High altitude tissue adaptation in Andean coots: capillarity,fibre area,fibre type and enzymatic activities of skeletal muscle

Capillarity, fibre types, fibre area and enzyme activities of different skeletal muscles (pectoralis, extensor digitorum longus), tibialis anterior, plantaris and the myocardium were compared in Andean coot (Fulica americana peruviana) native to high altitude (Junín, Perú, 4200 m) and the same species nesting at sea level. Numbers of capillaries per square millimeter were higher in all high-altitude muscles when compared with sea-level muscles (P<0.0001). Moreover, values for capillaries per fibre and capillaries in contact with each fibre were higher in digitorum and tibialis high-altitude muscles. Muscle fibres were classified as Type I, Type IIA or Type IIB on the basis of their myofibrillar ATPase pH lability. Pectoralis muscle of high-altitude and sea-level coots presented only fibres of Type IIA. In contrast, all the leg muscles studied showed a mosaic pattern of the three fibre types. Fibre areas were determined using a Leitz Texture Analysis System. Significant differences in fibre area were observed (P<0.01) between high-altitude and sea-level muscles. Mean muscle fibre diameters were also lower in the high-altitude group than in the sea-level group. The enzyme activities studied were hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase. The oxidative capacity, as reflected by citrate synthetase and hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase activities, was greater for myocardial and pectoralis than for leg muscles. However, analysis of maximal enzyme activities showed that there were no significant differences between the glycolytic and oxidative enzyme activities of high-altitude and sea-level coots. These results suggest that in Andean coots genetically adapted to high altitude, changes in muscle capillarity and fibre size, in addition to high haemoglobin O₂ affinity and low haemoglobin concentration, are sufficient to allow adequate energy production without increases in enzymatic activities.Abbreviations BSA bovine serum albumin - C:F ratio Capillaries per fibre - CAF Capillaries in contact with each fibre - CD capillary density (mm^-2) - CS citrate synthetase - EDL muscularis digitorum longus - fra fraction reduction area - HA high altitude - HAD hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase - HK hexokinase - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - P ₅₀ PO₂ at which hemoglobin is half saturated with O₂ - P _aO₂ arterial partial pressure of oxygen - PAS periodic acid-schiff - PEC muscularis pectoralis - PLA muscularis planaris - P _tO₂ mean tissue oxygen pressure - P _vO₂ mixed venous partial pressure of oxygen - SD standard deviation - SL sea level - TA muscularis tibialis anterior - TAS texture analysis system     

Habitat selection and space use overlap between feral horses,pronghorn, and greater sage-grouse in cold arid steppe

Populations of feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) in the western United States have increased during the past decade, consequently affecting co-occurring wildlife habitat. Feral horses may influence 2 native wildlife species, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) through mechanisms of habitat alteration and competition. Wyoming, USA, contains the largest populations of pronghorn and sage-grouse of any state and also has the highest degree of range overlap between feral horses and these species. Consequently, the effects that horses may have on pronghorn and sage-grouse populations in Wyoming have implications at local, state, and population-wide levels. Managers need information concerning habitat selection and space use overlap among these species to develop appropriate management strategies; yet this information is absent for most feral horse management areas. To address this knowledge need, we attached global positioning system (GPS) transmitters to horses, pronghorn, and sage-grouse within the greater Bureau of Land Management–Adobe Town Herd Management Area in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado, USA, between 2017 and 2021 to evaluate habitat selection and space use of all species during 3 biologically relevant seasons: spring (Apr–Jun; sage-grouse breeding, nesting, and early-brood rearing; pronghorn late gestation and early parturition), summer (Jul–Oct; sage-grouse summer and late-brood rearing; pronghorn late parturition and breeding), and winter (Nov–Mar; non-breeding season). Feral horses selected flatter slopes and shorter mean shrub height across all seasons and were closer to water in spring and summer. Pronghorn habitat selection was similar to horses, but they also avoided oil and gas well pads year-round. During spring, sage-grouse selected greater herbaceous cover, flatter slopes, and areas farther from well pads. In summer, sage-grouse selected greater mean shrub height, flatter slopes, and were closer to water. In winter, sage-grouse selected flatter slopes and areas with greater vegetation production during the preceding summer. Our results indicate strong year-round overlap in space use between horses and pronghorn, whereas overlap between horses and sage-grouse is greatest during the summer in this region. Consequently, managers should recognize the potential for horses to influence habitat quality of pronghorn and sage-grouse in the region.     

