Biancolini, D. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2024

A synthesis on alien mammals threatened in their native range

Many alien species are safe in their native ranges; however, some are threatened, posing a challenging conundrum for conservation and invasion science. We focused on alien threatened mammals, examining their distribution, pathways, threats, and conservation strategies. We also reassessed their IUCN Red List category to evaluate the effect of including alien populations in extinction risk assessments. Of 242 alien mammals, we identified 41 aliens that are threatened, classified as critically endangered (19%), endangered (27%), or vulnerable (54%). They were primarily introduced for hunting and exchanged within Asia, with introduced ranges concentrated in eastern Australia. They were subject to multiple threats, most notably biological resource use. Including alien populations in the categorization assessments reduces extinction risk of 22% of the species. We highlighted the conservation value of alien populations for threatened mammals. However, conservation managers and extinction risk assessors shall carefully consider their use, to avoid negative impacts on native biodiversity.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Invasive alien mammals of European Union concern

O_LIBiological invasions have emerged as one of the main drivers of biodiversity change and decline, and numbers of alien species are rapidly rising. The European Union established a dedicated regulation to limit the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS), which is focused on a Union List of IAS of particular concern. However, no previous study has specifically addressed the ecology of invasive alien mammals included in the Union List. C_LIO_LIWe performed a systematic review of published literature on these species. We retrieved 262 studies dealing with 16 species, and we complemented these with the most up-to-date information extracted from global databases on IAS. C_LIO_LIWe show that most of the study species reached Europe as pets that escaped from captivity or were intentionally released. On average, 1.2 species new first records/year were documented in European countries in the period 1981-2020, and most species are still expanding their alien ranges colonising neighbouring territories. France, Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands are the most invaded nations, and the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), and the American mink (Neovison vison) are the most widespread species, having invaded at least 27 countries each. Invasive mammals of European Union concern are threatening native biodiversity and human well-being: worryingly, 81.3% of the study species are implicated in the epidemiological cycle of zoonotic pathogens. C_LIO_LIContaining the secondary spread to further countries is of paramount importance to avoid the establishment of new populations of invasive mammals and the related impacts on native communities, ecosystem services, and human health. C_LIO_LIOur results offer the most updated compendium on the ecology of invasive mammals of European Union concern, that can be used to assist environmental policies, identify and subsequently fill knowledge gaps, and inform stakeholders. C_LI GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=143 SRC="FIGDIR/small/440832v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (57K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@934bcborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@551036org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9b519aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@10a7699_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Graphical abstract: Invasive alien mammals of European Union concern. The figure illustrates how the introduction of a species in few new areas, followed by a lag phase of adaptation and sometimes enriched by further subsequent releases, can rapidly lead to the colonisation of large parts of a continent. On the top left, a heat map with species richness in countries of Europe. On the top right, a word cloud with the main keywords of our literature search and some of the study species names. On the bottom left, four out of 16 study species: in clockwise order, the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the American mink (Neovison vison), and the raccoon (Procyon lotor). On the bottom right, the temporal distribution of the first records of the study species in the countries of Europe.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2018

A novel truncating variant of GLI2 associated with Culler-Jones syndrome impairs Hedgehog signalling

BackgroundGLI2 encodes for a transcription factor that controls the expression of several genes in the Hedgehog pathway. Mutations in GLI2 have been described as causative of a spectrum of clinical phenotypes, notably holoprosencephaly, hypopituitarism and postaxial polydactyl. Methods: In order to identify causative genetic variant, we performed exome sequencing of a trio from an Italian family with multiple affected individuals presenting clinical phenotypes in the Culler-Jones syndrome spectrum. We performed a series of assays, both in vitro and in ovo (Chicken model) to test the functional properties of GLI2 mutation.\n\nResultsHere we report a novel deletion c.3493delC (p.P1167LfsX52) in the C-terminal activation domain of GLI2, and cell-based functional assays confirmed the pathogenicity of the identified variant and revealed a dominant-negative effect of mutant GLI2 on Hedgehog signalling.\n\nConclusionOur results highlight the variable clinical manifestation of GLI2 mutations and emphasize the value of functional characterisation of novel gene variants to assist genetic counselling and diagnosis.

genetics↗