Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) monitoring: Innovation in sampling and estimator of population density

Objective: To estimate the population of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo, mexicana) and its density in ecosystems of its distribution.Design / methodology / approach: A method based on random sampling with a population density estimator was designed. The design was based on the observation of wild turkeys that go to attraction sites (feedlots) of 2,500 m 2 (50 X 50 m) counted in 12 h a day, three consecutive days. For the total of random sites, the criterion of one site for every 300 ha of surface under study was used. The study was carried out on March 1, 2 and 3, 2019 in 3,000 ha of pine-oak forest, in Monte Escobedo, Zacatecas, Mexico. Observations were made from a fixed point 25 m from each site, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The attraction sites were located at a random distance within 10 systematically fixed transects in the study area.Results: The results showed a population of 66 turkeys in 3,000 ha, with a density of 0.022 turkeys ha -1 . Limitations / implications: The application of the method was useful for the monitoring of wild turkey in the pine-oak forest, showing that it is a method that does not affect the population, which does not require long sampling times, is reliable, low-cost, and easy to carry out. The method is not reliable in ecosystemsthat do not allow the location of high visibility sites.Findings / conclusions: Considering the distribution of wild turkey in Mexico, the method is a new alternative applicable to population studies of wild turkey.

Gastrocnemius Muscle Structural and Functional Changes Associated with Domestication in the Turkey

Selection for increased muscle mass in domestic turkeys has resulted in muscles twice the size of those found in wild turkeys. This study characterizes muscle structural changes as well as functional differences in muscle performance associated with selection for increased muscle mass. We compared peak isometric force production, whole muscle and individual fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), connective tissue collagen concentration and structure of the lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscle in wild and adult domestic turkeys. We also explored changes with age between juvenile and adult domestic turkeys. We found that the domestic turkey’s LG muscle can produce the same force per cross-sectional area as a wild turkey; however, due to scaling, domestic adults produce less force per unit body mass. Domestic turkey muscle fibers were slightly smaller in CSA (3802 ± 2223 μm2) than those of the wild turkey (4014 ± 1831 μm2, p = 0.013), indicating that the absolutely larger domestic turkey muscles are a result of an increased number of smaller fibers. Collagen concentration in domestic turkey muscle (4.19 ± 1.58 μg hydroxyproline/mg muscle) was significantly lower than in the wild turkeys (6.23 ± 0.63 μg/mg, p = 0.0275), with visible differences in endomysium texture, observed via scanning electron microscopy. Selection for increased muscle mass has altered the structure of the LG muscle; however, scaling likely contributes more to hind limb functional differences observed in the domestic turkey.

Crossing the Atlantic

This chapter explores the existence of exotica in America. The flora and fauna of the Americas offered fresh scope for demonstrating the centrality of European culture. New species had to be ordered, classified, named, and fitted within established parameters. From the start, the same was true for native peoples. Furthermore, pictorial and textual descriptions were used to advance several agendas with far-reaching consequences. Primarily to encourage settlement in the New World, exotica were portrayed as variations on European plants and animals. Early maps of North America thus featured deer, bears, beavers, and rabbits, with only the occasional wild turkey—unique to the New World—intruding upon the familiar bestiary. Throughout the seventeenth and into the eighteenth centuries, European colonizing and commercial interests continued to purvey a vision of American resources as easy to transform into marketable commodities.