Wild canids,domestic dogs and their pathogens in Southeast Brazil: disease threats for canid conservation

Wild canids are under many pressures, including habitat loss, fragmentation and disease. The current lack of information on the status of wildlife health may hamper conservation efforts in Brazil. In this paper, we examined the prevalence of canine pathogens in 21 free-ranging wild canids, comprising 12 Cerdocyon thous (crab-eating fox), 7 Chrysocyon brachyurus (maned wolf), 2 Lycalopex vetulus (hoary fox), and 70 non-vaccinated domestic dogs from the Serra do Cipó National Park area, Southeast Brazil. For wild canids, seroprevalence of antibodies to canine parvovirus, canine adenovirus, canine coronavirus and Toxoplasma gondii was 100 (21/21), 33 (7/21), 5 (1/19) and 68 (13/19) percent, respectively. Antibodies against canine distemper virus, Neospora caninum or Babesia spp. were not found. We tested domestic dogs for antibodies to canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus and Babesia spp., and seroprevalences were 59 (41/70), 66 (46/70), and 42 (40/70) percent, respectively, with significantly higher prevalence in domestic dogs for CDV (P < 0.001) and Babesia spp. (P = 0.002), and in wild canids for CPV (P < 0.001). We report for the first time evidence of exposure to canine coronavirus in wild hoary foxes, and Platynossomun sp. infection in wild maned wolves. Maned wolves are more exposed to helminths than crab-eating foxes, with a higher prevalence of Trichuridae and Ancylostomidae in the area. The most common ectoparasites were Amblyomma cajennense, A. tigrinum, and Pulex irritans. Such data is useful information on infectious diseases of Brazilian wild canids, revealing pathogens as a threat to wild canids in the area. Control measures are discussed.     

Type of mycorrhizal associations in two coastal nature reserves of the Mediterranean basin

We analysed the mycorrhizal types of two coastal Mediterranean plant communities. Plants belonging to 82 species of 46 families growing in two Mediterranean study sites located within a Regional Natural Park in Italy (Macchia Lucchese) and in a National Park in Croatia (Brijuni) were assessed for the type of their mycorrhizal associations. Mycorrhizas occurred in 83% and 90% of the plant species surveyed in Macchia Lucchese and in Brijuni, respectively. On the basis of macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, six different mycorrhizal types were found, and their co-occurrence in the same plant community showed the large mycorrhizal diversity in Mediterranean vegetation. Different occurrence patterns of mycorrhizal types have been recognised in diverse habitats within Macchia Lucchese, from sand dune plant communities to sclerophyllous woodland. Mycorrhizal type abundance calculated on a floristic basis was very different from that obtained using a vegetation cover index.     

Optimal offspring size in a small mammal: an exception to the tradeoff invariant life-history rule

Offspring size and number were examined in a captive population of wild guinea pigs ( Cavia aperea ), and findings were compared with models of optimal offspring size for small litters. Median and modal litter size was two, regardless of maternal size or parity. Females producing their second litter tended to have litters that were larger than average. In contrast, young females that were still growing never had litters that were larger than average. Mean offspring size decreased and variation in offspring size tended to decrease with increasing litter size. Optimal offspring size models, in which offspring survival depended on the amount of resources invested, as well as litter size, predict such a trend. Little support was found for Charnov and Downhower's (1995) tradeoff invariant life-history rule that the range in offspring sizes between litters is inversely proportional to the size of the litter. Cavia aperea may be an exception to this rule because pup mass at birth did not reflect total reproductive investment, because conversion of resources into litter mass may not be linearly related to litter size and because resources were not equally partitioned among offspring within large litters. Experimental data are needed to determine the relevance of these results among mammals in general.     

Herbivory,current velocity and algal regrowth: how does periphyton grow when the grazers have gone?

