spread rapidly across the world, causing high numbers of deaths and significant social and economic impacts. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus with a suggested zoonotic origin with the potential for cross-species transmission among animals. Antarctica can be considered the only continent free of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential human introduction of this virus to the continent through the activities of research or tourism to minimise the effects on human health, and the potential for virus transmission to Antarctic wildlife. We assess the reverse-zoonotic transmission risk to Antarctic wildlife by considering the available information on host susceptibility, dynamics of the infection in humans, and contact interactions between humans and Antarctic wildlife. The environmental conditions in Antarctica seem to be favourable for the virus stability. Indoor spaces such as those at research stations, research vessels or tourist cruise ships could allow for more transmission among humans and depending on their movements between different locations the virus could be spread across the continent. Among Antarctic wildlife previous in silico analyses suggested that cetaceans are at greater risk of infection whereas seals and birds appear to be at a low infection risk. However, caution needed until further research is carried out and consequently, the precautionary principle should be applied. Field researchers handling animals are identified as the human group posing the highest risk of transmission to animals while tourists and other personnel pose a significant risk only when in close proximity (< 5 m) to Antarctic fauna. We highlight measures to reduce the risk as well as identify of knowledge gaps related to this issue., Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image, Highlights • Conditions in Antarctica could be favourable for SARS-CoV-2 stability. • In silico analyses revealed that Cetaceans have a higher susceptibility to the virus. • Seals and birds seem to have a lower risk of infection. • Wildlife researchers have the highest risk of transmission to Antarctic fauna. • Tourists can be potential vectors for SARS-CoV-2 transmission to Antarctic fauna.

Published
2021

37. Breeding failure induces large scale prospecting movements in the black-legged kittiwake

Author

Elisa Lobato, Torkild Tveraa, Thierry Chambert, David Grémillet, Aurore Ponchon, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Conspecific reproductive success, Breeding in the wild, Ecology, Foraging, Aquatic Science, Biology, Social information use, Dispersal decisions, Black-legged kittiwake, Scale (social sciences), Breeding habitat selection, Rissa tridactyla, Prospecting, Biological dispersal, Social information, Spatial extent, Site fidelity, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

Before making dispersal decisions, many species are known to gather social information by prospecting potential future breeding sites, especially when they have failed breeding. So far, the role of current breeding performance on the occurrence of prospecting movements has mainly been studied at limited spatial scales, because of diffi- culties in tracking free-ranging, fast-moving individuals between distant breeding patches. Little information is thus available on individual behaviour and the spatial extent of prospecting movements in response to breeding failure. To address this issue, black-legged kittiwakes which breeding success was manipulated were tracked with GPS at the end of incubation in two Norwegian colonies. Crucially, and as predicted, prospecting visits to other breeding colonies were recorded in 33% of artificially-failed breeders, but never in successful ones. They occurred at large (40 km) as well as local spatial scales (1 km). Time-budgets of successful and failed breeders differed significantly in terms of trip duration, but also foraging, resting and nesting propensities. These results provide important elements to assess trade-offs between prospecting and other activities. They show that a substantial proportion of failed breeders prospect as early as within a week after failure at the egg stage and suggest that these individuals assess their options of future reproduction by prospecting alternative areas, although dispersal decisions may also involve more complex behavioural processes. Because they link breeding colonies situated tens of kilometres apart, prospecting movements may have critical implications for the dynamics of subdivided populations. 2 and a Région Languedoc-Roussillon programme ‘Chercheur d'Avenir’ award to TB. [SS] French Polar Institute; University of Montpellier 2; Region Languedoc-Roussillon programme 'Chercheur d'Avenir'