Southern stingray (Dasyatis americana) feeding on lancelets (Branchiostoma floridae)

A southern stingray from the shallow sand flats of Tampa Bay, Florida, had its gut filled almost exclusively with lancelets. The absence of small lancelets from the gut contents indicated a pharyngeal sieving mechanism by the ray.     

鹤次睾吸虫新种描述（复殖目：后睾科）

１９８７年１０月１５日,在武汉市动物园一只丹顶鹤胆囊中检获复殖目、后睾科、次睾属吸虫１３条。经与本属相近虫种的比较研究定为一新种,并命名为鹤次睾吸虫,新种Ｍｅｔｏｒｃｈｉｓ ｇｒｕｓｉ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．。     

Biochemical changes in tissue composition of Periplaneta americana (Linn.) acclimated to high and low temperatures

1. 1.|Cold acclimation apparently favours an increase of water content in fat body, but not in coxal muscle, of cockroaches.

2. 2.|A remarkable enhancement in the accumulation of total protein in fat body characterizes the cold acclimation of cockroaches, particularly adult males (175% increase in protein/DNA ratio). The increase in protein content of coxal muscle during acclimination to 15°C, observed in nymphs (16%) and males (16%) but not in females, is less pronounced than that of fat body.

3. 3.|A diminution (28–32%) in the free amino acid/DNA ratio due to cold acclimation has been recorded in both coxal muscle and fat body of nymphs and females, but not in males.

4. 4.|No qualitative change occurs in the free amino acid spectrum of haemolymph and tissues of this insect during acclimation to 15 and 35°C.

5. 5.|An augmentation (15–30%) of the RNA/DNA ratio occurs in fat body and coxal muscle of nymphs and males but in fat body alone of females following cold acclimation.

6. 6.|The glycogen reserve has been shown to increase by up to 30% in fat body and coxal muscle of cold acclimated cockroaches compared to warm acclimated ones.

Distribution of Competition Potential Between Native Ungulates and Free-Roaming Equids on Western Rangelands

Free-roaming equids (i.e., feral horses [Equus caballus] and burros [Equus asinus]) are widely distributed and locally abundant across the rangelands of the western United States. The 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act (WFRHBA) gave the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS) the legal authority to manage these animals on designated public lands. To fulfill this responsibility, federal agencies established an Appropriate Management Level (AML), defined as the number of horses or burros that can be sustained on a given management unit under prevailing environmental conditions and land uses. Although the WFRHBA specifies that feral equids must be managed in ecological balance with other land uses, including conservation of native wildlife, population control measures such as gathers, contraception, and adoptions have failed to keep pace with intrinsic growth rates. Over 80% of federally managed herds currently exceed prescribed population levels, making the potential for competition between native ungulates and feral equids a growing concern among state wildlife agencies. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), elk (Cervus canadensis), and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are of ecological and economic value to the states where they occur, and all exhibit some degree of distributional, habitat, or dietary overlap with horses or burros. Notwithstanding the scale of the problem, to date there have been no range-wide assessments of competition potential among native and feral ungulates for space, forage, or water. To address this need, we compiled demographic, jurisdictional, and species occurrence data collected from 2010–2019 by federal and state agencies. We used these data to map the distributions of 4 native ungulate species across federal equid management units (FEMUS) in 10 western states (n = 174). We then made within-state rankings of the 50 units that were ≥2 times over AML and encompassed ≥3 native ungulates. Collectively, FEMUs covered approximately 225,000 km², representing 18% of all BLM and USFS lands in affected states. Each FEMU supported ≥1 native ungulate and 14% contained all 4. The degree of overlap between native and feral species varied by state, ranging from <1% for mule deer in Montana, to 40% for bighorn sheep in Nevada. Oregon had the largest proportion of units that supported all 4 native ungulates (58%), whereas Montana and New Mexico had the fewest equids, but all populations were over target densities. Despite the perception that the problem of equid abundance is limited to the Great Basin states, high intrinsic growth rates and social constraints on management practices suggest all affected states should monitor range conditions and native ungulate demography in areas where forage and water resources are limited and expanding equid populations are a concern. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

