Academic literature on the topic 'Animal species protection'

AbstractThe state governments in China have laid down laws for protecting rare and endangered species, but the effective protection depends on accurate species identification. In this study, we developed one new Felidae-specific probe, pta1 probe and tested 138 skin samples from 14 species and subspecies. The results revealed that the pta1 probe succeeded in identifying all feline species in China due to species-specific “fingerprints”. As a result, we constructed a fingerprint management archives for Felidae family in China. It can provide forensic evidence of poaching for judicial organization, which have a profound effect on criminal activities of poachers, and therefore help to protect wild animals and conserve biodiversity.

Abstract This article explores protection efforts that have arisen in the New York City metropolitan area around the monk parakeet, a nonnative bird that has achieved a broad distribution outside its native habitat range. In some urban regions in which populations are established, controversy has developed around the parakeets’ use of utility infrastructure and potential impacts on native species and agricultural crops. This case provides an opportunity to explore animal protection rhetoric about nonnative species, an understudied topic, considering the great extent to which species have become established in ecosystems outside their natural ranges and the persistence of public affinity for nonnative plants and wildlife. This article identifies four major frames through which advocates have delivered the birds to public and legal audiences and considers how they have mobilized and handled notions of “nonnative-ness” in their advocacy work.

The aim of the study is to examine how animal protection, especially that of animal specimens, is included in the European constitutions. San Marino and the United Kingdom have no classical, written constitutions, hence, a total of 42 European constitutions were studied. Animals typically appear in the constitution as species that, as part of nature and the environment, must be conserved in order to preserve biodiversity. There are only a few constitutions in Europe that reflect a narrowly defined approach to animal protection. According to this, animals as individuals must be protected because of their intrinsic value. The research has shown that 14% (6 countries) of the European countries examined contain both species and specimen protection provisions in their constitutions. The vast majority, 69% (29 countries) included only animal species protection provisions in the constitution. 17% (7 countries) of the European constitutions do not contain a provision based on any of the criteria. Only Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland have provisions for individual protection of animals at constitutional level. In Switzerland, a unique legal institution, the “dignity of animals” was given constitutional protection.

In times of war, the first instinct is to relieve the suffering of human beings. Environmental and animal interests are always pushed into the background. However, warfare strongly affects natural resources, including animals, which makes animal issues a matter of great concern. Certain species have been vanishing at a rapid rate because of wars, often with disastrous effects on the food chain and on the ecological balance. Indeed, belligerents rarely take into account the adverse consequences of their military operations on animals. They even take advantage of the chaotic circumstances of war in order to poach protected species and to engage in the trafficking of expensive animal products. While generating billions of dollars each year, such poaching and trafficking allows armed groups to grow and to reinforce their authority over disputed territory. States have also trained, and continue to train, certain animals—principally marine mammals such as bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions—to perform military tasks, like ship and harbor protection, or mine detection and clearance. Millions of horses, mules, donkeys, camels, dogs, and birds are obliged to serve on various fronts (transport, logistics, or communications) and become particularly vulnerable targets.

How people coexist and interact with animals has become an intensely debated issue in recent times, particularly with the rise of the animal protection movement following the publication of Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation in 1975. This paper discusses some shortcomings of the philosophical positions taken in this complex debate. Singer has helped put animals on a new footing as a group that cannot morally be ignored, but his focus is mainly on individual, familiar animals that are used or abused by humans. The argument of this paper is that the ethics of managing wildlife hinges on a broader view of animals, and their contexts, than is apparent from Singer’s text. Wildlife managers aim to conserve populations of a wide range of species, and their habitats, but some mechanisms for achieving these aims, such as research and the control of invasive animals, are frequently opposed by elements of the animal protection movement. We need to adapt our attitude to animals, particularly wildlife, away from the traditional legacy of a few familiar species to embrace an ethic that is more ecological and relevant to Australian contexts. The case argued here has been to see the critical role of context — geographical, ecological, historical, relational — as a basis for a degree of reconciliation between conservation-oriented wildlife managers and the rising interest in the ethics of animal use. There is much to be gained for zoologists, wildlife managers and conservation biologists by framing key elements of their case in ethical arguments. Conversely, the challenge for those in the animal protection movement is to expand their philosophical ideas to include the ethical imperative of the conservation of populations of wildlife.

Animal law is the body of statutory and case law governing the treatment of nonhuman animals, including wildlife, companion animals, and animals used for research, entertainment, and food. Emerging rapidly on academic and legal horizons since 2000, entire programs of study at all levels are now dedicated to training students to be effective humane educators, attorneys, law enforcement officers, and citizens.High-profile court cases, such as SeaWorld v. California Coastal Commission, along with the proliferation of animal protection documentaries, such as Blackfish, Earthlings, and Tyke: Elephant Outlaw, have raised profound questions about our treatment of other species. Animal protection is now a mainstream phenomenon, largely due to the Internet and social media providing instant visibility to and awareness of the critical issues of our time.

This article contains the main conclusions of a dissertation on legal regulation of wild animal protection, which was written within a doctoral study at the Faculty of Law, Charles University (Department of Environmental Law). The main goal of the dissertation was to comprehensively describe and analyse the legal regulation in detail, including its current legislative development, and to process a complete set of the international, EU, and Czech legal regulation in the field of wild animal protection. Wild animals are protected within the biodiversity protection and nature and landscape conservation, which can be divided into territorial and species protection, when this article focuses mainly on the species one. The article consists of three main parts, which focus on the international, European Union and Czech legal regulation. The text of the article was completed on 15 October 2021.

Abstract The paper will present the journal/magazine of the Croatian Association for the Protection of Animals Živobran (1894–1904) and explore its contribution to the development of social awareness on natural, cultural and ethical values of animal species with special reference to their educational role in the promotion of animal rights among the Croatian school population at the turn of the 20th century. Namely, by carrying out the cooperation with school institutions, the magazine of the Croatian Association for the Protection of Animals directly affected the formation of students’ thinking, standpoints and relations toward the animal world. The research corpus encompasses texts published in the journal/magazine of the Croatian Association for the Protection of Animals Živobran in the period from 1894 to 1904. The paper is a contribution to the research of Croatian cultural zoology and literary ecology.

In such country as Israel with its high industrialization and urbanization rates the environment protection is of key importance for preserving the biodiversity of nature. Awareness of the need to protect precious natural resources and landscapes of Israel forced to pass numerous laws on protection of nature and wild animals. These laws provide legal basis for protection of environment, natural resources, wild animals, unique nature features and places being of scientific and educational value in this country.Israel locates at the juncture of three continents combining different climatic and botanical regions which have led to appearance of the unique, by diversity and composition, plant and animal world. In Israel you can find 2800 plant varieties (of which 150 are endemics), 8 species of amphibia, 80 species of reptiles, 450 species of birds and 70 species of mammals. For protection of natural biodiversity there were established 224 nature preserves and 203 and historical heritage deserves special mention.In the recent years the governmental and public organizations have focused on development of the programs on environment management for monitoring and ensuring the required quality of water and air and for processing and utilization of solid wastes.Quite spectacular achievements are observed in reintroduction of predatory and bible species, protection of sea turtles, impoundment of the Hula valley and preservation of migratory birds. The government’s initiatives were welcomed by the public that joined in national parks which cover around 23% of the territory of Israel. The nature preserves and national parks represent the whole range of the natural heritage of Israel: Mediterranean forests, coastal and water landscapes, sand dunes, desert and crater landscapes and oases, while the unique archeological these activities. The environmental education, awareness and activities of the society have increased enormously which is proved by the growing number of nongovernmental environmental organizations — from a few in the 1990s to over one hundred nowadays. The greater attention is paid to collection and publication of environmental data.

Animals have range of defensive markings which helps to the risk of predator detection (camouflage), warn predators of the prey’s unpalatability (aposematism) or fool a predator into mimicry, masquerade. Animals also use colors in advertising, signalling services such as cleaning to animals of other species, to signal sexual status to other members of the same species. Some animals use color to divert attacks by startle (dalmatic behaviour), surprising a predator e.g. witheyespots or other flashes of color or possibly by motion dazzle, confusing a predator attack by moving a bold pattern like zebra stripes. Some animals are colored for physical protection, such as having pigments in the skin to protect against sunburn; some animals can lighten or darken their skin for temperature regulation. This adaptive mechanism is known as protective coloration. After several years of evolution, most animals now achieved the color pattern most suited for their natural habitat and role in the food chains. Animals in the world rely on their coloration for either protection from predators, concealment from prey or sexual selection. In general the purpose of protective coloration is to decrease an organism’s visibility or to alter its appearance to other organisms. Sometimes several forms of protective coloration are superimposed on one animal.

