The translocation of snakes has been viewed as a useful tool to augment declining populations and to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, even though released snakes often exhibit relatively high mortality. We radio-tra...The translocation of snakes has been viewed as a useful tool to augment declining populations and to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, even though released snakes often exhibit relatively high mortality. We radio-tracked 13 Amur Ratsnakes （Elaphe schrenckii） in the Woraksan National Park in South Korea from July 2008 to May 2009. Two of these snakes were residents, and 11 had been illegally captured in areas remote from the study site and were donated by the park office. During the study period, six of the translocated snakes were lost： two were killed by predators, one died of unknown causes, and the radio signals of three of the snakes were lost. In the field, the ratsnakes laid eggs in early August, moved into hibemacula in late November, and moved away from the hibemacula in mid-April. Compared to the resident snakes, five of the translocated snakes traveled approximately 1.3 times farther per week, and the home ranges of the translocated snakes were three to six times larger than those of the resident snakes. In addition, the translocated snakes were found underground more frequently than the resident snakes. The management recommendations resulting from this study will guide biologists and land use managers in making appropriate decisions regarding release sites and the use of gravid females in the translocation of this endangered ratsnake.展开更多
Cystatin, a superfamily of cysteine proteinase inhibitors related to cathepsins and other cysteine proteinases, is widely distributed in animal tissues and body fluids. Although considerable attention has been given t...Cystatin, a superfamily of cysteine proteinase inhibitors related to cathepsins and other cysteine proteinases, is widely distributed in animal tissues and body fluids. Although considerable attention has been given to mammalian and avian cystatins, little data exist on cystatins from other vertebrates. In order to isolate fish cystatin cDNA, total RNAs were isolated from liver tissues of the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) and Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii), respectively. The cDNAs encoding the mature peptides of cystatin and the 3′ untranslated region of the two species of sturgeon were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) using total RNA as a template. The amplified cDNA fragments were inserted into pGEM T Easy vector and sequenced and the amino acid sequences deduced. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that both cDNAs encode 112 amino acid residues of the mature cystatin peptide. The similarity of the two sturgeon nucleotide sequence coding regions and the deduced amino acid sequences were 99 4% and 100%, respectively. Analysis of the amino acid sequences indicate that the cloned cystatins were the homolog of the mammalian cystatin C. The amino acid residues of the functional regions are well conserved among different species, but there is considerable divergence in large portions of the coding region of two sturgeon cystatins in a variety of species.展开更多
基金supported by the Korean Ministry of Environment as "The Eco-Technopia 21 Project(No.052-091-080)"
文摘The translocation of snakes has been viewed as a useful tool to augment declining populations and to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, even though released snakes often exhibit relatively high mortality. We radio-tracked 13 Amur Ratsnakes （Elaphe schrenckii） in the Woraksan National Park in South Korea from July 2008 to May 2009. Two of these snakes were residents, and 11 had been illegally captured in areas remote from the study site and were donated by the park office. During the study period, six of the translocated snakes were lost： two were killed by predators, one died of unknown causes, and the radio signals of three of the snakes were lost. In the field, the ratsnakes laid eggs in early August, moved into hibemacula in late November, and moved away from the hibemacula in mid-April. Compared to the resident snakes, five of the translocated snakes traveled approximately 1.3 times farther per week, and the home ranges of the translocated snakes were three to six times larger than those of the resident snakes. In addition, the translocated snakes were found underground more frequently than the resident snakes. The management recommendations resulting from this study will guide biologists and land use managers in making appropriate decisions regarding release sites and the use of gravid females in the translocation of this endangered ratsnake.
文摘Cystatin, a superfamily of cysteine proteinase inhibitors related to cathepsins and other cysteine proteinases, is widely distributed in animal tissues and body fluids. Although considerable attention has been given to mammalian and avian cystatins, little data exist on cystatins from other vertebrates. In order to isolate fish cystatin cDNA, total RNAs were isolated from liver tissues of the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) and Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii), respectively. The cDNAs encoding the mature peptides of cystatin and the 3′ untranslated region of the two species of sturgeon were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) using total RNA as a template. The amplified cDNA fragments were inserted into pGEM T Easy vector and sequenced and the amino acid sequences deduced. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that both cDNAs encode 112 amino acid residues of the mature cystatin peptide. The similarity of the two sturgeon nucleotide sequence coding regions and the deduced amino acid sequences were 99 4% and 100%, respectively. Analysis of the amino acid sequences indicate that the cloned cystatins were the homolog of the mammalian cystatin C. The amino acid residues of the functional regions are well conserved among different species, but there is considerable divergence in large portions of the coding region of two sturgeon cystatins in a variety of species.
