Genetic structure of European pine martens (Martes martes), and evidence for introgression with M. americana in England

European pine martens (Martes martes)were once distributed across much ofwestern Europe. A combination of factors, suchas persecution, trapping, and habitat loss haveled to sharp declines in the species' numbersand range and, as such, local populations havebecome more vulnerable to extinction. Toevaluate the influence of these factors on boththe level of genetic variation and populationstructure, we genotyped pine martens fromacross much of their current distribution. Continental M. martes populations werefound to have a higher level of geneticstructure and lower genetic variation thantheir North American sibling species, M.americana, sampled throughout Canada. Thedifferences among mainland populations of thesespecies may lie in greater levels of habitatfragmentation and persecution experienced byEuropean martens, though it is difficult toexclude more ancient processes such as theinfluence of glaciations. Among islandpopulations of the two species, the Scottishpopulation revealed a similar level ofstructure and variation to the M. a.atrata population of Newfoundland, howeverIreland was more differentiated with lessgenetic variation. Our work usingmicrosatellites also extends previous mtDNAevidence for the presence of M. americanahaplotypes in England, raising the possibilityof hybridization with M. martes. Thesefindings may influence current discussions onthe status of English martens and theappropriateness of proposed re-introductions byrevealing that some indigenous martens persistin England, despite the presence of somepotential hybrids in the region.     

黄麂标记行为初探

2002年3-4月对上海动物园人工饲养的黄麂(Muntiacus reevesi)的标记行为进行了初步研究。结果表明黄麂的标记方式可分为用面腺(包括额腺和眶前腺)、尿液和粪便标记3种。雌雄黄麂用面腺标记的频次差异显著(P＜0,01)。面腺标记是雄麂最主要的标记方式,占总标记次数的74.27%;雌麂最主要的标记方式是排便(48.10%)和排尿(44.30％)。进入发情期后,个体的标记行为变得频繁,雄性个体的这种差异尤为显著(P＜0．05),这说明黄麂的标记行为具有发情信号的作用。     

圈养条件下黑麂雄性标记行为与雌性化学信息存留位置的关系

化学物质被认为是哺乳动物标记行为信息传递的主要载体,而标记在鹿科动物的竞争雌性资源中具有重要的作用,因此本文重点对雄性黑麂的化学标记与雌性化学信息存留点的关系进行了行为学研究。观察发现面腺标记(利用额腺和眶下腺)是雌雄黑麂共有的化学标记行为,而行为性排尿和刨地行为(利用蹄腺)则仅为雄性具有的标记行为;躺卧不具有化学标记作用,而排粪在化学标记上的作用则难以确定。同时分析表明,雄性黑麂更倾向于在靠近雌性化学信息存留区的区域进行化学标记,且可能会因竞争压力的增大而扩大领域范围。     

Scent marking by voles in response to predation risk: a field-laboratory validation

Predators use scent to locate their prey, and prey animals oftenalter their behavior in response to predation risk. I testedthe hypothesis that voles would decrease their frequency ofscent marking in response to predation risk. I conducted trialsin which prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, and woodland voles,M. pinetorum, were allowed to scent mark ceramic tiles placedin their runways in the field. The tiles were subjected to oneof three treatments: scented with odor from mink, Mustela vison(a rodent predator); rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (a nonpredatormammal control); and no odor (control). No significant differenceswere found in the frequency of scent marking in response tothe three treatments for either species. To validate that volesdid not decrease their scent marking in response to predationrisk, I brought male prairie voles from the field site intothe laboratory and allowed them to scent mark white paper substratetreated with mink odor, rabbit odor, or no odor. No significantdifferences were found in the frequency of scent marks in responseto the three treatments. These results differ from what waspredicted based on laboratory studies with other species ofrodents that show avoidance, reproductive suppression, decreasedactivity, and reduced scent marking in response to odors ofpredators. Voles appear to scent mark different substrates andunder a wide variety of social and environmental situations,and this is not influenced by the presence of odor from a predator.     

Scent marking within and between groups of wild banded mongooses

Scent marking is commonly described as a territorial behaviour, and scent marks might deter potential intruders from entering occupied areas. Conspecific neighbours present both a reproductive and a territorial threat, thus, determining which, if any, of these threats shapes scent-marking behaviour is difficult. Banded mongooses Mungos mungo provide a rare clear separation between reproductive rivals (found within groups) and territorial rivals (neighbouring groups), because immigration into social groups is extremely rare, and mating occurs almost exclusively within groups. This situation offers an opportunity to assess the relative importance of territorial defence and intra-group competition for mates in shaping scent-marking behaviour. We combined detailed behavioural observations of scent marking, chemical analyses of scent composition and discrimination experiments in the field, and found little evidence for higher rates of scent marking in overlapping areas, a lack of group specificity of scents and a failure of individuals to discriminate between the scents of different groups. Although scent may fulfill some role in territorial demarcation and defence, these results suggest that scent marks and scent-marking patterns are also involved in communicating within social groups.     