Published
2015

38. Exposure of yellow-legged gulls to

Author

Lokman Galal, Aurélien Mercier, Yaiza Parra-Torres, Jessica Pearce-Duvet, Jacob González-Solís, Thierry Boulinier, Amandine Gamble, Daniel Oro, Isabelle Villena, Tomás Montalvo, Raül Ramos, Abdessalem Hammouda, Slaheddine Selmi, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences [Barcelona, Spain] (Faculty of Biology), University of Barcelona, Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale (NET), CHU Limoges-Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut Génomique, Environnement, Immunité, Santé, Thérapeutique (GEIST), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM), Protozooses Transmises par l'Alimentation (Cryptosporidiose, Giardose et Toxoplasmose) : Mode de Contamination et Pathogénie (PROTAL) - EA 3800 (PROTAL), Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-Université de Rouen Normandie (UNIROUEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-SFR CAP Santé (Champagne-Ardenne Picardie Santé), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), Servei de Vigilància i Control de Plagues Urbanes [Barcelona, Spain], Agència de salut pública de barcelona, CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), UR 17ES44 'Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre' [Gabès, Tunisia] (Faculté des Sciences de Gabès), Université de Gabès, Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats [Esporles, Spain] (CSIC-UIB), Institut Mediterrani d'estudis Avançats, Mallorca, Spain, Centre for Advanced Studies [Blanes, Spain] (CEAB-CSIC), Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Rouen Normandie (UNIROUEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES)-SFR CAP Santé (Champagne-Ardenne Picardie Santé), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), ANR-17-CE35-0004,IntroTox,PHENOMÈNES D'INTROGRESSIONS DANS L'ÉTUDE DE LA DIVERSITÉ GÉNÉTIQUE DU TOXOPLASME ENTRE LA FRANCE ET L'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST ET CENTRALE : DES INFLUENCES HUMAINES ET ENVIRONEMENTALES(2017), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut Génomique, Environnement, Immunité, Santé, Thérapeutique (GEIST), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-CHU Limoges-Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [Barcelona] (UAB), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Spain] (CSIC), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), Servei de Vigilància i Control de Plagues Urbanes, Department of Animal Biology (Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio)), Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (CSIC-UIB) (IMEDEA), CCSD, Accord Elsevier, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), and Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)-Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)-Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Mediterranean climate, Stable isotope analysis, Occupancy, Population, Wildlife, Zoology, Toxoplasma gondii, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Sampling strategy, Article, 03 medical and health sciences, parasitic diseases, lcsh:Zoology, medicine, Parasite hosting, 14. Life underwater, lcsh:QL1-991, Mediterranean region, education, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 030304 developmental biology, Immunoassay, 0303 health sciences, education.field_of_study, Eco-epidemiology, biology, medicine.disease, biology.organism_classification, Larus michahellis, Toxoplasmosis, 3. Good health, Infectious Diseases, [SDV.SPEE] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, embryonic structures, Animal Science and Zoology, Parasitology, [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
Abstract

Este artículo contiene 8 páginas, 4 figuras., Efficiently tracking and anticipating the dynamics of infectious agents in wild populations requires the gathering of large numbers of samples, if possible at several locations and points in time, which can be a challenge for some species. Testing for the presence of specific maternal antibodies in egg yolks sampled on the colonies could represent an efficient way to quantify the exposure of breeding females to infectious agents, particularly when using an abundant and widespread species, such as the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis). We used such an approach to explore spatio-temporal patterns of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, a pathogenic protozoan responsible of toxoplasmosis in humans and other warm-blooded vertebrates. First, we tested the validity of this approach by exploring the repeatability of the detection of specific antibodies at the egg level using two different immunoassays and at the clutch level using an occupancy model. Then, samples gathered in 15 colonies from France, Spain and Tunisia were analysed using an immunoassay detecting antibodies specifically directed against T. gondii. Prevalence of specific antibodies in eggs was overall high while varying significantly among colonies. These results revealed that T. gondii circulated at a large spatial scale in the western Mediterranean yellow-legged gull population, highlighting its potential role in the maintenance community of this parasite. Additionally, this study illustrates how species commensal to human populations like large gulls can be used as wildlife sentinels for the tracking of infectious agents at the human-wildlife interface, notably by sampling eggs., This work is part of the “Goélands leucophée et pathogènes” observation task of OSU OREME and is a follow up of ANR projects EVEMATA (11-BSV7-003). Genotyping of T. gondii strains was funded as part of the ANR project IntroTox (17-CE35- 0004). AG was supported by a PhD fellowship from French Ministry of Research, RR by a postdoctoral contract of the Juan de la Cierva program, from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (JCI-2012-11848) and JMCP by a Chateaubriand Fellowship.

