半自然条件下成年雌性长江江豚的抚幼行为

2014年5-9月,采用目标动物取样法,对栖息在铜陵淡水豚国家级自然保护区半自然水域的两头成年雌性长江江豚分娩后4个月内的抚幼行为进行观察。结果表明,母豚有5种明显的抚幼行为,其中以护领行为和携带行为为主,托举行为、返回行为和干涉行为发生频率较低;随着幼豚发育,托举、携带、干涉行为呈下降趋势;护领行为先上升,后趋于平稳;返回行为变化相对平稳,但在幼豚2月龄左右出现一个高峰。此外,两头母豚间的干涉和返回行为发生频率差别较大。综合以上结果可见,出生后约两个月内是半自然水域长江江豚抚幼的关键时期,应在此期间加强管理。     

毛冠鹿自然育幼行为观察

于2006年6～11月对成都动物园饲养繁殖的毛冠鹿母仔的自然育幼行为采用瞬时观察法,每天8∶00～17∶00进行连续观察,每隔1min收集1次数据。结果显示母舔仔和仔吮乳的行为发生次数在出生20d内较多,之后逐渐下降,到60d以后几乎为0;而仔摄食和排便行为在出生20d以内几乎没有,20d后大幅增加;幼仔的活动频率也逐渐增加,40d以后活动很频繁。不同幼仔间存在个体差异。     

长江白鱀豚行为的观察

1979—1990年,作者在长江中下游江段,对白鱀豚的行为作了47次航行朋察。根据观察记录,对白鱀豚出水呼吸时所表现的集群,抚幼、觅食、求偶、玩耍、歇息、逃避等行为,作了较全面的描述和分析。     

半自然水域中长江江豚食性与摄食行为的初步观察

2001 年4 月至2002 年3 月, 观察5 头系上标记的长江江豚在夹江中的摄食行为。结果表明: 长江江豚在半自然水域中饲养适应期大约需要两个月, 豢养初期其体重下降幅度约13.8 %; 从经济和适口性来看, 供饲饵料中以鲤鱼最合适, 夹江投放鱼苗应以草鱼、鲢鱼为主。建立人工投食后, 长江江豚日食量在夏季仅占体重的4.1 %、冬季约9.5 % , 均数约6.3 % , 比池内人工饲养下的日食量至少低3 % , 因此夹江中豚类活动能量有1/3 来自自由捕食; 长江江豚每天上午和下午的摄食速度差异显著( P < 0.05) , 推测其夏季野外捕食发生在清晨或傍晚, 冬季在中午。     

圈养大熊猫同时哺育双胞胎行为观察

2003 年,圈养大熊猫“梅梅”首例哺育成活一胎二仔,通过对其近半年的育幼行为观察,结果发现:1) 母兽主要以同时衔2 仔、同时衔和抱2 仔二种方式将幼仔抱入怀中哺育;60 d 内, 育幼姿势以坐位为主,倦卧其次, 其它姿势更少, 其中坐位随日龄增加逐渐减少, 倦卧变化不大。2) 母兽活动时间在产仔当天最多, 之后显著下降并维持在35.2 ± 0.6% 的低水平, 47 d 后再缓慢上升到108 d 后的54.8 ± 0.9% 。3) 双胞胎幼仔间哺乳的日均次数和时间无显著差异。4) 7 d 内2 幼仔“仔在母身上” 的时间占100%, 21 ～ 23 d 后显著减少, 而“母体盖仔”、“仔在母身边”和“母仔自然分离”的时间显著增加, 但“母体盖仔” 的时间在32 d 左右后又显著减少;双胞胎分别在与母兽的此四种位置变化的时间上无显著差异。5) 母兽的活动、幼仔哺乳日均次数、“母仔自然分离”在全天的日均时间分布有峰、谷变化。6) 随幼仔活动能力的逐渐增强,幼仔离“育幼窝”的距离也逐渐增加,双胞胎幼仔离“育幼窝”的远近也有差别。7)母兽分别与其雄性双胞胎幼仔玩耍的时间有显著差异,而两幼仔自玩的时间无差异,此两双胞胎自玩和一起玩耍所用时间远大于分别与母兽玩耍的时间。该研究丰富了大熊猫育幼行为内容,并为以后的大熊猫双胞胎育幼提供了可供参考的行为资料。     

