Evaluating performance of aerial survey data in elephant habitat modelling

Aerial survey data are widely used to model distribution of wildlife. However, their performance in habitat modelling remains largely untested. We used aerial survey and satellite‐linked Global Positioning System (GPS) collar data for elephants, to test (i) whether there is an optimal spatial resolution of predictor variables at which habitat models based on aerial survey data that are uncorrected for locational error can accurately predict elephant habitat and (ii) whether habitat models based on these data sets can accurately predict the presence of elephants in closed woodland habitats. We applied maximum entropy modelling (Maxent) to these data sets and used the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as well as distance from water points as the habitat predictors to answer these questions. Our results demonstrate better ability of aerial survey data to predict elephant presence at the coarser spatial resolution of 1000 m of both predictor variables. Habitat models derived from aerial survey data underpredicted elephant presence in more closed woodland habitats than those derived from GPS collar data. This result implies that elephants located under dense tree canopies are likely missed during an aerial survey. Our study is one of the first to empirically test and report results on the poor performance of aerial survey data in habitat modelling especially in dense woodlands.     

Diets of the African Civet Civettictis civetta (Schreber, 1778) in selected coffee forest habitat,south‐western Ethiopia

Feeding ecology of the African civet, Civettictis civetta (Schreber, 1778), was studied in selected coffee forest habitat for two seasons between December 2012 and October 2013. The study was conducted in Limu Seka district, south‐west Ethiopia. Faecal analysis was employed to assess the diet spectrum, seasonal abundance and relative importance of food items. Over 55 different food items were identified from the analysis of 387 scat samples collected during the dry and wet seasons. In the coffee forest habitat, African civets showed omnivorous feeding habit with plant‐to‐animal diet biomass ratio of 1 : 1.36. A slight diet specialization was observed during the wet season (BA = 0.46) favouring animal prey. However, during the dry season, they showed generalist feeding habit (BA = 0.87) with more plant biomass in their diet. With over 64% occurrence and 14.4% biomass, coffee berries significantly contributed to the civets dry season plant diets. The excreted coffee beans, after civets ingested ripe coffee berries, are the tastiest product used by farmers for consumption and market. Seasonal collection of civet coffee from coffee forest floor economically supports the farmers while increasing the importance of civets in the habitat and hence contributing for its conservation.     

非洲猪瘟在俄罗斯的流行与研究现状

非洲猪瘟(African swine fever,ASF)由非洲猪瘟病毒(ASFV)引起,是家猪和野猪的一种高度接触性、致死性传染病,可表现为最急性、急性、亚急性和慢性四种形式。猪感染后以发热、高病毒血症和出血性病变为特征。有的毒株可引起高发病率和高死亡率。自2007年ASF传入格鲁吉亚以来,该病在高加索地区(包括俄罗斯)逐步蔓延,造成多地大量家猪和野猪病死,经济损失惨重。2017年3月,ASF突然在远东地区伊尔库茨克州出现,疫点距中国北方最大陆路口岸满洲里仅约1 000 km,使得传入中国的风险空前提高。为此,本文对该病10年间在俄罗斯的流行状况和研究情况进行总结,以期为我国对该病的防控提供参考。     

Understanding Genital-Shrinking Epidemics in West Africa: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Koro</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Juju</Emphasis>, or Mass Psychogenic Illness?

A small-scale epidemic of genital shrinking occurred in six West African nations between January 1997 and October 2003. This article presents a summary and analysis of 56 media reports of these cases. A clinical formulation of these cases considers a variety of explanations from theory and research in social and cultural psychology, psychopathology, and anthropology. Of particular interest is a comparison of genital-shrinking distress in West African settings with koro, a culture-bound syndrome involving fears of genital retraction that is prominent in Southeast Asian settings. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the role of culture in both the experience of genital-shrinking distress and conceptions of psychopathology.     

Situating stress: lessons from lay discourses on diabetes

In response to the serious toll diabetes takes on health and resources, researchers increasingly are examining physical and psychological pathways that affect and are affected by diabetes, including stress. Although biomedical researchers and practitioners are beginning to recognize the association between stress and diabetes onset and management, laypersons have long-standing and extensive insights into the multiple ways in which stress is associated with the diabetes disease process. In this article, we examine lay perspectives on stress and diabetes among a multiethnic sample of 80 adults. Participants suggest varying arenas in which stress intersects with diabetes, including stress as implicated in the origin of diabetes, as a threat to maintaining glycemic control, as a challenge to self-management, and as a precursor to and a consequence of diabetes complications. An improved understanding of such perspectives may enhance appropriate disease management and develop a more valid conceptualization of stress in research efforts.     

Reproductive behavior of the Lake Malawi cichlid fish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tramitichromis intermedius</Emphasis>

Synopsis We studied the reproductive behavior of wild caught and captive-born, first generation offspring of the Lake Malawi fish, Tramitichromis intermedius(Teleostei, Cichlidae), held in aquaria. Spawning behavior includes an exchange of actions with dominant males performing bower construction and courtship behaviors while females focus on oviposition and mouthbrooding. Egg counts per oviposition and brooding and interbrooding periods of wild caught T. intermedius follow records of other mouthbrooding cichlid fishes. Observation of circling behavior suggests this behavioral trait may be used in mate choice as longer circling, indicating a secure territory and thus male dominance, leads to more oviposition events and hence the potential for larger broods. Comparisons of clutch size and total length of young at release from full-sized females vs. first spawners reveal smaller clutches and young from the younger females, most likely stemming from differences in body size. Investigation of spawning photoperiodicity also noted distinctions between the two groups with wild caught T. intermedius spawning activity peaking in the middle of the light cycle and captive-born, first spawners exhibiting no significant peak in activity. The trend to spawn midday is most likely influenced by predation factors, while the lack of a spawning periodicity in the offspring may be explained by developmental processes, the absence of environmental cues or the tendency for smaller males to be opportunistic in spawning events. The details of spawning behavior recorded in this study provide a database to investigate species differences and to indicate changes due to chemical and physical disturbances.     

