In November 1928, Theodore Jr. and Kermit Roosevelt led an expedition to China with the expressed purpose of being the first Westerners to kill the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The ...expedition lasted 8 months and resulted in the brothers shooting a giant panda in the mountains of Sichuan Province. Given the concurrent attention in the popular press describing this celebrated expedition, the giant panda was poised to be trophy hunted much like other large mammals around the world. Today, however, the killing of giant pandas, even for the generation of conservation revenue, is unthinkable for reasons related to the species itself and the context, in time and space, in which the species was popularized in the West. We found that the giant panda's status as a conservation symbol, exceptional charisma and gentle disposition, rarity, value as a nonconsumptive ecotourism attraction, and endemism are integral to the explanation of why the species is not trophy hunted. We compared these intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics with 20 of the most common trophy‐hunted mammals to determine whether the principles applying to giant pandas are generalizable to other species. Although certain characteristics of the 20 trophy‐hunted mammals aligned with the giant panda, many did not. Charisma, economic value, and endemism, in particular, were comparatively unique to the giant panda. Our analysis suggests that, at present, exceptional characteristics may be necessary for certain mammals to be excepted from trophy hunting. However, because discourse relating to the role of trophy hunting in supporting conservation outcomes is dynamic in both science and society, we suspect these valuations will also change in future.
Article impact statement: Giant panda's symbolism, gentle nature, endemism, rarity, and value as an ecotourism target make trophy hunting the species unthinkable.
Características que Hacen que la Caza de Trofeos de Pandas sea Inconcebible
Resumen
En noviembre de 1928, Theodore Jr. y Kermit Roosevelt lideraron una expedición a China con el propósito explícito de ser los primeros occidentales en cazar un panda gigante (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). La expedición duró ocho meses y terminó con los hermanos disparándole a un panda gigante en las montañas de la provincia de Sichuan. Dada la atención simultánea en la prensa popular que describía esta expedición celebrada, se posicionó al panda gigante como un nuevo objetivo de la caza de trofeos como muchos otros mamíferos alrededor del mundo. Sin embargo, hoy en día, la caza de pandas gigantes, incluso para la generación de ingresos para la conservación, es impensable debido a razones relacionadas con la misma especie y el contexto de tiempo y espacio en el que se popularizó a la especie en Occidente. Descubrimos que el estado del panda gigante como símbolo de conservación, su excepcional carisma y temperamento gentil, rareza, valor como atracción ecoturística no consuntiva y su endemismo son integrales para explicar por qué la especie no se caza como trofeo. Comparamos estas características intrínsecas y extrínsecas con 20 de los mamíferos más comunes en la caza deportiva para determinar si los principios que aplican para los pandas gigantes pueden generalizarse para otras especies. Mientras que ciertas características de los 20 mamíferos se alinearon con las del panda gigante, muchas no lo hicieron. El carisma, el valor económico y el endemismo, en particular, fueron comparativamente únicos para el panda gigante. Nuestro análisis sugiere que, actualmente, las características excepcionales pueden ser necesarias para que ciertos mamíferos no sean objeto de la caza deportiva. Sin embargo, ya que el discurso relacionado con el papel de la caza deportiva en el apoyo a los resultados de conservación es dinámico tanto en la ciencia como en la sociedad, sospechamos que estas valoraciones también cambiarán en el futuro.
摘要
1928 年 11 月, 小西奥多·罗斯福和柯密特·罗斯福带领探险队到达中国, 他们的目的是成为第一批成功猎杀大熊猫 (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) 的西方人。这次探险持续了 8 个月, 最终两兄弟在四川省山区射杀了一只大熊猫。考虑到公众媒体对这次著名探险的大量报道, 大熊猫很可能会像世界上其它大型哺乳动物那样成为战利品狩猎的对象。而今天, 由于大熊猫物种本身及其在西方国家得到宣传普及的时空范围, 即便是为了获得保护收益而捕杀大熊猫也让人难以想象。我们发现, 大熊猫作为物种保护象征的地位、非凡的魅力及温和的性情、稀有性、作为非消耗性生态旅游资源的价值以及地方特有性, 是解释这个物种为什么没有受到战利品狩猎的必要因素。我们将大熊猫这些内在和外在的特征与 20 种战利品狩猎中最常见的哺乳动物的特征进行了比较, 分析了适用于大熊猫的原则是否能推广到其它物种身上。结果表明, 虽然受到战利品狩猎的 20 种哺乳动物的某些特征与大熊猫一致, 但有许多并不相同。特别是魅力、经济价值和地方特有性这几个因素, 均为大熊猫相对独特的特征。我们的分析表明, 目前, 某些哺乳动物若要免受战利品狩猎, 可能需要具备特殊的特征。不过, 由于在科学和社会方面对于战利品狩猎在保护成效中的作用的讨论仍在不断进行, 我们认为以上评估在未来也可能发生改变。 【翻译: 胡怡思; 审校: 聂永刚】
•A bout of wheel running after fear extinction enhances fear extinction retrieval.•Intra-cerebral ventricular rapamycin blocks exercise-augmentation of fear extinction.•A bout of wheel running ...increases mTOR signaling in the nucleus accumbens.•Rapamycin reduces mTOR signaling in brain regions involved in fear extinction.•Exercise-augmentation of fear extinction involves central mTOR signaling.