La connaissance des dynamiques de répartitions des populations d’une espèce animale menacée dans une aire géographique, sert à la fois à déterminer son statut de conservation et à orienter les politiques de protection dont elle pourrait faire l’objet. Elle est le produit de différents processus de collecte de l’information, que mettent en place les acteurs de la conservation, qu’ils soient d’origine publique, privée ou associative. Nous nous proposons dans cette thèse d’analyser cette construction de l’information géographique par une approche s’intéressant à la fois aux caractéristiques des espèces étudiées, aux acteurs qui s’y intéressent, et aux méthodologies utilisées pour récolter et traiter la donnée prélevée sur le terrain. L’étude des facteurs conduisant à l’apparition d’incertitude dans ces démarches nous permettra de montrer les limites à cette construction, puis les dispositifs développés par les acteurs de la conservation pour tenter de la maitriser<br>Conservation of threatened species needs knowledge about their populations’ distribution and dynamics, in a geographic area. It is a necessity to definite conservation assessment. This knowledge is the product of processes that collect information, put in place by conservation actors, with public, private or associative origins. We propose to analyse this construction of geographic information by an approach that focus on species’ characteristics, actors whom interest, and methodologies used to collect, and processing information coming from field. Put in light factors that conduct to uncertainty rise in those processes will enable us to study the limits of this knowledge construction, then actors’ device to control this uncertainty

Les récifs coralliens hébergent la plus grande biodiversité sur Terre et fournissent la nourriture, le revenu économique, la protection côtière et les valeurs culturelles pour des millions de personnes. L'accessibilité des écosystèmes via les réseaux routiers est un déterminant majeur de leurs conditions, les écosystèmes les plus accessibles étant les plus menacées. Longtemps, l’estimation de l'accessibilité par l’Homme s’est limitée à l'utilisation de la distance linéaire qui ignore l’irrégularité des côtes maritimes et les réseaux routiers, facteurs influençant le temps nécessaire pour atteindre les lieux de pêche. Cette thèse présente un double enjeu : (i) développer des indices d'accessibilité intégrant l’hétérogénéité du milieu marin pour quantifier les impacts humains sur les récifs ; (ii) évaluer l'importance de ces nouveaux indices, en interaction avec les mesures de protection, pour expliquer les variations de la biomasse de poissons. Dans un premier temps, j’ai caractérisé la proximité des hommes aux récifs, en tenant compte des surfaces rencontrées (routes, chemin, eau) qui influencent le temps de trajet jusqu’aux récifs. Le temps de trajet a permis de calculer un indice de gravité, défini comme la population humaine divisée par le temps de trajet au carré, pour évaluer le niveau de pression humaine de n'importe quel récif au monde. J'ai trouvé que le temps de trajet et la gravité sont des déterminants majeurs de la biomasse de poissons à l’échelle globale. Dans un second temps, trois applications utilisant ces nouveaux indices ont permis de montrer que (i) la gravité permet de révéler l’efficacité des actions de conservation : les réserves placées là où les impacts humains sont modérés à forts fournissent des gains de conservation élevés pour la biomasse de poissons, mais elles sont peu susceptibles de protéger les prédateurs supérieurs, qui sont uniquement présent dans les réserves soumises à de faibles impacts humains ; (ii) en utilisant un cas d'étude réalisé dans le Nord-Ouest de Madagascar, j'ai illustré comment la proximité du marché peut affecter les communautés de pêcheurs et, finalement, engendrer des changements dans l'exploitation des ressources marines ; (iii) j’ai développé une nouvelle approche, le Community-Wide Scan (CWS), pour identifier les espèces de poissons qui contribuent de manière significative à la biomasse et à la couverture corallienne des récifs de l’Indopacifique, celles-ci pouvant constituer des espèces cibles à protéger. Dans le contexte de changements globaux et de perte de biodiversité, la mesure d’accessibilité constitue un outil puissant et permet de relancer le défi de gestion durable et efficace des socio-écosystèmes coralliens<br>Coral reefs have the greatest biodiversity of any ecosystem on the planet and support ecosystem goods and services to million people who depend directly on them for food, economic income, coastal protection and cultural values. Ecosystem accessibility, through road networks, is the main driver of their conditions, with the most accessible ecosystems being most at risk of resource depletion. To date, measuring accessibility to humans was strictly limited to examining the linear distance which ignores ragged coastlines and road networks that can affect the time required to reach fishing grounds. This thesis presents a double challenge: (i) developing new metrics of accessibility that account for seascape heterogeneity to better assess human impacts on coral reefs; (ii) evaluating the importance of coral reef accessibility, in interactions with their management, to explain variations of fish biomass. First, I developed novel metrics of reef proximity to human populations and markets based on the friction distance which is related to transport surfaces (paved road, dirt road, water) influencing the effective reach of human settlements. Travel time was used to build the gravity index, defined as human population divided by the squared travel time, to assess the level of human pressure on any reef of the world. I found that both travel time and gravity are strong predictors of fish biomass globally. Second, three applications using these new metrics highlighted that (i) gravity identified critical ecological trade-offs in conservation since reserves placed with moderate-to-high impacts may provide substantial conservation gains for fish biomass while reserve locations with low human impacts were more likely to support higher-order predation, (ii) using a study case in Northwest Madagascar, I illustrated how market proximity can affect fishermen communities and, ultimately, trigger changes in marine resources exploitation, and (iii) I implemented a new Community-Wide Scan (CWS) approach to identify fish species that significantly contribute to the biomass and coral cover on Indo-Pacific reefs and which provided tractable conservation targets. Within the context of global changes and biodiversity loss, the thesis challenges the sustainable and efficient management of coral reef socio-ecological systems with accessibility being the cornerstone