Trypanosomiasis in Kinshasa: distribution of the vector, Glossina fuscipes quanzensis, and risk of transmission in the peri-urban area

Abstract. Because human and animal cases of African trypanosomiasis have been reported in and around the city of Kinshasa for a long time, the likelihood of local transmission was examined. A georeferenced image of the city was produced, based on a satellite image (SPOT 4). Urban, peri-urban and rural areas were delineated. All recent data on captures of Glossina fuscipes quanzensis Pires (Diptera: Glossinidae) between 1999 and 2004, as well as epidemiological data on a 1999 outbreak of human trypanosomiasis by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in the Kisenso District, were entered in a geographical information system (GIS). Tsetse flies were mainly found along some of the major rivers in the rural and peri-urban area of Kinshasa. Unsupervised classification of the satellite image allowed identification of riverine habitats suitable for tsetse flies and indicated sites where further entomological surveys were needed. The study produced strong indications that local transmission of human trypanosomiasis had occurred in the recent past in the peri-urban zone of Kinshasa.     

The ongoing invasion of African clawed frogs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenopus laevis</Emphasis>) in Chile: causes of concern

We review the existing data on the African clawed frog in Chile (Xenopus laevis, Pipidae) and report new and alarming information on its distribution, provide physical data on water courses and bodies that hold populations of this frog, report observations on its diet, on mass migration overland, and on predation by native birds. Our findings reveal that: (a) the spread of the invasion is currently covering 4 of the 13 regions of Chile; (b) clawed frogs are found at higher densities in artificial water bodies (ponds and dams and irrigation canals) rather than in natural lagoons or streams or rivers; (c) there is no evidence of predation on native anurans, but rather on their own larvae; (d) they face predation from native birds. Causes of concern include (a) that African clawed frogs in Chile reach both lower and higher altitudes than formerly estimated, and (b) that they are able to migrate overland to colonize other water bodies. They are spreading at a rate of 3.1–3.9?km/year in an optimistic scenario, and at a rate of 4.4–5.4?km/year in a pessimistic one. The most troubling aspects of the African clawed frog invasion in Chile involve: (a) their unaided spread through central Chilean agricultural areas, using irrigation canals and overland migration; and (b) the type of interactions that they may be establishing with native anurans (are they competitors, predators, habitat modifiers, disease vectors, or all things together?). As a precautionary action, we propose that the pet trade of African clawed frogs in Chile should be banned.     

The use of low-frequency vocalizations in African elephant(Loxodonta africana) reproductive strategies

Fertility-advertisement calls in females are predicted to occur in nonmonogamous species where males and females are widely separated in space. In African elephants, low-frequency vocalizations have thus been suggested as a reproductive strategy used by fertile females to attract mates. This study examined the use of low-frequency vocalizations with respect to different phases of the estrous cycle in African elephants by simultaneously monitoring vocalizations, behavior, and hormonal profiles. Subjects were one male and six female African elephants housed at Disney's Animal Kingdom. No acoustically distinct vocalizations were restricted to the ovulatory follicular phase. However, overall rate of low-frequency vocalization as well as the rate of one acoustically distinct vocalization changed over the estrous cycle, with highest rates of calling related to the first period of follicular growth, or anovulatory follicular phase. Elevated rates of vocalization thus were not restricted to behavioral estrus and occurred much earlier in the estrous cycle than in most species that produce fertility-advertisement calls. Both herd composition and elephant identity also affected rates of vocalization. Vocalizations therefore may not be reliable signals of actual fertility. However, the increase in vocalizations in advance of estrus may attract males to the herd prior to ovulation, facilitating both male-male competition and female choice. Once present in the herd, males may then switch strategies to use more reliable chemical and visual cues to detect ovulating females.     

Endometrial function in vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops): morphology,beta3 integrin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 expression during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy in the normal and disrupted endometrium

The expression of endometrial beta3 integrin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) was studied in cycling and pregnant vervet monkeys. There were clear changes of beta3 integrin expression during the menstrual cycle, with the strongest immunostaining observed on day 26. Moderate to strong expression was observed during pregnancy. The expression of IGFBP-1 during the menstrual cycle was weak but upregulated during pregnancy with moderate to strong staining. The administration of a single dose of onapristone at 10 mg/kg on days 17, 21 and 22 of the menstrual cycle, followed by a biopsy on days 22, 22 and 26, respectively, and during pregnancy (34-44 days menstrual age) 24 h before the biopsy, disrupted and desynchronized the endometrium. However, no effect on beta3 integrin expression could be observed and staining reflected the untreated patterns. The same applied to IGFBP-1 except that during pregnancy the expression of this protein was reduced or abolished. The results suggest that beta3 integrin is associated with endometrial receptivity in vervet monkeys and that IGFBP-1 plays an important role during pregnancy in this species. The administration of onapristone appeared to only influence IGFBP-1 expression. To our knowledge, this is the first time that these endometrial proteins have been investigated in vervet monkeys. This study should therefore contribute to improving our understanding of the reproductive function of this species.