Published
2018

39. Vaccination protects endangered albatross chicks against avian cholera

Author

Henri Weimerskirch, Audrey Jaeger, Karine Delord, Thierry Boulinier, Sarah Kada, Christophe Barbraud, Romain Garnier, Jean-Baptiste Thiebot, Vincent Bourret, Jérémy Tornos, Hubert Gantelet, Pablo Tortosa, Amandine Gamble, Eric Thibault, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE [Réunion]), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-IRD-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université de La Réunion (UR), Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (T.A.A.F.), Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, CEVA- BIOVAC, University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IRD-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Endangered species, Zoology, Albatross, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Ecosystems, biology.animal, medicine, 14. Life underwater, Seroconversion, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Nature and Landscape Conservation, [SDV.EE.SANT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Health, Amsterdam albatross, Ecology, biology, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, [SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE], Outbreak, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, Cholera, [SDV.MP.BAC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Bacteriology, 3. Good health, Vaccination, Seabird
Abstract

Global change is contributing to unprecedented expansions of infectious diseases in wildlife. Recurrent avian cholera outbreaks are causing dramatic chick mortality and population decline in endangered albatross colonies on Amsterdam Island, a critical seabird breeding ground in the Southern Indian Ocean. We manufactured a killed vaccine using a Pasteurella multocida strain isolated from a dead albatross in the field. We used this same bacterial strain to establish a serological assay allowing the monitoring of antibody levels following bird vaccination. Using this vaccine on chicks 2 weeks posthatching caused 100% seroconversion and reduced the death risk by a factor exceeding 2.5, raising fledging probability from 14% to 46%. These results suggest that using a specifically tailored vaccine could be a key tool to effectively protect endangered seabirds from disease outbreaks threatening them with extinction.

Published
2018

40. Survival estimates strongly depend on capture–recapture designs in a disturbed environment inducing dispersal

Author

Jérémy Tornos, Torkild Tveraa, Rémi Choquet, Thierry Boulinier, Aurore Ponchon, Karen D. McCoy, Eco-Ethology Research Unit, ISPA, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Evolution of host-microbe communities (MIVEGEC-EVCO), Processus Écologiques et Évolutifs au sein des Communautés (PEEC), Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), The Polar Environmental Centre, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, demography, environmental disturbance, media_common.quotation_subject, Population, Zoology and botany: 480 [VDP], Fidelity, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Mark and recapture, Sampling design, Statistics, education, Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480 [VDP], Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, media_common, education.field_of_study, Ecology, individual behaviour, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, Homogeneity (statistics), Statistical model, 15. Life on land, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, Spatial ecology, Environmental science, Biological dispersal, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
Abstract

Capture-Recapture (CR) approaches are extensively used to estimate demographic parameters. Their robustness relies on the selection of suitable statistical models, but also on the sampling design and effort deployed in the field. In colonial or territorial species faithful to their breeding site, some recurrent local perturbations such as predation-induced breeding failure may lead individuals to disperse locally, potentially outside the study area. This might induce heterogeneity in CR histories and biases in demographic parameter estimates. Here, we assessed the effects of buffers areas and multi-site designs on dataset homogeneity and survival estimate accuracy. First, from a local multi-site long-term monitoring survey carried out in a colony of black-legged kittiwakes, we tested the homogeneity of individual CR histories and compared survival estimates from three datasets including one or several cliffs with or without buffer areas. Then, using simulated data with or without a multi-site design and buffer areas, we compared survival estimates for different scenarios involving contrasted local and regional dispersal. For field-based CR data, implementing a multi-site design and adding buffer areas did not improve dataset homogeneity, as all three datasets suffered from strong trap-dependence possibly due to individual breeding success conditioning site fidelity. Nevertheless, it significantly improved the accuracy of annual survival estimates. Results from simulations confirmed that a multi-site survey provided estimates that matched true survival probabilities with reduced confidence intervals while a single-site design consistently led to underestimated survival probabilities or greater confidence intervals. Similarly, a multi-site survey allowed detecting significant temporal trends while a single-site survey did not. Adapting the spatial scale of sampling design to the local environment and species behaviour is essential to robustly provide parameters of key relevance for the monitoring and management of populations. Implementing buffer areas or multi-site design may be especially beneficial for long-lived species facing regular local perturbation events. Demography, environmental change, individual behaviour, population dynamics, prospecting movements, transience, trap-dependence.

