In order to define the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of parasitoses with veterinary and medical importance their parasitological status and feeding habits were studied. In the period 2001-2006 the feedin...In order to define the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of parasitoses with veterinary and medical importance their parasitological status and feeding habits were studied. In the period 2001-2006 the feeding habits of 167 foxes, 78 jackals, 40 wild cats and 23 stone martens from the area of Sredna Gora, Bulgaria were investigated. 113 of the foxes, 56 of the jackals, 22 of the wild cats and 21 of the martens were subjected to helminthological study. 147 wild boars and 26 badgers from the same area were subjected to trichinelloscopy. Rodents were the main food of the wild cats （82.7%）, martens （52%） and foxes （50%）. The main food of the jackals was carrion from domestic and wild animals （79.5%）. 95.5% of the foxes, 100% of the jackals, 95.5% of the wild cats and 89% of the stone martens were infected with one or more helminth species. The prevalence of the most important helminths： Trichinella spp., Taenia spp. and Ancylostoma spp. was high in all carnivores examined. In the infected with Trichinella spp. animals only T. britovi was demonstrated. The wild boars and badgers were not infected with Trichinella spp. The correlation between the feeding habits and parasitological status is discussed.展开更多
Lack of information about the available species of mushroom, the distribution along different ecological zones and purposes for which they have been used has hampered their domestication for sustainable production. Th...Lack of information about the available species of mushroom, the distribution along different ecological zones and purposes for which they have been used has hampered their domestication for sustainable production. This study assessed the diversity, distribution and uses of wild edible mushrooms in Ekiti State. The study area was stratified based on vegetation distribution into two zones （rainforest and derived savanna zones）. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 80 randomly selected respondents for data collection. Descriptive statistical technique of frequency counts and percentages were used to summarize the data. Information from the study revealed that 52.5% and 67.5% of the respondents are above 50 years in the rain forest and the derived savannah vegetation, respectively. About 57.5% and 47.5% of the respondents had at least secondary education in the rainforest and derived savannah vegetation, respectively, while majority of the respondents with over 20 years of collection experience carried out their hunting in free areas outside forest reserve in both ecological zones. Twenty different species of mushroom are collected at different period of the year for consumption. The study recommended that government should checkmate further destruction of the remaining natural forest to ensure continued availability of these mushrooms.展开更多
Exploration and activity are often described as trade-offs between the fitness benefits of gathering information and resources, and the potential costs of increasing exposure to predators and para- sites. More explora...Exploration and activity are often described as trade-offs between the fitness benefits of gathering information and resources, and the potential costs of increasing exposure to predators and para- sites. More exploratory individuals are predicted to have higher rates of parasitism, but this relationship has rarely been examined for virus infections in wild populations. Here, we used the multimammate mouse Mastomys natalensis to investigate the relationship between exploration, activity, and infection with Morogoro virus （MORV）. We characterized individual exploratory behav- ior （open field and novel object tests） and activity （trap diversity）, and quantified the relationship between these traits and infection status using linear regression. We found that M. natalensis expresses consistent individual differences, or personality types, in exploratory behavior （repeat- ability of 0.30, 95% CI： 0.21-0.36）. In addition, we found a significant contrasting effect of age on ex- ploration and activity where juveniles display higher exploration levels than adults, but lower field- activity. There was however no statistical evidence for a behavioral syndrome between these 2 traits. Contrary to our expectations, we found no correlation between MORV infection status and exploratory behavior or activity, which suggests that these behaviors may not increase exposure probability to MORV infection. This would further imply that variation in viral infection between individuals is not affected by between-individual variation in exploration and activity.展开更多
文摘In order to define the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of parasitoses with veterinary and medical importance their parasitological status and feeding habits were studied. In the period 2001-2006 the feeding habits of 167 foxes, 78 jackals, 40 wild cats and 23 stone martens from the area of Sredna Gora, Bulgaria were investigated. 113 of the foxes, 56 of the jackals, 22 of the wild cats and 21 of the martens were subjected to helminthological study. 147 wild boars and 26 badgers from the same area were subjected to trichinelloscopy. Rodents were the main food of the wild cats （82.7%）, martens （52%） and foxes （50%）. The main food of the jackals was carrion from domestic and wild animals （79.5%）. 95.5% of the foxes, 100% of the jackals, 95.5% of the wild cats and 89% of the stone martens were infected with one or more helminth species. The prevalence of the most important helminths： Trichinella spp., Taenia spp. and Ancylostoma spp. was high in all carnivores examined. In the infected with Trichinella spp. animals only T. britovi was demonstrated. The wild boars and badgers were not infected with Trichinella spp. The correlation between the feeding habits and parasitological status is discussed.
文摘Lack of information about the available species of mushroom, the distribution along different ecological zones and purposes for which they have been used has hampered their domestication for sustainable production. This study assessed the diversity, distribution and uses of wild edible mushrooms in Ekiti State. The study area was stratified based on vegetation distribution into two zones （rainforest and derived savanna zones）. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 80 randomly selected respondents for data collection. Descriptive statistical technique of frequency counts and percentages were used to summarize the data. Information from the study revealed that 52.5% and 67.5% of the respondents are above 50 years in the rain forest and the derived savannah vegetation, respectively. About 57.5% and 47.5% of the respondents had at least secondary education in the rainforest and derived savannah vegetation, respectively, while majority of the respondents with over 20 years of collection experience carried out their hunting in free areas outside forest reserve in both ecological zones. Twenty different species of mushroom are collected at different period of the year for consumption. The study recommended that government should checkmate further destruction of the remaining natural forest to ensure continued availability of these mushrooms.
文摘Exploration and activity are often described as trade-offs between the fitness benefits of gathering information and resources, and the potential costs of increasing exposure to predators and para- sites. More exploratory individuals are predicted to have higher rates of parasitism, but this relationship has rarely been examined for virus infections in wild populations. Here, we used the multimammate mouse Mastomys natalensis to investigate the relationship between exploration, activity, and infection with Morogoro virus （MORV）. We characterized individual exploratory behav- ior （open field and novel object tests） and activity （trap diversity）, and quantified the relationship between these traits and infection status using linear regression. We found that M. natalensis expresses consistent individual differences, or personality types, in exploratory behavior （repeat- ability of 0.30, 95% CI： 0.21-0.36）. In addition, we found a significant contrasting effect of age on ex- ploration and activity where juveniles display higher exploration levels than adults, but lower field- activity. There was however no statistical evidence for a behavioral syndrome between these 2 traits. Contrary to our expectations, we found no correlation between MORV infection status and exploratory behavior or activity, which suggests that these behaviors may not increase exposure probability to MORV infection. This would further imply that variation in viral infection between individuals is not affected by between-individual variation in exploration and activity.
