An Opportunistic Assessment of the Impact of Squirrelpox Disease Outbreaks upon a Red Squirrel Population Sympatric with Grey Squirrels in Wales

Native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) persisted in the coastal mainland woodlands of northern Gwynedd whilst sympatric with an invasive grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) population suppressed by culling. Squirrelpox disease in the red squirrel population was recorded in 2017 and 2020/21. An autumn 2020 outbreak was associated with only 17.4% of animals caught and marked in the preceding June known to be present in March 2021. Despite an opportunistic data collection lacking the rigour of empirical experimental design, we observed low local survival rates similar to previously published accounts reported during major squirrelpox outbreaks. The use of a conservation dog to detect red squirrel carcasses resulted in positive detection and confirmation of a temporal and spatial expansion of one disease outbreak. The study is the first in Wales to use conservation dogs and the findings reinforce the vital strategic importance of geographical isolation reducing sympatry of red with grey squirrels in European regions where the introduced congener is a source of the squirrelpox infection.

Extent of resection in glioblastoma: a 10-year local survival analysis

Aims The impact on extent of resection (EOR) in glioblastoma has been well documented. It is clear that gross-total resection (GTR) confers best overall survival (OS), however the minimum EOR required to confer a survival benefit over biopsy is debated. Recent studies favour partial resection (PR) over biopsy for IDH-wildtype, MGMT-unmethylated tumours. We describe our experiences locally with these principles in mind. Method Retrospective evaluation of a single surgeon cohort. All patients over 18 years old, undergoing a surgical treatment for histologically confirmed GBM in the stated period were included. We collected information on demographics, tumour volume, EOR, complications, adjuvant therapies, molecular profile, and OS. We used log rank tests and Cox Proportional Hazards Models to identify factors associated with OS. Results The patient and tumour characteristics of our cohort were similar to those documented in the literature. The mean age was 56.6 years. 72 patients underwent biopsy and 202 had debulking surgery. Median OS was 11 months. Of those debulked, gross-total resection was achieved in 41 patients (20%); associated median OS was 29 months. Patients receiving partial resection (defined as EOR <80%) had no clear survival benefit over patients undergoing biopsy (median OS 6 vs 5 months) but had a higher rate of post-op neurological deficit (3% vs 12%). Tumour molecular profile appeared to influence survival outcome in a manner comparable to worldwide experience. Conclusion In our experience, partial resection is not a justifiable surgical aim in the typical glioblastoma cohort. The limited benefit that it may confer over biopsy appears to be outweighed by the risk of neurological deficit that affects quality and probably quantity of life. This finding applies to our glioblastoma population in general as well as those specifically with an MGM-unmethylated tumour.

Multi-species prey dynamics influence local survival in resident and wintering generalist predators

Stochasticity in food availability influences vital rates such as survival and fertility. Life-history theory predicts that in long-lived organisms, survival should be buffered against environmental stochasticity showing little temporal variability. Furthermore, to optimize survival prospects, many animal species perform migrations to wintering areas where food availability is larger. Species with large latitudinal distribution ranges may show populations that migrate and others that are resident, and they may co-occur in winter. One example of these species is the predatory raptor buzzard Buteo buteo. Here, we test whether temporal variability in the density of five small mammal species of prey inhabiting different habitats (shrubland and forests) influences local annual survival of buzzards in a wintering area depending on their age and residency status (residents versus wintering individuals). We found that prey density explained a considerable amount of annual changes in local survival, which was higher for older and resident birds. This difference in local survival likely corresponded to philopatry to the wintering area, which was larger for residents and increased when prey density was larger. The total density of prey inhabiting open shrublands was the variable explaining more variance in temporal variability of local survival, even though the study area is mostly occupied by woodlands. Temporal population dynamics of the different small mammals inhabiting shrublands were not synchronous, which suggests that buzzards preyed opportunistically on the most abundant prey each winter. Generalist predation may buffer the impact of resource unpredictability for pulsed and asynchronous prey dynamics, typical of small mammals in winter.