长江江豚哺乳期母豚昼间行为和时间的分配

2006 年7 ～11 月,在铜陵淡水豚国家级自然保护区半自然水域采用随机取样法和焦点动物取样法对哺乳期长江江豚母豚昼间行为和时间分配进行了研究。结果表明,母豚用于摄食的时间占61. 2%;其次是母幼联系和移动,分别为18.8% 和7.6%;用于休息和社会行为的时间较少, 分别为6.1% 和5.2%; 其它行为的时间极少, 仅占1.1%; 摄食和母幼联系是其主要的行为。在活动规律方面, 其各种行为在强度、出现和持续的时间上存在较大差异。单因素方差分析表明,在哺乳期不同阶段长江江豚母豚的母幼联系差异极显著(P< 0.01), 摄食和社会行为存在显著差异(P< 0.05), 移动、休息和其它行为则不存在显著差异(P> 0.05); 而此期间在不同活动区域以上各种行为均存在极显著差异(P <0.01), 说明其对栖息环境具有选择性。      

圈养林麝幼仔的时间分配和行为发育

林麝幼仔的躺卧时间随周龄而减少(R = 01870, P <0101) , 运动时间则相反(R = 01906,P < 0105)。7 周龄后幼麝采食青料的时间明显延长。蹭尾行为和上树行为是林麝的特有行为, 4周龄始出现, 蹭尾行为发生在母仔之间, 可能在母幼通讯中起重要作用, 而幼麝的上树行为是一种戏耍行为。     

人工育幼豚鹿幼仔的生长发育规律初步研究

测定了成都动物园圈养种群中9只人工育幼豚鹿幼仔(2004～2007年)体重和8只豚鹿的体尺,并观察了8只豚鹿的牙齿(0～63 d)的生长情况.结果为:幼仔在0～54 d内体长、肩高、后足长、耳长和尾长以及体重都随日龄呈直线增长趋势,其中体长和肩高与幼仔的日龄显著相关(P<0.01).初生幼仔齿式2(I 0/2, C 0/0, P 0/0),2周龄齿式2(I 0/2,C 0/0, P 2/2),7周龄齿式2(I 0/2,C 0/2或C 1/2, P 2/2).     

幼年长江江豚的行为谱(英文)

采用焦点动物跟踪法及连续记录法,观察了人工饲养条件下一头幼年长江江豚(Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)的水下以及半自然条件下两头幼豚的水面行为型式。观察时间最长持续至出生后一年,以构建其行为谱。结果显示:1)所有幼豚都能表现出丰富多样且活跃的行为型式;2)幼豚刚出生时,与存活攸关的行为型式最先出现;3)具有玩耍和社居性质的行为型式在行为谱中占大部分;4)幼豚大部分行为型式已与其他年龄段个体的相似;5)大部分行为型式出现在生命的早期阶段。以上特征可能是这种动物对水生和社居生活的适应。     

