Lunar-related reproductive behaviour in the badger (Meles meles)

Cyclicity in behaviours, including reproduction, in relation to the lunar cycle is widely documented in some phyla, but weak or unknown in Class Mammalia. In this paper we present long-term video surveillance data of wild Eurasian badgers Meles meles, which reveal a strong correlation between reproductive behaviour and the lunar cycle. Squat marking and raised-leg urination, which increase in frequency at times of reproductive activity, showed maxima around day 22 of the lunar cycle (i.e. new moon). These findings were supported by observations of matings, together with published records, which showed significantly higher occurrence in the lunar dark phase (last quarter to first quarter). We propose that the lunar cycle has the potential to act as a regulator of the reproductive cycle in the badger.     

Dynamics of ATP and movement in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) sperm in conditions of decreasing osmolality

Repetitive activation of perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) sperm motility was investigated in this study. The first phase of sperm motility activation was initiated by dilution in a 260 mM glucose solution (75% motility). The second phase of motility was achieved by adding water to previously activated sperm, so that the glucose concentration dropped to 220 mM (24% motility). Finally, the third phase was obtained by further addition of water (down to 90 mM glucose) to the activated sperm suspension (15% motility). Parallel measurements of sperm ATP content were also made. The median value for nonactivated sperm was 43.9 nmol ATP/10⁹ spermatozoa. The ATP concentration decreased significantly from 35 to 7 nmol ATP/10⁹ spermatozoa after successive activations of motility in the above glucose solutions. Sperm velocity ranged in value from 25 to 330 μm/sec at 10 sec postactivation, from 10 to 290 μm/sec at 30 sec, and from 0 to 200 μm/sec at 45 sec. A model postulating several classes in the population of spermatozoa is developed, tentatively accounting for such successive activation. Possible further application of multiple sperm activation is discussed.     

鸟类对欧亚地区高山生活的适应

欧亚地区高地鸟类区系的贫乏性 (仅有 75种繁殖于林线之上 )受严酷的自然条件和食物资源短缺所决定。适合这些条件的主要适应是飞行模式 ,包括与之有关的形态特征 ,繁殖时间的选择 ,最优化利用微生境和伪装的巢址选择 ,窝卵数的限制 ,对雏鸟的食物转运模式 ,防护强紫外线辐射和大气干燥。大多数欧亚高地鸟类的生活史特征有待于进一步研究     

Timing and synchrony of birth in Eurasian lynx across Europe

The ecology and evolution of reproductive timing and synchrony have been a topic of great interest in evolutionary ecology for decades. Originally motivated by questions related to behavioral and reproductive adaptation to environmental conditions, the topic has acquired new relevance in the face of climate change. However, there has been relatively little research on reproductive phenology in mammalian carnivores. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) occurs across the Eurasian continent, covering three of the four main climate regions of the world. Thus, their distribution includes a large variation in climatic conditions, making it an ideal species to explore reproductive phenology. Here, we used data on multiple reproductive events from 169 lynx females across Europe. Mean birth date was May 28 (April 23 to July 1), but was ~10 days later in northern Europe than in central and southern Europe. Birth dates were relatively synchronized across Europe, but more so in the north than in the south. Timing of birth was delayed by colder May temperatures. Severe and cold weather may affect neonatal survival via hypothermia and avoiding inclement weather early in the season may select against early births, especially at northern latitudes. Overall, only about half of the kittens born survived until onset of winter but whether kittens were born relatively late or early did not affect kitten survival. Lynx are strict seasonal breeders but still show a degree of flexibility to adapt the timing of birth to surrounding environmental conditions. We argue that lynx give birth later when exposed to colder spring temperatures and have more synchronized births when the window of favorable conditions for raising kittens is shorter. This suggests that lynx are well adapted to different environmental conditions, from dry and warm climates to alpine, boreal, and arctic climates. This variation in reproductive timing will be favorable in times of climate change, as organisms with high plasticity are more likely to adjust to new environmental conditions.     

新亚欧大陆桥经济走廊土地覆被变化及驱动力分析

针对年际间的土地覆被变化的空间分异特性及驱动机理解析问题,采用Python和R语言构建了土地覆盖变化的时空动态概率模型和驱动力综合分析模型,实现了21世纪以来"新亚欧大陆桥经济走廊(NECBEC)"土地覆盖时空动态变化特征及驱动机理的定量分析。研究结果表明,在2001—2017年间,NECBEC的土地覆盖变化总体呈现出三增(草地、耕地和建设用地分别增加11457万hm~2、841万hm~2和396万hm~2)和三减(林地、水域和湿地、和未利用地分别减少7409万hm~2、4659万hm~2和626万hm~2)趋势。其中,未利用地和林地主要转换为草地,而草地则主要转为林地和耕地。建设用地年际增加幅度最大,其新增面积中耕地贡献达到50%。另外,自2013年"一带一路"倡议启动以来,NECBEC区域的各种土地覆盖类型之间的相互转换幅度呈现明显增加趋势,而NECBEC沿线国家之间的社会经济发展综合水平集聚性总体上呈减弱趋势,其中综合得分高高聚集区和低低聚集区分别集中在西欧和中亚北部。NECBEC区域的社会经济发展对耕地和建设用地的时空差异性尤为显著。土地覆盖类型在面积变化量和变化速率上,均具有明显的时空分异性。不同的经济发展综合水平对LUCC的类型演替、格局变化和驱动效应不同。     