Fur snagging as a method of evaluating the presence and abundance of a small carnivore, the pine marten (Martes martes)

The pine marten Martes martes was once considered one of Ireland's rarest carnivores, but is now recolonizing many of the areas where it was once extirpated. It is important to monitor its population expansion so that conservation management decisions can be made regarding the status of this species. In this study, we investigate the use of fur snagging devices as a method of estimating pine marten presence and abundance in lowland and upland broadleaf woodland. We investigated whether these devices reliably detected presence, and how quickly. It was found that hair traps functioned very well in detecting pine martens on all survey transects and was essential in their detection in the most isolated site. A survey length of 6 days was sufficient to detect pine marten in all survey sites, with most detections occurring within the first 4 days. The hair traps functioned equally well as scat location for detecting pine marten and had the added advantage of there being no confusion as to the origin of the sample. Live trapping was used to verify the estimates of relative abundance from hair traps. There was a trend for the number of hair samples per site and the number of times animals were trapped per site to be positively correlated, although this was not significant. Hair traps do provide a real alternative for the monitoring of pine martens in both lowland and upland broadleaf woodlands, overcoming many of the disadvantages associated with scat location.     

Socio-spatial ecology of pine marten (Martes martes) in conifer forests,Ireland

Understanding the social organisation and spacing patterns of wildlife populations is an important aspect of conservation management and applied science. The present study investigated the spatial ecology of pine marten (Martes martes) inhabiting conifer forests in Ireland, the largest habitat resource available for the species. It represented the first study of pine marten spacing patterns in Irish conifer forests. Pine marten (n?=?7; five males and two females) were live-trapped and radio-tracked for between 4 and 10 months from March 2008 to March 2009. Mean annual home-range estimates (95 % fixed kernel) for males (150.7 ha) were generally larger than those of females (90.2 ha). There was considerable inter-seasonal overlap in home ranges (approx 85 %) with less inter-sexual (12.0 %) or intra-sexual (11.8 %) overlap, although the sample size of individuals for comparison was small. Pine marten home ranges were stable from season to season. Core ranges varied in size from 10.6 to 104.1 ha, and as a mean percentage of home-range area were 22.9 and 42.5 % for males and females, respectively. In terms of forest management, potential under occupancy of available space by pine marten and vulnerability of very small core ranges to clear felling practices needs further research to determine any impacts on individuals and populations.     

The role of scent marking in Lemur catta agonistic behavior

Certain forms of marking behavior in Lemur catta have been considered to be aggressive in nature but had not been analyzed specifically in this respect. This study examines the relationship between the occurrence of all forms of marking behavior displayed by a captive group of lemurs and their physical and nonphysical aggressive interactions. All forms of marking behavior, especially males' tail mark and tail wave displays, were found to correlate with aggressive behavior including female-instigated agonism. In comparison, allogrooming, a behavior thought not to have an agonistic component, was not significantly correlated with any marking nor agonistic category. The data suggest that in intersexual interactions male marking behavior is an aggressive but nonphysical substitute for physical aggression toward females who have generally been regarded as dominant to males in this species.     

The effect of social environment on estrogen excretion,scent marking,and sociosexual behavior in tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)

The influence of various social environments on estrogen excretion, scent marking, and the expression of sociosexual behavior was examined in cotton-top tamarins (Sanguinus o. oedipus). Behavioral observations and urine collections were conducted on five females while first housed in their natal family group or in the presence of another cycling adult female and then while housed with an unrelated adult male in a separate cage. Behavioral observations only were conducted on males in natal family groups and while housed with an unrelated adult female. Levels of urinary estrone and estradiol for females were measured by specific radioimmunoassays. Females housed in family groups or in the presence of an adult cycling female showed low and noncyclic patterns of estrogen excretion. Removal from these environments resulted in a rapid increase in urinary estrone and estradiol and three of five females demonstrated cyclic patterns of estrone excretion. Rates of anogenital marking in females were elevated after the social change, and sexual interactions, virtually absent in the original environments, were observed in all five females. In males, similar manipulations of the social environment affected the expression of sexual behavior, but not scent marking. The social environment, therefore has a profound impact on fertility and sociosexual behavior in cotton-top tamarin groups, with implications for callitrichid social structure and behavior.     

Trophic and spatial relationships of the pine marten (Martes martes) and American mink (Neovison vison) on mountain rivers of the Southern Urals

The American mink (Neovison vison) and pine marten (Martes martes) are the most common mustelid species in mountain forests of the Southern Urals. The bulk of the diet (85.3%) in the American mink consists of small mammals (35.8%), insects (22.7%), gastropods (14.1%), and fish (12.7%). In the pine marten, the main components comprising 79.6% of the diet are vegetable foods (29.8%), small mammals (27.0%), and insects (22.8%). The low diversity of their food spectra is accounted for by landscape and ecological features of the study region. The abundance of rodents is low, their distribution has a mosaic pattern, and other kinds of food are more abundant near rivers and streams, which explains the preference of both mustelid species for riparian biotopes. The breadth of trophic niches in the pine marten and American mink are 1.67 and 1.62, respectively, and the coefficient of their overlap is 0.75.     