&Scaron;tavelj (Rumex crispus, Polygonaceae) je vi&scaron;egodi&scaron;nja zeljasta biljka, koja predstavlja bogat izvor fenolnih komponenti. Iako se smatra invazivnim korovom, mlado li&scaron;će &scaron;tavelja je jestivo i često se koristi kao salata. Dalje, upotreba plodova &scaron;tavelja opisana je u srpskoj i turskoj narodnoj medicini u lečenju gastrointestinalnih tegoba. Cilj ovog rada bio je procena in vitro i in vivo antioksidantne/prooksidantne i citotoksične aktivnosti, i određivanje eventualnog in vitro antiinflamatornog efekta vodenog ekstrakta ploda Rumex crispus. Ukupan sadržaj flavonoida određen je spektrofotometrijskom metodom. Kvalifikacija i kvantifikacija flavonoida potvrđena je visokoefikasnom tečnom hromatografijom (HPLC). Antioksidantna aktivnost vodenog ekstrakta ploda &scaron;tavelja procenjena je na osnovu in vitro testova: Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), sposobnosti ekstrakta da neutrali&scaron;e slobodne radikale NO&bull;, OH&bull; i DPPH&bull; i uticaja na lipidnu peroksidaciju u lipozomima. Citotoksičnost ispitivanog ekstrakta je određena in vitro na tumorskim ćelijskim linijama: humani karcinom cerviksa (HeLa), adenokarcinom (HT-29) i adenokarcinom dojke (MCF7). Takođe, moguća in vivo hepatoprotektivna i antioksidantna svojstva ekstrakta određena su kod oksidativnog stresa izazvanog CCl4 kod eksperimentalnih životinja. Pored toga, proverena je hipoteza u kojoj testiran ekstrakt pokazuje in vivo antiproliferativnu aktivnost kod Ehrlich-ovih (EAC) i Hepatoma AS30D ćelija, merenjem zapremine ascitesa, procenta vijabilnih ćelija i nivoa nekoliko antioksidantnih enzima. Optimizovan in vitro test za određivanje potencijala inhibicije ciklooksigenaze-1 (COX-1) i 12-lipooksigenaze (12-LOX) preduzet je u svrhu procene antiinflamatornog efekta vodenog ekstrakta ploda R. crispus. HPLC analiza otkrila je da je mikvelianin najdominantniji flavonoidni konstituent ekstrakta. Testirani ekstrakt pokazao je potencijalnu antioksidantnu aktivnost rezultujući velikom moći u neutralizaciji slobodnih radikala, i sposobno&scaron;ću da smanji lipidnu peroksidaciju u lipozomima. Rezultati su ukazali na tkivno-selektivnu citotoksičnost ekstrakta ploda R. crispus in vitro. Najizraženija antitumorska aktivnost primećena je prema HeLa i MCF7 ćelijskim linijama. Podaci sugeri&scaron;u da bi se ispitivani ekstrakt mogao smatrati potencijalnim in vivo hepatoprotektivnim i antioksidantnim agensom, sprečavajući oksidativna o&scaron;tećenja jetre. S druge strane, pomenuti ekstrakt može pokazati in vivo prooksidantna svojstva, uzrokujući oksidativni stres u maligno transformisanim EAC i AS30D ćelijama i smanjujući zapreminu ascitesa i udeo vijabilnih ćelija, u poređenju sa kontrolnom grupom. Promene u aktivnosti antioksidantnih enzima su verovatno posledica indukovanog oksidativnog stresa u EAC i AS30D ćelijama, naročito kod pretretiranih životinja. Vodeni ekstrakt ploda &scaron;tavelja pokazao je COX-1, kao i 12-LOX inhibitornu aktivnost, navodeći da bi ispitivani ekstrakt mogao biti antiinflamatorni agens. Vodeni ekstrakt ploda R. crispus ima potencijalnu antioksidantnu, citotoksičnu i antiinflamatornu aktivnost. Ispoljavanje prooksidantnih svojstava predstavlja mogući mehanizam antiproliferativnog efekta ekstrakta.<br>Curly dock (Rumex crispus, Polygonaceae) is a wild perennial herbaceous plant, which products are described as a rich source of phenolic compounds. Apart from being considered a seriously invasive weed, young leaves of curly dock are edible and often used as salad. Furthermore, the use of its fruits has been described in Serbian and Turkish traditional medicine against stomach complaints. The objectives of this study were to evaluate in vitro and in vivo antioxidant/prooxidant and cytotoxic activities, and to determine an eventual in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of the aqueous extract of Rumex crispus fruits. Total flavonoid content was determined by spectrophotometric method. Qualification and quantification of flavonoids were confirmed using High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The aqueous extract of curly dock fruits was evaluated for its antioxidant activity by in vitro assays for Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), NO&bull;, OH&bull; and DPPH&bull;-free radical scavenging activities and the influence on lipid peroxidation in liposomes. The cytotoxicity of tested extract was examined in vitro in human cervix carcinoma (HeLa), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7). Also, the potential in vivo hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties of investigated extract were determined on CCl4-induced oxidative stress in experimental animals. Furthermore, the hypothesis that the examined extract might show in vivo antiproliferative activity in Ehrlich carcinoma (EAC) and Hepatoma AS30D cells was tested by measuring volume of ascites, percentage of viable cells and level of several antioxidant enzymes. The optimized in vitro test for determination of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) inhibition potency was undertaken in order to estimate an anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous extract of R. crispus fruits. HPLC analysis revealed miquelianin as the most abundant flavonoid constituent of the extract. The tested extract might have an antioxidant activity resulting in scavenging of free radicals and ability to decrease lipid peroxidation in liposomes. The results could indicate tissue-selective cytotoxicity of R. crispus fruit extract in vitro. The most prominent antitumor activity was observed towards HeLa and MCF7 cell lines. The data suggested that investigated extract may be considered as potential in vivo hepatoprotective and antioxidant agent due to prevention of the liver injuries induced by oxidative damage. On the other hand, mentioned extract could exhibit in vivo prooxidant property, causing the oxidative stress in malignant transformed EAC and AS30D cells and reducing volume of ascites and percentage of viable cells, in comparison with control group. Changes in activities of antioxidant enzymes might be the results of induced oxidative stress in EAC and AS30D cells, especially in the pretreated animals. The aqueous extract of curly dock fruits showed COX-1, as well as 12-LOX inhibitory activity, suggesting that tested extract might be an anti-inflammatory agent. It could be concluded that aqueous fruit extract of R. crispus might have antioxidant, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities. The prooxidant properties of examined extract could be the mechanism of potential antiproliferative effect of extract.

