[Objective] Using molecular biotechnology to clone the sus scrofa GPX2 gene. [Method] Using total RNA of sus scrofa duodenum as template, degenerated primer pairs were designed according to the homology alignment anal...[Objective] Using molecular biotechnology to clone the sus scrofa GPX2 gene. [Method] Using total RNA of sus scrofa duodenum as template, degenerated primer pairs were designed according to the homology alignment analysis of GPX2 gene of human, rat, mouse, dog and cattle. A sus scrofa GPX2 gene sequence of 330 bp was obtained by RT-PCR application method. Primes were designed respectively according to the known sequence, sus scrofa GPX2 gene was isolated and cloned by 3-RACE and 5-RACE method and analyzed the gene sequence. [Result] A mRNA sequence of 924 bp was successfully cloned and isolated in this research. This sequence contained complete 3＇end and had higher sequence homology with human,mouse,cattle and dog GPX2 gene, and there was codon called TGA which encoding Sec on the position of No. 114-116 gene. [Conclusion] Sequence alignment analysis showed that the cloned gene was sus scrofa GPX2 gene （ NCBI GenBank database, the sequence number was D098982）.展开更多
[ Objective] This study was to investigate the distribution of H-FABP mRNA in hybrids of Songliao black pig x Sus scrofa, so as to provide references for revealing the physiological functions of this gene. [Method] Wi...[ Objective] This study was to investigate the distribution of H-FABP mRNA in hybrids of Songliao black pig x Sus scrofa, so as to provide references for revealing the physiological functions of this gene. [Method] With the mRNA from different tissues as template, RT-PCR amplification was carried out for cloning cDNA of hybrid pig, which was then used for PCR reaction using specific primers; the amplification products were separated by gel electrophoresis and analyzed by sequencing for detecting the distribution pattern of H-FABP mRNA in hybrids of Songliao black pig x Sus scrofa. [ Result] H-FABP expressed in all the twelve tissues including subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, mammary gland, Iongissimus dorsi muscle, dorsal deltoid muscle, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, ileum and duodenum. [ Conclusion] The wide distribution of H-FABP gene suggests that its functions are important and multiple.展开更多
Background:Non-native wild pigs(Sus scrofa)threaten sensitive flora and fauna,cost billions of dollars in economic damage,and pose a significant human–wildlife conflict risk.Despite growing interest in wild pig resea...Background:Non-native wild pigs(Sus scrofa)threaten sensitive flora and fauna,cost billions of dollars in economic damage,and pose a significant human–wildlife conflict risk.Despite growing interest in wild pig research,basic life history information is often lacking throughout their introduced range and particularly in tropical environments.Similar to other large terrestrial mammals,pigs possess the ability to shift their range based on local climatic conditions or resource availability,further complicating management decisions.The objectives of this study were to(i)model the distribution and abundance of wild pigs across two seasons within a single calendar year;(ii)determine the most important environmental variables driving changes in pig distribution and abundance;and(iii)highlight key differences between seasonal models and their potential management implications.These study objectives were achieved using zero-inflated models constructed from abundance data obtained from extensive field surveys and remotely sensed environmental variables.Results:Our models demonstrate a considerable change in distribution and abundance of wild pigs throughout a single calendar year.Rainfall and vegetation height were among the most influential variables for pig distribution during the spring,and distance to adjacent forest and vegetation density were among the most significant for the fall.Further,our seasonal models show that areas of high conservation value may be more vulnerable to threats from wild pigs at certain times throughout the year,which was not captured by more traditional modeling approaches using aggregated data.Conclusions:Our results suggest that(i)wild pigs can considerably shift their range throughout the calendar year,even in tropical environments;(ii)pigs prefer dense forested areas in the presence of either hunting pressure or an abundance of frugivorous plants,but may shift to adjacent areas in the absence of either of these conditions;and(iii)seasonal models provide valuable biological information that would otherwise be missed by common modeling approaches that use aggregated data over many years.These findings highlight the importance of considering biologically relevant time scales that provide key information to better inform management strategies,particularly for species whose ranges include both temperate and tropical environments and thrive in both large continental and small island ecosystems.展开更多
