Biology subjects

Ecke, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Ecke, F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Linear infrastructure and associated wildlife accidents create an ecological trap for an apex predator and scavenger

Animals can be caught in an "ecological trap" when they select for seemingly attractive habitats at the expense of their fitness. Such maladaptive behaviour is often a consequence of human induced rapid changes in animals natal environment such as building of energy and transportation infrastructure. We tested the ecological trap hypotheses for human created linear infrastructure on a widely distributed apex predator and a scavenger - the Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), whose range spans across the entire northern hemisphere. Roads and railways create novel and attractive feeding subsidies through traffic induced mortality of other species, while powerline areas provide perching or nesting sites and scavenging opportunities from electrocuted or collision-killed birds. These conditions lead to negative demographic consequences for eagles. We used integrated step selection functions for habitat selection and movement behaviour with ten years of data from 74 GPS-tracked Golden Eagles (36 adult and 38 immature) in Fennoscandia. To measure habitat attractiveness, we use wildlife traffic accident statistics on major wildlife species including the eagles, and mortality of five GPS- tracked eagles to show demographic consequences. Eagles selected for linear features all year round and across entire study region. Individuals also searched and sat alongside roads and railway lines more frequently. Immature eagles selected roads and railway sites more consistently compared to adults and showed learning behaviour with age. We discuss implications of these findings for conservation and population ecology of apex predators and scavengers and their potential evolutionary implications. We suggest that rapid removal of carcasses from roads and tracks is urgently needed to avoid this trap for many raptor and scavenger species throughout the world and develop methods and approaches to reduce wildlife traffic accidents all together.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in a terrestrial food web

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that are broadly used in amongst others aqueous firefighting foam, cosmetics, textiles, carpets, coatings, plastics, and ski wax. Their chemical properties make them persistent organic pollutants that are potential bioaccumulative and toxic. Most studies on PFAS have been performed in groundwater, surface water and aquatic biota. Our knowledge on the terrestrial fate of PFAS is therefore limited. We sampled soil, berries, mushrooms, and wildlife on the island Froson, central Sweden, in 2021 and 2022, to study the fate of 22 PFAS in a terrestrial food web. Groundwater, surface water and fish on Froson have previously shown high PFAS concentrations. Soil, berries, and mushrooms were also concurrently sampled in a reference area in northern Sweden. Overall, concentrations of the sum of PFAS were low in berries and mushrooms. In moose (Alces alces), roedeer (Capreolus capreolus), and bank vole (Myodes glareolus), concentrations were highest in liver. The maximum levels for PFOS in offal as set by the European Commission (50 ng/g ww) were exceeded in the liver of two of 10 roedeer. Bank voles (n = 12 pools) that were sampled in the vicinity of a firefighting training site showed partly extreme concentrations with none of the samples having liver concentrations <474 ng/g ww (maximum 11,600 ng/g ww). Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for multiple PFAS in bank voles were higher for the studied mushrooms and soil compared to studied berries and were >100 for 27 out of 265 calculated BAFs. BAFs in the ungulate species were generally lower than those for bank voles but were >1 for several PFAS from the mushroom. The exact origin of PFAS in bank voles could not be identified in our study, but the BAFs are supported by the feeding and behaviour ecology of bank voles, i.e., there is likely bioaccumulation and biomagnification from soil and mushrooms to bank voles. The measured PFAS concentrations and BAFs, especially those in bank voles are worrying from an ecosystem and One Health perspective considering that voles are staple food for multiple predators.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mystery of fatal "Staggering disease" unravelled: Novel rustrela virus causes severe encephalomyelitis in domestic cats

Staggering disease is a neurological disorder considered a threat to European domestic cats (Felis catus) for almost five decades. However, its aetiology has remained obscure. Rustrela virus (RusV), a relative of rubella virus, has recently been shown to be associated with encephalitis in a broad range of mammalian hosts. Here, we report the detection of RusV RNA and antigen by metagenomic sequencing, RT-qPCR, in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in brain tissues of 28 out of 29 cats with non-suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis and staggering disease-like neurological disorder from Sweden, Austria, and Germany, but not in non-affected control cats. Screening of possible reservoir hosts in Sweden revealed RusV infection in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Our work strongly indicates RusV as the long-sought cause of feline staggering disease. Given its broad host spectrum and considerable geographic range, RusV may be the aetiological agent of neuropathologies in further mammals, possibly even including humans.

microbiology↗