Tese de mestrado, Biologia Evolutiva e do Desenvolvimento, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2015<br>The complexity of life forms cannot be explained without the concept of symbiosis. Symbiotic relations exist abundantly in nature, particularly the ones between bacteria and eukaryotic hosts. One of the most widespread endosymbiotic bacteria described belongs to the genus Wolbachia, naturally infecting arthropods and nematodes. In arthropods, Wolbachia induces reproductive manipulations, to promote infected female’s fitness as they are vertically transmitted, maternally. Additionally, in Drosophila melanogaster, they have been shown to confer protection against viral infections. Being an obligatory vertically-transmitted endosymbiont, Wolbachia phylogeny should recapitulate that of its hosts. However, several studies show that host and symbiont phylogenies are not concordant, suggesting that horizontal transfers must have occurred throughout time. This has been confirmed, namely between parasitoid wasps and their hosts. Considering these observations, the present project aimed at uncovering if and at which rate horizontal transmission of Wolbachia could occur between Drosophila melanogaster and its natural parasitoid Leptopilina boulardi. Also, we tested if the viral protection phenotype induced in Drosophila would be passed on to the novel host, after this horizontal transfer event. Simultaneously we screened a wild-caught population of Leptopilina heterotoma for Wolbachia presence. We obtained infected individuals with which we established an isofemale line and derived Wolbachia-negative counterparts using antibiotic treatment. With this tool, we characterized the effects of Wolbachia presence upon viral systemic infection. Our results show that horizontal transmission of Wolbachia happens between Leptopilina boulardi and its host, but the infection is not stably maintained. We also see that these wasps do not appear to be susceptible to viruses that are pathogenic in Drosophila (specifically DCV and FHV) and appear to be mildly Detrimental to Wolbachia-infected Leptopilina heterotoma. Finally, we have verified that a natural endosymbiont infection appears to delay full development time in Leptopilina heterotoma, although no effect is detected for longevity. With this work we have established an experimental system for the controlled and systematic study of the complex interactions between Drosophila, parasitoid wasps, Wolbachia and viruses.<br>A diversidade de formas devida dificilmente é explicada sem ser tido em conta o conceito de simbiose. Relações simbióticas são abundantemente encontradas em ambientes naturais. Os primeiros eventos de endossimbiose conhecidos terão ocorrido há cerca de 1,5 milhares de milhão de anos atrás. Estes acontecimentos descrevem a incorporação de cianobactérias e proteobactérias ancestrais em organismos procariotas. Quando a simbiose se tornou mutualista obrigatória, estes organismos procariotas associados a endossimbiontes tornaram-se nos primeiros eucariotas do planeta, e os seus anteriormente designados endossimbiontes tornaram‐se organelos, nomeadamente cloroplastos e mitocôndrias. Atualmente existem incontáveis exemplos de organismos vivos que não existiriam se não se estabelecessem relações simbióticas entre diferentes entidades biológicas, constituindo a base para a enorme diversidade de formas de vida existentes. Alguns dos casos mais frequentes de interações entre diferentes organismos que moldam inquestionável e determinantemente a história evolutiva do planeta são os que ocorrem entre procariotas e hospedeiros eucariotas. Estes sistemas podem ser encontrados em todas As circunstâncias, quer em metazoários como plantas e animais, quer em organismos unicelulares. Por exemplo, o filo Porífera realiza incontáveis associações com microrganismos bacterianos que lhe permitem obter nutrientes mais eficazmente ou ainda os vários casos de plantas que formam associações com bactérias fixadoras de azoto. Numa tentativa de classificar os diferentes tipos de interações que podem ocorrer entre dois ou mais organismos, foram atribuídos nomes a categorias discretas que ocorrem no espectro de interações naturais possíveis. Relações simbióticas podem ser comensais, mutualistas ou parasíticas. Comensalismo descreve o tipo de interações em que um organismo beneficia da relação que desenvolve com outro, enquanto o segundo permanece indiferente. Relações mutualistas englobam situações em que a associação é mutualmente benéfica para ambos os envolvidos. Parasitismo implica que um dos envolvidos seja prejudicado, para benefício do outro. Estas duas últimas formas de interação estão intimamente relacionadas, na medida em que as medidas de adaptação que um endossimbionte tem de sofrer para poder invadir e colonizar um hospedeiro, qualquer que seja a interações que acabe por vingar, são semelhantes para uma relação mutualista ou parasita, especialmente se considerarmos as relações abundantes que se estabelecem entre bactérias e hospedeiros eucariotas. No entanto, e apesar das referidas classificações existirem e serem relevantes, é difícil atribuir qualidades discretas a endossimbiontes, uma vez que os efeitos que induzem no seu hospedeiro podem variar entre mutualistas ou patogénicos, consoante vários aspectos (como factores ambientais). Um exemplo privilegiado deste tipo de comportamento variável é o das bactérias do género Wolbachia. Estas são alfa-proteobactérias, membros do grupo Rickettsiales (que engloba todos as bactérias endossimbióticas obrigatórias conhecidas), que infectam artrópodes e algumas espécies de nematodes filariais. Este endossimbionte é um dos mais representados na natureza, infectando mais de 60% de todos os insectos conhecidos, para além de presente em ácaros, aranhas, escorpiões e isópodes. Sendo um dos organismos mais bem estudados atualmente no que diz respeito a relações de simbiose, existem vários estudos que descrevem algumas das adaptações que sofreu de modo a proliferar nas células dos hospedeiros. Nomeadamente, a bactéria utiliza mecanismos de transporte vesicular para viajar dentro das células do hospedeiro. No entanto, a característica deste género que é indubitavelmente mais estudada é a sua capacidade de manipular o sistema reprodutivo do hospedeiro em seu proveito. Existem diferentes formas segundo as quais Wolbachia consegue manipular a reprodução dos seus hospedeiros, nomeadamente: feminização, morte de machos, partenogénese e incompatibilidade citoplasmática (IC). Feminização descreve a transformação fenotípica em fêmeas de organismos geneticamente masculinos; morte de machos acontece quando machos infectados são inviabilizados, disponibilizando mais recursos para as irmãs que possam transmitir a infecção à geração seguinte; partenogénese descreve a produção de prole unicamente feminina contribuição parental masculina; por fim, a manipulação reprodutiva mais comum, a IC descreve o processo segundo o qual fêmeas infetadas geram menos prole viável quando fertilizadas por machos não infetados (ou se ambos hospedarem estirpes incompatíveis). Todos estes processos de manipulação reprodutiva têm como objectivo maximizar a dispersão e colonização de Wolbachia pelo maior número de indivíduos possível, o que por sua vez é conseguido através do favorecimento da descendência feminina. O principal motivo que explica estes processos prende‐se com a forma canónica de transmissão de Wolbachia entre hospedeiros, que é feita verticalmente por via materna. Uma outra influência que Wolbachia exerce sobre os seus hospedeiros prende‐se com a capacidade de proteger Drosophila melanogaster contra (algumas) infeções por vírus de RNA. Esta capacidade foi descrita recentemente (não só para Drosophila mas também para o mosquito Culex pipiens) e desde então múltiplos trabalhos têm sido desenvolvidos na tentativa de caracterizar e determinar os mecanismos subjacentes. É sabido que Wolbachia protege contra Drosophila C Virus (DCV) e Flock House Virus (FHV), entre outros vírus de RNA, mas que a proteção não se estende para vírus de DNA (que não se conhece infectarem naturalmente espécies de Drosophila) e que, inclusive, diferentes níveis de proteção estão associados a diferentes estirpes da bactéria. Outra peculiaridade deste género de endossimbiontes prende-se com a filogenia discordante que apresentam relativamente à dos seus hospedeiros. Tendo em conta que são verticalmente transmitidas, seria de esperar que a árvore filogenética das estirpes de Wolbachia espelhasse, com alguma exatidão, a árvore filogenética dos seus respetivos hospedeiros. Isto não se verifica sugerindo que, além da transmissão vertical, eventos de transmissão horizontal entre hospedeiros têm de ter ocorrido ao longo do tempo. Adicionalmente, estudos baseados nestas filogenias de Wolbachia permitem inferir que existem enormes semelhanças entre as estirpes albergadas por certos insectos filogeneticamente distantes, nomeadamente entre vespas parasitoides e os seus respectivos hospedeiros. Tendo isto em conta, foram conduzidos estudos que determinaram que a bactéria pode ser transmitida horizontalmente entre diferentes hospedeiros por canibalismo de animais infectados, por partilha próxima de nichos ecológicos e através de um vector como uma vespa parasitóide. Reunindo toda a informação apresentada acima, das características da Wolbachia, especificamente da sua capacidade de induzir proteção viral em Drosophila, da sua filogenia discordante (indicativa de eventos de transmissão horizontal) e da existência de casos reportados em que vespas parasitoides atuam como vector transportador de endossimbiontes, formulámos as questões que apresentamos de seguida. 1- Consegue a Wolbachia conferir proteção viral num hospedeiro parasitoide recem-adquirido, fruto de um evento de transmissão horizontal? 2- Está uma população natural de vespas parasitoides protegida contra infecções virais, pela sua estirpe nativa de Wolbachia? 2.1- Como responde esta população natural, em comparação com as vespas mantidas no laboratório? 2.2- Existem custos associados à manutenção de Wolbachia? Começámos por tentar responder à primeira questão estabelecendo linhas isogénicas da vespa Leptopilina boulardi não infectadas por Wolbachia e sujeitando-as a hospedeiros de Drosophila melanogaster contendo Wolbachia. Utilizando duas linhas de moscas infectadas com estirpes individuais diferentes, sujeitámos as vespas a estes hospedeiros infectados e recolhemos toda a descendência após este evento de parasitação. Com estas fêmeas estabelecemos linhas isogénicas, das quais recolhemos, na geração seguinte, indivíduos suficientes que nos permitisse extrair DNA e testar a presença de Wolbachia por PCR. Com estes dados pudemos inferir a taxa de transmissão horizontal entre Leptopilina boulardi e Drosophila melanogaster. Numa tentativa de avaliar se a proteção viral conferida em mosca era transmitida com o endossimbionte para o novo hospedeiro estabelecemos um protocolo de infecção viral sistémica em vespa. No entanto, verificámos que a espécie Leptopilina boulardi não parece ser susceptível aos vírus de RNA que são canonicamente testados em Drosophila. Atestámos também que, nesta espécie, uma transmissão horizontal de Wolbachia não origina uma infecção estável, que seja em última análise, verticalmente mantida. Para responder à questão 2, recolhemos indivíduos da natureza e testámos a presença de Wolbachia assim como determinámos a espécie em questão. Deparamo-nos com uma linha de Leptopilina heterotoma, infectada com Wolbachia. Para estabelecermos um controlo negativo, usámos um tratamento de antibiótico que tratou a infecção, proporcionando duas linhas semelhantes de vespa, uma com e outra sem Wolbachia. Posteriormente, infecção viral foi realizada para esta espécie, onde vimos um efeito pequeno da ação de DCV, apenas detectável na linha que continha a infecção bacteriana de origem mas não na linha tratada. Para determinar custos, realizámos ainda medições quanto ao tempo total de desenvolvimento e longevidade de ambas as linhas de Leptopilina heterotoma, onde detectámos um possível efeito da Wolbachia a atrasar ligeiramente o desenvolvimento de ovo até adulto. Sumariamente, os nossos resultados indicam que a transmissão horizontal de Wolbachia ocorre, embora o estabelecimento de uma infeção vertical estável seja seja, neste caso, indetectável. Concluímos também acerca do efeito que uma infecção viral pode ter (ou não) sobre uma espécie com a qual provavelmente partilha nichos ecológicos na natureza (considerando que tanto Leptopilina boulardi como Leptopilina heterótoma são parasitoides naturais de Drosophila melanogaster, o hospedeiro por excelência de DCV). Podemos ainda verificar que a presença deste endossimbionte pode induzir custos num hospedeiro nativo, como de resto é verificado noutras espécies.

The illegal reptile trade quandary in the Western Cape province is strategically and chronologically addressed in this thesis with the implicit intention of revealing its gamut and underlying dynamics, developing a pragmatic, parsimonious and authentic conservation crime category with clearly delineated parameters, and formulating an integrated theoretical explanation regarding its aetiology that will adequately explicate herpetological, and hopefully also other forms of natural resource, crime and deviance. The thesis, by essentially transcending traditional, stereotypical edicts, throws new light on a severely neglected and underestimated form of natural resource exploitation, highlighting the need for reptiles, as the sentinels of the state of our environmental health to be preserved and perpetuated for, in the final analysis, the benefit of human kind. Through an essentially explorative enquiry, utilising an integrated qualitative -quantitative research approach, the concept of conservation crime, as a vanguard to an innovative and unified conservation criminology, is introduced in this thesis in the form of unambiguous adjunct of the mainstream criminological discipline. It is, furthermore, utilised as a conduit within the herpetological crime framework to enrich the criminological discipline as a whole, broaden its frontiers, promote effective and focussed intervention/mitigation initiatives, as well as stimulate interest for further investigation in this field. Fragmented, antiquated and nebulous legislation, deficient conservation and related role-player organisational capacity and inconsistent penalties, in concert with apathetic (and decidedly generic) societal attitudes and traditional pessimistic rubric regarding reptiles, emerge as fundamental proclivities impeding the effective intercession and management of the natural resources embodied in this sphere. Injudicious manipulation of the Western Cape's scarce and specialised reptile resources and the biodiversity ramifications such exploitation realises portend the intensification and diversification potential of such criminality. Conservation criminology, as developed and presented in this thesis, underscores the significant contribution this field of criminology can make in comprehending the illegal manipulation/exploitation of herpetological and other natural resources, expanding and enhancing its theoretical constructs and implementing justice through decisive, dedicated and holistic intervention programmes/strategies in order to defend the inherent right to the continued existence of all reptile species.<br>Crimonology<br>D. Litt et Phil. (Criminology)