CADMIUM AND MANGANESE ACCUMULATION IN PHYTOLACCA AMERICANA L. AND THE ROLES OF NON-PROTEIN THIOLS AND ORGANIC ACIDS

Phytolacca americana L. can accumulate large amounts of heavy metals in its aerial tissues, especially cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn). It has great potential for use in phytoextraction of metals from multi-metal-contaminated soils. This study was conducted to further investigate the Cd- and Mn-tolerance strategies of this plant. Concentrations of non-protein thiols (NPTs) and phytochelatins (PCs) in leaves and roots increased significantly as the concentration of Cd in solution increased. The molar ratios of PCs:soluble Cd ranged from 1.8 to 3.6 in roots and 8.1 to 31.6 in leaves, suggesting that the cellular response involving PC synthesis was sufficient to complex Cd ions in the cytosol, especially that of leaves. In contrast, excess Mn treatments did not result in a significant increase in NPT or PC concentrations in leaves or roots. Oxalic acid concentrations in leaves of plants exposed to 2 or 20 mM Mn reached 69.4 to 89.3 mg (0.771 to 0.992 mmol) g^–1 dry weight, respectively, which was approximately 3.7- to 8.6-fold higher than the Mn level in the 0.6 M HCl extract. Thus, oxalic acid may play an important role in the detoxification of Mn.     

莫莫格自然保护区白鹤秋季迁徙停歇期觅食生境选择

2008年秋季(10月8日—20日)及2009年秋季(9月20日—10月16日),通过样方法对觅食生境11个生态因子进行调查,利用卡方检验、资源选择指数和资源选择函数在莫莫格保护区对秋季迁徙停歇期白鹤觅食生境选择进行研究。结果表明,白鹤对距人为干扰源距离、植被密度、盖度、高度、植物性食物密度以及水深均具有选择性,但对宏观尺度干扰因子的选择性较低。其偏好觅食生境的特点为:距一级路>5000m,>二级路1500m以上,>三级路1000m以上,>居民点1000m以上,农田>1000m;植被密度20~50株/m2,盖度<10%,高度<20cm,扁杆藨草密度1~50株/m2,藨草密度1~10株/m2,水深40~60cm。白鹤秋季觅食生境资源选择函数为Logistic(P)=0.663+0.565×与一级道路距离+0.042×与二级道路距离+0.519×与三级道路距离+0.353×与居民点距离+0.169×与农田距离–0.455×植被密度–0.618×植被盖度–0.548×植被高度–0.158×扁杆藨草密度–0.404×藨草密度+0.920×水深,T(x)=eLogistic(p)/[1+eLogistic(p)],模型正确预测率为82.9%。     

Evaluation of the larvicide effect of an aqueous extract of Persea americana (Miller, 1768), Lauraceae,on Anopheles gambine (Giles, 1902), Diptera Culicidae

Summary

In-laboratory evaluation of the larvicide effect of an aqueous extract of Persea americana (Miller 1768) on the various larval stages of Anopheles gambiae (Giles 1902) has shown that larvae at all stages are sensitive to this extract. Inversely proportional to the larval stage, their sensitivity proved to depend on the level of concentration: the higher the latter, the higher the former. Indeed, after a 24-h exposure, concentrations of 510 μg/ml resulted in the death of 100% of larvae at stages 1 and 2, whereas for the same time of exposure there was need to resort to concentrations of 850 μg/ml to kill them at stages 3 and 4. The aqueous extract of Persea americana has therefore a poisonous effect on larvae of Anopheles gambiae. This extract has direct lethal effects and acts as an inhibitor of larval development at sublethal concentration levels.