Published
2018

41. Kittiwake eggs viewed by conspecifics and predators: implications for colour signal evolution

Author

Arnaud Grégoire, Claire Doutrelant, Romain Guerreiro, Marie-Jeanne Holveck, Thierry Boulinier, Vincent Staszewski, Doris Gomez, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Mécanismes adaptatifs : des organismes aux communautés (MAOAC), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Collège de France (CdF)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Ecology, 05 social sciences, Biology, biology.organism_classification, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Signal, Predation, Fishery, Kittiwake, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences, 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
Abstract

International audience

Published
2017

42. Evidence of exposure of laughing doves ( Spilopelia senegalensis ) to West Nile and Usutu viruses in southern Tunisian oases

Author

Abdessalem Hammouda, A. Poux, Tasnim Ayadi, Slaheddine Selmi, Sylvie Lecollinet, Thierry Boulinier, Centre de recherche scientifique et technique en soudage et contrôle (CSC), Centre de recherche, Transferts, écoulements, fluides, énergétique (TREFLE), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1-École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), UPE, European Union Reference Laboratory for equine diseases (EURL), SYnthèse, Modèles, Implications BIOlogiques (SYMBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paul Cézanne - Aix-Marseille 3-Université de la Méditerranée - Aix-Marseille 2, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), DGRST-CNRS [14/R0901], OSU OREME, CNRS INEE, Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Université de la Méditerranée - Aix-Marseille 2-Université Paul Cézanne - Aix-Marseille 3-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Sciences et Technologies - Bordeaux 1 (UB)-École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Tunisia, Epidemiology, West Nile virus, Occurrence probability, viruses, 030106 microbiology, 030231 tropical medicine, Zoology, medicine.disease_cause, Antibodies, Viral, law.invention, Flavivirus Infections, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, law, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Spilopelia senegalensis, medicine, Prevalence, Seroprevalence, Animals, oasis, Usutu virus, Columbidae, Ecosystem, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Laughing dove, biology, Ecology, Bird Diseases, Age Factors, Encephalitis, Arbovirus, virus diseases, biology.organism_classification, Original Papers, Infectious Diseases, Transmission (mechanics), Encephalitis Viruses, Japanese, [SDE]Environmental Sciences, [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology, Dove, West Nile Fever
Abstract

SUMMARYIt has previously been suggested that southern Tunisian oases may be suitable areas for the circulation of flaviviruses. In order to anticipate and prevent possible epidemiological spread of flaviviruses in humans and domestic animals, the ecology of their transmission in the oasis system needs to be better understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of anti-flavivirus antibodies in the laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis), an abundant resident bird in Tunisian oases. Anti-flavivirus antibodies were detected in 17% of sampled doves. Ten per cent of the total tested doves were West Nile virus (WNV) seropositive and 4% were Usutu virus (USUV) seropositive, which provides the first evidence of USUV circulation in Tunisian birds. We also found that the occurrence probability of anti-flavivirus antibodies in dove plasma increased with decreasing distance to coast, suggesting that doves inhabiting coastal oases were more exposed to flaviviruses compared with those inhabiting inland oases. We also found significantly higher antibody occurrence probability in adult doves compared with young doves, which underlines the effect of exposure time. Overall, our results suggest that the laughing dove may be used for WNV and USUV surveillance in southern Tunisia. They also stress the need for investigations combining data on birds and mosquitoes to better understand the ecological factors governing the circulation of flaviviruses in this area.

Published
2017

43. Predicting population responses to environmental change: the importance of considering informed dispersal strategies in spatially structured population models

Author

Romain Garnier, David Grémillet, Aurore Ponchon, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
education.field_of_study, Environmental change, Population model, Ecology, Population, Biological dispersal, Metapopulation, Philopatry, Context (language use), Biology, Ecological trap, education, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

