Rural and urban distribution of wild and domestic carnivore stools in the context of Echinococcus multilocularis environmental exposure

In zoonotic infections, the relationships between animals and humans lead to parasitic disease with severity that ranges from mild symptoms to life-threatening conditions. In cities and their surrounding areas, this statement is truer with the overcrowding of the protagonists of the parasites’ life cycle. The present study aims to investigate the distribution of a parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis, which is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, using copro-sampling in historically endemic rural settlements of the eastern part of France and in newly endemic areas including urban parks and settlements surrounding Paris. Based on 2741 morphologically identified and geolocalized copro-samples, the density of fox faeces was generally higher in the surrounding settlements, except for one rural area where the faeces were at larger density downtown in the winter. Fox faeces are rare but present in urban parks. Dog faeces are concentrated in the park entrances and in the centre of the settlements. DNA was extracted for 1530 samples that were collected and identified from fox, dog, cat, stone marten and badger carnivore hosts. Echinococcus multilocularis diagnosis and host faecal tests were performed using real-time PCR. We failed to detect the parasite in the surroundings of Paris, but the parasite was found in the foxes, dogs and cats in the rural settlements and their surroundings in the historically endemic area. A spatial structuring of the carnivore stool distribution was highlighted in the present study with high densities of carnivore stools among human occupied areas within some potentially high-risk locations.     

Use of host plants by Troidini butterflies (Papilionidae, Papilioninae): constraints on host shift

Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted to determine relationships and to investigate character evolution for the Troidini/Aristolochia interaction, in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) what is the present pattern of use of Aristolochia by these butterflies; (2) is the pattern we see today related to the phylogeny of plants or to their chemical composition; (3) can the geographical distribution of Aristolochia explain the host plant use observed today; and (4) how did the interaction between Troidini and Aristolochia evolve? Analyses of character optimization suggest that the current pattern of host plant use of these butterflies does not seem to be constrained by the phylogeny of their food plants, neither by the secondary chemicals in these plants nor by their geographical similarity. The current host plant use in these butterflies seems to be simply opportunistic, with species with a wider geographical range using more species of host plants than those with a more restricted distribution. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90 , 247–261.     

Properties of condensed chromatin in barley nuclei

A method for isolation and purification of intact nuclei from barley leaves was developed and several properties of the chromatin were studied. The dense structure of the main part of the chromatin does not alter the accessibility of the DNA to nucleases. 60% of the nuclear DNA can be degraded by micrococcal endonuclease. Nevertheless the solubility of the chromatin fragments depends on the extent of nuclease digestion; solubilisation occurring only when the major part of the internucleosomal DNA was degraded (30% of digestion). Electron microscopic observations suggest that this was due to particularly dense organization of the chromatin in situ. The possible physiological meaning of some of these properties are discussed.     

New Australian butterfly genus Jameela gen. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae: Polyommatini) revealed by morphological, ecological and molecular data

This paper proposes to split the Australian Polyommatini genus Erysichton Fruhstorfer, 1916 into two genera on the basis of molecular, morphological and early stage behavioral attributes. The utility of reflective eye pattern as a taxonomic character is discussed and a neotype of Lycaena lineata Murray, 1874 is designated.     

Mitochondrial genome nucleotide substitution pattern between domesticated silkmoth, Bombyx mori, and its wild ancestors, Chinese Bombyx mandarina and Japanese Bombyx mandarina

Bombyx mori and Bombyx mandarina are morphologically and physiologically similar. In this study, we compared the nucleotide variations in the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes between the domesticated silkmoth, B. mori, and its wild ancestors, Chinese B. mandarina (ChBm) and Japanese B. mandarina (JaBm). The sequence divergence and transition mutation ratio between B. mori and ChBm are significantly smaller than those observed between B. mori and JaBm. The preference of transition by DNA strands between B. mori and ChBm is consistent with that between B. mori and JaBm, however, the regional variation in nucleotide substitution rate shows a different feature. These results suggest that the ChBm mt genome is not undergoing the same evolutionary process as JaBm, providing evidence for selection on mtDNA. Moreover, investigation of the nucleotide sequence divergence in the A+T-rich region of Bombyx mt genomes also provides evidence for the assumption that the A+T-rich region might not be the fastest evolving region of the mtDNA of insects.     

Progressive retinal ganglion cell loss in primary open-angle glaucoma is associated with temperature circadian rhythm phase delay and compromised sleep