The illegal trade in endangered animals in KwaZulu-Natal, with an emphasis on rhino poaching, is tactically addressed in this dissertation. The aim is to expose the nature and extent of these crimes; the victims, offenders and modus operandi involved; the adjudication of wildlife offences; the causes and consequences concerned; the relevant criminological theories to explain these crimes; and recommendations for prevention. This research intends to examine the contemporary pandemic of rhino poaching in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and offer potential techniques for intervention. Furthermore, one of the main goals of the study is to reveal and enhance the extremely neglected field of conservation criminology. A general disregard by society for the environment, as well as the overall ineffectiveness and corruption of criminal justice and conservation authorities, comes to the fore. The purpose of the research is therefore to suggest possible prevention strategies in order to protect the rights of endangered species.<br>Criminology and Security Science<br>M.A. (Criminology)

Abstract Since the discovery of RNA interference in 1998 as a potent molecular tool for the selective downregulation of gene expression in almost all eukaryotes, increasing research is being performed in order to discover applications that are useful for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. The ease of use of double-stranded RNA for targeted in vivo gene silencing in animal cells and tissues gave birth to a massive interest from industry in order to discover biotechnological applications for human health and plant protection. For insects, RNAi became the 'Holy Grail' of pesticide manufacturing, because this technology is a promising species-specific environmentally friendly approach to killing natural enemies of cultured plants and farmed animals. The general idea to use RNAi as a pest-control agent originated with the realization that dsRNAs that target developmentally or physiologically important insect genes can cause lethal phenotypes as a result of the specific gene downregulation. Most importantly to achieve this, dsRNA is not required to be constitutively expressed via a transgene in the targeted insect but it can be administrated orally after direct spraying on the infested plants. Similarly, dsRNAs can be administered to pests after constitutive expression as a hairpin in plants or bacteria via stable transgenesis. Ideally, this technology could have already been applied in integrated pest management (IPM) if improvements were not essential in order to achieve higher insecticidal effects. There are many limitations that decrease RNAi efficiency in insects, which arise from the biochemical nature of the insect gut as well as from deficiencies in the RNAi core machinery, a common phenomenon mostly observed in lepidopteran species. To overcome these obstacles, new technologies should be assessed to ascertain that the dsRNA will be transferred intact, stable and in high amounts to the targeted insect cells. In this chapter we will review a wide range of recent discoveries that address the delivery issues of dsRNAs in insect cells, with a focus on the most prominent and efficient technologies. We will also review the upcoming and novel use of viral molecular components for the successful and efficient delivery of dsRNA to the insect cell.

Abstract Since the discovery of RNA interference in 1998 as a potent molecular tool for the selective downregulation of gene expression in almost all eukaryotes, increasing research is being performed in order to discover applications that are useful for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. The ease of use of double-stranded RNA for targeted in vivo gene silencing in animal cells and tissues gave birth to a massive interest from industry in order to discover biotechnological applications for human health and plant protection. For insects, RNAi became the 'Holy Grail' of pesticide manufacturing, because this technology is a promising species-specific environmentally friendly approach to killing natural enemies of cultured plants and farmed animals. The general idea to use RNAi as a pest-control agent originated with the realization that dsRNAs that target developmentally or physiologically important insect genes can cause lethal phenotypes as a result of the specific gene downregulation. Most importantly to achieve this, dsRNA is not required to be constitutively expressed via a transgene in the targeted insect but it can be administrated orally after direct spraying on the infested plants. Similarly, dsRNAs can be administered to pests after constitutive expression as a hairpin in plants or bacteria via stable transgenesis. Ideally, this technology could have already been applied in integrated pest management (IPM) if improvements were not essential in order to achieve higher insecticidal effects. There are many limitations that decrease RNAi efficiency in insects, which arise from the biochemical nature of the insect gut as well as from deficiencies in the RNAi core machinery, a common phenomenon mostly observed in lepidopteran species. To overcome these obstacles, new technologies should be assessed to ascertain that the dsRNA will be transferred intact, stable and in high amounts to the targeted insect cells. In this chapter we will review a wide range of recent discoveries that address the delivery issues of dsRNAs in insect cells, with a focus on the most prominent and efficient technologies. We will also review the upcoming and novel use of viral molecular components for the successful and efficient delivery of dsRNA to the insect cell.

This chapter covers ASV’s conflicts due to financial problems and the failure of acclimatization species and acclimatized animals that became agricultural pests, such as rabbits. The rabbit population, which became known as the rabbit plague, caused ruined crops and environmental disasters. Farmers demanded the right to destroy rabbits, protection of their property rights, and revision of the game laws. Recognizing the failure, the institution questioned the utility of acclimatized terrestrial vertebrates for pest control and emphasized protecting agriculturally useful native animals to control pests. New generation of scientists in the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) and the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria (ZASV) were concerned with national nature, extinction, and animal welfare. Recommended strategies like seasonal protection of animals were issued to prevent the possibility of imminent extinction.

This chapter examines issues around animal rights and wildlife rights exploring the notion of wildlife as belonging to ‘no-one’ or as belonging to ‘everyone’ in a manner that arguably should create a form of rights. Animal rights debates often centre around the need to provide rights for recognized sentient species (chimpanzees, dolphins, apes) and this chapter critically considers these debates, arguing that our exploitation of wildlife amounts to an infringement of certain rights. The chapter also contrasts the greater level of protection and limited rights provided to companion animals with that provided to wildlife, and argues for a limited extension of rights to wildlife in the form of legal personhood that protects them from certain forms of exploitation. The chapter includes case studies of the recent US case that attempted to argue for legal personhood in respect of several chimpanzees and the Argentine case that granted legal personhood to the Orang-utan, Sandra.

Population dynamics of plant species of coastal sand dunes is influenced directly, both above and below the soil surface, by a wide variety of organisms. Plants serve as sources of carbon and pathogens including viruses, insects, bacteria, fungi, birds, and mammals of various kinds. Some enhance plant performance while others have deleterious effects. Positive interactions include pollination of flowers by useful insects in return for nectar and pollen, nutrient acquisition from soil by mycorrhizal fungi in exchange for carbon and acquiring nitrogen (N) from N-fixing bacteria. In the history of co-evolution between plants and organisms over one hundred million years plants have developed many mechanisms to defend themselves from pathogens. Morphology may be altered by producing epicuticular waxes, developing trichomes over leaves, producing tough leaves with deposition of celluloses, lignin, suberin and callose, developing thorns on stems and branches or producing secondary plant metabolites that retard development, intoxicate or kill herbivorous insects. Herbivory may induce a plant to produce chemicals that signal to advertise the presence of insects feeding on them and attract parasites to reduce their numbers. Phenological escape is also employed, such as delay of leaf expansion during periods of insect abundance. Some indirect mechanisms of plant defence involve the use of insects such as ants for protection from other phytophagous insects. However, the predators have also evolved the ability to break down the defence mechanisms of the plant. For example, they may use phytochemicals for their own defence or as olfactory clues for feeding. In this chapter a brief account of organisms of the coastal dune communities, including species of the intertidal zone, scavengers of the sea coast, reptiles, birds, insects, mammals and their possible interactions with terrestrial vegetation is presented. For biological organisms of the seashore the intertidal zone is the most important for food and shelter. The sand-dwelling species of the seashore must be able to contend with four limiting factors: (i) rush of water from the approaching or receding high tide and pounding breakers, (ii) low salinity of the top surface of sand (iii) desiccation of surface by high winds and sunshine and (iv) extreme changes in temperature of topsoil.

Israel’s remarkable biodiversity can be attributed to its unique geographical location at the juncture of three continents, its extreme climatic variability and half a century of interventions to ensure protection of habitat. For the country’s first fifty years, its progress in setting aside reserves and protecting myriad, damaged animal populations led to a reversal in the decline of individual species and ecosystems, making the country a model of applied conservation biology. Recently, however, there has been a steady loss of animal and plant populations, with one third of Israel’s 100 mammal species defined as threatened. This chapter considers the range of drivers behind the recent deterioration in ecological indicators, with a focus on the impact of the country’s extraordinary growth in human numbers on the natural world.

In the modern world, the issue of environmental protection is acute. Environmental problems are reaching a larger level, so our task is not to neglect nature, but to create ideas to prevent global problems. According to ecologists, about 100 species of animals and plants die every year. About 50,000 animal species are on the verge of extinction. The illegal trade in rare animals is damaging, generating about $ 6 billion a year. Poaching takes on organized forms.