Aim Because of its complexity, dispersal has often been simplified when implemented in models aiming at understanding and predicting population dynamics and persistence in a context of environmental change. In particular, informed dispersal, that is the use of personal and social information to decide whether to leave a natal or current breeding site and where to settle, has seldom been considered. Informed dispersal could nevertheless be critical for predicting population dynamics, structure and persistence, as it could help populations track environmental change. Here, we develop a simulation model to examine the consequences of four dispersal strategies (informed, semi-informed, fixed random dispersal and philopatry) on the dynamics, structure and persistence of a spatially structured population under different environmental scenarios. Methods We built and parameterized a metapopulation dynamic model using a long-lived colonial seabird species as an example, the black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, breeding on a set of distinct patches. Various scenarios of environmental variability and multiple factors potentially driving natal and breeding dispersal decisions (local habitat quality, individual and conspecific breeding success, personal and social information use) were considered to explore their respective effects. Results Environmental change and dispersal strategies strongly influenced metapopulation dynamics and structure. In spatially variable environments, informed and semi-informed dispersal maintained populations in the long term, whereas philopatry and random dispersal led to extinction. Contrasted dynamics also arose: philopatry led to ecological traps, random and semi-informed dispersal led to source-sink dynamics and informed dispersal drove extinction–recolonization dynamics. Main conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of including informed dispersal in models aiming at predicting the dynamics of spatially structured populations. It also serves to highlight the urgent need to collect more empirical data on dispersal processes to properly parameterize such models.

Published
2014

44. Tracing the colonization and diversification of the worldwide seabird ectoparasiteIxodes uriae

Author

Karen D. McCoy, Muriel Dietrich, Florent Kempf, Thierry Boulinier, GIP Cyclotron Réunion Océan Indien, Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien (CRVOI), Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de La Réunion (UR), Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), UR Infectiologie animale et Santé publique (UR IASP), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3), ANR-06-JCJC-0095-01, ANR-13-BSV7-0018-01, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Programme MIE-2008) French Polar Institue (IPEV) programme no. 333, Infectiologie et Santé Publique (UMR ISP), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Tours (UT), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Tours

Subjects
[SDV.OT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Other [q-bio.OT], Molecular Sequence Data, Tick, DNA, Mitochondrial, microsatellites, Birds, Evolution, Molecular, Race (biology), Genetics, Animals, Cluster Analysis, cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (COIII), Colonization, dispersal, Phylogeny, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Cell Nucleus, Genetic diversity, Ixodes, vectorborne infectious agents, biology, Ecology, Bayes Theorem, hard ticks, colonization, biology.organism_classification, Ixodes uriae, Phylogeography, Genetics, Population, Biological dispersal, Animal Distribution, Microsatellite Repeats
Abstract

Historical patterns of dispersal and population isolation are key components shaping contemporary genetic diversity across landscapes and require explicit consideration when examining the relative role of different factors in driving the evolution of host specificity in parasitic organisms. In this study, we investigate the worldwide colonization history of a common ectoparasite of seabirds, the tick Ixodes uriae. This tick has a circumpolar distribution across both hemispheres but has repeatedly formed host-specific races within different regions. By combining mitochondrial and nuclear data, we infer how this species spread to its present-day distribution and how the colonization process may have affected the geographic and host-associated structure of this tick within regions. We demonstrate that I. uriae is highly structured at a global scale and isolates into four genetic groups that correspond to well-defined geographical regions. Molecular dating suggests that the diversification of I. uriae began in the early Miocene (22 Myr) and that this tick colonized most of the southern hemisphere before moving into northern latitudes via two independent routes. However, no relationship between the degree of host race divergence and colonization history was evident, supporting previous hypotheses that host specialization evolves relatively rapidly in this parasite, but does not typically lead to speciation. We discuss the possible historical and contemporary mechanisms of large-scale dispersal for this ectoparasite and how its biological characteristics may condition current patterns of genetic diversity. More generally, our results illustrate how combining broad-scale sampling and modern molecular tools can help disentangle complex patterns of diversification in widespread parasites.

Published
2014

45. Length of intervals between epidemics: evaluating the influence of maternal transfer of immunity

Author

Romain Garnier, Karin C. Harding, Sylvain Gandon, and Thierry Boulinier

Subjects
Extinction, Ecology, Epidemiology, phocine distemper, Wildlife, Outbreak, Context (language use), Biology, Herd immunity, maternal antibodies, Species of concern, Immunity, host–parasite interactions, Seasonal breeder, harbor seal, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Original Research, Nature and Landscape Conservation
Abstract