白暨豚种群数量及资源保护

为了了解长江中白鱀豚的分布状况及种群数量,从1978年至1983年1月止,先后9次在长江中、下游(宜昌至南通)的干流进行了白鱀豚的生态考察,并到汉江和鄱阳湖、洞庭湖等水域查访有无白鱀豚活动的情况,依据考察所得资料,对长江白鱀豚群体的数量作了初步剖析。 通过考察,到1983年初为止,中游最上是在湖北枝城,约距长江口1,613公里的江段和下游最下是江苏太仓浏河口距长江口24公里的江段都有白鱀豚的活动。白鱀豚种群约156头,20个群体,分布在长江中、下游的17个江段里,在安庆一黑砂洲南水道约170公里及嘉鱼—王家渡水道约80公里的两个江段里生活着较多的个体。根据雌、雄自鱀豚体长与年龄关系式的速度变化曲线,白鱀豚的个体发育阶段可分为:幼龄期(胎儿—雄性4龄,雌性5龄),壮年期(雄性5龄—12龄,雌性6龄—13龄),成年期(雄性13龄,雌性14龄至20龄)和老年期(20龄以上雌雄个体)4个龄期。白鱀豚种群的年龄结构是一个基部较窄,顶部相对宽的锥体,显然是一个生产较差的种群。 近些年来,由于人类对江河的开发利用,使得白鱀豚种群的补充能力和再生产能力都遭到了一定程度的破坏。分析白鱀豚资源减少的主要原因是:(1)食物条件的变化;(2)有害渔具对白鱀豚的杀伤;(3)航运业务对白鱀豚的误伤;(4)群众缺乏保护珍贵动物的知识而     

Transient neonatal hypothyroidism due to transplacental transfer of maternal immunoglobulins that inhibit TSH binding, TSH-induced cAMP increase and cell growth

Transient neonatal hypothyroidism due to transplacental transfer of maternal blocking type TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb) was found in a baby born to a 27-yr-old mother, who had been receiving thyroxine medication for primary myxedema. Maternal IgG inhibited radiolabelled TSH binding to its receptor (TBII), TSH-stimulated thyroid adenylate cyclase (AC) activation (TSII) and TSH-stimulated 3H-thymidine uptake (TGII) in cultured rat thyroid cells (FRTL-5). At birth, the baby's IgG showed similar activities to maternal IgG but all these activities decreased gradually, and disappeared from her serum within 12 weeks of age. In the baby, initially nonvisualized thyroid was clearly visualized on 99 m-Tc thyroid scintigraphy when all these blocking activities disappeared, TSII and TGII being decreased more slowly than TBII, and the baby remained euthyroid after discontinuation of thyroxine. This study suggests that such IgGs induced hypothyroidism and thyroid atrophy in the mother and were responsible for transient neonatal hypothyroidism in the baby.     

西印度海牛(Trichechus manatus Linnaeus)在人工饲养下的繁殖

西印度海牛Trichechus manatus Linnaeus系稀有珍贵动物。近百年来,世界上饲养这种动物的国家只有几个,在人工饲养下能够繁殖的也只有美国和荷兰两个国家。因此有关海牛饲养管理的资料非常少,繁殖方面的资料更是寥寥无几。     

控释前列腺素E2^-普贝生用于足月妊娠引产的疗效观察

目的：探讨控释前列腺素E2栓剂普贝生用于足月妊娠引产的有效性及安全可行性。方法：将本院2008年12月2009年4月有引产指征的足月妊娠孕妇140例随机分成两组,研究组以普贝生用药,对照组行催产素静滴引产,比较两组产妇Bishop评分、引产费用、临产时间、破膜时间、分娩时间、总产程时间、分娩情况和结局以及新生儿体重及评分。结果：普贝生组用于足月妊娠引产效果明显优于对照组（P〈0.01）,研究组用药至临产时间显著短于对照组（P〈0.01）,引产成功率高于对照组,对母婴影响无显著差别。结论：普贝生是一种安全有效方便实惠的新型引产药物,对母婴没有明显不良影响,可在临床上应用。     

The Diel Rhythms of Biosonar Behavior in the Yangtze Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) in the Port of the Yangtze River: The Correlation between Prey Availability and Boat Traffic