The formation of artificial linear plantations with the participation of pedunculate oak is predetermined by agrotechnical and silvicultural methods of cultivation. Its share among the used other breeds is about 25%. At the age of 33, with the placement of planting places 5.0 x 3.0 m, the pedunculate oak has a high preservation (by 33.9%) in a three-row plantation, in relation to crops from four rows. The protective height in a narrower artificial linear plantation is 10.2 m, which is 1.24 times higher with a width of 20.0 m. In mixed oak-ash crops at the age of 45 years, the best growth and preservation of pedunculate oak is noted in relation to oak plantations pure in composition. For birch-oak crops, the influence of a fast-growing breed is characteristic. At the age of 54, the safety of pedunculate oak is 23.1%, the wind protection height is 19.1 m. Differences in the growth of species are one class of bonitet. In the central rows of pedunculate oak at the age of 30-49 years, the average height has a greater value and a smaller diameter in relation to the indicators of the edging rows (by 7.5-19.9%). A convex transverse profile of the plantation is formed, which is predetermined by the physiological characteristics of the development of the tree species.

Forest reclamation complexes in the Rossoshan district of the Voronezh region are mainly represented with the participation of white acacia, silver birch, green ash, common elm and Tatar maple. The area occupied by them in the agricultural landscape is 2009 hectares. In cultures of hanging birch at the age of 19 years with a change in width from 6.0 m to 15.0 m, there is a decrease in the preservation of species by 8.8% and a decrease in wind protection height by 16.5% with a plant density of 3334 pcs / ha and placement of 3 , 0 x 1.0 m. According to the growth of plantings, they are estimated as Ia class of bonitet. In mixed crops aged 34 years, consisting of fast-growing and accompanying species with a planting width of 16.0 m, the highest height is for drooping birch (20.1 m), the lowest for green ash (14.3 m). The safety of such breeds is 46.8% and 60.6%, respectively. Forest belts, represented by white acacia, drooping birch, Tatar maple at the age of 36 years, have a preservation of species of 38.3-55.2%. The drooping birch has the highest height (22.4 m). In artificial linear plantations, consisting of common elm, drooping birch, Tatar maple and green ash at the age of 38 years, the greatest preservation is observed in the Tatar maple (54.7%), the lowest in green ash (32.7%). The drooping birch has the greatest windproof height (20.6 m) and is estimated in growth according to the Ia class of bonitet. Each breed has certain ecological and biological properties.

The aim of the study was the molecular-genetic identification (nested-PCR analysis) of pathogens from genera Fusarium and Penicillium, which are dangerous to human and animal health, in the winter wheat. As a result, species from both genera were detected in the winter wheat at different stages of plants development. The most important was the fact that these pathogens were detected in mature seeds. This can present a potential danger of contamination of food raw material with mycotoxins produced by identified fungi. Additionally, the influence of climatic conditions of the year to the spread of tested pathogens was established.

Sustaining social and economic growth is impossible without a holistic environmental vision that places environmental preservation for Qatar’s future generations at the forefront. According to the Ministry of Development and Planning and Statistics, the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 aims to direct Qatar towards a balance between developmental needs and the protection of its natural environment, whether land, sea or air. As such, the QNV 2030 includes an emphasis on establishing environmental institutions that can serve as the guardians of Qatar’s environmental heritage. The QNV 2030 also emphasizes the importance of increasing citizens’ awareness of their role in protecting the country’s environment for their children and the nation’s future generations. The State of Qatar has chosen to pursue the path of sustainable development, making it the focus of the Qatar National Development Strategy. Given the large-scale industrialization and the limited land availability, the urban environment will be crucial in maintaining native species. The presence of heavy petrochemical firms in Qatar necessitates stressing on researches related to biomonitoring of environmental ecosystem with the aim to understand and provide impactful solution for different environmental challenges affecting Qatari health, and damages to local ecosystem. Due to the extreme temperatures and salinities in the Gulf region, the national biodiversity has adapted to survive under extreme conditions. Furthermore, the barriers that isolate the Arabian Gulf have created an environment that is rich with endemic species that are specific to the region. As such, this project aimed to cover the gap in the genomic analysis of Qatar’s rich environment. The goal was to decipher the genetic background of different animal species, marine and environmental species specific to the Qatari environmental landscape that has been previously described by Qatar University’s environmental science center. The study also deciphered the microflora in marine environment that is an important building block of the environment and an indicator of its richness. The outcome from this study is to help in preservation of important species in Qatar and will guide the establishment of a national genomic habitat platform in Qatar

Nowadays, challenge for requalification of existing offshore platforms through the reassessment process leads to consider the importance of updating new information (e.g. environmental data, new regulations, etc.). Regarding to this information and depending on offshore fields, data of marine growth colonization is shown to have a dominant effect. This is a real challenge in the Gulf of Guinea that this study focuses on. Marine growth is known to cause adverse effects on the performance of offshore structures. Its presence can change the roughness and the diameter of structural members and hence change the level of hydrodynamic coefficients. Moreover, modifying the added mass can change the natural period and hence dynamic responses of structures. Even platforms with the best protection schemes against marine organisms will after few weeks at least few months start to be covered by various types of marine growth. Generally, it was also recognized that the most important source of loading exerted on offshore structures comes from hydrodynamic actions which are influenced by hydrodynamic coefficient values. The colonization process is very complex and results are in a large diversity of marine growth type (animal, vegetal — hard, soft) and species. This study therefore proposes a stochastic modeling of marine growth and the roughness of hard species based on Response Surface Methodology. A geometrical description of nth order of Stokes model, formed by a random linear combination of deterministic vectors is employed. Finally, the complexity level of roughness modeling is analyzed and the results are discussed.

The article presents an example of the conservation of high conservation value forests under the international certification system of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in Prichulymsky taiga of the Tomsk region. Such forests and forest areas with places of concentration of rare species of animals, plants and valuable tree species require systematic monitoring and special attention when conducting forestry activities.

Artificial protective linear plantings in the experimental farm of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "VGAU" were created more than 60 years ago. English oak was used as the main species for cultivation in cultures. The plantings are presented with a width of 18.0 m to 35.0 m with the placement of rocks 1.5 - 5.0 x 0.7 - 3.0 m. Due to the abundance of self-seeding, a dense structure of the lower profile has formed. To study the characteristics of the growth and condition of rocks, test plots were laid in the ZFN according to generally accepted methods in forest inventory and protective afforestation. English oak has a preservation of 50.1-60.1% and, at the same time, its average diameter is from 23.8-25.3 cm, the average height is 20.8-24.0 m. The best results were noted in plantations where the English oak grown with Norway maple and yellow acacia when placed 5.0 x 3.0 m. Silvicultural and reclamation assessment of plantings 4a. When creating protective plantations with the participation of fast-growing species with a placement of 1.5 x 0.7 m, 2.5 x 0.7 m English oak. enter when separating it in rows from fast-growing rocks. In cultures at the age of 62 years with a predominance of pedunculate oak, a convex transverse profile of the plantation is formed and, at the same time, the height of the middle rows is 10.1% higher than the edging rows, the average diameter of the middle rows is less than the extreme ones by 7.5%. Protective plantations transform agricultural landscapes, change the ecology of the territory, serve as boundaries and boundaries of vegetation in inter-strip fields.

Plants from the genus Scrophularia, family Scrophulariaceae have numerous biological activities such as antibacterial, antioxidant, antiprotozoal, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and antidiabetic. However, as far as we know, genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects of these two plant species remain unexplored. The present study aimed to evaluate possible in vivo protective effects of the methanol extracts of two plant species of the Scrophularia genus, Scrophularia canina L. and S. alata Gilib., against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced DNA damage in albino Wistar rat. A significant increase in total comet score has been shown in animals receiving CCl4 compared with the negative control. Treatment with either S. alata or S. canina extracts reduced CCl4 induced DNA damage as indicated by the percentage of reduction in total comet score with a value above 50%.