The length of intervals between epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases is critical in epidemiology. In several species of marine mammals and birds, it is pivotal to also consider the life history of the species of concern, as the contact rate between individuals can have a seasonal flux, for example, due to aggregations during the breeding season. Recently, particular interest has been given to the role of the dynamics of immunity in determining the intervals between epidemics in wild animal populations. One potentially powerful, but often neglected, process in this context is the maternal transfer of immunity. Here, we explore theoretically how the transfer of maternal antibodies can delay the recurrence of epidemics using Phocine Distemper in harbor seals as an example of a system in which epidemic outbreaks are followed by pathogen extinction. We show that the presence of temporarily protected newborns can significantly increase the predicted interval between epidemics, and this effect is strongly dependent on the degree of synchrony in the breeding season. Furthermore, we found that stochasticity in the onset of epidemics in combination with maternally acquired immunity increases the predicted intervals between epidemics even more. These effects arise because newborns with maternal antibodies temporarily boost population level immunity above the threshold of herd immunity, particularly when breeding is synchronous. Overall, our results show that maternal antibodies can have a profound influence on the dynamics of wildlife epidemics, notably in gregarious species such as many marine mammals and seabirds.

Published
2014

46. An experimental test of host specialization in a ubiquitous polar ectoparasite: a role for adaptation?

Author

Karen D. McCoy, Muriel Dietrich, Thierry Boulinier, and Elisa Lobato

Subjects
Nymph, Adaptation, Biological, Zoology, Tick, Host Specificity, Charadriiformes, Animals, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ixodes, biology, Bird Diseases, Ecology, Host (biology), Genetic Variation, Cold Climate, biology.organism_classification, Biological Evolution, Tick Infestations, Genetic divergence, Sympatric speciation, Kittiwake, Female, Animal Science and Zoology, Host adaptation, Adaptation
Abstract

The evolution of host specificity is considered to be an essential mechanism driving parasite diversity. It may be governed by adaptive constraints that lead to host-dependent fitness trade-offs. Alternatively, specificity may arise via transmission constraints that isolate parasite populations, without necessarily involving adaptation per se. Here, we ask whether the repeated observation of host-associated genetic races across the worldwide distribution of the seabird ectoparasite Ixodes uriae is associated with host adaptation. We conducted a field-based experiment to test for adaptive specialisation in host races of I. uriae. We transferred unengorged ticks of two life stages (nymphs and adults) originating from three host species (black-legged kittiwake, common guillemot and Atlantic puffin) onto young kittiwake nestlings and followed attraction and attachment rates, engorgement times and feeding success of the transplanted ticks. All ticks were also typed genetically to match exploitation patterns with genetic differences among races. Ticks from atypical hosts were significantly less attracted to nestlings than ticks from the typical host, and showed lower feeding success and higher mortality. The degree of host specificity matched patterns of neutral genetic variation among races, with puffin ticks being more specific than guillemot ticks. Differences in specificity were also apparent among tick life stages, suggesting that nymphal ticks may be less discriminating of host type than adult ticks. Our results indicate that the genetic divergence previously observed among sympatric I. uriae host races is at least partially linked to adaptive specialisation to the host species and not simply to host-mediated transmission. They also suggest that the adaptation process may evolve differently in different life stages based on trade-offs with physiological constraints. The identification of the selective forces acting in host specialization will now be necessary to better characterize these patterns and to understand how transmission interacts with the adaptation process to generate parasite biodiversity.

Published
2014

47. Linking morphometric and genetic divergence with host use in the tick complex, Ornithodoros capensis sensu lato

Author

Valérie Noël, Thierry Boulinier, Agustin Estrada-Peňa, Jean-Pierre Dujardin, Jacob González-Solís, Karen D. McCoy, Céline Toty, Marlène Dupraz, Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Evolution Théorique et Expérimentale (MIVEGEC-ETE), Perturbations, Evolution, Virulence (PEV), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza [Zaragoza], Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat i Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Evolution of host-microbe communities (MIVEGEC-EVCO), Processus Écologiques et Évolutifs au sein des Communautés (PEEC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), and Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 0301 basic medicine, Male, Identification, 01 natural sciences, Génétique des populations, Cluster Analysis, Ornithodoros, Phylogeny, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment, education.field_of_study, L40 - Anatomie et morphologie des animaux, Parasite, Acarien nuisible, Infectious Diseases, Vecteur de maladie, Sympatric speciation, Tick-Borne Diseases, Host specificity, oiseau marin, Genetic structure, Female, Argasidae, L72 - Organismes nuisibles des animaux, Microbiology (medical), Ectoparasite, Population, Allopatric speciation, Zoology, Biology, 010603 evolutionary biology, Microbiology, Birds, 03 medical and health sciences, Divergence génétique, Genetics, Animals, Population genetic structure, Tropical seabirds, Adaptation, education, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Morphometrics, Phenotypic plasticity, Morphometry, Anatomie animale, biology.organism_classification, Insect Vectors, Genetic divergence, 030104 developmental biology, Genetics, Population, morphologie
Abstract

