COMPARISON OF VERTICAL AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC AND GROUND CENSUSES OF STELLER SEA LIONS AT AÑO NUEVO ISLAND, JULY 1990-1993

Counts of Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus ) pups and non-pups (adults and juveniles) from aerial photographs of rookeries at Año Nuevo Island between 1990 and 1993 were significantly higher than those made on the ground. Based on regression of natural logs of photographic counts versus year, the number of pups declined at a rate of −0.099yr while non-pup numbers declined at −0.315/yr. Examination of ground count data for the same period revealed a significant decline in non-pups (−0.139/yr), but no trend was detected in the ground counts of pups. The regression coefficients from photographic and ground counts of non-pups did not differ significantly. Power analyses using the program TRENDS indicated that detectable rates of change in abundance from four annual surveys were much lower for counts of pups than counts of non-pups where sampling precision was based on fits to linear models.     

DIFFERENTIAL MOVEMENTS BY HARBOR SEAL PUPS IN CONTRASTING ALASKA ENVIRONMENTS

Movement patterns of Alaska harbor seal pups were studied using satellite telemetry during 1997–2000. Mean tracking duration was 277.3 d (SD = 105.8) for Tugidak Island pups ( n = 26) and 171.2 d (108.3) for Prince William Sound (PWS) pups ( n = 27). Movements were similar for males and females and were largely restricted to the continental shelf. Multiple return trips of > 75 km from the natal area and up to ∼3 wk duration were most common, followed by movements restricted to <25 km from the natal area; one way movements from the natal site were rare. Distances moved and home range sizes remained relatively stable or increased gradually from July through winter, then decreased markedly through spring. Monthly movements (maximum distance from tagging location, mean distance from haul-outs to at-sea locations, and home range size) were significantly greater for Tugidak vs . PWS pups. Six of seven pups from each region that traveled farthest and were tracked the longest had returned to their tagging site when their last location was recorded, indicating philopatry or limited dispersal during their first year of life. Seal pups exhibited similar movement patterns in the distinct habitats of the two regions, but differed in the spatial extent of their movements.     

哺乳期棕色田鼠对非亲缘幼仔的行为反应

通过观察产后2 日(L2)、6 日(L6)、10 日(L10)、14 日(L14)和20 日(L20)的棕色田鼠母鼠对2 日龄、6 日龄、10 日龄和14 日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击行为和衔回行为,探讨了哺乳期棕色田鼠的母性行为与非亲缘幼仔的发育(日龄或个体大小)及母鼠产后时间的关系。结果表明,在哺乳前期(L2,L6),非亲缘幼仔的日龄大小显著影响母鼠的攻击行为(P < 0.05);在哺乳中期(L10,L14)及后期(L20),非亲缘幼仔的日龄对母鼠的攻击行为没有显著影响(P > 0. 05)。在整个哺乳期,母鼠对14 日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击频次最高(P < 0.05)。产后不同时间的母鼠对同一日龄非亲缘幼仔的攻击频次没有显著差异(P > 0.05)。这些结果表明,哺乳期内的棕色田鼠对非亲缘幼仔的攻击与幼仔的发育有关,与母鼠的产后时间无关。     

Bioactivity of the compounds in genus Dysoxylum

The genus Dysoxylum is a large genus comprising of about a dozen species, distributed in India. This is the genus which is rich in compounds like terpenoids and alkaloids. The isolated compounds from the genus were reported to have interesting biological activities. This review contains the chemical structures, along with their biological activities reported in the literature.     

Bioactivity of the compounds in genus Dysoxylum

The diets of the wolf Canis lupus, red fox Vulpes vulpes and raccoon dog Nyctereutes ussurienusis Matschie were studied in the grassland of eastern Inner Mongolia from August to October in 2007 and from March to July in 2008. Feces were collected from dens and latrines. The frequency of occurrence and the dry weight of the remains of each food item in the feces were calculated. Livestock (50.65% frequency of occurrence) constituted the bulk of the wolf diet, while small rodents (76.31% frequency of occurrence) were most frequently eaten by the foxes. Small rodents (22.69% frequency of occurrence) were important to the raccoon dogs but they also frequently consumed birds (39.81% frequency of occurrence) and insects (26.39% frequency of occurrence). The wolf was the most omnivorous and the red fox was the least omnivorous of these three kinds of canidae according to the diversity index. The food niches of the wolf and the red fox overlapped more than that of the raccoon dog and other species. These three kinds of canidae shared many resources and consequently competition occurred to them. However, their diets also differed to some extent which helped them to avoid competition. Furthermore, raccoon dogs were dormant in winter when food was scarce, which may be the reason why all these species could coexist in a rather unproductive grassland.     

