Flame-forged divergence? Ancient human fires and the evolution of diurnal and nocturnal lineages in moorish geckos.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, we investigated whether human-controlled fire has historically influenced temporal niche partitioning between dark-diurnal and pale-nocturnal lineages of the Moorish gecko (). The pale-nocturnal variant exhibited lower skin melanin levels, smaller and fewer melanosomes, and lower plasma α-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone levels than its dark-diurnal counterpart. Mitochondrial genome analyses indicated that the common ancestor of these gecko lineages diverged approximately 6,600 years ago, coinciding with the transition of modern humans from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural societies.

The Domestication of Wild Boar Could Result in a Relaxed Selection for Maintaining Olfactory Capacity.

Domesticated animals are artificially selected to exhibit desirable traits, however not all traits of domesticated animals are the result of deliberate selection. Loss of olfactory capacity in the domesticated pig () is one example. We used whole transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) to compare patterns of gene expression in the olfactory mucosa of the pig and two subspecies of wild boar (), and investigate candidate genes that could be responsible for the loss of olfactory capacity.

Evolutionary Plasticity in Insular Lizard, Adapting over Reproduction, Metabolism, and Color Variation.

The Italian wall lizard () living on islets exhibits a melanic skin coloration and a suite of adaptive traits lacking in nearby mainland populations. On islets, the unpredictable environmental conditions and highly fluctuating population densities are believed to have produced reversed island syndrome (RIS). Several physiological, behavioral, and life-history changes based on the RIS could result from positive selection on increased activity of melanocortins.

Molecular differentiation of Sarcocystis miescheriana and Sarcocystis suihominis using a new multiplex PCR targeting the mtDNA cox1 gene in wild boars in southern Italy.

The increase of wild boar populations density and their meat consumption across Europe could expose humans to a plethora of foodborne diseases as sarcocystosis, caused by the zoonotic protozoan Sarcocystis suihominis. Humans become infected by eating raw or undercooked pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) containing S. suihominis sarcocysts.

Reprogramming of the gut microbiota following feralization in Sus scrofa.

Background: Wild boar has experienced several evolutionary trajectories from which domestic (under artificial selection) and the feral pig (under natural selection) originated. Strong adaptation deeply affects feral population's morphology and physiology, including the microbiota community. The gut microbiota is generally recognized to play a crucial role in maintaining host health and metabolism.

Gut microbiota plasticity in insular lizards under reversed island syndrome.

Animals living on small islands are more drastically exposed to environmental changes, such as food or water starvation, and rapid temperature shifts. Facing such conditions, and probably thank to adaptive plasticity mechanisms, some animals display a Reversed Island Syndrome (RIS), a suite of traits, including skin pigmentation, voracity, sexual dimorphism, showed differently from mainland relatives. Here, we analyse a so far poorly explored aspect of RIS: the effect of this on the microbiota composition of host Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus), strongly influenced by the animal's lifestyle, and conditioning the same.

Correction: Fixation of genetic variation and optimization of gene expression: The speed of evolution in isolated lizard populations undergoing Reverse Island Syndrome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

The diet of otters () on the Agri river system, one of the most important presence sites in Italy: a molecular approach.

Background: The Eurasian otter () underwent a strong decline in large areas of the Central-Western part of its distribution range, during the second half of the twentieth century. In Italy, only residual fragmented nuclei survive in the Central-Southern part of the peninsula. Nowadays, the otter is one of the most endangered mammals in Italy, and increasing the knowledge about the ecology of this species is a key step in defining fitting management strategies.

Contribution to the ecology of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus).

The Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) is endemic to Central-Southern Italy and Sicily, classified as vulnerable due to habitat alterations, low density and fragmented populations and ecological competition with the sympatric European hare (Lepus europaeus). Despite this status, only few and local studies have explored its ecological features. We provided some key traits of the ecological niche of the Italian hare as well as its potential distribution in the Italian peninsula.

Cognitive Stimulation Induces Differential Gene Expression in : The Key Role of Protocadherins.

Octopuses are unique invertebrates, with sophisticated and flexible behaviors controlled by a high degree of brain plasticity, learning, and memory. Moreover, in , it has been demonstrated that animals housed in an enriched environment show adult neurogenesis in specific brain areas. Firstly, we evaluated the optimal acclimatization period needed for an before starting a cognitive stimulation experiment.

Sensorial Hierarchy in s Food Choice: Chemical vs. Visual.

possesses highly sophisticated sense organs, processed by the nervous system to generate appropriate behaviours such as finding food, avoiding predators, identifying conspecifics, and locating suitable habitat. Octopus uses multiple sensory modalities during the searching and selection of food, in particular, the chemosensory and visual cues. Here, we examined food choice in in two ways: (1) We tested octopus's food preference among three different kinds of food, and established anchovy as the preferred choice (66.

Fixation of genetic variation and optimization of gene expression: The speed of evolution in isolated lizard populations undergoing Reverse Island Syndrome.

The ecological theory of island biogeography suggests that mainland populations should be more genetically divergent from those on large and distant islands rather than from those on small and close islets. Some island populations do not evolve in a linear way, but the process of divergence occurs more rapidly because they undergo a series of phenotypic changes, jointly known as the Island Syndrome. A special case is Reversed Island Syndrome (RIS), in which populations show drastic phenotypic changes both in body shape, skin colouration, age of sexual maturity, aggressiveness, and food intake rates.

Author Correction: Selection for background matching drives sympatric speciation in Wall Gecko.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Selection for background matching drives sympatric speciation in Wall Gecko.

The Wall Gecko shows heterogeneous colour pattern, which may vary among individuals, depending on the time of day and on the habitat segregation. Nocturnal pale geckos live exclusively on walls. Diurnal dark geckos preferentially live on olive tree trunks, demonstrating an ability to change skin colour that is superior to that of the pale gecko and allows diurnal geckos becoming camouflaged on the diverse substrates occupied during the day.

Gross anatomy and ultrastructure of Moorish Gecko, Tarentola mauritanica skin.

The epidermis of Tarentola mauritanica in the skin regions of back, flank and belly has been described using light and electron microscopy. This animal model was useful to give an insight of the functional pattern involved in pigmentation, cryptism and photosensitivity. Skin from back and flanks, in electron microscopy, shows a high concentration of chromatophores, among those melanophores, xanthophores and iridophores have been reported.

The first transcriptome of Italian wall lizard, a new tool to infer about the Island Syndrome.

Some insular lizards show a high degree of differentiation from their conspecific mainland populations, like Licosa island lizards, which are described as affected by Reversed Island Syndrome (RIS). In previous works, we demonstrated that some traits of RIS, as melanization, depend on a differential expression of gene encoding melanocortin receptors. To better understand the basis of syndrome, and providing raw data for future investigations, we generate the first de novo transcriptome of the Italian wall lizard.

Pre-birth sense of smell in the wild boar: the ontogeny of the olfactory mucosa.

Animals recognize their surrounding environments through the sense of smell by detecting thousands of chemical odorants. Wild boars (Sus scrofa) completely depend on their ability to recognize chemical odorants: to detect food, during scavenging and searching partners, during breeding periods and to avoid potential predators. Wild piglets must be prepared for the chemical universe that they will enter after birth, and they show intense neuronal activity in the olfactory mucosa.

Unexpected but welcome. Artificially selected traits may increase fitness in wild boar.

Artificial selection affects phenotypes differently by natural selection. Domestic traits, which pass into the wild, are usually negatively selected. Yet, exceptionally, this axiom may fail to apply if genes, from the domestic animals, increase fertility in the wild.