A Local Perspective: Experiences And Handling of Mental Health Burden During The COVID-19 Pandemic In Uganda.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of mental health illness around the world. While research has espoused these realities from the context of western countries, however, similar evidence from low income countries like Uganda is still missing. This is despite the fact that scholars have pointed out that given inadequate funding, health facilities and personnel to treat people with mental health challenges, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could be severe. Further, it is still unclear how locals in low income countries like Uganda manage to cope with mental health challenges given the lack of adequate skilled response, especially during a pandemic that has increased the pressure on the healthcare system. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by investigating local people’s experience and handling of mental health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic n Uganda. Methods Qualitative primary data was collected from Uganda in November and December 2020. The sample selection involved a two-staged cluster sampling technique via the AfriSight online platform. Our study included a total of 1249 participants picked from the 4 different regions of Uganda. On the basis of this, thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Our study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated interventions contributed to the increasing mental health burden in Uganda. The four most pronounced forms of mental health illnesses included stress, anxiety, depression and traumatic disorders with the leading causes being closure of income-generating activities, fear of dying, sexual and domestic abuse. While a few people had access to skilled mantel health care, the majority of the people struggled to access this form of care. Skilled maternal care remained an attractive yet unattainable form of care for many. Thus, most people relied on various forms of local strategies that were feasible. ConclusionOur study revealed that Uganda was home to various local survival strategies that counter the inadequacies presented by the weak health care system. Particularly, a culture of reciprocity, family and community network forms important coping avenues for many left stranded by the lack of adequate skilled care. Thus, in the context of Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed more logical to promote scaling up feasibly and locally-available solutions rather than idealistically focusing on attractive yet unattainable forms of care.

Invading parasites: spillover of an alien nematode reduces survival in a native species

It is widely assumed that spillover of alien parasites to native host species severely impacts naïve populations, ultimately conferring a competitive advantage to invading hosts that introduced them. Despite such host-switching events occurring in biological invasions, studies demonstrating the impact of alien macroparasites on native animal hosts are surprisingly few. In Europe, native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are replaced by introduced North American grey squirrels (S. carolinensis) mainly through resource competition, and, only in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by competition mediated by a viral disease. In Italy such disease is absent, but spillover of an introduced North American nematode (Strongyloides robustus) from grey to red squirrels is known to occur. Here, we used long-term (9 years) capture-mark-recapture and parasitological data of red squirrels in areas co-inhabited by grey squirrels in Northern Italy to investigate the impact of this alien helminth on naïve native squirrels’ body mass, local survival, and reproduction of females. We found no negative effect of the alien parasite on body mass or reproductive success, but intensity of infection by S. robustus reduced survival of both male and female squirrels. Significantly, survival of squirrels co-infected by their native nematode, Trypanoxyuris sciuri, was less affected by S. robustus, suggesting a protective effect of the native helminth against the new infection. Hence, we demonstrate that alien S. robustus spillover adds to the detrimental effects of resource competition and stress induced by grey squirrels, further reducing the fitness of the native species in the presence of the invasive competitor.

Parental morph combination does not influence innate immune function in nestlings of a colour-polymorphic African raptor

Conditions experienced during early life can have long-term individual consequences by influencing dispersal, survival, recruitment and productivity. Resource allocation during development can have strong carry-over effects onto these key parameters and is directly determined by the quality of parental care. In the black sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus), a colour-polymorphic raptor, parental morphs influence nestling somatic growth and survival, with pairs consisting of different colour morphs (‘mixed-morph pairs’) producing offspring with lower body mass indices, but higher local apparent survival rates. Resource allocation theory could explain this relationship, with nestlings of mixed-morph pairs trading off a more effective innate immune system against somatic growth. We quantified several innate immune parameters of nestlings (hemagglutination, hemolysis, bacteria-killing capacity and haptoglobin concentration) and triggered an immune response by injecting lipopolysaccharides. Although we found that nestlings with lower body mass index had higher local survival rates, we found no support for the proposed hypothesis: neither baseline immune function nor the induced immune response of nestlings was associated with parental morph combination. Our results suggest that these immune parameters are unlikely to be involved in providing a selective advantage for the different colour morphs’ offspring, and thus innate immunity does not appear to be traded off against a greater allocation of resources to somatic growth. Alternative hypotheses explaining the mechanism of a low nestling body mass index leading to subsequent higher local survival could be related to the post-fledgling dependency period or differences in dispersal patterns for the offspring from different morph combinations.

