Biology subjects

Torres, M. V.

Publications and source records attributed to Torres, M. V..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

The Histopathology of Cephenemyia stimulator-Induced Nasopharyngeal Myiasis in Roe-Deers (Capreolus capreolus)

Nasopharyngeal myiasis in European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a pathological condition caused by the larval stages of Cephenemyia stimulator, a fly from the Oestridae family. These larvae reside in the hosts upper respiratory tract for months, inducing significant tissue damage and clinical symptoms. The lifecycle of Cephenemyia stimulator is complex, involving three larval stages before maturation into adult flies, with each stage contributing to the progressive pathology observed in the host. Despite their prevalence, the histopathological effects of these larvae in the nasopharyngeal and nasal cavities have been understudied. Our study fills this knowledge gap by providing a detailed histopathological analysis of the affected tissues, using various staining techniques to reveal the extent and nature of the damage caused by these parasitic larvae. This histopathological examination reveals significant alterations within the nasopharyngeal mucosa and nasal cavity, including erythematous changes, mucosal metaplasia, fibrosis, and tissue necrosis. Parasitic cysts and eosinophilic infiltration further characterize the infestations impact, compromising not only the mucosal integrity but also potentially the olfactory function of the affected animals. This research is crucial for understanding the impact of myiasis on the health of roe deer populations and could have significant implications for wildlife management and conservation.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2023

Do Fossorial Water Voles have a Functional Vomeronasal Organ? A Histological and Immunohistochemical Study

The fossorial water vole, Arvicola scherman, is a herbivorous rodent that cause significant agricultural damages. The application of cairomones and alarm pheromones emerges as a promising sustainable method to improve its integrated management. These chemical signals would induce stress responses that could interfere with the species regular reproductive cycles and induce aversive reactions, steering them away from farmlands and meadows. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the water vole vomeronasal system, both in its morphological foundations and its functionality, making it imperative to understand the same for the application of chemical communication in pest control. This study fills the existing gaps in knowledge through a morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of the fossorial water vole vomeronasal organ. The study is primarily microscopic, employing two approaches: histological, using serial sections stained with various dyes (Hematoxylin-Eosin, PAS, Alcian Blue, Nissl), and immunohistochemical, applying various markers that provide morphofunctional and structural information. These procedures have confirmed the presence of a functional vomeronasal system in fossorial water voles, characterized by a high degree of differentiation and a significant expression of cellular markers indicative of active chemical communication in this species.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Exploring the vomeronasal organ in an endangered antelope species

The dama gazelle is a threatened and scarcely studied species of northern Africa. Human pressure has depleted the population of dama gazelles from tens of thousands to a few hundred individuals. Since 1970, after deriving from a founder population of the last 17 surviving individuals in the Western Sahara, it has been reproduced naturally in captivity. Although certain aspects of the reproductive biology of the dama gazelle have been established in preparation for the future implementation of assisted reproductive technology there is a lack of information regarding the role of semiochemical-mediated communication in the sexual behavior of the dama gazelle. This is partially due to the lack of a neuroanatomical and morphofunctional characterization of the dama gazelle vomeronasal organ (VNO); the sensory organ responsible for the processing of pheromones. This study aims to determine the presence in the dama gazelle of a VNO fully equipped to carry out its neurosensory function and to contribute to the understanding of the interspecific variability of the VNO of ruminants. Employing histological, lectin-histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques we have performed a detailed morphofunctional evaluation of the dama gazelle VNO along its entire longitudinal axis. The findings suggest that studies of the VNO should take a similar approach, as there are significant structural and neurochemical transformations that the organ exhibits as a whole. This study contributes to the understanding of the VNO in dama gazelles and provides a basis for future studies on semiochemical-mediated communication and reproductive management of this species.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Consumer-driven nutrient recycling of freshwater decapods: linking ecological theories and application in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

AbstractThe Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MET) and the Ecological Stoichiometry Theory (EST) are central and complementary in the consumer-driven recycling conceptual basis. The comprehension of physiological processes of organisms at different levels of organizations is essential to explore and predict nutrient recycling behavior in different scenarios, and to design integrated productive systems that efficiently use the nutrient inputs through an adjusted mass balance. We fed with fish-feed three species of decapods from different families and with aquacultural potential to explore the animal-mediated nutrient dynamic and its applicability in productive systems. We tested whether physiological (body mass, body elemental content), ecological (diet), taxonomic and experimental (time of incubation) variables predicts N and P excretion rates and ratios across and within taxa. We also analysed body mass and body elemental content independently as predictors of N and P excretion of decapods across, among and within taxa. Finally, we verified if body content scales allometrically across and within taxa and if differed among taxa. Body mass and taxonomic identity predicted nutrient excretion rates both across and within taxa. When physiological variables were analysed independently, body size best predicted nutrient mineralization in both scales of analyses. Regarding body elemental content, only body P content scaled negatively with body mass across taxa. Results showed higher N-requirements and lower C:N of prawns than anomurans and crabs. The role of crustaceans as nutrient recyclers depends mainly on the species and body mass, and should be considered to select complementary species that efficiently use feed resources. Prawns need more protein in their feed and might be integrated with fish of higher N-requirements, while crabs and anomurans, with fish of lower N-requirements. Our study contributed to the background of MTE and EST through empirical data obtained from decapods and provided useful information to achieve more efficient aquaculture integration systems.

ecology↗