Linking habitat characteristics with genetic diversity of the European pine marten (Martes martes) in France

Although typically considered as a forest specialist species, the European pine marten (Martes martes) is an example of a number of species that have recently been found to also live in fragmented landscapes. Considering that habitat fragmentation and loss is a major threat to the persistence of mammal species in such landscapes, we investigated the association between habitat characteristics and genetic diversity across four pine marten populations occupying contrasting landscapes in France with different degrees of forest availability and fragmentation. Bayesian and multivariate clustering methods evidenced the presence of three genetic clusters and isolation by distance between populations was found at the national scale. We found an overall moderate level of genetic variability, but no evidence of a bottleneck or deficit in heterozygosity in any of the populations. No pattern of isolation by distance was found within the populations, except in the one located in the Pyrenean Mountains which appeared partly isolated from other continental populations and also showed a lower level of genetic diversity. No obvious association between the pattern of genetic variability and the pattern of forested habitat characteristics was found. We discuss the possibility that pine martens show greater behavioural plasticity than typically expected allowing them to adapt to different habitat types.     

Kinship,association, and social relationships in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Data on social interactions with matrilineal kin were collected from two groups of rhesus monkeys for 6 years. All behavioral states, including time within one meter of another, involved kin more often than would be expected by chance. Significant associations were also found between kinship and the frequencies of various forms of agonistic as well as affiliative acts. Frequency of social interaction, however, was not a simple function of time in proximity. Although animals spent more time with kin than nonkin they had more aggressive interactions with kin. Moreover, aggression was biased toward the more serious forms of expression in interactions with kin. Time spent in association was neither predictive of the rate of aggressive interaction nor reduced by high rates of aggressive interaction. Rather than association time influencing rates of interaction, association time may be the consequence of a history of aggressive and affiliative exchanges. Preferential association and high rates of aggressive interaction with kin may be possible due to the existence of compensating social mechanisms nullifying the negative influence of specific aggressive encounters. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Accuracy in molecular sexing of martens (Martes americana and Martes caurina) varies among sample types

We evaluated the accuracy of sex identification using the SRY marker for American marten (Martes americana) and Pacific marten (Martes caurina) using samples collected from commercial trappers and those obtained via noninvasive sampling. We determined that sex identification from Lut-SRY primers is accurate at >90% for muscle and hair samples collected noninvasively. We found much lower accuracy when using hair samples plucked from trapper-killed carcasses, errors presumably incurred from contamination from the DNA of trappers, who were entirely male. We also found that the sequence generated from Lut-SRY primers, originally developed for Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), differed slightly for martens, and recommend that new primers be developed from the sequences we provide. The SRY marker can be reliably used for sex identification in both species of marten, provided that samples have low probabilities of contamination. Researchers should avoid samples collected from external locations on trapper-killed carcasses for DNA-based analyses.     

Fertility status,dominance, and scent marking behavior of family-housed female cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) in absence of their mothers

The effect of the mother's absence on the fertility status and expression of scent marking behavior was examined in 12 sexually mature female cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) living in four motherless families. Behavioral data and urine samples were collected on an average of five times per week and levels of estrone-glucuronide (E1G) were quantified directly by radioimmunoassay to establish whether the females showed ovarian cyclicity. Of the 12 females investigated only the dominant female in each motherless group exhibited regular E1G cycles. By contrast, low and acyclic hormonal profiles were found for subordinate sisters. In addition to differences in the patterns and levels of E1G, scent gland morphology and rates of scent marking differed between females: dominant, cycling females had elaborate glands and significantly higher rates of scent marking than subordinates. These results indicate that the presence of the mother (breeding female) is one important factor regulating ovarian function in cotton-top tamarin daughters. The findings also show that dominance status is a vital determinant of each female's subsequent physiological reproductive competence, with only the dominant female obtaining complete fertility and probably inhibiting ovulatory activity in her subordinate sisters. Scent marking behavior seems to be involved in the regulation of this phenomenon of intrasexual reproductive competition.     

Non-invasive multi-species monitoring: real-time PCR detection of small mammal and squirrel prey DNA in pine marten (Martes martes) scats

DNA identification of mammal species occurring in the diet of a predator is potentially a useful approach to remotely monitor the distribution of multiple species. This is important in Ireland, where it has been shown that the combined presence of the introduced bank vole and greater white-toothed shrew impact the distribution of the indigenous small mammals, the wood mouse and pygmy shrew. Direct monitoring of these species and their interactions requires trapping, a labour-intensive and costly approach. In this study, we applied an indirect method by genetically testing the presence of small mammals in pine marten scats collected during the National Pine Marten Survey (2005–2007) to map their distribution. We also included additional scats to investigate if less common prey items, the red squirrel and grey squirrel, could also be detected. This study demonstrates that all target species were genetically detected from pine marten scats. This strategy could be implemented as a monitoring programme for indigenous and introduced mammal species.