The human-animal relationship and its influence in our culture: the case of donkeys

Donkeys (Equus asinus) face a global crisis. Their health, welfare, and even their local survival are compromised as the demand for their skins increases. Such demand for donkey skins aims to supply the ejiao industry. Ejiao is a traditional remedy made from the collagen of donkey skins. Some people believe it has medicinal properties. It is estimated that the ejiao industry currently requires approximately 4.8 million donkey skins per year. Although the future of the donkeys is still uncertain, we must guarantee a life free from suffering to the animals under our responsibility. The trade of donkey skins also undermines the cultural role of donkeys. Donkeys have developed an essential role in Brazil, especially in the Northeast region of the country, carrying on their backs construction materials, water, and food, and, as a consequence, helping people build cities in the deepest hinterland. The close relationship between people and donkeys affords donkeys a unique place in the local culture. This central importance has been recognized by Brazilian artists throughout history. We have many examples of songs, books, “cordeis” (typical Brazilian literature), poems, documentaries, movies, woodcuts, paintings, and sculptures, created to honor this important actor. Here we describe some examples of this human-donkey relationship, and its influence on our culture.

Graph Constructions for the Contact Process with a Prescribed Critical Rate

We construct graphs (trees of bounded degree) on which the contact process has critical rate (which will be the same for both global and local survival) equal to any prescribed value between zero and $$\lambda _c({\mathbb {Z}})$$ λ c ( Z ) , the critical rate of the one-dimensional contact process. We exhibit both graphs in which the process at this target critical value survives (locally) and graphs where it dies out (globally).

Breeding transients in capture–recapture modeling and their consequences for local population dynamics

Standard procedures for capture–mark–recapture modelling (CMR) for the study of animal demography include running goodness-of-fit tests on a general starting model. A frequent reason for poor model fit is heterogeneity in local survival among individuals captured for the first time and those already captured or seen on previous occasions. This deviation is technically termed a transience effect. In specific cases, simple, uni-state CMR modeling showing transients may allow researchers to assess the role of these transients on population dynamics. Transient individuals nearly always have a lower local survival probability, which may appear for a number of reasons. In most cases, transients arise due to permanent dispersal, higher mortality, or a combination of both. In the case of higher mortality, transients may be symptomatic of a cost of first reproduction. A few studies working at large spatial scales actually show that transients more often correspond to survival costs of first reproduction rather than to permanent dispersal, bolstering the interpretation of transience as a measure of costs of reproduction, since initial detections are often associated with first breeding attempts. Regardless of their cause, the loss of transients from a local population should lower population growth rate. We review almost 1000 papers using CMR modeling and find that almost 40% of studies fitting the searching criteria (N = 115) detected transients. Nevertheless, few researchers have considered the ecological or evolutionary meaning of the transient phenomenon. Only three studies from the reviewed papers considered transients to be a cost of first reproduction. We also analyze a long-term individual monitoring dataset (1988–2012) on a long-lived bird to quantify transients, and we use a life table response experiment (LTRE) to measure the consequences of transients at a population level. As expected, population growth rate decreased when the environment became harsher while the proportion of transients increased. LTRE analysis showed that population growth can be substantially affected by changes in traits that are variable under environmental stochasticity and deterministic perturbations, such as recruitment, fecundity of experienced individuals, and transient probabilities. This occurred even though sensitivities and elasticities of these parameters were much lower than those for adult survival. The proportion of transients also increased with the strength of density-dependence. These results have implications for ecological and evolutionary studies and may stimulate other researchers to explore the ecological processes behind the occurrence of transients in capture–recapture studies. In population models, the inclusion of a specific state for transients may help to make more reliable predictions for endangered and harvested species.

Genetic structure of the endemic Papaver occidentale indicates survival and immigration in the Western Prealps

Climatic oscillations of the Quaternary rapidly compelled plant species to shift their geographical range. How alpine plant species responded to climate change, however, remains elusive and remnants of the cold-adapted flora that currently strive in restricted ranges as small, isolated populations have been particularly overlooked. To address the evolutionary history of such a ‘glacial relict’, we here sampled and genotyped all known native populations of a narrow endemic species from the northwestern Alps, Papaver occidentale, as well as closely related taxa with double digest restriction-site Associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing. Spatial patterns of genetic variation across populations coupled with insights from climatic niche modelling through time address underpinings of the long-term persistence of the species in face of climate changes. Evidence from population genetics and ecological modelling indicates that P. occidentale likely persisted through the last glacial maximum outside of the Western Prealps and that a major lineage recolonized the area from lower elevation, external regions. Differentiated lineages at the Northern margins of the species distribution range highlight highly divergent and geographically restricted populations that include considerable share of private markers and may indicate local glacial survival in isolated conditions. Our data thus imply that processes having shaped intraspecific spatial genetic structure within the Alps can be complex and lead to mosaic of populations with a mixed-history of local survival and immigration. A better understanding of spatio-temporal aspects of range contraction–expansion is crucial to shed light on processes underlying the evolution of remnant populations of such endemic species and set conservation priorities considering current climate changes.