Impaired fear extinction, combined with the likelihood of fear relapse after exposure therapy, contributes to the persistence of many trauma-related disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Identifying mechanisms to aid fear extinction and reduce relapse could provide novel strategies for augmentation of exposure therapy. Exercise can enhance learning and memory and augment fear extinction of traumatic memories in humans and rodents. One factor that could contribute to enhanced fear extinction following exercise is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR is a translation regulator involved in synaptic plasticity and is sensitive to many exercise signals such as monoamines, growth factors, and cellular metabolism. Further, mTOR signaling is increased after chronic exercise in brain regions involved in learning and emotional behavior. Therefore, mTOR is a compelling potential facilitator of the memory-enhancing and overall beneficial effects of exercise on mental health.The goal of the current study is to test the hypothesis that mTOR signaling is necessary for the enhancement of fear extinction produced by acute, voluntary exercise. We observed that intracerebral-ventricular administration of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin reduced immunoreactivity of phosphorylated S6, a downstream target of mTOR, in brain regions involved in fear extinction and eliminated the enhancement of fear extinction memory produced by acute exercise, without reducing voluntary exercise behavior or altering fear extinction in sedentary rats. These results suggest that mTOR signaling contributes to exercise-augmentation of fear extinction.
Resolution of relationships at lower taxonomic levels is crucial for answering many evolutionary questions, and as such, sufficiently varied species representation is vital. This latter goal is not ...always achievable with relatively fresh samples. To alleviate the difficulties in procuring rarer taxa, we have seen increasing utilization of historical specimens in building molecular phylogenies using high throughput sequencing. This effort, however, has mainly focused on large‐bodied or well‐studied groups, with small‐bodied and under‐studied taxa under‐prioritized. Here, we utilize both historical and contemporary specimens, to increase the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among a group of under‐studied and small‐bodied metazoans, namely, cheilostome bryozoans. In this study, we pioneer the sequencing of air‐dried cheilostomes, utilizing a recently developed library preparation method for low DNA input. We evaluate a de novo mitogenome assembly and two iterative methods, using the sequenced target specimen as a reference for mapping, for our sequences. In doing so, we present mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA sequences of 43 cheilostomes representing 37 species, including 14 from historical samples ranging from 50 to 149 years old. The inferred phylogenetic relationships of these samples, analyzed together with publicly available sequence data, are shown in a statistically well‐supported 65 taxa and 17 genes cheilostome tree, which is also the most broadly sampled and largest to date. The robust phylogenetic placement of historical samples whose contemporary conspecifics and/or congenerics have been sequenced verifies the appropriateness of our workflow and gives confidence in the phylogenetic placement of those historical samples for which there are no close relatives sequenced. The success of our workflow is highlighted by the circularization of a total of 27 mitogenomes, seven from historical cheilostome samples. Our study highlights the potential of utilizing DNA from micro‐invertebrate specimens stored in natural history collections for resolving phylogenetic relationships among species.
Here, we present a workflow that utilizes historical and contemporary specimens, to increase the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among understudied and small‐bodied metazoans, namely, cheilostome bryozoans. In doing so, we present mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA sequences of 43 cheilostomes representing 37 species, including 14 from historical samples ranging from 50 to 149 years old, circularizing a total of 27 mitogenomes, seven from historical cheilostome samples. Our study highlights the potential of utilizing DNA from micro‐invertebrate specimens stored in natural history collections for resolving phylogenetic relationships between species.
Only 800 years ago, New Zealand became the last major land mass to be settled by humans, leading to environmental degradation and precipitating a decline in indigenous fauna. Such ecological ...downgrading can alter ecosystem processes and drive down the capacity for remnant ecosystems to withstand the anthropogenic pressures of today.