Thyroid peroxidase （TPO） is the key enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Several mutations in the TPO gene may affect the normal growth and development of mammals. In this study, the TPO gene was mapped, it...Thyroid peroxidase （TPO） is the key enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Several mutations in the TPO gene may affect the normal growth and development of mammals. In this study, the TPO gene was mapped, its expression level was determined in thyroid grand at the age of 1, 20, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days for Jinhua pig, the alternative splicing form was searched and the single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP, A/G642） of TPO gene was analyzed. The results showed that the porcine TPO was mapped to 3q22-27, the expres- sion level of TPO was relatively stable among the various ages and two novel transcript variants in porcine TPO gene were found： the splicing variant TPO-2 lacked exon 8, while TPO-3 lacked exon 8 and exon 14, 15, 16. Moreover, we found that the SNP of A/G642in the fourteenth exon of TPO gene was significantly associated with ham weight （P 〈 0.05）. Our results provided important basis on the regulation and metabolism of the thyroid gland in animals.展开更多
Background: Runs of homozygosity(ROHs) are homozygous segments of the genome where the two haplotypes inherited from the parents are identical. The current availability of genotypes for a very large number of single n...Background: Runs of homozygosity(ROHs) are homozygous segments of the genome where the two haplotypes inherited from the parents are identical. The current availability of genotypes for a very large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) is leading to more accurate characterization of ROHs in the whole genome. Here,we investigated the occurrence and distribution of ROHs in 3,692 Large White pigs and compared estimates of inbreeding coefficients calculated based on ROHs(FROH), homozygosity(FHOM), genomic relationship matrix(FGRM)and pedigree(FPED). Furthermore, we identified genomic regions with high ROH frequencies and annotated their candidate genes.Results: In total, 176,182 ROHs were identified from 3,569 animals, and all individuals displayed at least one ROH longer than 1 Mb. The ROHs identified were unevenly distributed on the autosomes. The highest and lowest coverages of Sus scrofa chromosomes(SSC) by ROH were on SSC14 and SSC13, respectively. The highest pairwise correlation among the different inbreeding coefficient estimates was 0.95 between FROH_totaland FHOM, while the lowest was-0.083 between FGRMand FPED. The correlations between FPEDand FROHusing four classes of ROH lengths ranged from 0.18 to 0.37 and increased with increasing ROH length, except for ROH > 10 Mb. Twelve ROH islands were located on four chromosomes(SSC1, 4, 6 and 14). These ROH islands harboured genes associated with reproduction, muscular development, fat deposition and adaptation, such as SIRT1, MYPN, SETDB1 and PSMD4.Conclusion: FROHcan be used to accurately assess individual inbreeding levels compared to other inbreeding coefficient estimators. In the absence of pedigree records, FROHcan provide an alternative to inbreeding estimates.Our findings can be used not only to effectively increase the response to selection by appropriately managing the rate of inbreeding and minimizing the negative effects of inbreeding depression but also to help detect genomic regions with an effect on traits under selection.展开更多
The thymus is essential for T-cell development. The transcription factor Foxn1 plays an important role in the development and function of thymic epithelial cells （TECs） in vertebrates. However, the transcriptional r...The thymus is essential for T-cell development. The transcription factor Foxn1 plays an important role in the development and function of thymic epithelial cells （TECs） in vertebrates. However, the transcriptional regulation and expression pattern of Foxn1 in pig is not known. Here, the complete sequence of pig Foxn1 was sequenced. Sequence analysis showed that the pig Foxn1 gene was 14 730 bp in length. Its cDNA full coding sequence （CDS） consisted of 1 941 bp nucleotides that encoded a 646-amino acid polypeptide. Its amino acid sequence comprised a conserved forkhead 3 domain spanning amino acids 269-365. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Foxn1 nucleotide sequence of the pig and other species revealed that the pig Foxn1 gene was closely related to the sheep and cattle Foxn1 genes. Foxn1 gene was conserved in mammals. RT-PCR analysis showed that Foxn1 was only expressed in the thymus, skin and tongue, but not in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, adrenal gland, subcutaneous fat, longissimus dorsi, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, mesenteric lymph node, throat and ovary. These fndings indicated that the expression pattern of Foxn1 was tissue-specifc.展开更多