Advanced primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell complex (RGCC) damage that may cause subsequent disruption of the circadian rhythms. Therefore, we evaluated circadian body temperature (BT) rhythm and sleep characteristics of 115 individuals (38 men and 77 women) diagnosed with POAG. GLV (global loss volume; %), a measure of RGCC damage, was estimated by high-definition optical coherence tomography, and RGC functional ability was assessed by pattern electroretinogram amplitude (PERGA). Depending on dynamics of POAG progression criteria, two groups were formed that were distinctively different in GLV: Stable POAG group (S-POAG; GLV = 5.95 ± 1.84, n = 65) and Progressive POAG group (P-POAG; GLV = 24.27 ± 5.09, n = 50). S-POAG and P-POAG groups were not different in mean age (67.61 ± 7.56 versus 69.98 ± 8.15) or body mass index (24.66 ± 3.03 versus 24.77 ± 2.90). All subjects performed 21 around-the-clock BT self-measurements during a 72-h period and kept activity/sleep diaries. Results showed pronounced disruption of circadian physiology in POAG and its progression with increasing severity of the disease. The daily mean of BT was unusually low, compared to age-matched controls. Moreover, our results revealed distinctive features of BT circadian rhythm alterations in POAG development and POAG progression. S-POAG is associated with lowered BT circadian rhythm robustness and inter-daily phase stability compared to controls. In the P-POAG group, the mean phase of the circadian BT rhythm was delayed by about 5 h and phases were highly scattered among individual patients, which led to reduced group mean amplitude. Circadian amplitudes of individuals were not different between the groups. Altogether, these results suggest that the body clock still works in POAG patients, but its entrainment to the 24-h environment is compromised. Probably because of the internal desynchronization, bedtime is delayed, and sleep duration is accordingly shortened by about 55 min in P-POAG compared to S-POAG patients. In the entire POAG cohort (both groups), later sleep phase and shorter mean sleep duration correlate with the delayed BT phase (r = 0.215; p = 0.021 and r = 0.322; p = 0.0004, respectively). An RGCC GLV of 15% apparently constitutes a threshold above which a delay of the circadian BT rhythm and a shortening of sleep duration occur.     

Gene expression patterns in anterior pituitary associated with quantitative measure of oestrous behaviour in dairy cows

Intensive selection for high milk yield in dairy cows has raised production levels substantially but at the cost of reduced fertility, which manifests in different ways including reduced expression of oestrous behaviour. The genomic regulation of oestrous behaviour in bovines remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to identify and study those genes that were associated with oestrous behaviour among genes expressed in the bovine anterior pituitary either at the start of oestrous cycle or at the mid-cycle (around day 12 of cycle), or regardless of the phase of cycle. Oestrous behaviour was recorded in each of 28 primiparous cows from 30 days in milk onwards till the day of their sacrifice (between 77 and 139 days in milk) and quantified as heat scores. An average heat score value was calculated for each cow from heat scores observed during consecutive oestrous cycles excluding the cycle on the day of sacrifice. A microarray experiment was designed to measure gene expression in the anterior pituitary of these cows, 14 of which were sacrificed at the start of oestrous cycle (day 0) and 14 around day 12 of cycle (day 12). Gene expression was modelled as a function of the orthogonally transformed average heat score values using a Bayesian hierarchical mixed model on data from day 0 cows alone (analysis 1), day 12 cows alone (analysis 2) and the combined data from day 0 and day 12 cows (analysis 3). Genes whose expression patterns showed significant linear or non-linear relationships with average heat scores were identified in all three analyses (177, 142 and 118 genes, respectively). Gene ontology terms enriched among genes identified in analysis 1 revealed processes associated with expression of oestrous behaviour whereas the terms enriched among genes identified in analysis 2 and 3 were general processes which may facilitate proper expression of oestrous behaviour at the subsequent oestrus. Studying these genes will help to improve our understanding of the genomic regulation of oestrous behaviour, ultimately leading to better management strategies and tools to improve or monitor reproductive performance in bovines.     

40年岷山地区白河自然保护区川金丝猴的生境格局动态

好的生境质量是野生动物生存和繁衍的必备条件,生境质量的变化将对动物的生存产生深远影响,定量客观的评估生境变迁过程显得尤为必要。川金丝猴作为我国一级保护动物,评定其生境质量变化过程有利于制定有效的保护措施。3S技术的不断发展与广泛应用为研究川金丝猴生境格局的动态变化提供了有利的工具。以岷山白河自然保护区为例,利用陆地资源卫星的MSS/TM/OLI遥感影像,并基于专家知识的决策树分类方法对遥感影像进行分类,获取了5个时期的覆被类型空间分布图;根据NDVI与郁闭度的相关性获取了研究区郁闭度的时空变化信息。然后,通过对野外观测数据的数理统计与空间分析,获取了川金丝猴的生活习性特征,并结合AHP方法构建了川金丝猴生境质量的评价体系,对5个时期的生境质量进行了评价,最后定量分析了40年来川金丝猴的生境格局的动态变化趋势。研究表明,近40年来白河自然保护区内及周边的生境经历了由良好到不断恶化,再到逐渐恢复的过程,其中最适宜和适宜生境呈现先降低后逐渐升高的趋势,而不适宜和勉强适宜则表现为先增加后减小的趋势。1975—1982年时段内,各生境等级变化剧烈,尤以最适宜和不适宜等级变化显著,生境质量整体呈恶化趋势;1982—1994年,各生境等级变化剧烈程度较前一时期有所缓和,生境质量得到较大改善,呈良性发展趋势;1994—2003年时段内,研究区内生境质量进一步改善,环境恶化状况得到了缓解;2003—2014年时间段内整体质量改善的速度明显减缓,生境质量达到平衡状态。除1975—2014时段外,前4个时段的各综合变化指标呈现递减趋势,前期生境等级变化剧烈,后期趋缓。气候变化和人为干扰为导致生境变化的主要因素,其中20世纪80年代生境变化与气候变化关系密切,而20世纪90年代之后人为干扰因素明显增加。研究有助于理解气候变化与人为干扰背景下,川金丝猴生境格局时空变化特征,为野生濒危动物生境保护管理和政策制定提供科学依据。