1. An experiment conducted in streamside channels was used to document the regrowth of grazed periphyton. Our objective was to determine the relative importance of current velocity, grazing duration, and grazer type in shaping the trajectory of algal and periphytic regrowth. 2. The grazing mayflies Baetis bicaudatus and Epeorus longimanus were used alone and in combination to create three grazing treatments at slow, medium and fast current (2–5, 15–20 and 30–40 cm s^?1, respectively). Duration treatments consisted of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 days of grazing. Chlorophyll a and ash‐free dry mass (AFDM) accumulation on grazed tiles was measured (as periphytic AFDM and chlorophyll a, respectively) at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days following the removal of grazers. 3. Chlorophyll a and AFDM was best predicted by interactions between current velocity, grazing duration and regrowth time. 4. The two grazer species did not differ in their effect on Chlorophyll a and AFDM during the period of periphytic regrowth that followed grazing. 5. Longer grazing duration reduced periphytic biomass, but also accelerated algal regrowth, and this growth enhancement was more pronounced at slower current velocities. 6. Data from this study suggest that herbivory can have important historical effects on periphytic accrual.     

Erratum to: Lack of evidence of paratuberculosis in wild canids from Southwestern Europe

European Journal of Wildlife Research -     

Conservation strategies for coastal wetlands in the Gulf of California,Mexico

Wetlands worldwide, the fisheries they support, and the communities that depend on them are threatened by habitat modification. We describe strategies being used for wetland conservation in the Gulf of California, Mexico, their effectiveness, and challenges for implementation. We base our analysis on the authors’ experience working for local environmental non-governmental organizations and available literature. The strategies discussed include public and private policy instruments such as Environmental Impact Evaluations, environmental land easements, concessions and transfer agreements, Natural Protected Areas, and international agreements such as the Ramsar convention and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. We present examples from the Gulf of California that highlight some of the challenges to wetland conservation. These challenges range from governmental failure to enforce existing environmental legislation, lack of verification of requirements for development projects, to low economic penalties for wetland modification or destruction. We found that in the Gulf of California successful conservation of coastal wetlands required a combination of policy instruments and relied on integrating science, management, and public participation through partnerships between non-governmental institutions, academic institutions, community stakeholders, and government agencies.     

Etimizol absorption from the small intestine in dogs: the dependence on dosage

As etimizol has been previously reported to be of low bioavailability, the kinetics of its absorption from the dog intestinal loop was investigated in chronic experiments. After administration of etimizol at doses of 10 or 1 mg/loop mean residence time of etimizol in the loop was 20.1 and 7.6 min, respectively, with mean standard deviation being 3.1 and 0.8, respectively. It was concluded that overall etimizol absorption from small intestine was high and its low bioavailability resulted from presystemic drug metabolism, as well as that the absorption kinetics was dose-dependent, with saturation reached at higher drug doses.     

How immunocontraception can contribute to elephant management in small, enclosed reserves: Munyawana population as a case study

Immunocontraception has been widely used as a management tool to reduce population growth in captive as well as wild populations of various fauna. We model the use of an individual-based rotational immunocontraception plan on a wild elephant, Loxodonta africana, population and quantify the social and reproductive advantages of this method of implementation using adaptive management. The use of immunocontraception on an individual, rotational basis stretches the inter-calving interval for each individual female elephant to a management-determined interval, preventing exposing females to unlimited long-term immunocontraception use (which may have as yet undocumented negative effects). Such rotational immunocontraception can effectively lower population growth rates, age the population, and alter the age structure. Furthermore, such structured intervention can simulate natural process such as predation or episodic catastrophic events (e.g., drought), which regulates calf recruitment within an abnormally structured population. A rotational immunocontraception plan is a feasible and useful elephant population management tool, especially in a small, enclosed conservation area. Such approaches should be considered for other long-lived, social species in enclosed areas where the long-term consequences of consistent contraception may be unknown.     

Introduction to the NCCPG: Conservation in action

The aims and achievements of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants & Gardens (NCCPG) and its National Collections Scheme are described.     

