Interrupted incubation: How dabbling ducks respond when flushed from the nest

Nesting birds must provide a thermal environment sufficient for egg development while also meeting self‐maintenance needs. Many birds, particularly those with uniparental incubation, achieve this balance through periodic incubation recesses, during which foraging and other self‐maintenance activities can occur. However, incubating birds may experience disturbances such as predator or human activity which interrupt natural incubation patterns by compelling them to leave the nest. We characterized incubating mallard Anas platyrhynchos and gadwall Mareca strepera hens’ responses when flushed by predators and investigators in Suisun Marsh, California, USA. Diurnal incubation recesses initiated by investigators approaching nests were 63% longer than natural diurnal incubation recesses initiated by the hen (geometric mean: 226.77 min versus 142.04 min). Nocturnal incubation recesses, many of which were likely the result of predators flushing hens, were of similar duration regardless of whether the nest was partially depredated during the event (115.33 [101.01;131.68] minutes) or not (119.62 [111.96;127.82] minutes), yet were 16% shorter than natural diurnal incubation recesses. Hens moved further from the nest during natural diurnal recesses or investigator‐initiated recesses than during nocturnal recesses, and the proportion of hen locations recorded in wetland versus upland habitat during recesses varied with recess type (model‐predicted means: natural diurnal recess 0.77; investigator‐initiated recess 0.82; nocturnal recess 0.31). Hens were more likely to take a natural recess following an investigator‐initiated recess earlier that same day than following a natural recess earlier that same day, and natural recesses that followed an investigator‐initiated recess were longer than natural recesses that followed an earlier natural recess, suggesting that hens may not fulfill all of their physiological needs during investigator‐initiated recesses. We found no evidence that the duration of investigator‐initiated recesses was influenced by repeated visits to the nest, whether by predators or by investigators, and trapping and handling the hen did not affect investigator‐initiated recess duration unless the hen was also fitted with a backpack‐harness style GPS–GSM transmitter at the time of capture. Hens that were captured and fitted with GPS–GSM transmitters took recesses that were 26% longer than recesses during which a hen was captured but a GPS–GSM transmitter was not attached. Incubation interruptions had measurable but limited and specific effects on hen behavior.     

Integrating differentiation and cancer: the Nkx3.1 homeobox gene in prostate organogenesis and carcinogenesis

Abstract Several tissue-specific regulatory genes have been found to play essential roles in both organogenesis and carcinogenesis. In the prostate, the Nkx3.1 homeobox gene plays an important role in normal differentiation of the prostatic epithelium while its loss of function is an initiating event in prostate carcinogenesis in both mouse models and human patients. Thus, the Nkx3.1 homeobox gene provides a paradigm for understanding the relationship between normal differentiation and cancer, as well as studying the roles of homeobox genes in these processes. Here, we review recent findings concerning the roles of Nkx3.1 in development and discuss how its normal function is disrupted in processes of early prostate carcinogenesis.     

Differences in the Metabolic Rates of Exploited and Unexploited Fish Populations: A Signature of Recreational Fisheries Induced Evolution?

Non-random mortality associated with commercial and recreational fisheries have the potential to cause evolutionary changes in fish populations. Inland recreational fisheries offer unique opportunities for the study of fisheries induced evolution due to the ability to replicate study systems, limited gene flow among populations, and the existence of unexploited reference populations. Experimental research has demonstrated that angling vulnerability is heritable in Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, and is correlated with elevated resting metabolic rates (RMR) and higher fitness. However, whether such differences are present in wild populations is unclear. This study sought to quantify differences in RMR among replicated exploited and unexploited populations of Largemouth Bass. We collected age-0 Largemouth Bass from two Connecticut drinking water reservoirs unexploited by anglers for almost a century, and two exploited lakes, then transported and reared them in the same pond. Field RMR of individuals from each population was quantified using intermittent-flow respirometry. Individuals from unexploited reservoirs had a significantly higher mean RMR (6%) than individuals from exploited populations. These findings are consistent with expectations derived from artificial selection by angling on Largemouth Bass, suggesting that recreational angling may act as an evolutionary force influencing the metabolic rates of fishes in the wild. Reduced RMR as a result of fisheries induced evolution may have ecosystem level effects on energy demand, and be common in exploited recreational populations globally.     