Exercise affects muscle metabolism and composition in the untrained muscles. The proteome of muscle tissue will be affected by exercise and resting. This is of economic importance for pork quality where transportation...Exercise affects muscle metabolism and composition in the untrained muscles. The proteome of muscle tissue will be affected by exercise and resting. This is of economic importance for pork quality where transportation relates to exercise of untrained muscles. Rest reverses exercise effects. The objective of this research was to develop potential protein biomarkers that predict the optimal resting time after exercise related to optimal pork quality. Ten litters of four female pigs were within litter allocated to the four treatment groups： exercise by running on a treadmill for 27 minutes followed by rest for 0, 1, or 3 h; control pigs without exercise. Proteome profiles and biochemical traits measuring energy metabolism and meat quality traits expected to be related to exercise were determined in the Longissimus and the Biceps femoris of the pigs. The results indicated associations between protein abundances in muscles and exercise, resting, and biochemical traits.展开更多
Distance traveled and home range size describe how animals move in space.The seasonal variations of these parameters are important to comprehensively understand animal ecology and its connection with reproductive beha...Distance traveled and home range size describe how animals move in space.The seasonal variations of these parameters are important to comprehensively understand animal ecology and its connection with reproductive behavior and energy costs.Researchers usually estimate the distance traveled as the sum of the straight-line displacements between sampled positions,but this approach is sensitive to the sampling frequency and does not account for the tortuosity of the animal’s movements.By means of the continuous-time movement modeling which takes into account autocorrelation and tortuosity of movement data,we estimated the distance traveled and monthly home range size of 28 wild boar Sus scrofa and modeled their inter-sexual seasonal variability.Males traveled longer distances and used larger home ranges than females,particularly during the rut in autumn-winter,consistently with the different biological cycles of males and females.Males enlarged their home ranges during the rut but traveled constant average distances along the year,whereas females traveled shorter distances in correspondence with the peak of food resources and birth periods but exhibited constant home range size across seasons.The differences between the seasonal variation patterns of distance traveled and home range size,observed in both sexes,revealed the complex relationship between these two aspects of spatial behavior and the great opportunity of including both distance traveled and home range size in behavioral ecology investigations.We provided a detailed analysis of wild boar spatial behavior and its relationships with the reproductive cycles of males and females,promoting a deeper comprehension of their behavioral ecology.展开更多
Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution mo...Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution models are routinely used to predict species distribution in response of environmental changes. The aim of this paper was assessing whether species distribution models can allow to identify the areas most at risk of crop damages, helping to set up management strategies aimed at the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. We obtained data on wild boar Sus scrofa damages to crops in the Alta Murgia National Park, Southern Italy, and related them to landscape features, to identify areas where the risk of wild boar damages is highest. We used MaxEnt to build species distribution models. We identified the spatial scale at which landscape mostly affects the distribution damages, and optimized the regularization parameter of models, through an information-theoretic approach based on AIC. Wild boar damages quickly increased in the period 2007-2011; cereals and legtmaes were the crops more affected. Large areas of the park have a high risk of wild boar damages. The risk of damages was related to low cover of urban areas or olive grows, intermediate values of forest cover, and high values of shrubland cover within a 2-km radius. Temporally independent validation data demonstrated that models can successfully predict damages in the future. Species distribution models can accurately identify the areas most at risk of wildlife damages, as models calibrated on data collected during only a subset of years correctly predicted damages in the subsequent year [Current Zoology 60 （2）： 170-179, 2014].展开更多