Species resilience in Pleistocene hominids that traveled far and ate widely: an analogy to the wolf-like canids

Morphological and genetic analyses have yet to resolve the question of whether more than one species of Homo existed contemporaneously in the Pleistocene. In an effort to contribute a process-related perspective to hominid phylogenetic reconstruction, this paper uses an analogy to the northern wolf-like canids (the wolves and coyotes) to ask the question, How many Homo species should there be, given their likely behavioral profile(s)? In contrast to earlier comparisons to social carnivores which sought to illuminate specific aspects of hominid behavioral ecology, this paper explores behavioral constraints on the process of speciation itself. The analogy suggests that because Pleistocene Homo probably exhibited high habitat tolerance, they would not have had the opportunity to speciate, especially in Africa. In contrast to an earlier single-species hypothesis based on competitive exclusion between sympatric hominid species, this paper explores constraints on the process of speciation under conditions of temporary allopatry.     

Exposure of small rodents to plague during epizootics in black-tailed prairie dogs

Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, causes die-offs of colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). It has been argued that other small rodents are reservoirs for plague, spreading disease during epizootics and maintaining the pathogen in the absence of prairie dogs; yet there is little empirical support for distinct enzootic and epizootic cycles. Between 2004 and 2006, we collected blood from small rodents captured in colonies in northern Colorado before, during, and for up to 2 yr after prairie dog epizootics. We screened 1,603 blood samples for antibodies to Y. pestis, using passive hemagglutination and inhibition tests, and for a subset of samples we cultured blood for the bacterium itself. Of the four species of rodents that were common in colonies, the northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) was the only species with consistent evidence of plague infection during epizootics, with 11.1-23.1% of mice seropositive for antibody to Y. pestis during these events. Seropositive grasshopper mice, thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were captured the year following epizootics. The appearance of antibodies to Y. pestis in grasshopper mice coincided with periods of high prairie dog mortality; subsequently, antibody prevalence rates declined, with no seropositive individuals captured 2 yr after epizootics. We did not detect plague in any rodents off of colonies, or on colonies prior to epizootics, and found no evidence of persistent Y. pestis infection in blood cultures. Our results suggest that grasshopper mice could be involved in epizootic spread of Y. pestis, and possibly, serve as a short-term reservoir for plague, but provide no evidence that the grasshopper mouse or any small rodent acts as a long-term, enzootic host for Y. pestis in prairie dog colonies.     

Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation: exceptions to the rule

Quality control mechanisms in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) ensure that misfolded proteins are recognized and targeted for degradation. According to the current view of ER-associated degradation (ERAD), the degradation does not occur in the ER itself but requires the retrotranslocation of the proteins to the cytosol where they are degraded by proteasomes. Although this model appears to be valid for many different proteins a number of exceptions from this rule suggest that additional proteasome-independent ERAD pathways may exist. In this review, we will summarize what is known about these alternative ERAD pathways.     

广西滨海湿地类自然保护区管理成效评估体系构建及应用

海洋保护区事业正处于从"重面积、重数量"向"重建设、重成效"转型的重要阶段,海洋保护区,特别是滨海湿地类保护区的管理有效性评估引起了国内外生态学家的广泛关注。根据现有评估体系中存在问题,结合广西滨海湿地类自然保护区建设及发展特点,构建了"管理机制-管理基础-管理行为-管理成效"的评估框架,通过专家咨询法、层次分析法设置形成包含4个评估要素,19个评估指标以及6个附加指标在内的评估体系。本评估体系综合考虑了保护区管理工作的产出效益,包括管控成效、生态成效和社会经济成效,在指标设计时突出了保护区的生境特点,管理人员以及社会公众的保护意愿,采用分级分值制量化指标,根据长期有效数据开展评估,适用于监测业务完善的滨海湿地类型保护区。另外,选择北仑河口国家级自然保护区进行实例验证,评估结果表明:(1)保护区指标评估分值总和78分,附加3分,综合评估分值81分,管理级别Ⅱ级,保护区管理成效良好;(2)各要素得分占比情况为:C管理行为(100%)> A管理机制(90%)> B管理基础(87%)>D管理成效(65%)。评估指标级别占比情况为:Ⅰ级(53%)>Ⅱ级(21%)>...