The immuno-reactivity of polypseudorotaxane functionalized magnetic CDMNP-PEG-CD nanoparticles

pH-magnetic dual-responsive nanocomposites have been widely used in drug delivery and gene therapy. Recently, a polypseudorotaxane functionalized magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) was developed by synthesizing the magnetic nanoparticles with cyclodextrin (CD) molecules (CDMNP) via polyethylene glycol (PEG) (CDMNP-PEG-CD). The purpose of this study was to explore the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the nanoparticles in vivo prior to their further application explorations. Here, nanoparticles were assessed in vivo for retention, bio-distribution and immuno-reactivity. The results showed that, once administered intravenously, CDMNP-PEG-CD induced a temporary blood monocyte response and was cleared effectively from the body through the urine system in mice. The introduction of β-CD and PEG/β-CD polypseudorotaxane on SiO₂ magnetic nanoparticles (SOMNP) limited particle intramuscular dispersion after being injected into mouse gastrocnemius muscle (GN), which led to the prolonged local inflammation and muscle toxicity by CDMNP and CDMNP-PEG-CD. In addition, T cells were found to be more susceptible for β-CD–modified CDMNP; however, polypseudorotaxane modification partially attenuated β-CD–induced T cell response in the implanted muscle. Our results suggested that CDMNP-PEG-CD nanoparticles or the decomposition components have potential to prime antigen-presenting cells and to break the muscle autoimmune tolerance.     

Phenological shifts in North American red squirrels: disentangling the roles of phenotypic plasticity and microevolution

Phenological shifts are the most widely reported ecological responses to climate change, but the requirements to distinguish their causes (i.e. phenotypic plasticity vs. microevolution) are rarely met. To do so, we analysed almost two decades of parturition data from a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Although an observed advance in parturition date during the first decade provided putative support for climate change‐driven microevolution, a closer look revealed a more complex pattern. Parturition date was heritable [h² = 0.14 (0.07–0.21 (HPD interval)] and under phenotypic selection [β = ?0.14 ± 0.06 (SE)] across the full study duration. However, the early advance reversed in the second decade. Further, selection did not act on the genetic contribution to variation in parturition date, and observed changes in predicted breeding values did not exceed those expected due to genetic drift. Instead, individuals responded plastically to environmental variation, and high food [white spruce (Picea glauca) seed] production in the first decade appears to have produced a plastic advance. In addition, there was little evidence of climate change affecting the advance, as there was neither a significant influence of spring temperature on parturition date or evidence of a change in spring temperatures across the study duration. Heritable traits not responding to selection in accordance with quantitative genetic predictions have long presented a puzzle to evolutionary ecologists. Our results on red squirrels provide empirical support for one potential solution: phenotypic selection arising from an environmental, as opposed to genetic, covariance between the phenotypic trait and annual fitness.     

Cannabinoid-mediated modulation of neuropathic pain and microglial accumulation in a model of murine type I diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain

Background

Despite the frequency of diabetes mellitus and its relationship to diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and neuropathic pain (NeP), our understanding of underlying mechanisms leading to chronic pain in diabetes remains poor. Recent evidence has demonstated a prominent role of microglial cells in neuropathic pain states. One potential therapeutic option gaining clinical acceptance is the cannabinoids, for which cannabinoid receptors (CB) are expressed on neurons and microglia. We studied the accumulation and activation of spinal and thalamic microglia in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic CD1 mice and the impact of cannabinoid receptor agonism/antagonism during the development of a chronic NeP state. We provided either intranasal or intraperitoneal cannabinoid agonists/antagonists at multiple doses both at the initiation of diabetes as well as after establishment of diabetes and its related NeP state.