Background Cyanotic congenital heart defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow due to lung ischemia,hypoxia,and others lead to infant morbidity and mortality more than acyanotic heart disease does.Despite the great ...Background Cyanotic congenital heart defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow due to lung ischemia,hypoxia,and others lead to infant morbidity and mortality more than acyanotic heart disease does.Despite the great effort of medical research,their genetic link and underlying microRNAs molecular mechanisms remain obscure.In this study,we aimed to investigate microRNAs regulation during cyanotic defects in lung of immature piglets.Methods Cyanotic piglet model was induced by main pulmonary artery-left atrium shunt with distal pulmonary artery banding.Four weeks later,hemodynamic parameters confirmed the development of cyanotic defects and pulmonary lobe RNA was extracted from all animals.We studied the repertoire of porcine lung microRNAs by Solexa deep sequencing technology and quantified highly expressed microRNAs by microarray hybridization.Furthermore,we quantitated selected microRNAs from cyanotic and control piglets by quantitative RT-PCR.Results After surgical procedure 4 weeks later,the cyanotic model produced lower arterial oxygen tension,arterial oxygen saturation,and higher arterial carbon dioxide tension,hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration than controls （all P 〈0.05）.In 1273 miRNAs expressed in the immature piglets lungs,2 most abundant microRNAs （miR-370 and miR-320） demonstrated significant difference between cyanotic and control group （all P 〈0.05）.Conclusion Our results extended lung microRNA profile in immature piglets and suggested that miR-370 and miR-320 are significantly up-regulated in cyanotic lung tissues.展开更多
Zoo-archaeological and genetic evidence suggest that pigs were domesticated independently in Central China and Eastern Anatolia along with the development of agricultural communities and civilizations.However,the gene...Zoo-archaeological and genetic evidence suggest that pigs were domesticated independently in Central China and Eastern Anatolia along with the development of agricultural communities and civilizations.However,the genetic history of domestic pigs,especially in China,has not been fully explored.In this study,we generate 42 complete mitochondrial DNA sequences from~7500-to 2750-year-old individuals from the Yellow River basin.Our results show that the maternal genetic continuity of East Asian domestic pigs dates back to at least the Early to Middle Neolithic.In contrast,the Near Eastern ancestry in European domestic pigs saw a near-complete genomic replacement by the European wild boar.The majority of East Asian domestic pigs share close haplotypes,and the most recent common ancestor of most branches dates back to less than 20,000 years before present,inferred using new substitution rates of whole mitogenomes or combined protein-coding regions.Two major population expansion events of East Asian domestic pigs coincided with changes in climate,widespread adoption of introduced crops,and the development of agrarian societies.These findings add to our understanding of the maternal genetic composition and help to complete the picture of domestic pig evolutionary history in East Asia.展开更多
文摘[Objective] Using molecular biotechnology to clone the sus scrofa GPX2 gene. [Method] Using total RNA of sus scrofa duodenum as template, degenerated primer pairs were designed according to the homology alignment analysis of GPX2 gene of human, rat, mouse, dog and cattle. A sus scrofa GPX2 gene sequence of 330 bp was obtained by RT-PCR application method. Primes were designed respectively according to the known sequence, sus scrofa GPX2 gene was isolated and cloned by 3-RACE and 5-RACE method and analyzed the gene sequence. [Result] A mRNA sequence of 924 bp was successfully cloned and isolated in this research. This sequence contained complete 3＇end and had higher sequence homology with human,mouse,cattle and dog GPX2 gene, and there was codon called TGA which encoding Sec on the position of No. 114-116 gene. [Conclusion] Sequence alignment analysis showed that the cloned gene was sus scrofa GPX2 gene （ NCBI GenBank database, the sequence number was D098982）.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Develop-ment Program of China(No.2008AA10Z136)the Program of Liaoning Provincial Science-Technology Department(20070567)~~
文摘[ Objective] This study was to investigate the distribution of H-FABP mRNA in hybrids of Songliao black pig x Sus scrofa, so as to provide references for revealing the physiological functions of this gene. [Method] With the mRNA from different tissues as template, RT-PCR amplification was carried out for cloning cDNA of hybrid pig, which was then used for PCR reaction using specific primers; the amplification products were separated by gel electrophoresis and analyzed by sequencing for detecting the distribution pattern of H-FABP mRNA in hybrids of Songliao black pig x Sus scrofa. [ Result] H-FABP expressed in all the twelve tissues including subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, mammary gland, Iongissimus dorsi muscle, dorsal deltoid muscle, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, ileum and duodenum. [ Conclusion] The wide distribution of H-FABP gene suggests that its functions are important and multiple.