Symbiotic bacteria have been shown to influence host reproduction and defense against biotic and abiotic stressors, and this relates to possible development of a symbiont-based control strategy. This project was based on the hypothesis that symbionts have a significant impact on Culicoides fitness and vector competence for animal viruses. The original objectives in our proposal were: 1. Molecular identification and localization of the newly-discovered symbiotic bacteria within C. imicola and C. schultzei in Israel and C. sonorensis in California. 2. Determination of the prevalence of symbiotic bacteria within different vector Culicoides populations. 3. Documentation of specific symbiont effects on vector reproduction and defense: 3a) test for cytoplasmic incompatibility in Cardinium-infected species; 3b) experimentally evaluate the role of the symbiont on infection or parasitism by key Culicoides natural enemies (iridescent virus and mermithid nematode). 4. Testing the role(s) of the symbionts in possible protection against infection of vector Culicoides by BTV. According to preliminary findings and difficulties in performing experimental procedures performed in other insect symbiosis systems where insect host cultures are easily maintained, we modified the last two objectives as follows: Obj. 3, we tested how symbionts affected general fitness of Israeli Culicoides species, and thoroughly described and evaluated the correlation between American Culicoides and their bacterial communities in the field. We also tried alternative methods to test symbiont-Culicoides interactions and launched studies to characterize low-temperature stress tolerances of the main US vector, which may be related to symbionts. Obj. 4, we tested the correlation between EHDV (instead of BTV) aquisition and Cardinium infection. Culicoides-bornearboviral diseases are emerging or re-emerging worldwide, causing direct and indirect economic losses as well as reduction in animal welfare. One novel strategy to reduce insects’ vectorial capacity is by manipulating specific symbionts to affect vector fitness or performance of the disease agent within. Little was known on the bacterial tenants occupying various Culicoides species, and thus, this project was initiated with the above aims. During this project, we were able to describe the symbiont Cardinium and whole bacterial communities in Israeli and American Culicoides species respectively. We showed that Cardinium infection prevalence is determined by land surface temperature, and this may be important to the larval stage. We also showed no patent significant effect of Cardinium on adult fitness parameters. We showed that the bacterial community in C. sonorensis varies significantly with the host’s developmental stage, but it varies little across multiple wastewater pond environments. This may indicate some specific biological interactions and allowed us to describe a “core microbiome” for C. sonorensis. The final set of analyses that include habitat sample is currently done, in order to separate the more intimately-associated bacteria from those inhabiting the gut contents or cuticle surface (which also could be important). We were also able to carefully study other biological aspects of Culicoides and were able to discriminate two species in C. schultzei group in Israel, and to investigate low temperature tolerances of C. sonorensis that may be related to symbionts. Scientific implications include the establishment of bacterial identification and interactions in Culicoides (our work is cited in other bacteria-Culicoides studies), the development molecular identification of C. schultzei group, and the detailed description of the microbiome of the immature and matched adult stages of C. sonorensis. Agricultural implications include understanding of intrinsic factors that govern Culicoides biology and population regulation, which may be relevant for vector control or reduction in pathogen transmission. Being able to precisely identify Culicoides species is central to understanding Culicoides borne disease epidemiology.

The BARD project was a continuation of a previous BARD funded research project. It was aimed at characterization of the 12kDa immunodominant protein and subsequently the cloning and expression of the gene in E. coli. Additional immunodominant proteins were sought among genomic B. abortus expression library clones using T-lymphocyte proliferation assay as a screening method. The 12kDa protein was identified as the L7/L12 ribosomal protein demonstrating in the first time the role a structural protein may play in the development of the host's immunity against the organism. The gene was cloned from B. abortus (USA) and B. melitensis (Israel) showing identity of the oligonucleotide sequence between the two species. Further subcloning allowed expression of the protein in E. coli. While the native protein was shown to have DTH antigenicity its recombinant analog lacked this activity. In contrast the two proteins elicited lymphocyte proliferation in experimental murine brucellosis. CD4+ cells of the Th1 subset predominantly responded to this protein demonstrating the development of protective immunity (g-IFN, and IL-2) in the host. Similar results were obtained with bovine Brucella primed lymphocytes. UvrA, GroE1 and GroEs were additional Brucella immunodominant proteins that demonstrated MHC class II antigenicity. The role cytotoxic cells are playing in the clearance of brucella cells was shown using knock out mice defective either in their CD4+ or CD8+ cells. CD4+ defective mice were able to clear brucella as fast as did normal mice. In contrast mice which were defective in their CD8+ cells could not clear the organisms effectively proving the importance of this subtype cell line in development of protective immunity. The understanding of the host's immune response and the expansion of the panel of Brucella immunodominant proteins opened new avenues in vaccine design. It is now feasible to selectively use immunodominant proteins either as subunit vaccine to fortify immunity of older animals or as diagnostic reagents for the serological survaillance.

Brucella Mutagenesis (TAMU) The working hypothesis for this study was that survival of Brucella vaccines was directly related to their persistence in the host. This premise is based on previously published work detailing the survival of the currently employed vaccine strains S19 and Rev 1. The approach employed signature-tagged mutagenesis to construct mutants interrupted in individual genes, and the mouse model to identify mutants with attenuated virulence/survival. Intracellular survival in macrophages is the key to both reproductive disease in ruminants and reticuloendothelial disease observed in most other species. Therefore, the mouse model permitted selection of mutants of reduced intracellular survival that would limit their ability to cause reproductive disease in ruminants. Several classes of mutants were expected. Colonization/invasion requires gene products that enhance host-agent interaction or increase resistance to antibacterial activity in macrophages. The establishment of chronic infection requires gene products necessary for intracellular bacterial growth. Maintenance of chronic infection requires gene products that sustain a low-level metabolism during periods characterized little or no growth (1, 2). Of these mutants, the latter group was of greatest interest with regard to our originally stated premise. However, the results obtained do not necessarily support a simplistic model of vaccine efficacy, i.e., long-survival of vaccine strains provides better immunity. Our conclusion can only be that optimal vaccines will only be developed with a thorough understanding of host agent interaction, and will be preferable to the use of fortuitous isolates of unknown genetic background. Each mutant could be distinguished from among a group of mutants by PCR amplification of the signature tag (5). This approach permitted infection of mice with pools of different mutants (including the parental wild-type as a control) and identified 40 mutants with apparently defective survival characteristics that were tentatively assigned to three distinct classes or groups. Group I (n=13) contained organisms that exhibited reduced survival at two weeks post-infection. Organisms in this group were recovered at normal levels by eight weeks and were not studied further, since they may persist in the host. Group II (n=11) contained organisms that were reduced by 2 weeks post infection and remained at reduced levels at eight weeks post-infection. Group III (n=16) contained mutants that were normal at two weeks, but recovered at reduced levels at eight weeks. A subset of these mutants (n= 15) was confirmed to be attenuated in mixed infections (1:1) with the parental wild-type. One of these mutants was eliminated from consideration due to a reduced growth rate in vitro that may account for its apparent growth defect in the mouse model. Although the original plan involved construction of the mutant bank in B. melitensis Rev 1 the low transformability of this strain, prevented accumulation of the necessary number of mutants. In addition, the probability that Rev 1 already carries one genetic defect increases the likelihood that a second defect will severely compromise the survival of this organism. Once key genes have been identified, it is relatively easy to prepare the appropriate genetic constructs (knockouts) lacking these genes in B. melitensis Rev 1 or any other genetic background. The construction of "designer" vaccines is expected to improve immune protection resulting from minor sequence variation corresponding to geographically distinct isolates or to design vaccines for use in specific hosts. A.2 Mouse Model of Brucella Infection (UWISC) Interferon regulatory factor-1-deficient (IRF-1-/- mice have diverse immunodeficient phenotypes that are necessary for conferring proper immune protection to intracellular bacterial infection, such as a 90% reduction of CD8+ T cells, functionally impaired NK cells, as well as a deficiency in iNOS and IL-12p40 induction. Interestingly, IRF-1-/- mice infected with diverse Brucella abortus strains reacted differently in a death and survival manner depending on the dose of injection and the level of virulence. Notably, 50% of IRF-1-/- mice intraperitoneally infected with a sublethal dose in C57BL/6 mice, i.e., 5 x 105 CFU of virulent S2308 or the attenuated vaccine S19, died at 10 and 20 days post-infection, respectively. Interestingly, the same dose of RB51, an attenuated new vaccine strain, did not induce the death of IRF-1-/- mice for the 4 weeks of infection. IRF-1-/- mice infected with four more other genetically manipulated S2308 mutants at 5 x 105 CFU also reacted in a death or survival manner depending on the level of virulence. Splenic CFU from C57BL/6 mice infected with 5 x 105 CFU of S2308, S19, or RB51, as well as four different S2308 mutants supports the finding that reduced virulence correlates with survival Of IRF-1-/- mice. Therefore, these results suggest that IRF-1 regulation of multi-gene transcription plays a crucial role in controlling B. abortus infection, and IRF-1 mice could be used as an animal model to determine the degree of B. abortus virulence by examining death or survival. A3 Diagnostic Tests for Detection of B. melitensis Rev 1 (Kimron) In this project we developed an effective PCR tool that can distinguish between Rev1 field isolates and B. melitensis virulent field strains. This has allowed, for the first time, to monitor epidemiological outbreaks of Rev1 infection in vaccinated flocks and to clearly demonstrate horizontal transfer of the strain from vaccinated ewes to unvaccinated ones. Moreover, two human isolates were characterized as Rev1 isolates implying the risk of use of improperly controlled lots of the vaccine in the national campaign. Since atypical B. melitensis biotype 1 strains have been characterized in Israel, the PCR technique has unequivocally demonstrated that strain Rev1 has not diverted into a virulent mutant. In addition, we could demonstrate that very likely a new prototype biotype 1 strain has evolved in the Middle East compared to the classical strain 16M. All the Israeli field strains have been shown to differ from strain 16M in the PstI digestion profile of the omp2a gene sequence suggesting that the local strains were possibly developed as a separate branch of B. melitensis. Should this be confirmed these data suggest that the Rev1 vaccine may not be an optimal vaccine strain for the Israeli flocks as it shares the same omp2 PstI digestion profile as strain 16M.