Host specific adaptations in parasites can lead to the divergence of conspecific populations. However, this divergence can be difficult to measure because morphological changes may not be expressed or because obvious changes may simply reflect phenotypic plasticity. Combining both genetic and phenotypic information can enable a better understanding of the divergence process and help identify the underlying selective forces, particularly in closely-related species groups. Here, we link genetic and morphometric data to understand divergence patterns within the Ornithodoros (Carios) capensis complex, a group of soft ticks (Argasidae) exploiting colonial seabirds across the globe. Species designations in this complex were historically based on larval morphology and geographic location. However, recent work has suggested that divergence within the group may be at least partially linked to host specificity. We therefore first examined population genetic structure of ticks in relation to host use and geography. These analyses revealed strong structure in relation to host use, both when populations were sympatric and widely allopatric, with a secondary effect of geography. They also demonstrated the presence of several novel and presumably undescribed species exploiting these seabird hosts. We then used geometric morphometrics (landmark and outline analyses) to test whether host-associated genetic divergence is always accompanied by the same phenotypic changes. We found that morphological variation (size and shape) correlated well with genetic structure; tick size and shape varied strongly in relation to host type, and weakly with geography. These results support the hypothesis that speciation in this tick group has been more strongly shaped by host use than by geographic barriers per se. The revealed phenetic patterns now require detailed investigation to link them with host-specific selective forces.

Published
2016

48. Estimating transitions between states using measurements with imperfect detection: application to serological data

Author

Rémi Choquet, Thierry Chambert, Thierry Boulinier, and Cécile Carrie

Subjects
Continuous measurement, Bird Diseases, Ecology, Borrelia, Population Dynamics, Sampling (statistics), Biology, Antibodies, Bacterial, Models, Biological, Markov Chains, Task (project management), Charadriiformes, Animals, A priori and a posteriori, Animal behavior, Fraction (mathematics), Imperfect, Borrelia Infections, Hidden Markov model, Ecosystem, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Abstract

Classifying the states of an individual and quantifying transitions between states are crucial while modeling animal behavior, movement, and physiologic status. When these states are hidden or imperfectly known, it is particularly convenient to relate them to appropriate quantitative measurements taken on the individual. This task is, however, challenging when quantitative measurements are not available at each sampling occasion. For capture-recapture data, various ways of incorporating such non-discrete information have been used, but they are either ad hoc and/or use a fraction of the available information by relying on a priori thresholds to assign individual states. Here we propose assigning discrete states based on a continuous measurement, and then modeled survival and transition probabilities based on these assignments. The main advantage of this new approach is that a more informative use of the non-discrete information is done. As an illustrative working example, we applied this approach to eco-epidemiological data collected across a series of years in which individuals of a long-lived seabird, the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), could either be visually detected or physically recaptured and blood sampled for subsequent immunological analyses. We discuss how this approach opens many perspectives in eco-epidemiology, but also more broadly, in population ecology.

Published
2013

49. Female blue tits with brighter yellow chests transfer more carotenoids to their eggs after an immune challenge

Author

Claire Doutrelant, Thierry Boulinier, Vincent Staszewski, Arnaud Grégoire, Afiwa Midamegbe, Marcel M. Lambrechts, and Philippe Perret

Subjects
food.ingredient, genetic structures, Offspring, Zoology, Biology, Photometry, Songbirds, Pigment, Immune system, food, Yolk, Botany, Animals, Carotenoid, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ovum, chemistry.chemical_classification, Pigmentation, Maternal effect, food and beverages, Feathers, Carotenoids, chemistry, Sexual selection, visual_art, Feather, visual_art.visual_art_medium, Female, France
Abstract