基金supported with a grant from the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife(Grant/Award Number:C01290)。
文摘Background:Non-native wild pigs(Sus scrofa)threaten sensitive flora and fauna,cost billions of dollars in economic damage,and pose a significant human–wildlife conflict risk.Despite growing interest in wild pig research,basic life history information is often lacking throughout their introduced range and particularly in tropical environments.Similar to other large terrestrial mammals,pigs possess the ability to shift their range based on local climatic conditions or resource availability,further complicating management decisions.The objectives of this study were to(i)model the distribution and abundance of wild pigs across two seasons within a single calendar year;(ii)determine the most important environmental variables driving changes in pig distribution and abundance;and(iii)highlight key differences between seasonal models and their potential management implications.These study objectives were achieved using zero-inflated models constructed from abundance data obtained from extensive field surveys and remotely sensed environmental variables.Results:Our models demonstrate a considerable change in distribution and abundance of wild pigs throughout a single calendar year.Rainfall and vegetation height were among the most influential variables for pig distribution during the spring,and distance to adjacent forest and vegetation density were among the most significant for the fall.Further,our seasonal models show that areas of high conservation value may be more vulnerable to threats from wild pigs at certain times throughout the year,which was not captured by more traditional modeling approaches using aggregated data.Conclusions:Our results suggest that(i)wild pigs can considerably shift their range throughout the calendar year,even in tropical environments;(ii)pigs prefer dense forested areas in the presence of either hunting pressure or an abundance of frugivorous plants,but may shift to adjacent areas in the absence of either of these conditions;and(iii)seasonal models provide valuable biological information that would otherwise be missed by common modeling approaches that use aggregated data over many years.These findings highlight the importance of considering biologically relevant time scales that provide key information to better inform management strategies,particularly for species whose ranges include both temperate and tropical environments and thrive in both large continental and small island ecosystems.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2006CB102100)Major Agriculture Research Project of Zhejiang Province (No. 2005C12005-2)National Natural Science Foun-dation of China (No. 30972078)
文摘Thyroid peroxidase （TPO） is the key enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Several mutations in the TPO gene may affect the normal growth and development of mammals. In this study, the TPO gene was mapped, its expression level was determined in thyroid grand at the age of 1, 20, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days for Jinhua pig, the alternative splicing form was searched and the single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP, A/G642） of TPO gene was analyzed. The results showed that the porcine TPO was mapped to 3q22-27, the expres- sion level of TPO was relatively stable among the various ages and two novel transcript variants in porcine TPO gene were found： the splicing variant TPO-2 lacked exon 8, while TPO-3 lacked exon 8 and exon 14, 15, 16. Moreover, we found that the SNP of A/G642in the fourteenth exon of TPO gene was significantly associated with ham weight （P 〈 0.05）. Our results provided important basis on the regulation and metabolism of the thyroid gland in animals.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31572357) to FPZthe National Swine Industry Technology System(CARS-35) to LXW。
文摘Background: Runs of homozygosity(ROHs) are homozygous segments of the genome where the two haplotypes inherited from the parents are identical. The current availability of genotypes for a very large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) is leading to more accurate characterization of ROHs in the whole genome. Here,we investigated the occurrence and distribution of ROHs in 3,692 Large White pigs and compared estimates of inbreeding coefficients calculated based on ROHs(FROH), homozygosity(FHOM), genomic relationship matrix(FGRM)and pedigree(FPED). Furthermore, we identified genomic regions with high ROH frequencies and annotated their candidate genes.Results: In total, 176,182 ROHs were identified from 3,569 animals, and all individuals displayed at least one ROH longer than 1 Mb. The ROHs identified were unevenly distributed on the autosomes. The highest and lowest coverages of Sus scrofa chromosomes(SSC) by ROH were on SSC14 and SSC13, respectively. The highest pairwise correlation among the different inbreeding coefficient estimates was 0.95 between FROH_totaland FHOM, while the lowest was-0.083 between FGRMand FPED. The correlations between FPEDand FROHusing four classes of ROH lengths ranged from 0.18 to 0.37 and increased with increasing ROH length, except for ROH > 10 Mb. Twelve ROH islands were located on four chromosomes(SSC1, 4, 6 and 14). These ROH islands harboured genes associated with reproduction, muscular development, fat deposition and adaptation, such as SIRT1, MYPN, SETDB1 and PSMD4.Conclusion: FROHcan be used to accurately assess individual inbreeding levels compared to other inbreeding coefficient estimators. In the absence of pedigree records, FROHcan provide an alternative to inbreeding estimates.Our findings can be used not only to effectively increase the response to selection by appropriately managing the rate of inbreeding and minimizing the negative effects of inbreeding depression but also to help detect genomic regions with an effect on traits under selection.