Genetic variation and subspecific status of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) in Saudi Arabia

This work represents the most extensive genetic study of the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) in Arabia and the first considering genetic data from multiple locations within Saudi Arabia. Previous suggestion of the occurrence of two subspecies of wolves in Arabia is not supported by this study. The genetic evidence suggests that the wolves of Saudi Arabia are genetically variable and more closely related to the Eurasian wolf Canis lupus group (dog included) than to the Indian wolf C. l. pallipes. The genetic diversity observed for C. lupus in Saudi Arabia indicates that the subspecific status C. l. arabs should be retained for the Arabian wolf. What remains unclear is the degree to which genetic introgression from domestic dogs has influenced the composition and integrity of C. lupus in Saudi Arabia.     

Consequences of gene targeting procedures for behavioural responses and morphological development of newborn mice

In this study the effects of gene targeting procedures on the early behaviour and morphological development of the resulting offspring have been investigated. Six groups of mice, each having undergone a specific aspect of the biotechnological procedure, (including electroporation, microinjection and/or embryo culture) and one control group, were compared. Development of behaviour, morphological characteristics and body weight of the progeny were tested daily from birth to weaning (0–3 weeks) for all groups. No significant differences in behaviour or morphological development were observed. However, the occurrence of increased (perinatal) pup mortality and increased body weight in the procedural groups, indicates that during the production of gene targeted mice, some of the normal physiological and/or developmental processes can be affected. Therefore, gene targeting procedures should always be accompanied by careful monitoring of health and welfare of the resulting offspring.     

若尔盖人-狼冲突现状与管理研究

大中型食肉动物肇事事件导致人类与野生动物关系恶化,给生物多样性保护工作带来巨大的挑战。若尔盖湿地是我国三大湿地之一,湿地、草原分布广泛,生物多样性丰富,畜牧业发达,但近年来狼(Canis lupus)捕杀牲畜的肇事事件时有发生。为了解若尔盖野生狼肇事件的空间分布以及牧民对人-狼冲突管理的看法,本研究于2022年对若尔盖县13个乡镇83个行政村进行走访调查。结果表明：(1)多数受访者(66.0%)认为在过去5年内,若尔盖县野生狼数量有所增加;(2)狼肇事事件具有明显的空间分异性,最严重的是包座乡。包座乡临近山区,该区域牧场面积广阔、牧民饲养牲畜数量多等原因导致该镇发生狼肇事事件较多;(3)对于狼肇事,绝大多数牧民(85.0%)更希望采取经济补偿或者驱赶措施,只有少数牧民(9.4%)希望采取捕杀的措施;(4)影响牧民对狼肇事管理措施的偏好因子中,受教育程度、年龄、民族以及被杀牲畜数量有显著影响。建议加强狼种群监测管理,采取措施减少狼捕杀牲畜,优化补偿机制,缓解当地牧民与狼之间的矛盾。本研究为当前若尔盖县野生动物保护和管理决策提供了依据,对其他地区大型食肉动物与当地居民冲突管理具有借鉴意义。     

Foreleg Autotomy Reduces Mating Success of Male <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizocosa ocreata</Emphasis> Wolf Spiders

Autotomy is a taxonomically widespread antipredator tactic that allows animals to escape life-threatening situations. Opposing the benefits of survival, animals that have autotomized appendages may later suffer reduced ability in important determinants of fitness. Male Schizocosa ocreata wolf spiders use their forelegs during courtship for visual displays, for tactile courtship, and to defend against attacks by females. In nature they are often found missing one, and sometimes both, forelegs. We found that autotomy of one foreleg has little effect on male ability to mate with virgin females, but that autotomy of both forelegs causes a significant reduction in mating success. Among males that mated, autotomy of one or both forelegs did not influence latency until mating, period spent mounted, probability that his mate would accept a subsequent suitor, or probability that his mate would kill a subsequent suitor.