Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29520077›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2018

MHC diversity and female age underpin reproductive success in an Australian icon; the Tasmanian Devil.

Tracey Russell, Simeon Lisovski, Mats Olsson, Gregory Brown, Rebecca Spindler, Amanda Lane, Tamara Keeley, Chris Hibbard, Carolyn J Hogg, Frédéric Thomas and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 8 institutions in 4 countries.

Tracey RussellSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, NSW, Australia.
Simeon LisovskiUniversity of California Davis, Department of Neurobiology Physiology and Behavior, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6399-0035
Mats OlssonDept of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Gregory BrownSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-2924-9040
Rebecca SpindlerTaronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, 2088, NSW, Australia.
Amanda LaneSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, NSW, Australia.
Tamara KeeleySchool of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, 4343, QLD, Australia.
Chris HibbardZoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, Mosman, 2088, NSW, Australia.
Carolyn J HoggSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, NSW, Australia.
Frédéric ThomasCREEC/MIVEGEC, UMR IRD/CNRS/UM 5290, 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Katherine BelovSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, NSW, Australia.
Beata UjvariCentre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, 3216, VIC, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2391-2988
Thomas MadsenCentre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Science, Deakin University, Geelong, 3216, VIC, Australia. madsen@uow.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0002-0998-8372
The University of Sydney · AUDeakin University · AUAustralia Zoo · AUCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique · FRTaronga Conservation Society Australia · AUThe University of Queensland · AUUniversity of California, Davis · USUniversity of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) numbers in the wild. To ensure its long-term survival, a captive breeding program was implemented but has not been as successful as envisaged at its launch in 2005. We therefore investigated the reproductive success of 65 captive devil pair combinations, of which 35 produced offspring (successful pairs) whereas the remaining 30 pairs, despite being observed mating, produced no offspring (unsuccessful pairs). The devils were screened at six MHC Class I-linked microsatellite loci. Our analyses revealed that younger females had a higher probability of being successful than older females. In the successful pairs we also observed a higher difference in total number of heterozygous loci, i.e. when one devil had a high total number of heterozygous loci, its partner had low numbers. Our results therefore suggest that devil reproductive success is subject to disruptive MHC selection, which to our knowledge has never been recorded in any vertebrate. In order to enhance the success of the captive breeding program the results from the present study show the importance of using young (2-year old) females as well as subjecting the devils to MHC genotyping.

Indexed as

Animal DiseasesEndangered SpeciesMarsupialiaNeoplasmsAgingAnimalsAustraliaFemaleGenes, MHC Class IMicrosatellite Repeats

Identifiers

PMID29520077
PMCPMC5843591
OpenAlexW2802094335

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.