Development and characterization of 11 microsatellite loci in a historically introduced carnivoran, the common genet (Genetta genetta)

Microsatellite markers were developed to assess population structure and patterns of translocation in the introduced European common genet (Genetta genetta). Primer pairs were designed for 60 microsatellite sequences enriched for CA, GA, CATC and TAGA repeat motifs. Eleven loci that proved to be polymorphic were genotyped in 33 individuals from southwestern France. The number of alleles per locus and observed heterozygosities varied from three to seven and from 0.2121 to 0.7576, respectively. One locus (B103) showed significant departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, probably due to the presence of null alleles. Tests of linkage disequilibrium did not detect significant associations among loci.     

Three-dimensional fibre-type distribution in the paravertebral muscles of the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius f. furo) with relation to functional demands during locomotion

We investigated the functional corollaries of a relatively long trunk with regard to trunk use during overground and underground locomotion and with regard to fibre-type distribution within the paravertebral musculature using the example of the domestic ferret. Fibre-type distribution was determined using enzyme histochemistry on serial cross-sections through the complete musculo-skeletal apparatus. Back posture and back movements were analysed using cineradiography. During overground locomotion, the back is bent into an arch, resulting in a back length comparable to normally proportioned small mammals. During underground locomotion, the back is held straight, resulting in greater rotational inertia and higher stabilisation requirements. This is reflected in the fibre-type distribution pattern, which differs clearly from that of all other mammals investigated so far. Instead of being separated into superficial, glycolytic and deep, oxidative parts, all the epaxial and the iliopsoas muscles consisted of 20-30% oxidative, 20-30% oxidative-glycolytic and 40-60% glycolytic fibres, with no or only minor differences between superficial and profound muscles or muscle regions. Only the quadratus lumborum muscle showed a fibre-type distribution comparable to other mammals, reflecting its primary function as an accessory muscle of respiration. We suggest that the observed pattern reflects the adaptation of the back muscles to the functional demands of a long trunk and the increased need to stabilise it during overground and especially underground locomotion.     

The earliest European badger (Meles meles), from the Late Villafranchian site of Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Granada, SE Iberian Peninsula)

Paleontological and molecular data suggest that the divergence of the European and Asian badgers (Meles meles and Meles leucurus, respectively) from their ancestor Meles thorali might have taken place in the Middle to Late Villafranchian boundary (ca. 1.8 Ma). However, the available record of Late Villafrachian European badgers is scanty and poorly known, and this hypothesis needs more paleontological data in order to be tested. The badger hemimandible from the Iberian locality of Fuente Nueva 3, a locality placed in the beginning of the Late Villafranchian, supports the idea of an early divergence between European and Asian badgers.     

Movements and home range of ferrets (Mustela furo) at Pukepuke Lagoon,New Zealand

Abstract

Ferrets at Pukepuke Lagoon were live-trapped during the periods November 1970 to August 1973 and January 1976 to July 1977. Although the sex ratio of the 75 trapped ferrets was equal, there was a strong bias towards male captures in the earlier period (58.4%) and towards female captures in the later period (68.7%). Habitat modification and changes in the trapping programme for the later period probably resulted in the increased abundance and capture rate of females. Between consecutive captures 58.2% of male movements exceeded 250 m, as against on1y 39.7% of female movements; the mean distance between consecutive captures was 435 m for males and 285 m for females. Mean monthly movements varied from 700 m in January to 315 m in June for males, and from 360 m in March to 150 m in September for females. Juveniles of both sexes moved similar, intermediate distances. Dispersing juveniles were trapped from January until April; males tended to appear in traps earlier in the year than females. Only 4 of 14 juvenile males setNed as residents, hut 15 of 28 juvenile females did so. Male and female home ranges overlapped extensively, but within each sex individual ranges were usually separate. Resident males maintained a well defined spacing pattern, adjusting their boundaries if a juvenile settled or a neighbouring range became vacant. In 1976 six females had overlapping ranges in an area of albundant food. Female ranges (12.4 ha) were on average smaller than male ranges (31.3 ha); home ranges of both sexes were smaller during the breeding season (August-February) than at other times.     

Do sharks exhibit heterodonty by tooth position and over ontogeny? A comparison using elliptic Fourier analysis

Tooth morphology is often used to inform the feeding ecology of an organism as these structures are important to procure and process dietary resources. In sharks, differences in morphology may facilitate the capture and handling of prey with different physical properties. However, few studies have investigated differences in tooth morphology over ontogeny, throughout the jaws of a single species, or among species at multiple tooth positions. Bull (Carcharhinus leucas), blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus), and bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) are coastal predators that exhibit ontogenetic dietary shifts, but differ in their feeding ecologies. This study measured tooth morphology at six positions along the upper and lower jaws of each species using elliptic Fourier analysis to make comparisons within and among species over their ontogeny. Significant ontogenetic differences were detected at four of the six tooth positions in bull sharks, but only the posterior position on the lower jaw appeared to exhibit a functionally relevant shift in morphology. No ontogenetic changes in morphology were detected in blacktip or bonnethead sharks. Intraspecific comparisons found that most tooth positions significantly differed from one another across all species, but heterodonty was greatest in bull sharks. Additionally, interspecific comparisons found differences among all species at each tooth position except between bull and blacktip sharks at two positions. These morphological patterns within and among species may have implications for prey handling efficiency, as well as in providing insight for paleoichthyology studies and reevaluating heterodonty in sharks.     

Extinction and replacement among predatory mammals in the North American late Eocene and Oligocene: Tracking a paleoguild over twelve million years

Changes in taxonomic and morphologic diversity within the paleoguild of predatory mammals were explored within a mammalian chronofauna spanning a twelve million year interval, from the latest Eocene to the end of the Oligocene of North America (36–24 ma). The timespan encompassed a modest extinction event among terrestrial mammals (circa 34 ma) followed by a period of relative stability. Morphological diversity was assessed with estimates of body mass, relative tooth size, and tooth shape. Principal component, nearest‐neighbor, and minimum‐spanning‐tree analyses were used to compare morphological diversity and species packing within predator paleoguilds in the mid‐Chadronian (37–34 ma), Orellan (34–32), Whitneyan (32–29.5), and early Arikareean (29.5–24) land mammal ages. Species richness of predators throughout the interval was relatively constant, fluctuating between 15 and 18 total taxa. Moreover, despite significant differences in taxonomic composition and a modest extinction event among terrestrial mammals, morphological diversity within the paleoguild was very similar in the Chadronian and Orellan. In the Whitneyan and especially the early Arikareean, the diversity of feeding adaptations among species declined slightly, largely due to the loss of several highly specialized meat‐eaters (creodonts, nimravids) and the addition of small omnivores (canids).