Habitat use and spatial niche overlap of sympatric savannah tortoises at multiple spatial scales in South Sudan

Demaya, Gift Simon; Benansio, John Sebit; Petrozzi, Fabio; Vittorio, Massimiliano Di; Dendi, Daniele; Fa, John E.; Luiselli, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104287

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In the frame of susceptible animal hosts inhabiting areas in Kenya with history of arboviral disease, tortoises are among widely distributed tick hosts. Tortoises are known to be long-lived reptiles and have low species richness, with only one or two species living in sympatry [ 42 , 43 ]. Common viral infections in tortoise include ranaviruses and herpesviruses [ 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jingmen Tick Virus in Ticks from Kenya

Ogola

Kopp

Bastos

et al. 2022

Viruses

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Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) is an arbovirus with a multisegmented genome related to those of unsegmented flaviviruses. The virus first described in Rhipicephalus microplus ticks collected in Jingmen city (Hubei Province, China) in 2010 is associated with febrile illness in humans. Since then, the geographic range has expanded to include Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, and Uganda. However, the ecology of JMTV remains poorly described in Africa. We screened adult ticks (n = 4550, 718 pools) for JMTV infection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Ticks were collected from cattle (n = 859, 18.88%), goats (n = 2070, 45.49%), sheep (n = 1574, 34.59%), and free-ranging tortoises (Leopard tortoise, Stigmochelys pardalis) (n = 47, 1.03%) in two Kenyan pastoralist-dominated areas (Baringo and Kajiado counties) with a history of undiagnosed febrile human illness. Surprisingly, ticks collected from goats (0.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1–0.5), sheep (1.8%, 95% CI 1.2–2.5), and tortoise (74.5%, 95% CI 60.9–85.4, were found infected with JMTV, but ticks collected from cattle were all negative. JMTV ribonucleic acid (RNA) was also detected in blood from tortoises (66.7%, 95% CI 16.1–97.7). Intragenetic distance of JMTV sequences originating from tortoise-associated ticks was greater than that of sheep-associated ticks. Phylogenetic analyses of seven complete-coding genome sequences generated from tortoise-associated ticks formed a monophyletic clade within JMTV strains from other countries. In summary, our findings confirm the circulation of JMTV in ticks in Kenya. Further epidemiological surveys are needed to assess the potential public health impact of JMTV in Kenya.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jingmen Tick Virus in Ticks from Kenya

Ogola

Kopp

Bastos

et al. 2022

Viruses

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“…homeana , Lawson, 2006; K . belliana , Demaya et al, 2020). We should emphasize that when following Benson et al’s (2011) classification of Kinixys spp., the results did not significantly change (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wwpzgmskn; Tables S1 and S2; Dudgeon et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new model of forelimb ecomorphology for predicting the ancient habitats of fossil turtles

Dudgeon

Livius

Alfonso

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Among the most persistent challenges in the history of evolutionary biology has been the question of the origin and evolution of turtles and their nearest ancestors. Fortunately, new fossil finds, reinterpretations of old ones, and molecular analyses have recently combined to provide a much clearer picture of the early evolution of the clade (recently summarized by Lyson & Bever, 2020). Whereas turtles were once variably attributed to "Anapsida," to early branching diapsids, and to the sister taxon of Lepidosauria (among others), thanks to converging molecular phylogenetic analyses, they are now recognized as the extant sister group to archosaurs (Crawford et al., 2015;Field et al., 2014;Thomson et al., 2014). Whereas the primitive habitat (terrestrial vs. aquatic) of turtles was once a subject of debate, recent consensus maintains that the earliest stem-turtles, such as Eunotosaurus africanus and Pappochelys rosinae, were fully terrestrial, and perhaps even fossorial (Joyce, 2015;Lyson & Bever, 2020). Despite these advancements in understanding, there is dissent among turtle workers regarding the habits of many other fossil forms.For example, the Upper Triassic stem-turtles Odontochelys semitestacea, Proterochersis robustus, and Proganochelys quenstedtii have variably been attributed both terrestrial and aquatic lifestyles (Benson

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“…In this paper, we conducted a TA on one of the most globally threatened chelonian species, the Nubian Flapshell Turtle Cyclanorbis elegans (Stanford et al, 2018(Stanford et al, , 2020. This turtle is considered to be on the brink of extinction, since it occupies only a limited number of habitat patches along the White Nile River in South Sudan and northern Uganda (Demaya et al, 2023;Demaya, Benansio, Lado, Diagne, et al, 2019;Demaya, Benansio, Lado, Jubarah, et al, 2019).…”

Section: Analyses Of Threats Acting On Specific Targets Have Been Car...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent decades, this species has undergone a catastrophic decline primarily due to both direct and indirect anthropogenic threats, resulting in its extinction across its entire former West and Central African range (Demaya et al, 2023;Luiselli, Dendi, et al, 2021;Luiselli, Diagne, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Analyses Of Threats Acting On Specific Targets Have Been Car...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Searching priorities for a species at the brink of extinction: Threats analysis on the critically endangered Nubian Flapshell Turtle (Cyclanorbis elegans)

Luiselli,

Demaya,

Benansio

et al. 2024

Afr J Ecol

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The Critically Endangered Nubian Flapshell Turtle (Cyclanorbis elegans) is found in the White Nile River system in South Sudan and northern Uganda. Over the past few decades, its populations have sharply declined, primarily due to human‐induced threats, leading to its near‐extinction across almost its entire range. In this paper, we present the results of a comprehensive threat analysis undertaken to pinpoint the challenges confronting the species within its natural habitat, specifically in the only known sites where it currently exists. We aimed to develop a conceptual framework to understand causal relationships among driving forces, threats and the target species. This framework allows the visualisation and analysis of the web of intricate interactions that contribute to the species' decline and vulnerability. We convened a panel of experts who identified three primary direct threats to the Nubian Flapshell Turtle: (1) Sand mining (IUCN code 3.2); (2) Overfishing by native fishers and refugees (code 5.4) and (3) Habitat loss at nesting sites (code 7.3). Among these threats, overfishing had the largest geographical extension, the highest intensity and duration, while habitat loss occurred at the highest frequency. These threats varied significantly in intensity and frequency. Additionally, when assessing the overall magnitude of these threats, habitat loss and overfishing had the highest impact, with significantly higher scores compared to sand mining. Our experts also identified the underlying driving forces behind these threats: (1) Economic interests driving sand mining activities along the Nile; (2) The influence of civil conflict and refugee populations, which contribute to the demand for bushmeat; (3) the Chinese expatriates, that lead to overfishing; (4) The removal of bank vegetation serves as a catalyst for habitat loss at nesting sites. The resulting conceptual framework serves as a valuable tool for defining targeted conservation measures for each distinct threat.

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Habitat use and spatial niche overlap of sympatric savannah tortoises at multiple spatial scales in South Sudan

Cited by 5 publications

References 32 publications

Jingmen Tick Virus in Ticks from Kenya

Jingmen Tick Virus in Ticks from Kenya

A new model of forelimb ecomorphology for predicting the ancient habitats of fossil turtles

Searching priorities for a species at the brink of extinction: Threats analysis on the critically endangered Nubian Flapshell Turtle (Cyclanorbis elegans)

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