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“…Phylogenetic trees of the genus Eumonospora ( Fig. 3 ) largely corresponded with avian host phylogeny ( McClure et al, 2019 ; Prum et al, 2015 ). Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 87%
“… Fig. 3 Phylograms of the genus Eumonospora on the left and core land birds modified from McClure et al (2019) on the right. The boxes under Eumonospora spp.…”
The genus
Eumonospora
Allen, 1933 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae), an avian coccidia, is characterized by monosporocystic and octasporozoic oocysts without Stieda and substieda bodies. Some members of
Eumonospora
, which infect several raptor species, exhibit high levels of pathogenicity, making eumonosporiosis the leading cause of death in captive-bred raptors. The host specificity of these species appears to be mesostenoxenous, as evidenced by unsuccessful transmission between different orders of avian hosts. However, several studies have detected
Eumonospora
spp. in taxonomically distant avian hosts, indicating that some of these species may be euryxenous. In the current study, diarrheic fecal examination of a captive-bred juvenile merlin (Falconiformes: Aves) in Tokyo, Japan, was conducted, and a large number of oocysts were morphologically and molecularly identified as
E. henryae
(Yakimoff and Matschulsky, 1932), a coccidia species reported only in Strigiformes. This is a new recorded host for this coccidia. Phylogenetic analyses via Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods using concatenated genomic datasets consisting of nuclear 18S rDNA, nuclear 28S rDNA and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 gene, revealed a well-supported monophyletic clade of
Eumonospora
spp. belonging to the family Sarcocystidae Poche 1913, which largely corresponded to the avian host phylogram. Therefore, based on distinguishable oocyst morphology, a new subfamily, Eumonosporinae, within the family Sarcocystidae, is proposed, and a reconsideration of the definition of Sarcocystidae is suggested. Further molecular characterization of this emerging pathogen, as well as clarification of its complete life cycle, including cyst-forming ability, is required for more appropriate generic assessment.
“…Phylogenetic trees of the genus Eumonospora ( Fig. 3 ) largely corresponded with avian host phylogeny ( McClure et al, 2019 ; Prum et al, 2015 ). Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 87%
“… Fig. 3 Phylograms of the genus Eumonospora on the left and core land birds modified from McClure et al (2019) on the right. The boxes under Eumonospora spp.…”
The genus
Eumonospora
Allen, 1933 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae), an avian coccidia, is characterized by monosporocystic and octasporozoic oocysts without Stieda and substieda bodies. Some members of
Eumonospora
, which infect several raptor species, exhibit high levels of pathogenicity, making eumonosporiosis the leading cause of death in captive-bred raptors. The host specificity of these species appears to be mesostenoxenous, as evidenced by unsuccessful transmission between different orders of avian hosts. However, several studies have detected
Eumonospora
spp. in taxonomically distant avian hosts, indicating that some of these species may be euryxenous. In the current study, diarrheic fecal examination of a captive-bred juvenile merlin (Falconiformes: Aves) in Tokyo, Japan, was conducted, and a large number of oocysts were morphologically and molecularly identified as
E. henryae
(Yakimoff and Matschulsky, 1932), a coccidia species reported only in Strigiformes. This is a new recorded host for this coccidia. Phylogenetic analyses via Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods using concatenated genomic datasets consisting of nuclear 18S rDNA, nuclear 28S rDNA and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 gene, revealed a well-supported monophyletic clade of
Eumonospora
spp. belonging to the family Sarcocystidae Poche 1913, which largely corresponded to the avian host phylogram. Therefore, based on distinguishable oocyst morphology, a new subfamily, Eumonosporinae, within the family Sarcocystidae, is proposed, and a reconsideration of the definition of Sarcocystidae is suggested. Further molecular characterization of this emerging pathogen, as well as clarification of its complete life cycle, including cyst-forming ability, is required for more appropriate generic assessment.
“…We analyzed Class Aves mostly at the order level, while particularly examining the evolutionary grade that constitutes raptors (Jarvis et al, 2014;Iriarte et al, 2019;McClure et al, 2019). Other polyphyletic groups of birds have received recent concern.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Such bird declines lessen ecosystem function (Şekercioglu et al, 2004), because birds play important roles including as pollinators, dispersers, scavengers, and predators (Whelan et al, 2008). Raptors (orders Accipitriformes, Cathartiformes, Falconiformes, Strigiformes, and Cariamiformes;Iriarte et al, 2019;McClure et al, 2019) particularly perform important cultural and ecosystem services (Markandya et al, 2008;Donázar et al, 2016;O'Bryan et al, 2018;Aguilera-Alcalá et al, 2020). For example, Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) provide an estimated $700 million in ecosystem services by consuming roughly 1,000 tons of carrion per year (Grilli et al, 2019).…”
Birds, especially raptors, play important roles in ecosystems. We examine the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List to determine which orders of birds have proportionally more or fewer species listed as threatened or declining compared to the Class-wide average. We further examine whether raptors are more threatened or declining than non-raptors and whether the order Accipitriformes is particularly threatened even when excluding Old World vultures – which are especially imperiled. Our results reveal heterogeneity across bird orders in proportions of threatened and declining species, with some orders having greater or lower proportions than the Class-wide proportion. We also show that the proportions of threatened species in each order are correlated with the proportion of declining species. Raptors have both greater proportions of threatened and declining species than non-raptors and Accipitriformes has greater-than-average proportions of threatened and declining species, even if Old World vultures are removed from the analysis. Our results should serve as a framework for discussion of the relative conservation status of bird orders, especially raptors, which are in need of increased conservation attention.
“…Independent of timing of activity, a raptorial lifestyle may involve adaptations for hunting, including visual acuity and forward-looking eyes, claws, and curved beaks. It is likely that these adaptations have been retained among landbirds (Telluraves) from their common raptorial ancestor ( Hackett et al 2008 ; Jarvis 2014 ; Prum et al 2015 ; McClure et al 2019 ). Expected adaptations of diurnal raptors are likely related to the maintenance of the visual system and photoresponse recovery ( Wu et al 2016 ), blood circulation, nervous system development, olfaction, and beak development ( Zhan et al 2013 ; Wu et al 2016 ; Zhou et al 2019 ).…”
Owls (Strigiformes) evolved specific adaptations to their nocturnal predatory lifestyle, such as asymmetrical ears, a facial disc, and a feather structure allowing silent flight. Owls also share some traits with diurnal raptors and other nocturnal birds, such as cryptic plumage patterns, reversed sexual size dimorphism and acute vision and hearing. The genetic basis of some of these adaptations to a nocturnal predatory lifestyle has been studied by candidate gene approaches, but rarely with genome-wide scans. Here, we used a genome-wide comparative analysis to test for selection in the early history of the owls. We estimated the substitution rates in the coding regions of twenty bird genomes, including eleven owls of which five were newly sequenced. Then, we tested for functional overrepresentation across the genes that showed signals of selection. In the ancestral branch of the owls, we found traces of positive selection in the evolution of genes functionally related to visual perception, especially to phototransduction, and to chromosome packaging. Several genes that have been previously linked to acoustic perception, circadian rhythm and feather structure also showed signals of an accelerated evolution in the origin of the owls. We discuss the functions of the genes under positive selection and their putative association with the adaptation to the nocturnal predatory lifestyle of the owls.
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