Results

Tactile allodynia and thermal hypersensitivity were observed over 8 months in diabetic mice without intervention. Microglial density increases were seen in the dorsal spinal cord and in thalamic nuclei and were accompanied by elevation of phosphorylated p38 MAPK, a marker of microglial activation. When initiated coincidentally with diabetes, moderate-high doses of intranasal cannabidiol (cannaboid receptor 2 agonist) and intraperitoneal cannabidiol attenuated the development of an NeP state, even after their discontinuation and without modification of the diabetic state. Cannabidiol was also associated with restriction in elevation of microglial density in the dorsal spinal cord and elevation in phosphorylated p38 MAPK. When initiated in an established DPN NeP state, both CB1 and CB2 agonists demonstrated an antinociceptive effect until their discontinuation. There were no pronociceptive effects demonstated for either CB1 or CB2 antagonists.

Conclusions

The prevention of microglial accumulation and activation in the dorsal spinal cord was associated with limited development of a neuropathic pain state. Cannabinoids demonstrated antinociceptive effects in this mouse model of DPN. These results suggest that such interventions may also benefit humans with DPN, and their early introduction may also modify the development of the NeP state.     

Restoration Biology: A Population Biology Perspective

A major goal of population biologists involved in restoration work is to restore populations to a level that will allow them to persist over the long term within a dynamic landscape and include the ability to undergo adaptive evolutionary change. We discuss five research areas of particular importance to restoration biology that offer potentially unique opportunities to couple basic research with the practical needs of restorationists. The five research areas are: (1) the influence of numbers of individuals and genetic variation in the initial population on population colonization, establishment, growth, and evolutionary potential; (2) the role of local adaptation and life history traits in the success of restored populations; (3) the influence of the spatial arrangement of landscape elements on metapopulation dynamics and population processes such as migration; (4) the effects of genetic drift, gene flow, and selection on population persistence within an often accelerated, successional time frame; and (5) the influence of interspecific interactions on population dynamics and community development. We also provide a sample of practical problems faced by practitioners, each of which encompasses one or more of the research areas discussed, and that may be solved by addressing fundamental research questions.     

Correlation of carboxylic acid pKa to protein binding and antibacterial activity of a novel class of bacterial translation inhibitors

Previously we reported the discovery and initial optimization of a novel anthranilic acid derived class of antibacterial agents which suffered from extensive protein binding. This report describes efforts directed toward understanding the relationship of the acidity of the carboxylic acid with the extent of protein binding. The pK(a) of the acid was modified via the synthesis of a number of anthranilic acid analogs which vary the aromatic ring substituent at the 4-position. The pK(a) and HSA binding constants have been determined for each of the analogs. Our results indicate a correlation between pK(a) and HSA K(d). The physical properties and antibacterial activities will be discussed as well as how these results help address the protein binding issue with this series of compounds.     

Plaque Assay of Rickettsiae in a Mammalian Cell Line

Clear-cut and repeatable plaque assays were obtained for three rickettsiae of the spotted fever group (Rickettsia rickettsi, R. conori, and R. montana) in Vero cells used in a manner similar to that for arboviruses. In addition, three typhus group agents (R. typhi, R. canada, R. prowazeki) induced plaques in these cells. In preliminary tests Coxiella burneti (Nine Mile strain) failed to produce plaques. Comparable results were obtained in plastic flasks and plastic culture trays incubated in ambient air with or without addition of N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfinic acid buffer. Larger and more well defined R. rickettsi plaques were produced when cultures were overlaid with Leibovitz (L15) medium than with either medium 199 or Eagle medium. Phosphate-buffered saline containing bovine plasma albumin (fraction V), in contrast to brain heart infusion broth, as a diluent for preparing inocula consistently permitted development of larger and more numerous plaques with three agents: R. rickettsi, R. conori, and R. montana. When R. rickettsi and R. typhi were assayed in parallel in primary chicken embryo cultures and Vero cells, comparable results were obtained, but with R. canada results in Vero cells were superior. In contrast, R. prowazeki produced inconsistent results in Vero cells.