INTRODUCTION OF MAMMALS IN YAKUTIA: ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVENESS, PROSPECTS AND NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

Attempts of intentional introduction of mammals into the territory of Yakutia are analyzed. Within the period between 1930 and 2020 a total of 8 foreign and one native species were introduced. Two foreign species (the muskrat and American mink) naturalized successfully, as well as the sable, a reintroduced species. Naturalization of the musk-ox, which was introduced in 1996, is progressing successfully, and with proper protective measures its abundance can be expected to increase and range to cover the entire tundra zone of Yakutia. Attempts to introduce the Eurasian beaver, raccoon dog, steppe polecat, and domestic yak have failed. Efforts on the introduction of the wood bison continue, but its reproduction rate and specifics of its winter behavior and feeding habits point to certain problems in its adaptation to new climatic conditions. Intentional introduction of foreign species is a potential danger for the ecosystems of the North, especially attempts at reconstruction of paleoufauna by introducing the species typical for paleolandscapes, and not the contemporary fauna of the region. Efforts aimed at "increasing the biodiversity" without a comprehensive biological analysis can lead to disturbance of the balance of the northern ecosystems.

Clinical case of factitious hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemic syndrome (HGS) is a significant decrease glucose in blood, manifested by neurological symptoms, and stopped by the introduction of glucose. Among the many causes of HGS the special place is taken by the factitious hypoglycemia, as one of the variants of Munchausen syndrome. Hypoglycemia in such cases is achieved by the intentional introduction of hypoglycemic drugs. The most commonly used medications are sulfonylurea derivatives, which are affordable, inexpensive and legal. The close collaboration of clinicians with the laboratory service plays a key role in the diagnosis of factitious hypoglycemia. Since the results of biochemical and hormonal analyzes in patients with hypoglycemia due to reception of oral hypoglycemic medications and pancreatogenous HGS are identical, the only way to differentiate these conditions is by detection of insulin secretagogue substances in the blood (or urine).The determination of oral hypoglycemic medications in cases of suspicion of artificial reception is not implemented in Russia. Factitious hypoglycemia in most cases is the diagnosis of exclusion, and its confirmation if often based on detection of medications among the personal effects of patient. This is a significant difficulty given the ethical standards. However, since 2018 we conduct in our Centre the determination of 7 oral hypoglycemic medications (glibenclamide, gliquidone, gliclazide, glimepiride, glipizide, nateglinide and repaglinide) in patient’s blood using the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This article presents a clinical case of a patient without diabetes mellitus taking glibenclamide and detection of this drug using highly selective LC-MS.

First records of Finescale Dace (Chrosomus neogaeus) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The island of Newfoundland has no official record of cyprinid fishes. Here, we report the discovery of a minnow, Finescale Dace (Chromous neogaeus) from four ponds located in a first order tributary of the Exploits River, in central Newfoundland. This finding represents the first record of the species in the province. The location where the species was found is in a localized, central portion of insular Newfoundland, therefore, the most parsimonious explanation for this new record is that it was an illegal, intentional introduction. Such introductions in other provinces have occurred by anglers who felt it would serve as a forage fish for other species. The consequences of this introduction to native species are unknown; however, the dace’s local abundance, foraging behaviour, and reproductive capacity are discussed in terms of the interspecific competition with native species.

Promise and challenges of risk assessment as an approach for preventing the arrival of harmful alien species

Background: Harmful alien species impose a growing environmental, economic and human well-being burden around the globe. A promising way to reduce the arrival of new species that may become harmful is to utilise pre-border risk assessment (RA) tools that relate the traits of introduced species to whether those species have become established and harmful. These tools can be applied to species proposed for intentional introduction so that informed decisions can be made about whether each species poses an acceptable risk and should be allowed for import. Objectives: A range of approaches to RA tool development have emerged, each relying on different assumptions about the relationships between traits and species impacts, and each requiring different levels and types of data. We set out to compare the qualities of each approach and make recommendations for their application in South Africa, a high biodiversity developing country that already has many invasive species. Method: We reviewed five approaches to pre-border RA and assessed the benefits and drawbacks of each. We focused on how pre-border RA could be applied in South Africa. Results: Recent legislation presents a framework for RA to evaluate species introductions to South Africa, but we find that this framework assumes an approach to RA that is relatively slow and costly and that does not leverage recent advances in RA tool development. Conclusion: There is potential for proven RA approaches to be applied in South Africa that would be less costly and that could more rapidly assess the suite of species currently being introduced.

Knodus moenkhausii (Characiformes: Characidae): one fish species, three hydrographic basins - a natural or anthropogenic phenomenon?

We used the DNA barcoding technique (COI and CytB markers) combined with GMYC analysis to characterize the genetics of the widely distributed Neotropical fish species Knodus moenkhausii from three different isolated hydrographic basins. Despite the fact that most of the Neotropical hydrographic basins have been isolated for millions of years, species could be shared between basins due to natural events (stream capture) or anthropogenic activities. Recent surveys, however, have shown that many widely distributed species are actually species complexes divided into previously unrecognized cryptic species. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that K. moenkhausii from three hydrographic basins represent a single panmictic species and discuss the most likely explanation of its present geographical distribution. The GMYC analysis revealed that all specimens of K. moenkhausii represent a single species: the intra- and intergroup minimum K2P genetic distances for both genes were zero and haplotypes were shared among the three hydrographic basins. This suggests there has been recent interchange of K. moenkhausii throughout the three hydrographic basins. It is likely that this is due to recent human activities, either the transposition of natural barriers or intentional introduction or accidental escape due to the ornamental fish trade.