基金Supported by the National Science and Technology Planning Project of"the 12th Five-year"in Rural Areas(2015BAD03B02-5)the National Nature Science Foundation of China Under Grant(31301955)+1 种基金Modern Agricultural Technology System(CARS-36)Innovation Ability Raise of Scientific Research Institution in Heilongjiang Province(YC2016D001)
文摘The thymus is essential for T-cell development. The transcription factor Foxn1 plays an important role in the development and function of thymic epithelial cells （TECs） in vertebrates. However, the transcriptional regulation and expression pattern of Foxn1 in pig is not known. Here, the complete sequence of pig Foxn1 was sequenced. Sequence analysis showed that the pig Foxn1 gene was 14 730 bp in length. Its cDNA full coding sequence （CDS） consisted of 1 941 bp nucleotides that encoded a 646-amino acid polypeptide. Its amino acid sequence comprised a conserved forkhead 3 domain spanning amino acids 269-365. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Foxn1 nucleotide sequence of the pig and other species revealed that the pig Foxn1 gene was closely related to the sheep and cattle Foxn1 genes. Foxn1 gene was conserved in mammals. RT-PCR analysis showed that Foxn1 was only expressed in the thymus, skin and tongue, but not in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, adrenal gland, subcutaneous fat, longissimus dorsi, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, mesenteric lymph node, throat and ovary. These fndings indicated that the expression pattern of Foxn1 was tissue-specifc.
文摘Exercise affects muscle metabolism and composition in the untrained muscles. The proteome of muscle tissue will be affected by exercise and resting. This is of economic importance for pork quality where transportation relates to exercise of untrained muscles. Rest reverses exercise effects. The objective of this research was to develop potential protein biomarkers that predict the optimal resting time after exercise related to optimal pork quality. Ten litters of four female pigs were within litter allocated to the four treatment groups： exercise by running on a treadmill for 27 minutes followed by rest for 0, 1, or 3 h; control pigs without exercise. Proteome profiles and biochemical traits measuring energy metabolism and meat quality traits expected to be related to exercise were determined in the Longissimus and the Biceps femoris of the pigs. The results indicated associations between protein abundances in muscles and exercise, resting, and biochemical traits.
文摘Distance traveled and home range size describe how animals move in space.The seasonal variations of these parameters are important to comprehensively understand animal ecology and its connection with reproductive behavior and energy costs.Researchers usually estimate the distance traveled as the sum of the straight-line displacements between sampled positions,but this approach is sensitive to the sampling frequency and does not account for the tortuosity of the animal’s movements.By means of the continuous-time movement modeling which takes into account autocorrelation and tortuosity of movement data,we estimated the distance traveled and monthly home range size of 28 wild boar Sus scrofa and modeled their inter-sexual seasonal variability.Males traveled longer distances and used larger home ranges than females,particularly during the rut in autumn-winter,consistently with the different biological cycles of males and females.Males enlarged their home ranges during the rut but traveled constant average distances along the year,whereas females traveled shorter distances in correspondence with the peak of food resources and birth periods but exhibited constant home range size across seasons.The differences between the seasonal variation patterns of distance traveled and home range size,observed in both sexes,revealed the complex relationship between these two aspects of spatial behavior and the great opportunity of including both distance traveled and home range size in behavioral ecology investigations.We provided a detailed analysis of wild boar spatial behavior and its relationships with the reproductive cycles of males and females,promoting a deeper comprehension of their behavioral ecology.
