Mammal road‐type associations in Kruger National Park,South Africa: Common mammals do not avoid tar roads more than dirt roads

The majority of Africa''s parks and conservation areas have a vast road network, facilitating motorized vehicle game viewing. These roads have an influence that is both road type‐ and species‐specific, on the surrounding ecosystem. Due to their higher traffic volumes, we hypothesized that tar roads and their immediate surrounds within the Kruger National Park, South Africa, are avoided to a greater extent by medium‐to‐large mammals than comparable dirt roads in the park. We systematically recorded the presence of medium‐to‐large mammal species from our vehicle, recording data at 401 tar and 369 dirt road stops in the Kruger National Park. In addition to species presence, we also estimated the proximity of animals to the road, as well as herd sizes. Our results indicate an equal likelihood of viewing the commonly recorded medium‐to‐large mammal species from both road types. The likelihood of observing larger herd sizes was also similar between tar and dirt roads for the three most commonly observed species, African elephant (Loxodonta africana), impala (Aepyceros melampus), and plains zebra (Equus quagga), and the likelihood of viewing impala and zebra close to the road also did not differ between tar and dirt roads. However, elephant was observed more often close to tar roads, compared to dirt roads. We interpreted this as the result of potentially increased woody cover associated with more water runoff in close proximity to tar roads compared with dirt roads. Our results not only have ecological significance, supporting the notion that many of the park''s species are habituated to human infrastructure, but also management implications, informing park officials about the influence of road traffic and road type on wildlife distributions.     

祁连山优势树木碳水化合物资源分配的海拔和树种效应

海拔梯度造成的温度、水分和土壤肥力等环境异质性会影响树木的生长, 但是不同树木的生理差异也决定了树木资源分配权衡还存在很多不确定性。为探明祁连山地区青海云杉(Picea crassifolia)和祁连圆柏(Juniperus przewalskii)非结构碳水化合物(NSC)含量的海拔和树种效应差异, 该研究以祁连山两个优势针叶树种青海云杉和祁连圆柏为研究对象, 分别设置了高海拔(3 300 m)和低海拔(2 850 m)两个采样高度, 采用t检验和多因素方差分析比较了不同海拔两个树种NSC及其组分(可溶性糖、淀粉)含量的差异, 分析叶、树干、粗根和细根间的NSC及其组分含量的资源分配权衡特征, 明晰不同海拔青海云杉和祁连圆柏生长限制因素和生理生态适应机理。结果表明: (1)低海拔青海云杉整株和各器官NSC及其组分含量均显著高于高海拔青海云杉; 而低海拔祁连圆柏整株和各器官NSC及其组分含量均显著低于高海拔祁连圆柏; (2)不同海拔两个优势针叶树种可溶性糖主要投资在叶, 而淀粉主要投资在粗根和树干; (3)高海拔青海云杉的可溶性糖与淀粉的比值显著高于低海拔青海云杉, 说明高海拔青海云杉将更多的碳用于生长, 而低海拔青海云杉将更多的碳用于储存; (4)海拔、树种、器官以及它们的交互作用显著地影响NSC及其组分含量及可溶性糖:淀粉, 其中树种分别解释了NSC、淀粉总变异的38%和37%; 器官分别解释了可溶性糖、可溶性糖:淀粉总变异的68%和42%。该研究结果阐明了不同海拔青海云杉和祁连圆柏的生长限制因素及其资源分配权衡, 为理解不同海拔和不同树种的生态适应机理以及祁连山森林生态系统的保护提供了科学参考。     

Telomere regulation: lessons learnt from mice and men,potential opportunities in horses