Information on the habitat use of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) is critical for its conservation. The diel biosonar behavior of the porpoise in the port areas of the Yangtze River was examined along with simultaneous observations of fish density and boat traffic. Biosonar pulses from the porpoises were detected for 1233 min (5.77%) over a 21,380 min duration of effective observations. In total, 190 (5.63%) buzzes (an indication of prey capture attempts) were recorded among the 3372 identified click trains. Of the 168 echolocation encounters (bouts of click trains less than eight min apart), 150 (89.3%) involved single animals, indicating that solitary porpoises were frequently present and feeding in the port areas. Significant diel patterns were evident involving the biosonar behavior of the porpoises (including click trains and buzzes), fish density and boat traffic. The frequencies of the click trains and buzzes were significantly lower during the day than in the evening and at night, which suggests that porpoises in this region are primarily engaged in crepuscular and nocturnal foraging. The lack of a significant diel pattern in the echolocation encounters indicates the importance of the port in porpoise conservation. A forced feeding schedule may be associated with the lack of a significant correlation between porpoise acoustics and boat traffic. Overall, prey availability appears to be the primary factor that attracts porpoises. Additionally, porpoises tend to migrate or remain downstream in the morning and migrate or remain upstream in the evening, most likely to follow their prey. The findings of this study can be used to improve the conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoise.     

北部湾印太江豚密度估算及适宜栖息地预测

目前我国印太江豚 (Neophocaena phocaenoides) 的基础信息十分有限,2018—2020年对北部湾离岸较近的广西壮族自治区合浦儒艮国家级自然保护区及离岸较远的涠洲岛水域进行了截线抽样法船只考察。应用DISTANCE估算出儒艮国家级自然保护区印太江豚密度约为每平方千米0.273 (0.133 ~ 0.561) 头,数量约88头 (95%CI：43 ~ 181);涠洲岛水域印太江豚密度约为每平方千米0.100 (0.048 ~ 0.210) 头,数量约137头 (95%CI：65 ~ 286)。利用最大熵模型 (MaxEnt) 分析北部湾水域印太江豚的适宜栖息地分布及面积。MaxEnt模型训练集和测试集AUC值分别为0.980和0.927,模型拟合度较好,结果表明离岸距离和海洋深度是影响印太江豚栖息地分布的主要因子,印太江豚的适宜栖息地在北部湾东北部近岸区和海南西侧,适宜度超过0.5的栖息地面积达14 630.62 km²。2018—2020年印太江豚适宜栖息地面积较2013年大幅度下降,0.5适宜度的栖息地面积减少了40%。参考印太江豚2个群体的平均密度和北部湾适宜栖息地面积,粗略估计北部湾水域印太江豚约1 463 ~ 3 994头。由此可见,北部湾水域内印太江豚密度比较高,应引起足够的重视。建议首先进行区域性海洋环境的整体保护,重点关注鱼类资源的恢复及对人类活动尤其渔船的管控,并尽快建立新的自然保护区。     

A case of offspring desertion by a female chimpanzee and the behavioral changes of the abandoned offspring

In the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, a chimpanzee mother moved to a neighboring unit-group leaving her 5-year-old son behind in the original group. The mother remained in the new group for ten months and then after conceiving, returned to the original group. The mother and son were reunited again but the son died of illness two months later. The mother gave birth to a baby in the original group but eventually transferred to the neighboring group after that baby disappeared. This is the first record of an immature chimpanzee abandoned by its emigrating mother, although a similar phenomenon has been reported for gorillas and Hanuman langurs. The abandoned offspring followed an adult male of the unit-group and the male was the individual who gave most of the care to the offspring. The offspring's time spent on grooming others increased, the time spent on being groomed decreased, and the rate of aggression toward him increased after his mother's desertion. This report will occasion to reconsider the previous notion of all-powerful mother-offspring bond in chimpanzees.     