In New Zealand, these impacts are chronicled in a concise and remarkably complete archaeological record and are distinguishable from natural changes due to changing climate.
Estuaries are subject to strong environmental gradients that drive productivity and contain critical habitats for key life‐history phases for marine and terrestrial species. Linking land to sea, they host abundant, accessible human resources and are sensitive to anthropogenic environmental modification.
Austrovenus stutchburyi is a common filter feeding bivalve in New Zealand estuaries. An important food source for Māori, their shells are abundant in middens. Growth rates of A. stutchburyi are affected by multiple environmental factors, including temperature, salinity, nutrients, and sediment, and are recorded through time as easily measurable annual shell bands. Measuring spatial and temporal variation in growth rate of A. stutchburyi can be used to identify the timing of changes in estuarine conditions.
Growth bands were measured in archaeological and modern (AD 1300–present) A. stutchburyi shells from six sites around New Zealand with varying occupational histories. There were no increases in growth rate, and rates declined measurably over time at three sites (up to a 50% reduction in growth per year). This decline was greater at estuaries that had experienced greater catchment modification, indicating that sediment loading due to land clearance was a likely driver of this change.
New Zealand's coastline and marine resources are often perceived as wild and pristine. We propose that fundamental changes have occurred in the functioning of coastal marine ecosystems, which constrain its future.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognise invading pathogens and mediate downstream immune signalling via Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domains. TIR domain proteins (Tdps) have been identified in multiple ...pathogenic bacteria and have recently been implicated as negative regulators of host innate immune activation. A Tdp has been identified in Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Here we present the first study of this protein, designated BaTdp. Recombinantly expressed and purified BaTdp TIR domain interacted with several human TIR domains, including that of the key TLR adaptor MyD88, although BaTdp expression in cultured HEK293 cells had no effect on TLR4- or TLR2- mediated immune activation. During expression in mammalian cells, BaTdp localised to microtubular networks and caused an increase in lipidated cytosolic microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3), indicative of autophagosome formation. In vivo intra-nasal infection experiments in mice showed that a BaTdp knockout strain colonised host tissue faster with higher bacterial load within 4 days post-infection compared to the wild type B. anthracis. Taken together, these findings indicate that BaTdp does not play an immune suppressive role, but rather, its absence increases virulence. BaTdp present in wild type B. anthracis plausibly interact with the infected host cell, which undergoes autophagy in self-defence.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In an attempt to isolate new probiotic bacteria, two Gram-variable, spore-forming, rod-shaped aerobic bacteria designated as strain A4 and A15 were isolated from the feces of Canada geese (
). Strain ...A4 was able to grow in high salt levels and exhibited lipase activity, while A15 did not propagate under these conditions. Both were positive for starch hydrolysis, and they inhibited the growth of
. The strains of the 16S rRNA sequence shared only 94% similarity to previously identified
spp. The ANI (78.08%) and AAI (82.35%) between the two strains were less than the species threshold. Searches for the most similar genomes using the Mash/Minhash algorithm showed the nearest genome to strain A4 and A15 as
sp. P13 (distance of 21%) and
(distance of 17%), respectively.
spp. strains A4 and A15 contain urease genes, and a fibronectin-binding protein gene indicates that these bacteria may bind to eukaryotic cells in host gastrointestinal tracts. Phenotypic and phylogenetic data, along with low dDDH, ANI, and AAI values for strains A4 and A15, indicate these bacteria are two novel isolates of the
genus:
sp. A4 sp. nov., type strain as
and
sp. A15 sp. nov., type strain
.
Abstract
Bryozoans are becoming an increasingly popular study system in macroevolutionary, ecological, and paleobiological research. Members of this colonial invertebrate phylum display an ...exceptional degree of division of labor in the form of specialized modules, which allows for the inference of individual allocation of resources to reproduction, defense, and growth using simple morphometric tools. However, morphometric characterizations of bryozoans are notoriously labored. Here, we introduce DeepBryo, a web application for deep‐learning‐based morphometric characterization of cheilostome bryozoans. DeepBryo is capable of detecting objects belonging to six classes and outputting 14 morphological shape measurements for each object. The users can visualize the predictions, check for errors, and directly filter model outputs on the web browser. DeepBryo was trained and validated on a total of 72,412 structures in six different object classes from images of 109 different families of cheilostome bryozoans. The model shows high (> 0.8) recall and precision for zooid‐level structures. Its misclassification rate is low (~ 4%) and largely concentrated in two object classes. The model's estimated structure‐level area, height, and width measurements are statistically indistinguishable from those obtained via manual annotation. DeepBryo reduces the person‐hours required for characterizing individual colonies to less than 1% of the time required for manual annotation. Our results indicate that DeepBryo enables cost‐, labor,‐ and time‐efficient morphometric characterization of cheilostome bryozoans. DeepBryo can greatly increase the scale of macroevolutionary, ecological, taxonomic, and paleobiological analyses, as well as the accessibility of deep‐learning tools for this emerging model system.