Telomeres are genetically conserved nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of chromosomes that preserve genomic stability. In large mammals, somatic cell telomeres shorten with age, owing to the end replication problem and lack of telomere-lengthening events (e.g. telomerase and ALT activity). Therefore, telomere length reflects cellular replicative reserve and mitotic potential. Environmental insults can accelerate telomere attrition in response to cell division and DNA damage. As such, telomere shortening is considered one of the major hallmarks of ageing. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding the environmental perturbations that accelerate telomere attrition and therapeutic strategies to preserve or extend telomeres. As telomere dynamics seem to reflect cumulative cellular stress, telomere length could serve as a biomarker of animal welfare. The assessment of telomere dynamics (i.e. rate of shortening) in conjunction with telomere-regulating genes and telomerase activity in racehorses could monitor long-term animal health, yet it could also provide some unique opportunities to address particular limitations with the use of other animal models in telomere research. Considering the ongoing efforts to optimise the health and welfare of equine athletes, the purpose of this review is to discuss the potential utility of assessing telomere length in Thoroughbred racehorses. A brief review of telomere biology in large and small mammals will be provided, followed by discussion on the biological implications of telomere length and environmental (e.g. lifestyle) factors that accelerate or attenuate telomere attrition. Finally, the utility of quantifying telomere dynamics in horses will be offered with directions for future research.     

Population studies of 17 equine STR for forensic and phylogenetic analysis

As a consequence of the close integration of horses into human society, equine DNA analysis has become relevant for forensic purposes. However, the information content of the equine Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci commonly used for the identification or paternity testing has so far not been fully characterized. Population studies were performed for 17 polymorphic STR loci (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, HTG10, LEX3 and VHL20) including 8641 horses representing 35 populations. The power of parental exclusion, polymorphic information content, expected and observed heterozygosity and probability of identity were calculated, showing that the set of 17 STRs has sufficient discriminating power for forensic analysis in almost all breeds. We also explored the reliability of individual assignment tests in identifying the correct breeds of origin for unknown samples. The overall proportion of individuals correctly assigned to a population was 97.2%. Finally, we demonstrate the phylogenetic signal of the 17 STR. We found three clusters of related breeds: (i) the cold-blooded draught breeds Haflinger, Dutch draft and Friesian; (ii) the pony breeds Shetland and Miniature horse with the Falabella, Appaloosa and Icelandic; and (iii) The Warmblood riding breeds, together with the hot-blooded Standard-bred, Thoroughbred and Arabian.     

In vitro maturation and artificial activation of donkey oocytes

Three media were evaluated for their ability to support in vitro maturation of donkey (Equus asinus) oocytes and their development after parthenogenetic activation. The basal medium for Medium 1 (M1) and Medium 2 (M2) was M199 and DMEM/F12 respectively, whereas, Medium 3 (M3) consisted of equal parts (v/v) of M199 and DMEM/F12. All three media were supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum, 0.01 units/mL porcine FSH, 0.01 units/mL equine LH, 200 ng/mL insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-I), 10 μl/mL insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS), 0.1 mg/mL taurine, 0.1 mg/mL L-cysteine, 0.05 mg/mL L-glutamine, 0.11 mg/mL sodium pyruvate, and 25 mg/mL gentamycin. There were no significant differences among the three maturation media for oocyte maturation. Maturation rate of donkey oocytes in M1 was 53% for compact (Cp) cumulus-oocyte complexes and 75% for expanded (Ex) cumulus-oocyte complexes; in M2 these were 55 and 77%, respectively; and in M3, 58 and 75%. The percentage of cleaved parthenotes and 4- or 8-cell embryos were not significantly different for oocytes matured in the various media (61 and 24% for M1; 66 and 32% for M2; and 67 and 33% for M3). Oocytes matured in M3 tended to yield a higher rate of advanced embryo development (morula) than oocytes matured in M1 (22 vs 9%; P = 0.07). In conclusion, donkey oocytes were matured and parthenogenetically activated in vitro, using methods similar to those used in the horse.     

