BackgroundEmerging bacterial zoonoses in bats and rodents remain relatively understudied. We conduct the first comparative host–pathogen coevolutionary analyses of bacterial pathogens in these hosts, using Bartonella spp. and Leptospira spp. as a model.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe used published genetic data for 51 Bartonella genotypes from 24 bat species, 129 Bartonella from 38 rodents, and 26 Leptospira from 20 bats. We generated maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies for hosts and bacteria, and tested for coevoutionary congruence using programs ParaFit, PACO, and Jane. Bartonella spp. and their bat hosts had a significant coevolutionary fit (ParaFitGlobal = 1.9703, P≤0.001; m2 global value = 7.3320, P≤0.0001). Bartonella spp. and rodent hosts also indicated strong overall patterns of cospeciation (ParaFitGlobal = 102.4409, P≤0.001; m2 global value = 86.532, P≤0.0001). In contrast, we were unable to reject independence of speciation events in Leptospira and bats (ParaFitGlobal = 0.0042, P = 0.84; m2 global value = 4.6310, P = 0.5629). Separate analyses of New World and Old World data subsets yielded results congruent with analysis from entire datasets. We also conducted event-based cophylogeny analyses to reconstruct likely evolutionary histories for each group of pathogens and hosts. Leptospira and bats had the greatest number of host switches per parasite (0.731), while Bartonella and rodents had the fewest (0.264).Conclusions/SignificanceIn both bat and rodent hosts, Bartonella exhibits significant coevolution with minimal host switching, while Leptospira in bats lacks evolutionary congruence with its host and has high number of host switches. Reasons underlying these variable coevolutionary patterns in host range are likely due to differences in disease-specific transmission and host ecology. Understanding the coevolutionary patterns and frequency of host-switching events between bacterial pathogens and their hosts will allow better prediction of spillover between mammal reservoirs, and ultimately to humans.

African Penguins Spheniscus demersus naturally breed in guano burrows which provide shelter from predators and extreme weather conditions. Past guano harvesting has removed this habitat and artificial nests of different types have been deployed, with previous research identifying variable success of these different types. We investigated climatic conditions in two types of artificial nests, and compared them to natural burrows and surface nests for two weeks in the incubation and early chick-rearing phases of the 2012 summer breeding season on Bird Island, Algoa Bay, South Africa. We also compared breeding success since 2009 between some of these nest types. Natural burrows remained the best insulated from extremes of temperature and humidity, with temperatures consistently higher and humidity consistently lower than in exposed nests and the two types of artificial nests. Fibreglass nests retained temperatures > 30°C, when Spheniscus penguins start being heat-stressed, for the longest periods of time. Sustained high temperatures will induce increased energy expenditure associated with active thermoregulation for birds in these nests. The combination of high temperatures and low humidity could also have contributed to damaging water loss in the eggs and reduced egg survival, as suggested by the consistent lower hatching success in the fibreglass nests. Cement nests had more moderate temperatures than fibreglass nests and higher breeding success, possibly due to superior ventilation. Vegetation cover had no effect on the temperature regime inside fibreglass nests. To maximise conservation efforts for these endangered penguins, additional research should be conducted towards engineering artificial nests that better mimic the conditions of natural burrows.

Spurilla neapolitana (Delle Chiaje, 1823) was considered to be a species with a broad geographic range and substantial colour variability; however, analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear gene data revealed that it is a complex of five distinct species. Further anatomical and morphological examinations determined that coloration is one of the main diagnostic traits for all five species, although some display substantial colour pattern variation. As a result of this study, S. neapolitana is determined to be restricted to the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Spurilla sargassicola Bergh, 1871 from the Caribbean is redescribed and confirmed as a valid species. The name Spurilla braziliana MacFarland, 1909 is retained for western Atlantic and Pacific populations. Two new species are described herein. Spurilla onubensis sp. nov. occurs in Europe, with a range overlapping that of S. neapolitana. Finally, Spurilla dupontae sp. nov. is found in the Bahamas.