In Arizona, the policy debates over the 2019 Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan exposed long-running tensions surrounding how we use and value scarce water resources in a desert. These ...negotiations also highlighted generations-old disputes between indigenous communities’ water rights and Anglo settlers. This paper explores how irrigators respond to, and participate in, the crafting of institutional arrangements while at the same time experiencing increased exposure to climatic and hydrological risk. Our analysis incorporates qualitative interview data, a literature review, archival information from policy reports, and secondary data on water use and agricultural production. Building on the fieldwork with farmers and water experts that we completed before the drought contingency planning efforts began, we describe the status quo and then explore potential future contexts based on shifting incentives and on the constraints that arise during periods of Colorado River water shortages. Through an understanding of the socio-hydrological system, we examine the region’s agricultural water use, water governance, indigenous water rights and co-governance, and the potential future of agriculture in the region. Our study illustrates how the historic and current institutions have been maintaining agricultural vibrancy but also creating new risks associated with increased dependence on the Colorado River.
The New Zealand pāua or black footed abalone,
Haliotis iris
, is one of many mollusc species at potential risk from ocean acidification and warming. To investigate possible impacts, juvenile pāua ...(~24 mm shell length) were grown for 4 months in seawater pH/pCO
2
conditions projected for 2100. End of century seawater projections (pH
T
7.66/pCO
2
~1,000 μatm) were contrasted with local ambient conditions (pH
T
8.00/pCO
2
~400 μatm) at two typical temperatures (13 and 15 °C). We used a combination of methods (morphometric, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction) to investigate effects on juvenile survival and growth, as well as shell mineralogy and integrity. Lowered pH did not affect survival, growth rate or condition, but animals grew significantly faster at the higher temperature. Juvenile pāua were able to biomineralise their inner nacreous aragonite layer and their outer prismatic calcite layer under end-of-century pH conditions, at both temperatures, and carbonate composition was not affected. There was some thickening of the nacre layer in the newly deposited shell with reduced pH and also at the higher temperature. Most obvious was post-depositional alteration of the shell under lowered pH: the prismatic calcite layer was thinner, and there was greater etching of the external shell surface; this dissolution was greater at the higher temperature. These results demonstrate the importance of even a small (2 °C) difference in temperature on growth and shell characteristics, and on modifying the effects at lowered pH. Projected CO
2
-related changes may affect shell quality of this iconic New Zealand mollusc through etching (dissolution) and thinning, with potential implications for resilience to physical stresses such as predation and wave action.
No‐take marine reserves are an important management tool in the conservation and restoration of marine habitats around the world. They are intended to provide spatial refugia for exploited species ...and to protect sensitive habitat and biodiversity hot spots.
Despite strong evidence that marine reserves enhance overall biodiversity, it is not clear that this effect extends to all taxonomic groups. Most marine reserves are designed to protect large mobile fauna. Their effect on small sessile benthic invertebrates is unclear, yet these organisms provide critical ecosystem functions.
Three hundred and seventy‐eight images and associated faunal descriptions were compared from 2007 and 2018 in Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve, Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand (46.9°S, 168.1°E, 0–25 m depth, established 2004), to discern the effect of non‐extractive marine protection on a soft‐sediment temperate benthic community.
Qualitative habitat types observed in the 2018 images were similar to those described in 2007. There was a significant positive effect of protection on benthic invertebrate abundance between 2007 and 2018 across Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera. Additionally, there were significantly more benthic invertebrates within reserve sites compared with sites outside the reserve in 2018.
Based on these positive effects, it can be concluded that Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve has facilitated an increase in the biodiversity of the benthic invertebrate community of Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera, Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Interestingly, heavily calcified biogenic reefs were present within Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera, but not within the reserve itself. The re‐evaluation of marine reserve boundaries could result in more comprehensive and representative management of the rich marine environment around Stewart Island/Rakiura.
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