A Late Pleistocene (MIS3) ungulate mammal assemblage (Los Rincones,Zaragoza, Spain) in the Eurosiberian–Mediterranean boundary

The Late Pleistocene archaeo-palaeontological sites in the Iberian Peninsula are located mainly on the coasts. Here, we present for the first time a palaeoenvironmental proxy for Upper Pleistocene locality (Marine Isotope Stage 3 MIS3) that is in the interior peninsular, in the Moncayo massif (Zaragoza). This is actually the boundary between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian climatic regions. This study is based in the site ungulates: Capra pyrenaica, which is larger in size than the current and fossil Capra from the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. The horses have a small size, which is similar to that of the horses from Fontainhas and Casares. Significantly lesser in the number of specimens are the roe deer, the southern chamois and the auroch. The study and comparison of the faunal assemblage of the locality of Los Rincones with other sites of the Iberian MIS3 show a cluster of sites in the southern Peninsular, though separated, due to the abundance of Capra pyrenaica. The association of Los Rincones is similar to the southern peninsular sites such as Nerja, Gorham Cave, Cova Beneito and Zafarraya. The ungulate assemblage of Los Rincones represents a landscape with temperate climate, presence of steppe and patches of forest, similar to the current landscape surrounding the cavity today.     

甘西鼠尾草对大鼠高原肺动脉高压的干预作用及机制*

目的:探讨甘西鼠尾草(SPM)对大鼠高原肺动脉高压(HAPH)的干预作用及可能的机制。方法:将雄性SD大鼠随机分成对照组、缺氧组、SPM(0.5 g/kg、1 g/kg、2 g/kg)剂量组,每组14只,对照组饲养于西宁(海拔约2260 m),其余组均饲养于玛多县人民医院(海拔约4260 m)。SPM剂量组灌胃不同浓度的SPM(1 ml/100 g),浓度分别为0.5 g/kg、1 g/kg、2 g/kg,对照组和缺氧组灌胃等体积蒸馏水,每日一次,连续4周后,测定大鼠平均肺动脉压(mPAP)并取相同部位肺组织置液氮保存备用。采用RT-PCR法测定每组大鼠肺组织中的细胞增殖核抗原(PCNA)、细胞周期素依赖激酶(CDK4)、细胞周期蛋白D(CyclinD1)、RhoA(Ras同源基因家族成员A)、ROCK1、ROCK2的mRNA表达水平。结果:与对照组比较,缺氧组大鼠mPAP、肺组织中PCNA、CDK4、CyclinD1、RhoA、ROCK1、ROCK2的mRNA表达水平均明显升高(P＜0.01)。与缺氧组比较,SPM剂量组大鼠的mPAP、肺组织中PCNA、CDK4、CyclinD1、RhoA、ROCK1、ROCK2的mRNA表达水平均明显降低(P＜0.05或P＜0.01)。结论:SPM对大鼠HAPH具有一定的预防作用,其机制可能与抑制肺动脉平滑肌细胞过度增殖和RhoA/Rho激酶(ROCK)信号通路过度激活有关。     

弯齿风毛菊花部器官的海拔变异及其与种子质量和数目的关系

以青藏高原东北缘的12个弯齿风毛菊居群为对象,分析花部器官随海拔的变异机制及其与种子质量和数目的关系.结果表明:当海拔在3500~4500 m时,花丝长、花药长、花柱长和花柱分支长分别为0.52~1.01、0.23~0.63、0.74~1.58和0.11~0.22 cm,且均随海拔的升高而显著增长,而花粉数量(26.5×10^4~73.5×10^4)显著下降;花粉数量与花丝长、花柱长及花柱分支长均呈显著负相关,花柱长与花丝长呈显著正相关;种子数目与花丝长、花柱长及花柱分支长均呈显著负相关,与花粉数量呈显著正相关;百粒重与花丝长、花柱长及花柱分支长均呈显著正相关,与花粉数量呈显著负相关.随着海拔的升高,弯齿风毛菊在花期选择延长花部器官的长度来增大昆虫对花粉的携带量和输入量,到果期生产出具有更强竞争优势和生存能力的大种子(质量大、数量少)来提高适合度.