文摘Crop damages by wildlife is a frequent form of human-wildlife conflict. Identifying areas where the risk of crop damages is highest is pivotal to set up preventive measures and reduce conflict. Species distribution models are routinely used to predict species distribution in response of environmental changes. The aim of this paper was assessing whether species distribution models can allow to identify the areas most at risk of crop damages, helping to set up management strategies aimed at the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. We obtained data on wild boar Sus scrofa damages to crops in the Alta Murgia National Park, Southern Italy, and related them to landscape features, to identify areas where the risk of wild boar damages is highest. We used MaxEnt to build species distribution models. We identified the spatial scale at which landscape mostly affects the distribution damages, and optimized the regularization parameter of models, through an information-theoretic approach based on AIC. Wild boar damages quickly increased in the period 2007-2011; cereals and legtmaes were the crops more affected. Large areas of the park have a high risk of wild boar damages. The risk of damages was related to low cover of urban areas or olive grows, intermediate values of forest cover, and high values of shrubland cover within a 2-km radius. Temporally independent validation data demonstrated that models can successfully predict damages in the future. Species distribution models can accurately identify the areas most at risk of wildlife damages, as models calibrated on data collected during only a subset of years correctly predicted damages in the subsequent year [Current Zoology 60 （2）： 170-179, 2014].
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 81100116）, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation （No. 7112046）, and Capital Citizens＇ Health Project Cultivation of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commissions （No. Z 111100074911001）.Acknowledgments： The authors are grateful to Dr. LI Gang and Dr. XU Yu-lin for the animal experiment＇s assistance, and ZHANG Yanbin and ZHANG Shao-bin for their bioinformatics assistance.
文摘Background Cyanotic congenital heart defects with decreased pulmonary blood flow due to lung ischemia,hypoxia,and others lead to infant morbidity and mortality more than acyanotic heart disease does.Despite the great effort of medical research,their genetic link and underlying microRNAs molecular mechanisms remain obscure.In this study,we aimed to investigate microRNAs regulation during cyanotic defects in lung of immature piglets.Methods Cyanotic piglet model was induced by main pulmonary artery-left atrium shunt with distal pulmonary artery banding.Four weeks later,hemodynamic parameters confirmed the development of cyanotic defects and pulmonary lobe RNA was extracted from all animals.We studied the repertoire of porcine lung microRNAs by Solexa deep sequencing technology and quantified highly expressed microRNAs by microarray hybridization.Furthermore,we quantitated selected microRNAs from cyanotic and control piglets by quantitative RT-PCR.Results After surgical procedure 4 weeks later,the cyanotic model produced lower arterial oxygen tension,arterial oxygen saturation,and higher arterial carbon dioxide tension,hematocrit and hemoglobin concentration than controls （all P 〈0.05）.In 1273 miRNAs expressed in the immature piglets lungs,2 most abundant microRNAs （miR-370 and miR-320） demonstrated significant difference between cyanotic and control group （all P 〈0.05）.Conclusion Our results extended lung microRNA profile in immature piglets and suggested that miR-370 and miR-320 are significantly up-regulated in cyanotic lung tissues.
基金supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS,XDB26000000)the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China(YSBR019)+3 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41925009)the Tencent Foundation(through the XPLORER PRIZE)the Howard Hughes Medical Institute(grant 55008731)the Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute。
文摘Zoo-archaeological and genetic evidence suggest that pigs were domesticated independently in Central China and Eastern Anatolia along with the development of agricultural communities and civilizations.However,the genetic history of domestic pigs,especially in China,has not been fully explored.In this study,we generate 42 complete mitochondrial DNA sequences from~7500-to 2750-year-old individuals from the Yellow River basin.Our results show that the maternal genetic continuity of East Asian domestic pigs dates back to at least the Early to Middle Neolithic.In contrast,the Near Eastern ancestry in European domestic pigs saw a near-complete genomic replacement by the European wild boar.The majority of East Asian domestic pigs share close haplotypes,and the most recent common ancestor of most branches dates back to less than 20,000 years before present,inferred using new substitution rates of whole mitogenomes or combined protein-coding regions.Two major population expansion events of East Asian domestic pigs coincided with changes in climate,widespread adoption of introduced crops,and the development of agrarian societies.These findings add to our understanding of the maternal genetic composition and help to complete the picture of domestic pig evolutionary history in East Asia.
