东北虎中五个Sox基因的保守区序列分析(英文)

在哺乳动物中,Y染色体决定着雄性性别,这是由于在其短臂上存在一个编码睾丸决定因子 (TDF) 的基因。1990年,人们克隆了睾丸决定因子基因并命名为SRY。序列分析表明SRY基因中存在一个保守区,与染色体高迁移率组 (HMG) 蛋白质上的DNA结合结构域具有一定的相似性。基于HMG基序的保守性人们发现了一个新的基因家族Sox基因家族。凡是在HMG区域与SRY基因具有50%以上相似性的基因被称为Sox基因。Sox基因在早期胚胎发育过程中参与多种发育途径,具有重要的作用。参与诸如性别决定、骨组织的发育、血细胞生成过程、神经系统的发育、晶状体的发育等多种早期胚胎发育过程。 虎(Panthera tigris)作为世界上最濒危的兽类之一,东北虎(Panthera tigris altaica Temminck)是其中的一个亚种,被列为一类珍稀动物。本文对其发育基因家族—SOX基因进行了研究。 利用肌肉组织为材料制备基因组DNA, 应用特异于HMG-box区域的兼并引物, 扩增了东北虎的SOX基因。在扩增产物中发现一条220bp的扩增带。经过克隆与序列测定和同源性检索,发现5个基因片段(Fig.1&2)。其与人SRY基因的相似性分别为75%、56%、51%、67% 和48%;与小鼠Sry基因的相似性分别为73%、54%、57%、66% 和 48% (Table 1)。因此这5个DNA片段为东北虎的5个Sox基因片     

Late Pleistocene leopards as a bone accumulator: taphonomic results from S’Espasa cave and other Iberian key sites

Abstract

The Pleistocene faunal accumulations documented in caves have commonly been attributed to the activity of humans or carnivores. According to the palaeontological and archaeological literature, cave hyena (Crocuta spelaea) was the main known bone accumulator in karstic environments. However, in recent times, the role of leopards as bone accumulators has been revealed, and recent research has identified this behaviour in the Iberian Pleistocene. Moreover, there are other caves where leopard could have been claimed as an accumulator such as S’Espasa. In this work we present its taphonomic study. This cave was compared with the actualistic studies of leopards. Besides, the site of S’Espasa was compared with the other leopard dens in the Iberian Peninsula. These sites present faunal assemblages composed mainly by leopard (Panthera pardus) and Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica), the bones of this ungulate present a similar pattern of bone modification by carnivores, skeletal survival rate, and bone breakage. These features indicate that goats could have been accumulated by leopards. With the data from this work and the previous ones, we try to establish a pattern that will help in the future to identify other accumulations created by this big cat.     

Lion density and population structure in the Selous Game Reserve: evaluation of hunting quotas and offtake

In 1992, tourist hunting in the Selous Game Reserve generated 1.28 million dollars for the Tanzanian government, of which 0·96 million dollars were returned to wildlife conservation. Lions ( Panthera leo ) are one of three critical species for tourist hunting, consistently generating 12%–13% of hunting revenue from 1988 to 1992. Because of their ecological and economic importance (and intrinsic value), it is important that lion quotas be set so that offtake is sustainable. The population density of lions in Selous ranges from 0·08 to 0·13 adults km⁻², comparable to unhunted ecosystems. The adult sex ratio (36–41% male) and the ratio of cubs to adults (29% cubs) are similar to those of unhunted populations. The ratio of lions to hyaenas is lower in heavily hunted areas (0·17 lions/hyena) than in unhunted areas (0·43 lions/hyena). Hunting levels between 1989 and 1994 took 2·7–4·3% of adult males annually, which is sustainable. The current quota is 10–16% of the adult male population, which exceeds natural mortality rates for male lions. To remain stable if the quota was filled, the population would have to compensate via increased fecundity, increased juvenile survival, or an altered sex‐ratio. Compensation occurs in Selous by producing (or raising) more male than female cubs (66–81% of juveniles are male). Only 28% of the Selous quota was filled in 1992. The percentage of quota filled (both in Selous and nationwide) has dropped since 1988 as quotas have increased. The current intensity of lion hunting in Selous is sustainable, but the quota cannot be filled sustainably.     