Habitat selection and spatiotemporal interactions of a reintroduced mesocarnivore

Habitat quality and quantity are key factors in evaluating the potential for success of a wildlife translocation. However, because of the difficulty or cost of evaluating these factors, habitat assessments may not include valuable information on important habitat attributes including the abundance and distribution of prey, predators, and competitors. Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are one of the most commonly reintroduced carnivores in North America, and they are a species of conservation concern in their western range. We examined the relative importance of landscape features and species interactions in determining habitat use of a reintroduced population of fishers in the southern Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA. We used detections of prey and predators at 134 remote camera stations, remotely sensed forest structure data, and telemetry locations of fishers in a resource selection function to assess the relative importance of prey, predators, and forest structure in fisher habitat selection. Fishers selected habitats based on forest conditions and activity levels of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), whereas bobcat (Lynx rufus) and coyote (Canis latrans) activity levels did not directly affect habitat selection. The probability of fisher use increased in older stands, close to recently disturbed stands, and in areas with intermediate levels of hare activity. Bobcat and hare activity levels were positively correlated, and fishers avoided areas with the greatest hare activity, suggesting that fishers may experience a food-safety tradeoff in the study area. Temporal activity patterns in photo detections indicate that fishers may mediate this danger by avoiding bobcats temporally. Our findings suggest that fishers in Washington prefer habitat mosaics of old and recently disturbed stands where they have greater access to resting structures and hares. Management that maintains mosaics of young and old forest across large landscapes is likely to support fisher recovery. Future reintroduction efforts would benefit from an assessment of prey and predator abundance in proposed reintroduction areas before project initiation. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.     

Sheep and wolves: Is the occurrence of large predators a limiting factor for sheep grazing in the Czech Carpathians?

Extensive sheep grazing in the West Carpathians is a very important management tool for the protection of the traditional landscape character of the Central European countryside, as well as providing biologically valuable habitats of pastures and meadows. In this paper we describe the main characteristics of sheep farming in the Beskydy region and test the hypothesis that large carnivores are a limiting factor for sheep grazing management of landscapes in this region, the only area of the Czech Republic where all three species of large European carnivores – the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos) – occur. Data obtained from the monitoring of large carnivores and a questionnaire-based survey of the perspective of sheep farmers in the Beskydy region were analysed. Although the lynx is the most abundant large predator within the study area, the highest number of attacks on sheep was attributed to wolves. However, the annual frequency of attacks was very low and, moreover, an important number of the attacks could have been committed by dogs rather than wolves. From the perspective of sheep breeders, the major economic factor is a low consumer demand for sheep products, and not the presence of large carnivores. However farmers expressed a view that some level of safeguarding was needed and this should come in the form of financial compensation for damage resulting from attacks on sheep by large predators and a modification of the current system of agricultural subsidies. Subsidies for sheep breeders should respect the regional specifics including the risk arising from the presence of large carnivores and provide support for active measures to protect the livestock against them. Regarding the protection of populations of large carnivores in the Beskydy Mountains, it will be necessary to continue to monitor their presence.     

Does human infrastructure shape scent marking in a solitary felid?

Human development, such as construction of roads and trails, can affect several animal behaviour traits and is increasing worldwide. Despite the importance of scent marking for communication and social organization in many mammals, it is not clearly understood how scent marking is affected by human habitat modification. We used snow tracking data collected across six winters to study the effects of road infrastructure on the marking behaviour of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in a human-dominated landscape. We found that lynx marked at higher rates (11.2 urine sprays/km) on human routes (forest roads and logging trails) than when walking in natural habitat (5.8 sprays/km). This pattern was noted in both sexes, although males walked on human routes more frequently and scent marked more often than females. Compared to previous studies the mean marking rates we observed were the highest documented so far for wild felids. This may mainly be due to regular use of human routes (42% of all lynx movement) and the high scent marking rates found thereon. Human routes channelize lynx movement, and scent marking on these routes likely increases the probability of the chemical message being received by a conspecific; therefore human routes might enable more effective communication in territorial felids. Since most of the landscapes worldwide are covered by road networks and various human objects, the marking behaviour of wild mammals may be profoundly changed due to human-caused habitat modifications.