Female ornaments are present in many species, and it is more and more accepted that sexual or social selection may lead to their evolution. By contrast, the information conveyed by female ornaments is less well understood. Here, we investigated the links between female ornaments and maternal effects. In birds, an important maternal effect is the transmission of resources, such as carotenoids, into egg yolk. Carotenoids are pigments with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties that are crucial for females and developing offspring. In blue tits, we evaluated whether ultraviolet (UV)/blue and yellow feather colouration signals a female's capacity to allocate carotenoids to egg yolk. Because mounting an immune response is costly and trade-offs are more detectable under harsh conditions, we challenged the immune system of females before laying and examined the carotenoid level of their eggs afterward. A positive association between feather carotenoid chroma and egg carotenoid level would be expected if yellow colouration signals basal immunity. Alternatively, if female colouration more generally reflects maternal capacity to invest in reproduction under challenging conditions, then other components of colouration (i.e. yellow brightness and UV/blue colouration) could be linked to maternal capacity to invest in eggs. No association between egg carotenoid levels and UV/blue crown colouration or female yellow chest chroma was found; the latter result suggests that yellow colouration does not signal immune capacity at laying in this species. By contrast, we found that, among females that mounted a detectable response to the vaccine, those with brighter yellow chests transmitted more carotenoids into their eggs. This result suggests yellow brightness signals maternal capacity to invest in reproduction under challenging conditions, and that male blue tits may benefit directly from choosing brighter yellow females.

Published
2013

50. Migration, Prospecting, Dispersal? What Host Movement Matters for Infectious Agent Circulation?

Author

Thierry Chambert, Marlène Dupraz, Jérémy Tornos, Olivier Duriez, Muriel Dietrich, Amandine Gamble, Romain Bazire, Sarah Kada, Thierry Boulinier, Karen D. McCoy, Vincent Bourret, Aurore Ponchon, Torkild Tveraa, Romain Garnier, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UM3)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Eco-Ethology Research Unit, ISPA, Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), University of Pretoria [South Africa], Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), The Polar Environmental Centre, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), Penn State System, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud]), Evolution of host-microbe communities (MIVEGEC-EVCO), Processus Écologiques et Évolutifs au sein des Communautés (PEEC), Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), and Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, 0301 basic medicine, Animal Distribution, Inexistente, Relation hôte parasite, agent infectieux, Metapopulation, Plant Science, Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480 [VDP], Biology, Distribution des populations, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Animal Diseases, Birds, 03 medical and health sciences, Ticks, Animals, Coevolution, Transmission des maladies, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, Ecology, Migration animale, Population ecology, Écologie des populations, Épidémiologie, 030104 developmental biology, Habitat, Tick-Borne Diseases, Infectious disease (medical specialty), Maladie infectieuse, Spatial ecology, Biological dispersal, Animal Migration, Animal Science and Zoology, [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie, L72 - Organismes nuisibles des animaux
Abstract

Spatial disease ecology is emerging as a new field that requires the integration of complementary approaches to address how the distribution and movements of hosts and parasites may condition the dynamics of their interactions. In this context, migration, the seasonal movement of animals to different zones of their distribution, is assumed to play a key role in the broad scale circulation of parasites and pathogens. Nevertheless, migration is not the only type of host movement that can influence the spatial ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Dispersal, the movement of individuals between the location where they were born or bred to a location where they breed, has attracted attention as another important type of movement for the spatial dynamics of infectious diseases. Host dispersal has notably been identified as a key factor for the evolution of host-parasite interactions as it implies gene flow among local host populations and thus can alter patterns of coevolution with infectious agents across spatial scales. However, not all movements between host populations lead to dispersal per se. One type of host movement that has been neglected, but that may also play a role in parasite spread is prospecting, i.e., movements targeted at selecting and securing new habitat for future breeding. Prospecting movements, which have been studied in detail in certain social species, could result in the dispersal of infectious agents among different host populations without necessarily involving host dispersal. In this article, we outline how these various types of host movements might influence the circulation of infectious disease agents and discuss methodological approaches that could be used to assess their importance. We specifically focus on examples from work on colonial seabirds, ticks, and tick-borne infectious agents. These are convenient biological models because they are strongly spatially structured and involve relatively simple communities of interacting species. Overall, this review emphasizes that explicit consideration of the behavioral and population ecology of hosts and parasites is required to disentangle the relative roles of different types of movement for the spread of infectious diseases. The French National Research Agency (ANR); French Polar Institute (IPEV); National Research Foundation, South Africa; AXA Research Fund; V.B. from a LabEx CeMEB (Mediterranean Centre for Environment and Biodiversity)

Published
2016

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results