Jaguar (Panthera onca) feeding ecology: distribution of predator and prey through time and space

Jaguars Panthera onca inhabiting tropical or subtropical evergreen moist forest have often been classified as opportunistic predators because they consume prey relative to its availability. However, these studies failed to address simultaneously the distribution of predator and prey through time and space, which may lead to an incomplete or erroneous understanding of jaguar foraging strategies. In this study, we reconstructed jaguar diet from scat, and used camera traps to investigate jaguar prey availability and the distribution of jaguar and its prey through space and time. We focused our examination of predator–prey temporal and spatial relations on forest infrastructure comprising man-made paths, small mammal trails, tapir Tapirus bairdi trail and trail-less, forested areas as they represent distinct habitats for prey selection. Overall, we observed high overlap between the prey used and available, suggestive of opportunistic foraging. However, jaguars exhibited selective tendencies in discriminating between larger prey. Jaguars used collared peccary Tayassu tajacu greater than its availability, while preying upon the equally abundant and similarly distributed white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari and tapir less than predicted based upon availability. Armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus and paca Agouti paca , 56.6% of total consumption, were consumed relative to availability but exhibited low spatial overlap with jaguar. Armadillo and paca used trail-less, forested areas and small mammal trails not used by jaguar and were photographed more frequently at greater distances from man-made paths, major thoroughfares for jaguars. This study suggests that although forest jaguars use prey relative to its abundance, jaguars may rely on foraging strategies other than chance encounters for exploiting prey.     

Do recent leopard Panthera pardus records from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey reveal an unknown population nucleus in the region?

The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of recent and on-going armed conflicts in important parts of the potential leopard distribution range, no studies were done that could have proved the presence of the species. We report here 10 confirmed and 2 unconfirmed leopard records between 2001 and 2014 from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. All records for which the gender of the animal was identified were of males, which could be hypothesized as long-range dispersers from Iran. However, the long distances between our records and the nearest known breeding populations in Iran suggests that a so far unnoticed reproducing population nuclei may occur along the north-western part of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.     

雪豹饲养与繁殖的初步研究

雪豹(Panthera uncia Schreber)是典型的高山动物,终年生活在气候寒冷、光照充足、海拔3200-5300米的高寒山区。我国主要分布在青海、西藏、新疆、甘肃、四川等省区。现已列为我国一类保护动物。 据世界动物园年刊统计,1967年以前,在全世界33个动物园中供观赏的雪豹共有46只(不包括我国数字),其中仅有15只是在人工饲养条件下出生的(苏联考纳斯动物园,1968)。1983年我国各地动物园供观赏的雪豹共35只。尽管在北京、上海、大连、银川、烟台、乌鲁木齐、西宁等7个动物园中均有雌雄配对的雪豹,但繁殖问题一直未获解决。     

吉林珲春自然保护区东北虎和东北豹及其有蹄类猎物的多度与分布

珲春国家级自然保护区是东北虎(Panthera tigris altaica)、东北豹(Panthera pardus orientalis)等濒危物种在中国的核心分布区。为了探究该区域野生动物的多度水平和空间分布, 了解人类干扰情况, 我们运用相对多度指数(relative abundance index, RAI)分析了2013年4-6月设置于此的83个红外相机位点的监测数据。红外相机的总捕获天数6,060 d, 共捕获10科18种野生哺乳动物, 其中鼬科4种, 猫科动物3种, 犬科、鹿科和松鼠科各2种, 猪科、熊科、麝科、猬科和兔科各1种。研究期间共拍摄到东北虎11只个体, 东北豹13只个体。从相对多度指数来看, 东北虎的相对多度(0.84)远高于东北豹(0.48), 它们的有蹄类猎物中梅花鹿(Cervus nippon)的相对多度最高(2.18), 其次为狍(Capreolus pygargus)(1.53)和野猪(Sus scrofa)(0.92)。人类活动和放牧的相对多度水平(分别为40.64和2.76)显著高于野生动物。在空间分布上, 东北虎和梅花鹿主要在保护区的核心区分布, 且与保护区社区共管区的多度水平差异显著, 而东北豹在不同功能区之间的分布差异不显著, 狍在保护区北部的多度水平较高, 但各功能区之间差异不显著, 野猪在社区共管区的多度水平显著高于核心区。可见, 核心区频繁的人类活动和放牧活动对野生动物的保护产生了影响, 未来应加强关于人类干扰对虎、豹种群及其有蹄类猎物的影响评估。