Human proximity seeking in family pigs and dogs

Family dogs (Canis familiaris) seek human contact from an early age, can discriminate and prefer their caregivers over other humans. To investigate if being kept as a family animal is sufficient to induce similar early human proximity-seeking in another domestic mammal, here we directly compared such behaviours in dogs and similarly raised domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus). We used a preference test to measure proximity-seeking behaviours of 4-month-old family pigs and dogs in the presence of their caregiver and either a stranger or a familiar object, in a novel environment. We found that both pigs and dogs preferred their caregivers over the familiar object but not over the stranger. However, when the caregiver and the stranger were present, only dogs showed an overall preference for human proximity, and pigs spent more time away from both humans. These results suggest that both dogs and pigs seek the proximity of their caregiver, but there is a difference in how each species generalizes their experience to other humans. Species-specific predispositions, including that dogs have a longer socialization period and that humans are more salient as a social stimulus for them, may be important for the early development of an overall preference for humans.

Measuring protected-area outcomes with leech iDNA: large-scale quantification of vertebrate biodiversity in Ailaoshan reserve

1AbstractProtected areas are central to meeting biodiversity conservation goals, but measuring their effectiveness is challenging. We address this challenge by using DNA from leech-ingested bloodmeals to estimate vertebrate occupancies across the 677 km2 Ailaoshan reserve in Yunnan, China. 163 park rangers collected 30,468 leeches from 172 patrol areas. We identified 86 vertebrate species, including amphibians, mammals, birds, and squamates. Multi-species occupancy modelling showed that species richness increased with elevation and distance to reserve edge, including the distributions of most of the large mammals (e.g. sambar, black bear, serow, tufted deer). The exceptions were the three domestic mammal species (cows, sheep, goats) and muntjak deer, which were more common at lower elevations. Vertebrate occupancies are a granular, large-scale conservation-outcome measure that can be used to increase management effectiveness and thus to improve the contributions that protected areas make to achieving global biodiversity goals.建立自然保护区是实现生物多样性保护的核心措施, 然而如何评估其保护效率仍然是一 个难题。为了解决这一难题, 我们首次利用蚂蝗吸食血液中的DNA(iDNA)进行了一次 大规模的尝试, 对占地677平方公里的位于中国西南部云南省的哀牢山国家自然保护区进 行了一个全局的脊椎动物多样性的评估。在本研究中, 该保护区被划分成172个巡逻区, 由163位护林员在巡视过程中采集了总共30468只蚂蝗, 在这些蚂蝗的测序数据中, 我们鉴 定得到86个脊椎动物物种, 包括两栖类, 鸟类, 哺乳类, 爬行类。我们的多物种占据模型 分析结果显示:在群落水平, 物 丰富度和群落的平均分布随着海拔的升高而增加, 随着 与保护区边缘的距离的缩短而减少;而在物种水平, 三个家养动物物种(牛, 绵羊, 山 羊)和一个野生动物物种(赤麂)在海拔较低的靠近保护区边缘的地区分布更多, 而绝大 多数大型野生哺乳动物(如水鹿, 黑熊, 苏门羚, 黑麂, 野猪)则呈现相反的趋势, 在较 高海拔, 靠近保护区中央的地区分布更多。本研究的结果显示基于蚂蝗的iDNA技术可以为 评估自然保护区对脊椎动物的保护效率创建一个高效的, 可重复的, 易于被大众接受理解 的, 并且可以被审计的结果指标, 该指标可以用于评估保护区对脊椎动物多样性的保护效 率, 从而确保保护区有助于实现全球生物多样性目标。

Widespread cis-regulation of RNA-editing in a large mammal

Post-transcriptional RNA editing may regulate transcript expression and diversity in cells, with potential impacts on various aspects of physiology and environmental adaptation. A small number of recent genome-wide studies in Drosophila, mouse, and human have shown that RNA editing can be genetically modulated, highlighting loci that quantitatively impact editing of transcripts. The potential gene expression and physiological consequences of these RNA editing quantitative trait loci (edQTL), however, are almost entirely unknown. Here, we present analyses of RNA editing in a large domestic mammal (Bos taurus), where we use whole genome and high depth RNA sequencing to discover, characterise, and conduct genetic mapping studies of novel transcript edits. Using a discovery population of nine deeply-sequenced cows, we identify 2,001 edit sites in the mammary transcriptome, the majority of which are adenosine to inosine edits (97.4%). Most sites are predicted to reside in double-stranded secondary structures (85.7%), and quantification of the rates of editing in an additional 355 cows reveals editing is negatively correlated with gene expression in the majority of cases. Genetic analyses of RNA editing and gene expression highlights 67 cis-regulated edQTL, of which seven appear to co-segregate with expression QTL effects. Trait association analyses in a separate population of 9,988 lactating cows also shows nine of the cis-edQTL coincide with at least one co-segregating lactation QTL. Together, these results enhance our understanding of RNA editing dynamics in mammals, and suggest mechanistic links by which loci may impact phenotype through RNA-editing mediated processes.

The haematozoa of Australian mammals

Seven species of trypanosomes are known, of which Trypanosoma binneyi from Ornithorhynchus anatinus, T. thylacis from Thylacis obesulus, and T. hipposideri from Hipposideros bicolor albanensis are new. These are the first trypanosomes to be described from a monotreme, a marsupial, and an insectivorous bat in Australia. Six species of haemogregarines are known, of which Hepatozoon dasyuroides from Dasyuroides byrnei and H. pseudocheiri from Pseudocheirus laniginosus are new. One species of Hepatocystis is known from flying foxes, and one species of Polychromophilus from insectivorous bats. Four species of Babesia are known, of which B. thylacis from Thylacis obesulus is new. Four species of Theileria are known, of which Th. ornithorhynchi from Ornithorhynchus anatinus and Th. peramelis from bandicoots are new. The ox is the only domestic mammal harbouring sporozoan blood protozoa, three species being known, of which two are certainly pathogenic. Blood parasites, which appear to be related to bacteria or viruses, occur in cattle, rodents, and bandicoots. These include species of Anaplasma, Haemobartonella, and Eperythrozoon. Spirochaetes belonging to the genus Borrelia occur in the blood of cattle, rodents, kangaroos, and bandicoots.