Water translocation between ramets of strawberry during soil drying and its effects on photosynthetic performance

To explore the mechanisms underlying water regulation in clonal plants and its effects on carbon assimilation under water stress, we studied the responses of water status, gas exchange and abscisic acid (ABA) contents to water stress in leaves of pairs of strawberry ramets that consist of mother and daughter ramets. There was a greater decrease in photosynthetic rates (P_n) and stomatal conductance (G_s) in the disconnected mother ramets than the connected mother ramets upon exposure to water stress, indicating that water stress in mother ramets was alleviated by water translocation from the well‐watered daughter ramets. Conversely, the connected mother ramets displayed enhanced symptoms of water stress when the connected daughter ramets were exposed to water deficit. The mother ramets had lower water potential (ψ_w) due to their stronger osmotic adjustment than in well‐watered daughter ramets; this resulted in water flow from the connected daughter ramets to mother ramets, thus alleviating water stress of mother ramets. During soil drying, there was a striking increase in ABA concentrations in leaves of the disconnected mother ramets, whereas leaf bulk ABA was much lower in the connected and water‐stressed mother ramets than that in the drought‐affected mother ramets in the disconnected group. In this study, though G_s was linearly correlated with leaf bulk ABA and ψ_w, G_s in water‐stressed mother ramets in disconnected group exhibited less sensitivity to the variation in leaf bulk ABA and ψ_w than that in connected and water‐stressed mother ramets. Taken together, these results indicate that: (1) the flux of water translocation between the connected ramets is determined by a water potential gradient; (2) water translocation between connected ramets helps to keep sensitivity of G_s to ABA and ψ_w in drought‐affected ramets, thereby benefit to effectively maintain the homeostasis of leaf water status and (3) the improvements in P_n in water‐stressed ramets due to water translocation from well‐watered ramets suggest the advantages of physiological integration in clonal plants in environments with heterogeneous water distribution.     

Some observations on the sociosexual behavior of a captive male Yangtze finless porpoise calf (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)

Sociosexual behavior in a captive male Yangtze finless porpoise calf (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) was studied during its first year postpartum. This behavior was first observed at 1 month postpartum. During the year, (1) each event of the sociosexual behavior typically lasted 6–9 s and the frequency was 2.8 occurrences h^?1; (2) ventral–ventral was the predominant sociosexual gesture; (3) prior to sociosexual interactions, the calf generally bonded with the receiver; (4) the mother was his preferred sociosexual partner but other adults of both sexes were also involved; (5) the frequency of sociosexual behavior decreased until the 9th month postpartum and increased thereafter.     

Uptake,Outcomes, and Costs of Antenatal,Well-Baby,and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Services under Routine Care Conditions in Zambia

Background

Zambia adopted Option A for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in 2010 and announced a move to Option B+ in 2013. We evaluated the uptake, outcomes, and costs of antenatal, well-baby, and PMTCT services under routine care conditions in Zambia after the adoption of Option A.

Methods

We enrolled 99 HIV-infected/HIV-exposed (index) mother/baby pairs with a first antenatal visit in April-September 2011 at four study sites and 99 HIV-uninfected/HIV-unexposed (comparison) mother/baby pairs matched on site, gestational age, and calendar month at first visit. Data on patient outcomes and resources utilized from the first antenatal visit through six months postpartum were extracted from site registers. Costs in 2011 USD were estimated from the provider’s perspective.

Results

Index mothers presented for antenatal care at a mean 23.6 weeks gestation; 55% were considered to have initiated triple-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) based on information recorded in site registers. Six months postpartum, 62% of index and 30% of comparison mother/baby pairs were retained in care; 67% of index babies retained had an unknown HIV status. Comparison and index mother/baby pairs utilized fewer resources than under fully guideline-concordant care; index babies utilized more well-baby resources than comparison babies. The average cost per comparison pair retained in care six months postpartum was $52 for antenatal and well-baby services. The average cost per index pair retained was $88 for antenatal, well-baby, and PMTCT services and increased to $185 when costs of triple-drug ART services were included.

Conclusions

HIV-infected mothers present to care late in pregnancy and many are lost to follow up by six months postpartum. HIV-exposed babies are more likely to remain in care and receive non-HIV, well-baby care than HIV-unexposed babies. Improving retention in care, guideline concordance, and moving to Option B+ will result in increased service delivery costs in the short term.