Original Objectives. The overall goal is to develop methods to increase pregnancy rate in lactating dairy cows exposed to heat stress through methods that minimize damage to the oocyte and embryo caused by heat stress. Objectives were as follows: (1) examine the protective effects of melatonin on developmental competence of oocytes exposed to elevated temperature in vitro; (2) test whether melatonin feeding can improve developmental competence of oocytes in vivo and, if so, whether effects are limited to the summer or also occur in the absence of heat stress; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of improving fertility by facilitating follicular turnover in the summer and winter. Revised Objectives. (1) Examine protective effects of melatonin and follicular fluid on developmental competence of oocytes exposed to elevated temperature in vitro; (2) examine the protective effects of melatonin on developmental competence of embryos exposed to elevated temperature in vitro; (3) evaluate effectiveness of improving fertility by administering human chorionicgonadotropin (hCG) to increase circulating concentrations of progesterone and evaluate whether response to hCG depends upon genotype for four mutations reported to be related to cow fertility; and (4) identify genes with allelic variants that increase resistance of embryos to heat shock. Background. The overall hypothesis is that pregnancy success is reduced by heat stress because of damage to the oocyte and cleavage-stage embryo mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and that fertility can be improved by provision of antioxidants or by removing follicles containing oocytes damaged by heat stress. During the study, additional evidence from the literature indicated the potential importance of treatment with chorionicgonadotropin to increase fertility of heat- stressed cows and results from other studies in our laboratories implicated genotype as an important determinant of cow fertility. Thus, the project was expanded to evaluate hCG treatment and to identify whether fertility response to hCG depended upon single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes implicated as important for cow fertility. We also evaluated whether a SNP in a gene important for cellular resistance to heat stress (HSPA1L, a member of the heat shock protein 70 family) is important for embryonic resistance to elevated temperature. Major conclusions, solutions &amp; achievements. Results confirmed that elevated temperature increases ROS production by the oocyte and embryo and that melatonin decreases ROS. Melatonin reduced, but did not completely block, damaging effects of heat shock on the oocyte and had no effect on development of the embryo. Melatonin was protective to the oocyte at 0.1-1 μM, a concentration too high to be achieved in cows. It was concluded that melatonin is unlikely to be a useful molecule for increasing fertility of heat-stressed cows. Treatment with hCG at day 5 after breeding increased first-service pregnancy rate for primiparous cows but not for multiparous cows. Thus, hCG could be useful for increasing fertility in first-parity cows. The effectiveness of hCG depended upon genotype for a SNP in COQ9, a gene encoding for a mitochondrial-function protein. This result points the way to future efforts to use genetic information to identify populations of cows for which hormone treatments will be effective or ineffective. The SNP in HSPA1L was related to embryonic survival after heat shock. Perhaps, genetic selection for mutations that increase cellular resistance to heat shock could be employed to reduce effects of heat stress on fertility. Implications, both scientific and agricultural. This project has resulted in abandonment of one possible approach to improve fertility of the heat-stressed cow (melatonin therapy) while also leading to a method for improving fertility of primiparous cows exposed to heat stress (hCG treatment) that can be implemented on farms today. Genetic studies have pointed the way to using genetic information to 1) tailor hormonal treatments to cow populations likely to respond favorably and 2) select animals whose embryos have superior resistance to elevated body temperatures.

Mycoplasma bovis and M. agalactiae are two phylogenetically related mycoplasmas which cause economically significant diseases in their respective bovine or small ruminant hosts. These organisms cause persistent asymptomatic infections that can result in severe outbreaks upon introduction of carrier animals into susceptible herds. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying mycoplasma-host interaction, variation in virulence, or of the factors enabling avoidance of the host immune system. In recent years it has become apparent that the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to rapidly alter surface antigenic structures and to fine tune their antigenicity, a phenomena called antigenic variation, is one of the most effective strategies used to escape immune destruction and to establish chronic infections. Our discovery of a novel genetic system, mediating antigenic variation in M. bovis (vsp) as well as in M. agalactiae (avg) served as a starting point for our proposal which included the following objectives: (i) Molecular and functional characterization of the variable surface lipoproteins (Vsp) system of M. bovis and comparison with the Vsp-counterpart in M. agalactiae (ii) Determination of the role of Vsp proteins in the survival of M. bovis when confronted by host defense factors, (iii) Assessment of Vsp-based genetic and antigenic typing of M. bovis and M. agalactiae for epidemiology of infection and (iv) Improvement of diagnostic tests for M. bovis and M. agalactiae based on the vsp-and vsp-analogous systems. We have carried out an extensive molecular characterization of the vsp system and unravelled the precise molecular mechanism responsible for the generation of surface antigenic variation in M. bovis. Our data clearly demonstrated that the two pathogenic mycoplasma species possess large gene families encoding variable lipoprotein antigens that apparently play an important role in immune evasion and in pathogen-host interaction during infection. Phase variable production of these antigens was found to be mediated by a novel molecular mechanism utilizing double site-specific DNA inversions via an intermediate vsp configuration. Studies in model systems indicate that phase variation of VspA is relevant in interaction between M. bovis and macrophages or monocytes, a crucial stage in pathogenesis. Using an ELISA test with captured VspA as an antigen, phase variation was shown to occur in vivo and under field conditions. Genomic rearrangements in the avg gene family of M. agalactiae were shown to occur in vivo and may well have a role in evasion of host defences and establishment of chronic infection. An epidemiological study indicated that patterns of vsp-related antigenic variation diverge rapidly in an M. bovis infected herd. Marked divergence was also found with avg-based genomic typing of M. agalactiae in chronically infected sheep. However, avg-genomic fingerprints were found to be relatively homogeneous in different animals during acute stages of an outbreak of Contagious Agalactiae, and differ between unrelated outbreaks. These data support the concept of vsp-based genomic typing but indicate the necessity for further refinement of the methodology. The molecular knowledge on these surface antigens and their encoding genes provides the basis for generating specific recombinant tools and serological methods for serodiagnosis and epidemiological purposes. Utilization of these methods in the field may allow differentiating acutely infected herds from chronic herds and disease-free herds. In addition the highly immunogenic nature of these lipoproteins may facilitate the design of protective vaccine against mycoplasma infections.

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) is the research arm of Wildlife Services (WS), a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). NWRC’s researchers are dedicated to finding biologically sound, practical, and effective solutions to resolving wildlife damage management issues. There are four spotlights for 2012 show the depth and breadth of NWRC’s research expertise and its holistic approach to address today’s wildlife-related challenges. NWRC remains committed to its other core mission areas of agriculture and natural resource protection, invasive species control, and product development. Product development takes center stage in this year’s report with accomplishments organized by specific types of products and methods.

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) is to apply scientific expertise to resolve human-wildlife conflicts while maintaining the quality of the environment shared with wildlife. As the research arm of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS) program, NWRC develops methods and information to address human-wildlife conflicts related to: (1) agriculture (crops, livestock, aquaculture, and timber); (2) human health and safely (wildlife disease, aviation); (3) property damage; (4) invasive species, and (5) threatened and endangered species. NWRC's research programs and priorities are based on nationwide research needs assessments, Congressional directives, WS program needs, and stakeholder input. NWRC research is organized under three research programs that reflect APHIS' commitment to "protecting agricultural and natural resources from agricultural animal and plant health threats, zoonotic diseases, invasive species, and wildlife conflicts and diseases".

As the research arm of Wildlife Services, a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), NWRC develops methods and information to address human-wildlife conflicts related to agriculture, human health and safety, property damage, invasive species, and threatened and endangered species. The NWRC is the only Federal research facility in the United States devoted entirely to the development of methods for effective wildlife damage management, and it’s research authority comes from the Animal Damage Control Act of 1931. The NWRC’s research priorities are based on nationwide research needs assessments, congressional directives, APHIS Wildlife Services program needs, and stakeholder input. The Center is committed to helping resolve the ever-expanding and changing issues associated with human-wildlife conflict management and remains well positioned to address new issues through proactive efforts and strategic planning activities. NWRC research falls under four principal areas that reflect APHIS’ commitment to “protecting agricultural and natural resources from agricultural animal and plant health threats, zoonotic diseases, invasive species, and wildlife conflicts and diseases”. In addition to the four main research areas, the NWRC maintains support functions related to animal care, administration, information transfer, archives, quality assurance, facility development, and legislative and public affairs.